Winrun tires review for 2024: Great economical tires

The first thing that came to my mind as I was writing this Winrun tires review is the general lack of information about this Chinese-made tire. Browsing the official website of Winrun wasn’t much help, either. Try it for yourself. The experience is similar to reading the instruction manual on a Chinese-made gadget with a relatively unknown brand.

Luckily for me, the general lack of information about Winrun was not a hindrance to finding vehicles fitted with this brand of tire. Unlike Laufenn tires, Winrun has a wider range of tires to offer. I was also thankful that the tire names weren’t represented by a confusing nomenclature of numbers, letters, and unintelligible symbols.

What I do know is that Winrun tires were unveiled at the 2013 SEMA and China International Tire Expo in Las Vegas and Shanghai respectively. Winrun tires were also featured at the 2017 Automechanika in Dubai.

I also know that Winrun tires are the favorite of owners who love to proudly display their rides at car shows. And why not? These tires not only have a bargain price tag, but the tread design is also fantastic to look at. In short, Winrun tires will make your car look better as the tread designs will enhance the styling cues of your ride.

But the form factor or the design should only come second to grip and performance. In this 2017 Winrun tires review, my goal is to find out if this Chinese-made tire has what it takes to battle head-to-head with other cheap yet dependable tires in the market today.

Heading out to different tire shops helped me to gain a wider perspective about the driving and riding characteristics of Winrun tires. Depending on where you live, it may be hard to find a dealer that sells Winrun tires as the brand is not as popular as other second-tier brands. Which is a shame, really, since Winrun tires are perfect for those who are on a tight budget.

Why Choose Winrun Tires?

Not all products made in China are of inferior quality, but almost all of them have what it takes to compete with other products in terms of price. The same can be said for Winrun tires.

• Budget-friendly price tag

We all know that new tires are expensive. We also know that a lot is riding on those inflated rings of rubber. Winrun tires are slowly becoming popular because of the relatively low price tag. As an owner of an SUV was quick to point out during my research, he said:

“I don’t really care about the tread wear of Winrun tires. They’re so cheap that you can practically buy a new set after 15,000 or so miles, and you’ll still be better off than buying an expensive brand.”

• Great tread design

As someone who appreciates the beauty in all things, my eyes were very much fixated on the tread designs of Winrun tires. Setting aside the performance aspect, these tires look good, especially the mud tires.

Winrun Tires Review

Winrun R380 All-Season Radial Tire

The Winrun R380 is the entry-level tire. It is basically a summer touring tire designed for sedans and sports coupes.

The Winrun R380 has an asymmetric tread pattern and is engineered using an advanced silica compound for impressive traction and grip in all types of weather.

The Winrun R380 also has an anti-hydroplaning design on the main grooves which will improve traction on wet and slippery roads.

What you will immediately like about the Winrun R380 is the low price.

How low? Depending on the size, you can expect to only pay $40 to $55 each. If that’s not cheap enough, then I don’t know what is.

I got my hands on a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu LS riding on stock 16-inch wheels fitted with Winrun R380 tires. The ride quality was good, and the tires were quiet even on harsh sections of tarmac.

However, the car I’m testing had the Winrun tires fitted a couple of months back, and tread wear was already evident. The owner of the Malibu was a city dweller and drove within the confines of neighboring towns, so this pretty much shows that advanced tread wear might be an issue with the Winrun R380. But since these tires are cheap, so can pretty much buy a new set after 10,000 miles.

If you do a lot of city driving and you don’t look for much in your tires, I can see nothing wrong with the Winrun R380.

Winrun R330 All-Season Radial Tire

The Winrun R330 is classified as an ultra-high performance tire. It is engineered with an asymmetric UHP pattern, while the main grooves have an anti-hydroplaning design.

Since this is a high-performance summer tire, the Winrun R330 provides good traction in both wet and dry roads and braking performance was also quite impressive.

I was able to briefly test drive a 2015 Ford Focus ST fitted with the Winrun R330 on 17-inch aftermarket rims. The owner of the car was deeply satisfied with the handling and grip provided by the Winrun’s even on extremely wet roads.

I would have to agree with him because my only complaint about this tire is the road noise. It wasn’t extremely loud, but it had a noticeable hum which became more evident as you approach triple-digit speeds.

The excellent wet and dry performance can be attributed to the advanced silica compound of the R330.

This tire can also be bought in a run-flat configuration if your car requires it. However, talking to the folks at the tire shop revealed that the R330 run-flats gave the car a firmer ride. The steering became a bit dull as well. But with the normal R330’s, this was not the case.

There was no way for me to push the Ford Focus ST to the limit. I wanted to get a better idea on how the Winrun R330 tires performed under adverse conditions. The owner of the Focus was kind enough to share with me that as long as the steering and throttle inputs are not too aggressive, the Winrun tires can safely navigate tight corners even at high speed.

Winrun KF397 All-Season Radial Tire

The Winrun KF397 is an all-season ultra-high performance tire. In terms of looks, this tire looks more expensive than what the price tag would suggest.

This tire is equipped with a pair of center grooves that improves handling, traction, and steering response on both wet and dry roads. But the center grooves are only a small part of the story.

What really caught my eye was what Winrun calls a ‘super sport pattern’. In actuality, it looks pretty similar to a V-tread design albeit a modified one.

This tire looks sportier than the R330. Too bad that I didn’t get the chance to test drive a vehicle fitted with the Winrun KF397. However, I got the chance to chat with the owner of a Nissan Altima riding on 18-inch wheels and Winrun KF397 tires and he told me that the tires performed similarly to his old set of Toyo PROXES T1 rollers. The only problem was tread wear. The Winrun’s were showing signs of wear after only 8,000 miles.

In terms of wet and dry performance, the Winrun KF397 performed admirably. Ride comfort was also at par with other expensive brands.

And did I mention the tread design? The Winrun KF397 is one of the best looking cheap tires that you can buy. If this was a beauty contest, I would have to say that the KF397 is the prettiest of the bunch in Winrun’s lineup.

Winrun KF997 All-Season Radial Tire

The Winrun KF997 is applicable to plus-sized applications. These tires can also be fitted to small crossovers and SUVs that demand a sportier set of high-performance rubber.

Again, one look is all it takes to prove that the KF997 is a looker. This tire is equipped with two big grooves and a V-shaped tread design to improve handling and steering on slippery and wet roads.

The Winrun KF997 is engineered with extra-strong shoulders to improve performance even under heavy loads. This tire is perfect if your big sedan or SUV is fitted with 18 to 26-inch wheels.

I had a similar fate with this tire because I couldn’t find a vehicle fitted with these tires. But then again, talking with the folks at the tire shop revealed a fascinating aspect of the Winrun KF997: the price. Not surprised? So was I. This tire is popular because you can save money on a big wheel upgrade.

If you’re more about the bling than the actual performance, you can definitely save some dough with the Winrun KF997.

Winrun MAXCLAW H/T All-Season Radial Tire

The Winrun Maxclaw H/T is an all-season tire that is designed to fit crossover vehicles, SUVs, and light trucks. This tire is also available in a wide range of sizes and is available for 15, 16, 17, 18, and 20-inch configurations.

The Maxclaw H/T is equipped with three center ribs to provide excellent traction and grip on both wet and dry surfaces. The shoulders have a big and wide tread pattern to assist handling and cornering under heavy loads.

What I like about this tire is the wide tread design.

Bolting on a set of Winrun Maxclaw H/T tires to your SUV will give it a wider stance since the tires offer a wider contact patch over other brands.

My test car was a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee fitted with the Winrun Maxclaw H/T tires.

I was able to test these tires on city streets with a short stint at the freeway, and I was left pretty impressed with the grip and traction on dry roads.

The owner of the Cherokee was quick to retort that this tire can also handle occasional bouts of mild off-road terrain. It can also perform well under icy conditions, but tread wear was also the primary issue with the Maxclaw H/T.

Winrun Maxclaw A/T All-Season Radial Tire

If you are looking for an affordable and capable all-terrain tire for your pickup truck or SUV, then you should look into the Winrun Maxclaw A/T. This tire is what you need if you love to go off-roading or if you simply want a tire that can handle unpaved roads with relative ease.

The Winrun Maxclaw A/T is marketed as a premium all-terrain tire that offers superior traction on all types of road surfaces. The tread and shoulder design are engineered to protect the tire against stones and debris. The advanced silica compound offers superior grip even on icy or snowy roads.

Winrun MT305 All-Season Radial Tire

When faced with the rough patches of extremely demanding off-road terrain, your truck or SUV will need to be fitted with the Winrun MT305 tires.

The MT305 is reputed to have the same tread compound that you can find on a set of Goodyear Wrangler tires. This is not entirely a bad thing since this basically means that the Winrun MT305 can handle well on both tarmac and loose gravel.

The Winrun MT305 offer superior traction in mud and snow. This tire is engineered with Durawall Technology that protects the sidewalls from cuts and punctures when traveling over demanding off-road terrain. This tire is also constructed with an added layer of Kevlar that enhances the durability of the tire while also providing a silent ride.

I hopped inside a 2015 Jeep Wrangler fitted with larger aftermarket wheels and Winrun MT305 mud tires. It would be foolish to expect Lexus levels of ride quality and comfort with mud terrain tires, but off-road performance was commendable. I drove the Jeep on a simulated off-road track and there was no lack of traction even when traversing over loose mud.

My only gripe is the tire noise over smooth patches of tarmac. The owner of the Jeep also complained about accelerated tread wear.

But all in all, the Winrun MT305 will not only give your truck or SUV a rugged off-road stance, but it will also make sure that your rig can survive the demands of the boondocks so you can get home safe and sound.

Conclusion

You will notice that the main highlight of this 2017 Winrun tires review would have to be the affordable price tag. It’s a given that Chinese-made tires have a low price, but this review proves that when it comes to cheap tires, you can definitely have your cake and eat it, too.