Tire Test Results

Tires Tested

• What We Liked: It kept pace and never really stumbled in any weather conditions.
• What We'd Improve: Could use greater wet traction and some refinement to ride comfort.
• Conclusion: It's not a bad tire, but it didn't quite find a way to shine, apart from its respectable winter performance.

• What We Liked: It's well-cushioned, muted and composed.
• What We'd Improve: Wet and winter traction could be tightened up.
• Conclusion: It's very good and with some improvement to performance in slippery conditions, could be great.

• What We Liked: The best wet performance in the test.
• What We'd Improve: It could use some additional refinement on the road.
• Conclusion: Respectable performance in all weather conditions, with room to improve on the street.

What We Learned on the Road

Our 6.0-mile loop of expressway, state highway and county roads provide a great variety of road conditions that include city and highway speeds, smooth and coarse concrete, as well as new and patched asphalt. This route allows our team to experience noise comfort, ride quality and everyday handling, just as you would during your drive to school or work.

There are always going to be differences between tires, it's why we test - at times those differences range from pronounced to more subtle, but they always exist, nonetheless. In a Highway All-Season tire, the one area that is undoubtedly the most important is its performance on the road. These are commuter tires and if they don't commute well, nothing else matters. Thankfully, the Laufenn X FIT HT made an excellent case for itself here, soaking up undulations and imperfections with nearly drama-free composure. Overall noise comfort impressed our testers as well, not only remaining quiet, but fading into unobtrusive white noise. Steering was quick and light, but that's all it was. The amount of effort building in the steering can make a serious alteration to a tire's feel, and we would have liked some additional weight during cornering. Sumitomo's Encounter HT2, conversely, had steering that was nicely weighted, linear, and natural in response, if a bit dull. The Encounter HT2's ride was a bit less accommodating, communicating more of the road's surface to the driver, and not quite as composed over impacts. Noise comfort was reasonable, with nicely mixed tones, although somewhat higher volume and pitch than the other tires on most surfaces. It did exhibit a particular thrum that bears mentioning, a low, bass tone that could be felt more than heard on some surfaces not present in any other tire in the test. The Kumho Crugen HT51 was concise over bumps, but less cushioned, with some minor post-impact movement. Over the roughest surfaces on the route, it did exhibit noticeably high volume, as well as vibrato tones that were more noticeable on smooth surfaces. The steering felt as if there was a moment's delay between input and action immediately off-center. From there, it was a little over eager and imprecise.

What We Learned on the Test Track

Our 1/3-mile per lap test track course includes 90-degree street corners, a five-cone slalom and simulated expressway ramps. Run in both dry and wet conditions, the test track allows our team to experience the traction, responsiveness, handling, and drivability normally only encountered during abrupt emergency avoidance maneuvers or competition events.

Wet conditions are something that many drivers take for granted outside of the professional sphere - but it has real consequences for a tire's performance, and even a damp surface can make the difference between stopping on a proverbial dime or being stopped by a solid object instead. Pushing tires to the limits of their wet traction showcases how significant those variables can be when drivers need them most.

With the track sufficiently saturated, the Sumitomo Encounter HT2 was able to showcase its traction strengths, particularly in sharp, slalom maneuvers and cornering, which best represent the kind of last-second emergency adjustments a driver might need to make. It felt planted, conveying front end authority that let our testers lean into turns with good mid-corner feedback, without being afraid of a sudden breakaway. The Laufenn X FIT HT was an interesting ride. The steering was responsive, accurate, and quick through the slalom, but once it leaned too far off-center, the traction limitations made themselves apparent. The objective metrics showed this as well, but our testers agreed that it ultimately felt good within its window of grip. Kumho's Crugen HT51 remained numerically competitive, showcasing some appreciable braking, and could be coaxed around the track with some effort, but the non-linear steering behavior was at odds with drawing out any advantages it might offer.

Once our track had dried off, it was time to evaluate how these tires could perform in the conditions most common for drivers. The Laufenn X FIT HT brought a surprisingly sporty feeling to its laps for this category, with precise steering able to handle combination inputs with the traction needed to stick each path our testers set. It felt planted, preferring to remain on an intended arc throughout rather than being pushed, carrying speed through turns with targeted throttle thanks to its neutral balance. The Encounter HT2 offered consistently decent steering, with appropriate weight, although not as precise as our testers preferred. Its planted, balanced behavior translated the available traction well into a turn, though it needed finesse to time the throttle to keep from pushing wide when exiting the corner. Kumho's Crugen HT51 was adequate in the dry, with competitive traction, the underlying grip was there, but the steering response wouldn't allow our testers to maximize it. In sharp slalom adjustments and corners, the steering felt like wasted motion, with too much travel before it could catch up to input, a marked room for improvement.

Driving in Winter Conditions

Drivers who experience light snow and occasional winter conditions may wish to know how their tires will perform in unexpected snowfalls or surprise ice. Those who live or drive in parts of the world that experience heavy, regular snowfall and freezing weather may want to consider a dedicated winter tire. The Crugen HT51 was comfortably the most capable tire we tested in objective measurement, accelerating to 12mph in 14.7 ft and coming to a stop from 25mph in only 55.5 ft. Comparatively, the Encounter HT2 was close in acceleration, requiring only an additional foot and a half to reach speed, but taking almost an additional ten feet, at 65.2 feet to come to a stop in the snow. Finally, the X FIT HT rounded up the test with 19.7 feet to reach the acceleration goal, and a significant 73.3 feet to come to a stop.

On the ice, contrarily, the X FIT HT took 53.9 feet to come to a stop, leading the group. Each tire in the group remained fairly close in performance in these conditions, with the Encounter HT2 stopping at 56.9 feet and the Crugen HT51 taking some slight additional distance, at 58.9 to come to a halt.

Summary

At the end of evaluation and discussion, the Laufenn X FIT HT stands out among the set thanks to its overall ride quality and better-than-average athleticism around the track. The X FIT HT still has room for improvement, notably in snowy weather and wet braking, but for a regular commute, its considerate and composed performance on the street makes for a satisfying daily driver. The Sumitomo Encounter HT2 is a strong competitor in most weather conditions, and in particular, holds a commanding presence in the wet, making it an easy recommendation for drivers concerned with or frequently dealing with those kinds of environmental conditions. There is some refinement left on the table for the Encounter HT2 on-road, but not so great it's not worth consideration either. The Kumho Crugen HT51 is inoffensive, though compared to its competition, has room to do more than rest on its laurels. The Crugen HT51 has been a hit with consumers in the past, and while praiseworthy, the envelope is ever moving. It remains a stand-out performer in the snow, particularly compared to its contemporaries, but more needs to be done on the whole to stand out in the future. Drivers will find a suitable experience from any one of these tires, and the ongoing push for technological improvement only benefits all consumers when the metrics are this close.