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Last updated 8/16/2024 - Originally published 8/16/2024
Written by SimpleTire
Bridgestone manufactures tires for a variety of applications, including passenger vehicles, motorbikes, bicycles, commercial vehicles, off-road vehicles, and aviation. Founded in 1931, Bridgestone Tires has expanded to become the world's second-largest tire producer, with operations in over 150 countries. Established in 1960, Kumho Tires is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese tire manufacturer Doublestar. Kumho's headquarters in the United States are in Atlanta, where they manufacture next-generation tires for coupes, sedans, CUVs, SUVs, light trucks, minivans, and commercial trucks.
Bridgestone is famous for its Alenza, Blizzak, Ecopia, Potenza, and Dueler product lines. A commercial-grade all-season tire, the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 is designed for use on light trucks and SUVs, providing drivers with exceptional traction, handling, and durability.
Tire families such as the Ecsta and Solus (for passenger cars) and Crugen (for light trucks and SUVs) provide exceptional value and performance, with extended wear, great handling, and year-round grip. Designed for use on SUVs and light trucks, the Kumho Crugen HT51 is an all-weather tire that offers drivers long tread life, great traction, and solid handling.
Which tire performs better, or are both equally good at what they do? To help you decide which tire is best, let's compare the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 and Kumho Crugen HT51 using SimpleScore.
Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 tires
Designed for use on SUVs and light trucks, the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 is a commercial grade all-season tire that is designed to provide heavy-duty performance year after year. It is designed with technology that guarantees outstanding traction in dry and wet conditions. It is backed by a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty and features an updated contact patch, a long-wearing tread compound, and a tread intended for year-round traction.
The Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 gets a great SimpleScore of 8.8 out of 10 thanks to its outstanding traction, excellent handling, and great longevity.
Kumho Crugen HT51 tires
The Kumho Crugen HT51 is a highway all-weather tire that is designed for use on SUVs and light trucks and is designed to endure demanding, all-weather driving and working conditions because of its high quality, features, and attention to detail. Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified, the Crugen HT51 offers great snow traction and braking in harsh winter weather conditions. It comes with a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty for P-metric sizes and a 45,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty for LT-metric sizes.
The Kumho Crugen HT51 sports a great SimpleScore of 8.6 thanks to its great traction, solid handling, and superb longevity.
Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 vs Kumho Crugen HT51 tires on traction
Traction is a tire's grip on the road surface. It maintains your vehicle securely attached to the road surface, providing the stability required for smooth handling, rapid steering, and controlled braking, particularly in variable road and weather conditions. Let’s see how the Dueler H/T 685 and Crugen HT51 perform in terms of traction.
You can push through the light winter with the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 thanks to its carefully designed tread pattern, which helps to maintain grip even in slippery conditions. The wide grooves on the Dueler H/T 685 tire improve wet grip and prevent hydroplaning by pushing water away from the tire's contact patch while the tire's improved rubber formula offers year-round traction. As a result, the Dueler H/T 685 gets an excellent traction score of 9.3.
The robust center block design of the Kumho Crugen HT51 provides traction all year round. Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified, the Crugen HT51 also has excellent snow grip in moderate to severe winter weather conditions. Additionally, the Crugen HT51's zig-zag groove design removes water from the tread to reduce the risk of hydroplaning and increase wet traction. As a result, the Crugen HT51 sports a great traction score of 8.7.
When it comes to traction, the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 has a superior score than the Kumho Crugen HT51 (9.3 vs. 8.7).
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685
Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 vs Kumho Crugen HT51 tires on handling
Tires are vital in terms of a car's optimization and handling on difficult roads. The Dueler H/T 685 and Kumho Crugen HT51 offer reliable handling.
The Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 boasts an excellent handling score of 9.1 thanks to its symmetric tread pattern with an open shoulder that enhances its handling performance.
The Kumho Crugen HT51's robust center block design provides improved stability and handling throughout the year and has a great handling score of 8.5. Additionally, the Crugen HT51 is Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified, which means it has excellent snow braking in moderate to severe winter weather conditions.
In terms of handling, the Dueler H/T 685 has a superior handling score than the Crugen HT51 (9.1 vs 8.5).
ADVANTAGE: Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685
Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 vs Kumho Crugen HT51 tires on longevity
Mileage on a tire, the state of the road, driving habits, upkeep, and age all affect its lifespan, and a tire's longevity is a key factor in determining its quality. The Dueler H/T 685 and the Crugen HT51 boast solid longevity scores.
The Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 has a great longevity score of 8.3 thanks to its innovative tread-to-road contact footprint, which offers tire longevity and adjusts to the load. It is designed for towing and hauling heavy loads, including a 2-ply polyester structure and heavy-duty steel belts. In addition, it is backed by a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
The Kumho Crugen HT51 sports a longevity score of 8.7 thanks to an optimal block shape and four-channel symmetric pattern to increase tire life. Additionally, the Crugen HT51 comes with a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty for P-metric sizes and a 45,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty for LT-metric sizes.
When it comes to longevity, the Crugen HT51 has a superior longevity score than the Dueler H/T685 (8.7 vs 8.3).
ADVANTAGE: Kumho Crugen HT51
When to use each
Highway terrain tires are sturdy, long-lasting, and commonly used on light trucks and SUVs due to their ability to handle heavier loads and move cargo. The Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 is a highway-terrain tire with an all-season rubber compound and the Kumho Crugen HT51 is a highway, all-weather tire that offers performance year-round.
Which one should you choose?
Which of these highway terrain tires best suits your needs? According to SimpleScore, the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 outperforms the Kumho Crugen HT51 (8.8 vs 8.6). In terms of traction and handling, the Dueler H/T 685 gets superior scores than the Crugen HT51.
Comparing the prices of the 255/65R17 tire size, the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 costs around $229 per tire, and four such tires cost $916, while the Kumho Curgen HT51 costs around $189 per tire, and four such tires cost $756 (a difference of $160).
Based on SimpleScore, you should choose the Bridgestone Dueler H/T 685 if you:
- Drive an SUV like the Jeep Wrangler, light truck like the Ford F-150, or a mid-size SUV like the Nissan Pathfinder.
- Prefer better traction (9.3 vs. 8.7)
- Prefer superior handling (9.1 vs 8.5)
- Are ready to pay more for Bridgestone
On the other hand, you should purchase the Kumho Crugen HT61 if you:
- Drive a compact pickup truck like the Chevrolet Colorado, a full-size pickup truck like the Nissan Titan, or a pickup truck like the Toyota Tacoma
- Prefer better longevity (8.7 vs 8.3)
If you are looking for a highway-terrain tire with an all-season tread pattern consider the Dueler H/T 685 and if you are looking for a highway-terrain tire that is Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified and offers all-weather traction consider the Crugen HT61. Your option will be determined by your vehicle and the factors that are most important to you, such as cost, traction, handling, weather conditions, and longevity.
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.