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Last updated 9/10/2024 - Originally published 9/10/2024
Written by SimpleTire
Established in 1871 in Germany, Continental is now a tire giant known for its premium range of tires that sport cutting-edge technologies and many advanced features. The tire manufacturer offers tires for passenger cars, CUVs, SUVs, pickup trucks, farm equipment, commercial vehicles, and industrial applications.
Kumho Tires, on the other hand, made its debut in 1960 and is based in South Korea. It is a fully-owned subsidiary of Chinese tire brand, Doublestar and offers a solid range of tires for use on sedans, coupes, SUVs, CUVs, light trucks, minivans, and commercial trucks. Kumho ensures that its tires are innovative and meet the needs of present-day customers and also promote sustainability.
The Continental TerrainContact H/T and the Kumho Crugen HT51 are the two highly capable highway terrain tires that we will compare in this comparison to find out, which out of the two can be a suitable choice for your SUV or light truck. While the TerrainContact H/T is an all-season type of tire suitable for use on dry, wet, and light snow conditions, the Crugen HT51 is an all-weather tire and is Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified for use in moderate to severe winter conditions, besides dry and wet conditions. This makes the comparison of these two highway-capable tires even more interesting.
So, let’s get to know which out of the two tires could be a great choice for you through our detailed comparative analysis, where we compare the TerrainContact H/T vs Crugen HT51 tires using our very own tire rating system, SimpleScore!
Continental TerrainContact H/T tires
Launched in July 2019, the Continental TerrainContact H/T is a pure highway-terrain tire that’s suitable for use on CUVs, SUVs, and pickup trucks. Continental has engineered this tire to perfectly serve in dry and wet conditions, and its compound and tread pattern makes it suitable for year-round use. Excellent durability, improved fuel efficiency, and quieter rides are some of the key highlights of this tire. The tire combines the abilities of performance and comfort-rich tires, both of which are necessary to achieve an outstanding driving experience on the highways. Noise reduction, durability, and longevity are also some of the areas where it outshines the peers.
Overall, the TerrainContact H/T scores a great 8.7 SimpleScore rating because of its long-lasting service, confident handling, and strong traction performance.
Kumho Crugen HT51 tires
The Kumho Crugen HT51 is an all-weather tire that’s great for highway use and offers the convenience of driving a highway-terrain tire in dry and wet conditions, besides moderate to severe winter conditions as it is Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified. The tire is suitable for use on SUVs and light trucks and is built strong to meet the needs of standard as well as workload applications. The tire is strong when it comes to longevity and is also optimized for confident performance in snow.
Overall, the Crugen HT51 scores an 8.6 out of 10 SimpleScore, thanks to its long-lasting tread life, increased traction, and confident handling.
Continental TerrainContact H/T vs Kumho Crugen HT51 tires on traction
Traction is one of the important areas while buying tires as it relates to their surface biting and gripping ability, and also lets the drivers understand the tire's ability to move forward in different weather and terrain conditions. When we compared the TerrainContact H/T and Crugen HT51 tires, we found that there was a marginal difference in the scores. Let’s learn more about their traction abilities.
With a great 8.5 SimpleScore rating in traction, the TerrainContact H/T comes as a great choice and indicates that the tire is a dependable choice for year-round use, especially in dry and wet conditions. The use of Continental’s proprietary TractionPlus Technology increases traction performance in rain, shine, and light snow conditions. This technology additionally boosts the tire’s braking ability in wet conditions. The four grooves on the tread increase water channeling for hydroplaning resistance and solid grip in rain. Likewise, the biting edges on the shoulder and central tread blocks allow the tire to bite the surface better for a commanding traction performance. The sipes placed on the tread blocks further provide extra hold that’s needed while driving in light wintry conditions.
On the other hand, the Crugen HT51, being an all-weather tire came with a slight advantage in certain areas and scored a better 8.7 SimpleScore rating in traction. It is Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified as we mentioned above, and definitely has an edge over its competitors in winter weather. The use of 3D sipes on the tread provides better snow traction, while the wider footprint allows a large contact patch area to maintain surefootedness for an increased traction performance in changing weather conditions. The wide and deep tread grooves running parallel increase water dispersion, while the shoulder blocks with sharper edges provide additional stability and biting edges to firmly hold the surface.
Unlike the usual perception, the Kumho Crugen HT51 tires are ahead of the Continental TerrainContact H/T tires with a slightly higher score in the traction area.
ADVANTAGE: Kumho Crugen HT51
Continental TerrainContact H/T vs Kumho Crugen HT51 tires on handling
When you are driving your vehicle very often on the highways, you want tires to be capable of changing lanes, offering sharp steering commands, and remaining stable. That’s why handling performance in the case of highway-terrain tires becomes crucial. What we found out while analyzing the handling scores was interesting, read on!
The TerrainContact H/T secures an 8.5 SimpleScore rating in the handling area. The credit for this rating goes to the tire’s optimized design and construction that boosts on-road manners. The flat contact patch allows the tire to offer a balanced ride and the sipes on the tread blocks ensure responsive braking performance in wet conditions. The center ribs on the tread allow the TerrainContact H/T to seamlessly change lanes. The TractionPlus Technology also helps in achieving better wet grip for more stable rides during the rainy season, while the all-season rubber compound maintains solid contact with the surface for increased stability and quieter rides.
Similar to the Continental highway-terrain tires, the Crugen HT51 also scores an equally great 8.5 SimpleScore rating in handling. The wider tread provides stable rides and the Square Type Cavity design ensures great steering response. The 3D Sipe application and the stiffer center block tread design also help in improved handling performance. The bigger advantage of these sipes is that in snowy conditions they enhance the braking efficiency of the tire for greater ride control. The compound of the tire is optimized to withstand dry, wet, and wintry conditions, and likewise, the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certification assures confident drives in the changing weather.
Both tires sport one or the other thing that contributes to confident driving, and they both score equally well, resulting in a tie.
ADVANTAGE: Tie
Continental TerrainContact H/T vs Kumho Crugen HT51 tires on longevity
Longevity is one of the key features of the highway-specific tires and in this area, one of the two tires leads clearly, while the other is also good enough to offer a good number of miles. Let’s compare the TerrainContact vs Crugen tires, based on their longevity scores, features, and other attributes.
The TerrainContact H/T scores a 9.2 SimpleScore rating on the longevity front. This is because of the tire’s reinforced construction that offers off-road durability and resists driving pressures and promotes longevity. The TractionPlus Technology also assures increased strength that contributes to extended service life. Continental covers the TerrainContact H/T with a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, which means the tire is built to last longer. Additionally, the flat and wide profile of the tire ensures even and longer wear.
On the contrary, the Crugen HT51 scores an 8.7 SimpleScore rating in longevity. The Square Type Cavity design of the tire offers long-lasting tread life, while the construction of the tire is reinforced enough to provide adequate durability to resist driving pressures. The tread section of the tire features increased belt width and the side section features applied rubber strip stiffener, both of these features promote longevity. There is also an applied nylon stiffener in the bead section for added strength. Additionally, this tire is backed by up to 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, which confirms that it is built to serve longer.
Both, the TerrainContact H/T and the Crugen HT51 are engineered for longer wear, but it is the TerrainContact tire that outperforms the rival.
ADVANTAGE: Continental TerrainContact H/T
When to use each
Both, the TerrainContact H/T and the Crugen HT51 are very suitable for highway use. While the TerrainContact H/T is good for use on SUVs, CUVs, and light trucks and offers enhanced ride comfort, the Crugen HT51 is more dedicated to SUVs and light trucks. However, there is a slight difference in their utility. The TerrainContact H/T is an all-season tire, built for use in dry, wet, and light winter weather conditions, while the Crugen HT51 is a dedicated all-weather tire that’s not only suitable for dry and wet conditions but can also be used in moderate to severe winter weather, on ice and snow.
The TerrainContact tires are available in 16- to 22-inch rim choices, while the Crugen HT51 tires are offered in 15- to 22-inch rim sizes.
Which one should you choose?
Comparing the overall SimpleScore of both tires, we found the TerrainContact H/T tires are slightly ahead of the Crugen HT51 tires (8.7 vs 8.6 SimpleScore rating). They both have their strengths, which must be considered as per your needs and driving preferences.
When it comes to price, the TerrainContact tires are available at a starting price of at least $205.99 per tire, while the Crugen tires are offered at a starting price of at least $130.00 per tire. This means, a set of four TerrainContact H/T tires will cost you at least $823.96, while a set of four Geolandar tires will cost you at least $520.00.
Based on SimpleScore, you should consider the TerrainContact H/T if you:
- Drive a full-size pickup truck like the Ford F-150, an SUV like the Nissan Pathfinder, or a mid-size pickup truck like the Toyota Tacoma.
- Need a premium tire and don’t worry if quality comes at a higher price.
- Need a long-lasting tire (9.2 vs 8.7 in longevity).
- Need a tire that offers responsive handling and enhanced ride comfort
- Want a tire with a higher tread life warranty across all sizes
- Want a tire in the rim size range of 16- to 22-inch
On the other hand, you should choose the Crugen HT51 if you:
- Drive a full-size truck like the Toyota Tundra, a 3-row mid-size SUV like the Ford Explorer, or a full-size pickup truck like the Chevrolet Silverado 1500.
- Need a tire that offers better traction performance (8.7 vs 8.5 in traction).
- Need a tire that offers equally good handling performance (8.5 vs 8.5 in handling).
- Want a tire that is in the rim size range of 15- to 22-inch.
- Need a Three Peak Mountain Snowflake certified tire that’s good for use in moderate to severe snow conditions.
- Need a comparatively more affordable tire.
If you’re planning to buy either of these highway-terrain tires, consider evaluating their strengths. You must also pay attention to things like how and where you drive, budget limitations, weather conditions in which you drive often, and your preferences in the longevity, handling, and traction areas.
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.