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New Sorento tires don`t last much

4.2K views 22 replies 16 participants last post by  lastcoupe73  
#1 ·
I have been noticing that the newer Sorentos have tires that wear very fast from factory .
My previous 2021 SX Prestige , the Continental tires were almost bold at 20,000 miles .
On this one , my new 2024 X-Line SX Prestige AWD Sorento , the tires (also Continental) at 6,200 miles of mild driving on a period of 10 months are way down on the wear thread . Maybe they will last for another 4000 miles (?) tops , so I am thinking of replacing them all and the car has only 10 months of use .
So, that means spending around $1,400.00 for new decent tires with 80,000 miles warranty (Bridgestone Alenza AS 255-45-20 ) .
My question is why KIA is supplying upper more expensive models with those tires that don`t last very much ?
Is it only Kia or this is a normal trend on every Korean new car ?
Are Kia customers experienced this trend and noticed this problem ? It can be just me and my bad luck , lol...
Please, post your thoughts
Thanks
 
#2 ·
Tires produced for car manufacturers are not same as ones available in shops, they are cheaper made but they do come with a warranty, you just need to look at the terms.
Tire wear may be much accelerated with improper air pressure and will also depend on the road surface you drive on, some roads and highways chew up tires very fast.
 
#3 ·
So, that means spending around $1,400.00 for new decent tires with 80,000 miles warranty (Bridgestone Alenza AS 255-45-20 ) .
I have the Alenza on my car and at 25K miles they'll not get anywhere near 80K miles.

When I researched what that 80K mile warranty really is, I found that its bogus, they give you a small rebate on new tires at participating shops proportional to shortfall in the 80K warranty.
 
#9 ·
Yeah, well, 25,000 miles are not 6,200 miles . My tires will take no more than 4 k more ,before they become dangerous , so that means 10,000 miles of a very mostly wife driving city use .
There is also the problem of getting a flat tire for everything , small nails , little pieces of glass, etc since there is not much thread protecting the tires . I already had a flat rear tire from a smallish nail , so I am not waiting and I am replacing the 4 tires on the truck with the Bridgestone Alenza AS .
It is a $1400 cost but I am getting rid of the tire wear problem once and for all . Florida is a rainy place and I am very concerned about the traction on wet pavement and my wife`s driving , so I guess it is not that expensive after all , considering the more worst possible scenarios .
By the way , none of the tire places around here sell Continental tires at all ... I wonder why that is ,
 
#4 ·
Lower profile tires generally tend to wear out faster, but the projected sub 20K-mile lifespan seems premature. Do you do mostly city driving? Also hard acceleration, braking and cornering all contribute to excessive tire wear.
 
#5 ·
Look at tires available on Tire Rack, Discount Tire, Costco, your installer of choice, etc.

Treadwear warranty is an indicator of how the manufacturer expects the tire to do but also isn't very high-stakes for them and has hoops you'll often need to jump through. https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/how-do-tire-treadwear-mileage-warranties-work

Don't only shop tread warranty though - wear is just one factor that needs to be balanced with other traits of the tire.


Factory tires do tend to be mediocre to subpar. The RAV4 "TRD Off-Road" trim comes with "Wildpeak Trail" tires factory but they are nothing like those you can buy retail and are much less aggressive.
 
#6 ·
Our 22 Sorento has about 25k miles on the OEM Continentals. They are down to 4/32nds tread and will be replaced in the spring (I run dedicated winter tires December-March). I don't run any tires on any vehicle below 4/32nds of tread. The continental crosscontact LX are trash tires even when new, and the reviews on Tire Rack reflect this. OEM tires generally get nowhere near the mileage rating that you would think, and this is confirmed by almost every tire shop if asked. This applies to almost all vehicles and manufacturers, not just Korean brands.

I am looking at a few different tires for replacement in the spring. My personal opinion is that this car does not need ultra-high performance tires. It's a family SUV, not a sports car.

Continental Extreme Contact DWS06 - highly rated tire that many people run. 50K mile manufacturer's warranty. Price point isn't bad at $243 per tire.
Cooper ProControl - Newer tire to the market, but receiving positive remarks and solid ratings on Tire Rack. 70K mile manufacturer's warranty, and Price of $227 per tire on tire rack currently.
Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive - Highly rated tire, 60K mile manufacturer's warranty, Priced at $245 per tire.
 
#7 ·
I got Sumitomo Encounter HT on Sportage for a few years now and am happy with them, but I have dedicated winter tires that I run 4-5 mos a year too.
Imho, it's well worth having a look at the tire, if you don't look for a beauty contest winner that is dead silent. I think they look good and they are not noisy and they ride and wear well. They updated it to HT2 now.
 
#8 ·
Well, our 2019 Kia Sportage SX didn't make it to 25K miles before the tires were past the wear bars.
Yes, they are high performance, low profile tires, sporty type, so will wear faster.
My Ford Edge made it to 35K miles on factory Michelin tires, not as good as I expected.
Same with our Chevy Cruze, only 27K on the Firestone tires, which were junk.
As mentioned above, OEM tires are not the same as aftermarket tires! I can vouch for that!!
 
#21 ·
I bought my '22 SX-Prestige FWD new in February '22. It now has 46,xxx miles on the original Continental tires. They have 5-6/32" left on the tread. I learned a couple decades ago that inflating all my tires to 40 psi. (COLD) will provide the best resistance to wear and wear patterns. I also rotate mine every 6k miles and never switch them from right/left, only front-to-rear on the same side of the car.
 
#22 ·
That does work, plus you will get a little better mileage, but you will sacrifice ride quality. I once got a new set of tires, drove home, and realized I had made a huge mistake, the ride was so bad. But after checking the tires (which were supposed to be inflated to 34lbs PSI), I found that the shop had inflated them to 42 PSI. After letting out 6 lbs per tire, I took it back on the same drive and it was a world of difference, way smoother.

The Contis, like almost every other factory installed set of tires I've ever had, probably will need to be replaced around 38-40k miles.

As a sidenote, I almost always keep tires to 1 lb over the recommended amount.