Kumho Showcases New Crugen GT Pro, Road Venture HT
Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc. launched a new all-season touring tire, the Crugen GT Pro, and showcased its Road Venture HT at a recent ride-and-drive event near Seattle, Wash.
Kumho dealers and distributors tested the tires' capabilities at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash.
The Crugen GT Pro is engineered for “today’s increasingly larger, heavier crossovers and SUVs,” according to Kumho officials.
"Designed to deliver premium comfort, confident all-weather performance and one of the highest treadwear warranties in its class,” the Crugen GT Pro is launching in 85 sizes that together cover more than 85% of the SUV and CUV market.
"As crossovers and SUVs continue to dominate new vehicle sales, today’s drivers expect replacement tires that combine long life, ride comfort and confident all-weather capability,” said Shawn Denlein, Kumho’s president of sales and marketing.
"The Crugen GT Pro was engineered to deliver the premium performance today’s drivers demand at an exceptional value that Kumho is known for.”
Shipping to dealers this month and available for consumers in September, the Crugen GT Pro is backed by a 75,000-mile treadwear warranty for H- and V-speed-rated models and a 65,000-mile treadwear warranty for W-speed rated models.
The tire, which is manufactured at Kumho plants in Vietnam and South Korea, utilizes Kumho’s K-Mile technology and a next-generation tread compound to improve wear resistance by up to 20% versus its predecessor, the Crugen HT 51.
An optimized contact patch promotes even wear, helping optimize tread life and enhancing long-term performance, according to Kumho officials.
The Crugen GT Pro features Kumho’s K-Noise Defender technology, which “incorporates resonance-reducing elements within the tread design to reduce noise ... creating a quieter driving experience without compromising performance.”
The tire also boasts Kumho’s K-Siper Control technology to enhance wet braking, handling and traction in light snow. Wave-shaped blocks provide optimal stability, while wider tread grooves and Kumho’s Dual Performance Block technology help improve wet braking and resist hydroplaning.
And the Crugen GT Pro is electric vehicle (EV)-compatible.
Rick Cunat, managing director, Kumho America Technical Center, said Kumho focused on several performance elements - including wet traction, tread life, a quiet ride and EV compatibility - when developing the tire.
"Optimizing the footprint is very, very important to extending treadwear. We also improved snow performance by 11%” versus the Crugen HT 51. Cunat told Kumho customers during the event. “A lot of that is because of the (tire’s) zig-zag pattern, as well as siping. The tire has areas where water can exit easily."
"We’re right up there with tier-one and tier-two competitors” when it comes to the design and performance of the Crugen GT Pro, said Cunat. "We know and fully understand that this tire has to perform. That’s the number-one thing.”
"We’re going for the top tiers" with the Crugen GT Pro's market positioning, said Chris Han, senior marketing manager, Kumho. “We’re making sure we give top-of-the-line performance at a more value price point.
"With the proliferation of sizes and vehicle manufacturers going to a more performance-type tire, we’ve (also) included all the high-end fitments that are now coming out,” he noted. “We felt that was important to make sure our dealers and also the consumer had access to sizes for specific vehicles.
"What we want to do is make our line-up as robust as possible. Dealers prefer that. They want one product to be able to sell. They don’t want to have three different manufacturers’ lines" across multiple tiers. "It’s just easier to give them one tire.”
Han added that "when (North American) OEMs make the transition" to the Crugen GT Pro, the tire will "most likely" be made at Kumho's consumer tire plant in Macon, Ga.
More on the Road Venture HT
In May 2026, Kumho unveiled the Road Venture HT, which the company describes as “an advanced, all-season highway-terrain tire engineered for optimal performance across any road condition.”
Available in more than 40 sizes fitting wheels ranging from 15 inches to 22 inches in diameter, the Road Venture HT is the newest product in Kumho’s Road Venture light truck tire line.
It comes with a 75,000-mile limited treadwear warranty for P-metric sizes and a 50,000-mile limited treadwear warranty for LT-metric sizes. Like the Crugen GT Pro, the Road Venture HT is EV-compatible.
"With significant enhancements in structure, design and materials, the Road Venture HT delivers exceptional performance, durability and comfort, so light truck and SUV vehicle owners can drive with confidence year-round,” said Denlein.
The tire features an optimized structural design and a new-generation polymer compound for enhanced wear resistance. Three-dimensional chamfers and integrated tie-bar noise reduction technology help ensure a quiet, comfortable ride, according to Kumho officials.
For wet driving confidence, the Road Venture HT also features a high-grip resin and four wide circumferential grooves for efficient water evacuation.
"Wider lateral shoulder grooves, multi-angle sipes and independent tread blocks with enhanced biting edges work together to deliver superior traction and stability. Additionally, a zig-zag tread design and waved 3D interlocking sipes deliver enhanced snow traction and earn it 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake certification.”
During his presentation, Cunat cited the Road Venture HT’s footprint as one of its outstanding features. “One thing we’ve done a lot of studies on is if you square up that footprint and you get more even distribution across as you’re rolling through the footprint, (the tire) is less susceptible to irregular wear.”
The Road Venture HT, which also is manufactured at Kumho plants in South Korea and Vietnam, has been independently tested, said Cunat.
Moving forward, Kumho’s complete light truck tire line-up will be consolidated under the Road Venture family name, simplifying the range's nomenclature for both dealers and consumers, Han also told dealers.
About the Author
Mike Manges
Editor
Mike Manges is Modern Tire Dealer’s editor. A 29-year tire industry veteran, he is a three-time International Automotive Media Association Award winner, holds a Gold Award from the Association of Automotive Publication Editors and was named a finalist for the Jesse H. Neal Award, the Pulitzer Prize of business-to-business media, in 2024 and 2026. A past Endeavor Business Media Editor of the Year, Mike has traveled the world in pursuit of stories that will help independent tire dealers move their businesses forward. Before rejoining MTD in 2019, he held corporate communications positions at two Fortune 500 companies and served as MTD’s senior editor from 2000 to 2010.