Best Tyres for the Kia Motors Stonic

Original Equipment on all Kia Stonic models since 2017. Mine is a 2021 Stonic with a mild hybrid engine, but I mostly drive on Eco mode so acceleration is very gentle even with a heavy foot. I have done just under 2,500 miles with these and they reminded me immediately of the old Bridgestone RE040 I had as OE on my Mazda RX-8 over 16 years ago now... really precise and quick to respond in the dry and when up to temperature (track days were fun) but a deadly on cold and wet tarmac. The OW Conti Premium Contact 5 lose grip suddenly under braking, without warning. The ABS in particular struggles to keep them from skidding even at low speeds. They feel skittish in all but the driest of conditions. The ride is also uncomfortable compared to softer compound tyres, as you would expect from a tyre that was probably not really meant for this car, yet it's original equipment. I am so unhappy with them that I have already purchased a suitable replacement thanks to reviews from other Stonic owners.

Been using the 3rd gen since 2 months ago. I would say that they are better than the 2nd gen in every aspect. Better on snow/ice than the Michelin CrossclimatePlus that's for sure. But a bitt worse than the CrossclimatePlus on dry and wear wise. Still since the CrossclimatePlus is pretty unstable on snow/ice , this is the real all season tyre to go with.

This is a review after 25kkm and 2 years of usage. I feel that after front had worn down to 5mm (4,8mm to be exact) and rear to 7mm (6,6mm to be exact) I can submit a good mid-life review. I believe these tyres will be rotated next year and worn down to 3mm. I'll provide and end-use unless they get trashed before that. Short version of this review? These are the worst summer tyres I have ever used. Period. They are worse than 8-year old 5mm used Fulda's I bought second-hand in 2009. They offered poor grip even when they were new, but with time their grip is getting even worse. These tyres had been the factory fit for Kia Stonic. Maybe normal non-OEM are better but with a brand like Continental this should not be. Driving in wet conditions is straight-on dangerous. I am keeping extra distance, and get skidding on basically most cornering. Braking? Forget about it. I never, ever had a car that had constantly had ABS go off. Even with very, very worn used old tyres! And I am driving less intensively in Stonic then with other cars - just because I know the grip is so lacking and the car is outrageously noisy at higher speeds (engine noise). In dry conditions these tyres provide adequate grip only with sun-heated asphalt. With September colder weather the dry grip deteriorated - at 13 degrees Celsius in the morning. Basically I will have to rotate to winter tyres sooner than later, since I believe with colder weather their dry grip will be even worse. Wear? Wear is outrageous. My driving style should bring the tyres to wear down way slower. I have managed to get 110kkm out of Pirelli Cinturato P4 to 2,5-3mm thread and 60kkm out of Bridgestone ER300 to 4,5-5,5mm thread. Getting the mentioned wear in Continental tyres is outrageous given that the Stonic has less HP and weight than other cars I used with the mentioned above tyres. I drive mostly highways with little braking and stable speed to get the best mileage. I'd expect to be on the 6,5-7 mm at this level. I provide good notes for handling and comfort. They are not noisy and in general the handling is OK. They are predictable when skidding, but honestly this might be the Kia TC kicking in - I see the light flicker every single day I drive this car. Because of poor grip I do sometimes feel that the car is floating like a hovercraft with wet braking.

Been on them for the past 10k kms and I must say these tyres are indeed value for money with reasonable UTQG ratings-tread-wear of 480😱 as well as single A for temperature and traction. Grip in the dry was high without any protest from the tyres but feedback was kinda muted and I do not know if the tyres would progressively/suddenly lose grip. However-the same can’t be said when in the wet though when it will progressively loses it’s grip perhaps due to it’s non-silica compound. Wear rate of the tyre was absolutely low and when on the right tyre pressure-it can be comfortable as well!😉

Tyres fitted from car manufacturer. 13000 km so far, basic tyre. They don' t justify the "premium" (I imagine only the price is premium). Very good in dry conditions. Stong tyre without damages. On the other hand they are noisy and in wet conditions not a trustworthy tyre. ABS is energised very soon in rainny conditions. Slippery and no good in turns (wet). I think the most accurate review will be on 30000km

Bought a 2nd hand 2018 Kia stonic 1.6CDi with these tyres as the original tyres at only 7700 miles from Kia motors. I expected them to last at the very least until 22k-25k Miles as I am every bit an eco driver, and I do not cover a huge amount of mileage day to day, so thought these tyres would be ideal.

Sadly at the 16700 mile mark they were nearing replacement with very little tread already. I could probably run them through to 20000 max, but I am weary of the following issues in which some have caused safety concerns:

- Noise levels increased which is not greatly noticeable on decent roads, but on certain ones will sound like the occasional bomber flying above.
- Comfort of drive ok to start with, now it is noticeably different and not so smooth a ride for myself.
- Wet Grip not great to begin with, and now even worse as you might expect with a lot of slipping going on with hills now feeling increasingly less safe.
- Dry grip didn't feel that great to begin with but manageable for my purposes, now noticeably worse around many corners as you might expect with little tread.
- Wear rate was surprising for me even on the rear tyres which are obviously better, but still not great considering I barely push the car.

I will not be buying these tyres to replace the current ones as the tyre felt it went from ok to bad relatively quickly from my experience. After research including others experiences will most likely be looking to get Bridgestone Turanza T005 / Michelin CrossClimate+ / Hankook Ventus Prime K125 or similar.