Kenda Tire Reviews
Well-known for its bicycle and dirt-bike tires, Kenda also makes a solid selection of tires for cars, trucks and SUVs.
In fact, Kenda offers a full line of passenger vehicle tires, although it’s no surprise that their light truck offerings make up more than half of them. All of these tires fall under the brand’s Klever line.
Starting at the brand’s least-aggressive offering is the Klever S/T, which is an all-season model built for on-road performance and really designed for modern crossovers. Moving up the lineup is the Klever H/P, which is a higher performance version, again built for SUVs and crossovers. Then there’s the Klever A/P.
Moving along into the off-road performance category is the Klever A/T, a well-rounded all-terrain tire with plenty of on-road manners too. Plus, it’s a rare A/T tire that comes with a 3-ply sidewall for added off-road protection. So take note of this tire if you’re an off-roader and don’t feel like getting stranded or changing tires out on the trail.
And new for 2020 is the Klever A/T2, promising next-gen tire tech with more grip and a longer tread life.
Taking matters into the extreme is the Klever M/T, with huge treads and plenty of open space to evacuate dirt and mud. It’s an ideal tire for true off-roaders.
Then there’s the Klever R/T, which brings together many of the best features of the A/T and M/T (including the 3-ply sidewall) with true winter performance. It’s designed to be studded as well, and might just be one of the best-looking off-road tires on the market.
Finally, a surprising offering in the Kenda lineup is the Klever H/T2. While most of Kenda’s truck offerings are built for off-road grip, the H/T2 is designed for quite the opposite. It’s made for trucks that spend their time on the highway and need a tire that will last. To back up those claims it comes with a 50,000 mile warranty for LTR sizes and a 60,000 mile warranty of p-metric tires.
Kenda Tire Reviews
Kenda Tire Warranty
Kenda backs all of its tires with a standard limited warranty. This covers defects in material and workmanship for five years since the manufacturing date. This can be determined according to the DOT number stamped on the tire sidewall.
Any tire deemed to be defective within the first 10 percent of tread life will be replaced free of charge. Any tire found to be defective after that point and up until the 5 year window will be replaced on a pro-rated basis.
Are Kenda Tires Any Good
Kenda might not have a lot of brand recognition in the automotive segment, and has a bit more when it comes to trucks, but it’s far from an upstart. Founded almost 60 years ago in Taiwan, it set up shop in the United States back in 1991 and was producing passenger vehicle tires 10 years later. With a midwest base of operations in Akron, Ohio it should come as little surprise that the brand has made a name for itself in the truck segment by competing in the Lucas Oil Midwest Off Road League. Bringing more than notoriety, this gruelling competition has allowed Kenda to show off it’s latest tire innovations, while also learning a lot to help develop impressive truck tires for consumer use.
We can’t make blanket statements about Kenda’s tires being good or bad as different tires rank against their competition in different ways. That said, they have a solid reputation for quality and dependability and fit in as a tier-two option for those looking for solid performance without paying the premium of a tier-one brand. Overall, we’d recommend checking out their off-road tires like the Klever MT and Klever A/T2.
Kenda Tire Recall
Kenda Tire issued a recall in 2017 affecting 696 tires shipped to Hesselbein Tire in Tulsa, OK and Max Finkelstein in Westampton, N. Of those tires 542 were determined to not have passed product inspection and should not be in service. Sized 235/75R15 and with the DOT numbers K3D5ANA5116 and K3D5ANA5216, these tires should be scrapped and if sold to a consumer should be replaced.
Where Are Kenda Tires Made?
Kenda Tire is based in Taiwan and has manufacturing facilities there, as well as in mainland China, Vietnam and Indonesia. In addition to passenger car and light truck tires, Kenda also makes ires for bicycles, motorcycles, trailers, ATVs and UTVs.