Kumho Road Venture MT51 Review

For a brand that doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on its off-road tires, Kumho offers not one but two mud-terrain options. So how does the Road Venture MT51 stack up?

Pros

  • Improved tire life and noise compared to Road Venture MT
  • Good on-road grip
  • Surprisingly civilized
  • Great pricing

Cons

  • Less off-road grip than Road Venture MT
  • Better deep-mud grip would be ideal
  • Limited sizes



Not to be confused with Kumho’s other off-road tire (the Road Venture MT) the MT51 delivers many of the same benefits as that tire, but with some slight, yet important differences.

First up, a slightly less-aggressive tread design makes this tire a little less show-y, though it still looks plenty serious.

The shoulder blocks feature a notches on every second tread-lug, that helps the tire dig into to loose dirt and mud. It’s not quite as extreme as the setup on the standard Road Venture MT, however, and so overall performance is somewhat minimized.

On the flip-side, the tread pattern features a more conventional pattern, delivering a more stable and comfortable on-road tire. Those improvements are very slight. What is more noticeable is the dry on-road grip – something that’s also helped by the larger amount of rubber that touches the road on the tire’s shoulders.

Added benefits of this tread pattern are a slightly lower amount of noise, while wear-life is increased somewhat. Exactly how much extra life these will give you over the standard Road Venture MT tire is hard to say, as Kumho offers no milage warranty and the life of a mud-terrain tire depends significantly on just how hard you use it.

Siping is still healthy on this tire, which helps give it some winter capability, but we don’t recommend reling on this as a winter tire, even though owners do report surprisingly good traction.

As for the tire’s sidewall, it’s been designed with extra reinforcement to prevent against cuts. That same design also works to offer slightly improved traction in deeper mud and loose-earth. To be honest though, we’d be happy to see this feature improved upon.

Overall, the Road Venture MT51 is in many ways an offering for those looking for slightly better on-road performance at the expense of off-road grip, when compared to a more conventional mud-terrain tire like the MT.

Kumho Road Venture MT51 Price

The Kumho Road Venture MT51 ranges in price from roughly $150 per tire up to $270 per tire with limited sizes ranging from 15- to 17-inches.


Kumho Road Venture MT51 Warranty

Kumho backs the Road Venture MT51 with its 30-day money back guarantee if you’re not 100% satisfied with the tire.

A limited warranty is also offered for this tire, with any defective tires qualifying over the course of the first six years since manufacture. In the first year Kumho will replace the tire free of charge. After that point, Kumho will replace the tire on a pro-rated basis. Customers are responsible for additional fees such as mounting and balancing.

Mud-terrain tires like Road Venture MT51 do not come with a milage warranty.

Kumho Road Venture MT51 Sizes

15-inch tires

31X10.50R15
32X11.50R15
33X12.50R15
LT235/75R15

16-inch tires

LT225/75R16
LT245/70R16
LT245/75R16
LT255/70R16
LT265/70R16
LT265/75R16
LT285/75R16

17-inch tires

LT225/70R17
LT245/70R17
LT265/70R17

What vehicles does the Kumho Road Venture MT51 fit on?

Chevrolet Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban

Ford F-Series, Explorer

GMC Sierra

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Ram 1500

Is the Kumho Road Venture MT51 Good in Snow?

While by no means a snow tire, or even certified for true winter use, the Kumho Road Venture MT51 uses its natural mud-terrain grip to provide solid traction in deep snow. The tire’s more on-road focused siping for wet weather grip also gives it just enough grip to get you buy in the winter. Based on the tire’s specifications and that fact that it’s not certified for true winter use (meaning it doesn’t have the three-peak mountain snowflake logo on its sidewall) we don’t endorse this for use in winter. However, we’ll add that based on user reviews from owners in colder climates, they have been impressed with its winter grip.

What Ply is the Kumho Road Venture MT51?

Some versions of the Road Venture MT51 do come with an E load (10-ply) rating. The sidewall is a conventional 2-ply setup, compared to 3-ply sidewalls on many mud-terrain tires. As a result, the MT51 is less capable of withstanding a side puncture, however, the 2-ply sidewalls make for a more comfortable ride.