Kumho Eco Solus KL21 vs Crugen Premium KL33 [Test Data]

Fuel Efficiency

The US Department of Energy estimates that around 25% of the fuel consumption of a vehicle is attributable to the tyres. That's a lot, and it means that choosing fuel efficient tyres can save you quite a bit of money.

The Eco Solus KL21 tyres rank a C on a scale of A to E in the official fuel efficiency tests carried out by the EU (they call these rolling resistance tests).

The Crugen Premium KL33 tyres get a grade of D.

Expect the lower grade tyre to consume an extra 0.1L/100km. This works out to $26 extra spent on petrol per year, based on a typical 12,000 km driven per year.

Here's a graph comparing the Eco Solus KL21 and Crugen Premium KL33 tyres for fuel efficiency (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

Grip & Handling

We'll now take a look at how these tyres compare in terms of grip and handling.

A good measure of this is 'wet grip', which is an indication of how well the tyres will allow the vehicle to come to a stop in wet conditions.

The Eco Solus KL21 tyres rank a C on a scale of A to E in the official fuel tests carried out by the EU.

The Crugen Premium KL33 tyres, on the other hand, get a grade of C.

As their wet grip grade is the same, expect negligible differences in terms of braking distance.

Here's a graph comparing the Eco Solus KL21 and Crugen Premium KL33 tyres for wet grip (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

Noise

Another key factor to consider when choosing a tyre is road noise. Once you're over about 40 km/h, the dominant source of noise you hear is from the contact of your tyres on the road.

There is a surprisingly wide variation in the amount of noise each tyre makes.

The Eco Solus KL21 tyres produce 71.2 dB of road noise, which corresponds to a rank of B on a scale of A to C in the standardised testing done by the EU.

On the other hand, the Crugen Premium KL33 tyres produce 71.0 dB of road noise, which means a grade of B.

As their noise grade is the same, don't expect many differences in terms of cabin noise.

Here's a visual representation of how the Eco Solus KL21 and Crugen Premium KL33 tyres stack up for noise (1 = Grade C, 3 = Grade A).

Based on the results of a number of tyre benchmarks, the Eco Solus KL21 scores 4 out of 5 for comfort and the Crugen Premium KL33 scores 4 out of 5.

As per the UTQG guidelines, the Eco Solus KL21 tyres have a treadwear rating of 500, whereas the Crugen Premium KL33 tyres have a rating of 440. This means that the Eco Solus KL21 tyres will theoretically last 1.1 times as long as the Crugen Premium KL33 tyres.

As per the, the Eco Solus KL21 and Crugen Premium KL33 tyres both have a traction grading of A.

As per the UTQG system of tyre grading, the Eco Solus KL21 and Crugen Premium KL33 tyres both have a temperature resistance grading of A.

For fuel efficiency, Eco Solus KL21 score a grade of C, which is more or less average. Crugen Premium KL33 end up with a grade of D, which is below average.

More important is the wet grip, which gives you an indication of their traction and handling. In this regard, both the Eco Solus KL21 and the Crugen Premium KL33 get a score of C, which is more or less average.

More important is the wet grip, which gives you an indication of their traction and handling. In this regard, Eco Solus KL21 get a score of B, which is about typical. Crugen Premium KL33 end up with a grade of B, which is about typical.