Having needed to change the tyres on the Frontera and spoilt for choice decided to get some road tyres for general use and to get another set of wheels for off road.

So far got the first bit done new road tyres fitted Kumho Venture ST which is a 100% road tyre .

The Road Venture ST (also known as the KL11) is a 100% road tyre.

The engineers who designed this tyre had only road use in mind.

The construction of the carcass will be similar to other more off road oriented tyres, but the real difference is in the tread pattern.

The KL11 is not very aggressive for soft soil traction, but works exceptionally well on road.

However the tread pattern of this tyre has enough grooves and sipes (thin grooves) to be classified as a 95% On road / 5% Off road tyre.

This is often used the ratio of on road / off road to express the capabilities of the tyre.

A 95 / 5 tyre is designed almost entirely for road use, with emphasis on road handling, ride, and noise.

The 5% off road ability means it is suitable for the occasional green lane excursion (when dry) or getting around a grassy field at an event or campsite.

However, you really wouldn’t want to use this particular tyre for any heavy off-road use.

That said, the road manners of the KL11 are exceptional. It was designed for premium ride quality and very low noise levels.

It is not a performance tyre, like the Ecsta STX (KL12), so you will reach the tyre’s limits fairly quickly if pushing the vehicle hard on road.

But it will have a good balance of wet and dry traction, with a marginal level of snow performance if ever needed.

The designation ST stands for Street Terrain. These two letter designations are common throughout the industry.

Here are some common designations:

UHP and HP – Ultra High Performance and High Performance (100% Road) – Exception wet and dry grip designed for excellent handling at the sacrifice of ride

ST – Street Terrain (100% Road or 95% Road / 5% Off Road) – For the driver who wants a "street" tyre appearance for their truck. Good ride and handling on road.

HT – Highway Terrain (100% Road or 95% Road / 5% Off Road) – Similar to ST, but usually a bit more "trucky" and a bit less "sporty". Good ride and handling on road.

AT – All Terrain (80% Road / 20% Off Road to 60% Road / 40% Off Road – This tyre is engineered for a balance of on and off road performance. This tyre should handle all but the most severe off road conditions well, and usually perform decently in the snow as well. There will be some sacrifice in road performance and noise.

MT – Mud Terrain (20% Road / 80% Off Road) – Designed for serious and severe off roading, especially mud. They do not handle well on road and are quite noisy as well.

The 106T designation is tells you two things. 106 is the load index. Using charts available at your tyre dealer, this number can be converted to a kilograms (kg) load for a multitude of tyre pressures. 106 corresponds to 825 kg at 30 PSI. 825 kg is the maximum load this single tyre is rated to (at 30 PSI). Multiplying times four equals 3300 kg. The gross vehicle weight for a new Frontera is 2450 kg. So it would appear that Vauxhall engineers allowed for quite a cushion in their tyre choice, which is great from a safety point of view.

The "T" in 106T is the speed rating. It is a bit odd, but speed ratings proceed as such: Q R S T H V W Y (increasing from lowest speed rating to highest). Sports cars with UHP tyres have V, W, and Y speed rated tyres, capable of speeds up through 300 km/hr. A T rated tyre is suitable for speeds up to 190 km/hr (118 mph) at the recommended tyre pressure.

Thanks for the assistance given from

Kumho European Tech Centre
Birmingham, England