Best Tires For Kia Soul

‍Kia Soul: Best Tires

This vehicle is a crowd favorite among so many drivers, as it was able to successfully combine the best qualities of a standard sedan and a large SUV into one car. Back when the Kia Soul first came on the scene in 2008, it had a lot of competition with other compact SUVs that were being released around this time, as this vehicle design was fairly new still. Although many other makes and models were met with mixed reviews, the Kia Soul stole the show with its fantastic on-road performance and practicality, which is why the Soul is still manufactured to this day.

Although we have certainly seen some innovative improvements to the Kia Soul over the years, it has stayed true to being a reliable compact SUV - much like it was when it was first released. However, one thing that we really enjoy about Kia’s designs for the Soul is that they manufacture it in another of variations. The standard Kia Soul is a great vehicle that is well-rounded in specs and performance overall, which is a perfect option for a driver that wants to focus on practicality. However, Kia also has some excellent variations to the standard Soul with their X-Line and GT-Line.

These variations offer some great improvements to sports performance, as they have considerably more power, which are perfect options for Kia Soul drivers that like to maximize the capabilities of their vehicle. With that being said, if you are still not satisfied with the speed performance of your Soul, Kia offers an awesome turbo option that has over 200hp. The model variations make the Kia Soul a pretty dynamic vehicle that is actually quite versatile, which is why you want to throw on the right set of tires for your driving style.

Not all tires are made equal and you will find that a certain set is going to suit you much better on the road than another. The key is to pick a tire that is going to meet your primary driving needs. Some tire manufacturers focus on creating tire models that are focused on offering practicality and dynamic use. Whereas others aim to prioritize high-performance capabilities. What you want to consider when weighing out your options is what area of your Kia Soul’s performance you want to improve, as well as what your budget is, as tires can vary quite a bit in price. Keep reading to learn more about the best tires for the Kia Soul.

All-Season Tires

These days, the most popular tire types that you see on people’s vehicles are All-Season tires. We have been using All-Season tires for well over 50 years but it is only in the last couple of decades that they piqued in popularity. This was due to groundbreaking innovation in tire technology that made All-Season tires incredibly practical. We found a way to combine traditional rubber compounds with silica, which is used as a standard now in virtually every tire manufactured.

The silica in combination with the rubber compound helps create a highly advanced tread within the tire that is much better for friction. When this new concept was introduced to All-Season tires, it quickly became the industry standard for automobiles, as it presented a well-rounded option that drivers can rely on for a wide range of different terrains and climates, which is a perfect tire option for enhancing the practicality of the Kia Soul.

Having a quality All-Season tire on your Kia Soul will enable you to rely on one set throughout the entire year - without needing to change your tire to match the season. If you think about the amount of time (and money) that you spend on changing tires for seasonal performance, it adds up to a lot, which ultimately just ends up being a hassle for you. An All-Season tire will make your driving experience practical in virtually every way imaginable. In addition, the innovative design of these tires often results in the best tread life that you can get - with many options averaging around 70,000 miles.

With that being said, it is important that you understand that an All-Season tire is a well-rounded option and not an optimal one. These tires are fantastic for practicality in mild to moderate conditions, but if you want enhanced performance for a specific type of driving style or terrain, you are going to want to consider your options carefully. Although All-Season tires are great throughout the majority of the year, they are by no means a replacement for chains on your tires during severe winters - nor are they an alternative to summer tires. An All-Season tire is going to offer a balanced driving experience to your vehicle, which is exactly what so many Kia Soul drivers want. Let’s dive right into the best All-Season tires for the Kia Soul.

Michelin Defender T+H

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If you have been driving for a while, then you have certainly heard the name Michelin before. This is one of the most reputable tire manufacturers in the industry and although they create a lot of great tires in various classifications, we found that one of their best-matched options for the Kia Soul was their Defender T+H All-Season tire.

This All-Season tire is not going to increase the maximum sports performance of your Kia Soul, but it is going to be hands down one of the most practical sets of tires that you can throw on your vehicle. If you want a set of tires that are going to be an easy one-stop-shop that will offer a combination of well-rounded performance features, the Michelin tire is going to be a great option for your Kia Soul.

When we tested the Defender T+H with the Kia Soul, we were very impressed by the solid dry, and wet performance that they had. The traction on the road was great and you had very reliable stopping power and acceleration overall. We found this to be the case for both dry and wet conditions on the road.

However, one thing that was really great about this All-Season tire was how comfortable the ride was. If you are like so many other Kia Soul drivers out there, then you are going to value the comfort of a pleasant ride. There have been a number of complaints with various All-Season tires in the past about how bumpy and noisy they can be - especially when you get your car up to higher speeds.

If you had this experience in the past with All-Season tires, you certainly will not with a set of these on your Kia Soul, as Michelin designed them to have optimum comfort. The highway hum that you hear so often will be virtually non-existent and the feel of the road will be very smooth - even at high speeds!

Much like with many All-Season tires on the market, this option has a fantastic tread life. However, it actually surpasses the average life expectancy of most of its competitors, as you can expect to get an average of 80,000 miles with these on your Kia Soul. This is a fantastic feature of these All-Season tires, as it implies that you will only have to change them out a few times over the entire course of the ownership of your vehicle. However, if you happen to have any issues with your tire tread within that 80,000-mile period, you will be backed by a warranty.

With that being said, although these are incredibly versatile tires, they are not going to be suited for every Kia Soul driver out there - especially those that live in colder parts of the country. These tires are not designed for severe winters, which is why you should not count on them for most snow conditions. When we tested these in dense snow and ice, we found that the traction was quite poor, which can be a deal-breaker for many drivers that want to rely on a set of tires for all weather conditions.

However, if you live in an area that gets relatively mild winters, then you should be able to get away with keeping these on your Kia Soul, as they had a decent performance in light snow conditions. For a very reasonable price of $124.00 per tire at Discount Tire, these are a great value.

Continental TrueContact

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There are a lot of fantastic tire manufacturers in the industry that we praise but one that always tends to stay ahead of its competition is Continental. This manufacturer is backed by German innovation and they continue to display ingenuity in their designs to this day after over 150 years of producing high-quality tires.

With that being said, if you see Continental labeled on the tire, you know that you can expect the best. When weighing out the specs and performance capabilities of the Kia Soul, we found that the tire option that was going to deliver the best performance for this vehicle is the TrueContact.

This is an All-Season tire that receives high praise from so many drivers, as it excels in just about every category. The main reason for this is due to the advanced tread design that Continental has put into the tire, which makes it incredibly dynamic and dependable.

To start, the dry performance is fantastic - especially for an All-Season tire. The wet performance was not far off, as we found that the tires had great traction in puddles and on wet roads. Your Kia Soul will have a grip on the road that is superior to most All-Season tires on the market, which adds a great sense of security when driving, but it also implies better handling.

Now, where this All-Season tire truly excels and stands out is in its winter performance. The idea of an All-Season tire that can legitimately take on real winter weather has been more of a pipe dream than anything else - with tire manufacturers claiming that their model can get the job done, but always falling short in the end.

This is not the case with the TrueContact, as the manufacturer specifically put a focus on creating a tire that will be able to perform well in the snow. We were very impressed by this All-Season tire’s well-balanced performance in dense snow and ice. However, in light snow and slush, it had phenomenal traction, which led us to question whether this was an All-Season tire or an official snow tire. With that benign said, this tire has fantastic winter capabilities, but you want to still approach severe snow conditions with extreme caution, as they are not going to be as reliable as chains.

We also loved this All-Season tire’s excellent tread life. Many Kia Soul drivers have reached as much as 85,000 to 90,000 miles with these equipped to their vehicle before seeing signs of balding. This blows most of the competition out of the water, as anything above 70,000 is already phenomenal. Although Continental only offers a warranty on tires up to 80,000 miles, this is a great life expectancy.

If you are still not sold on these amazing All-Season tires, they are going to be a great option for Kia Soul drivers that want to cut down on their gas costs. The impressive tread design enables your Kia Soul to reach its maximum expected mile per gallon rating, which means that these are going to save you money in the long run compared to less sophisticated tire options.

With all of these amazing qualities listed, most drivers are probably assuming that these All-Season tires are going to be quite expensive. However, nothing could be further from the truth, as you can get yourself as a set for just $111.00 per tire at Discount Tire! For the specs and capabilities of this All-Season tire, this is a fantastic bargain that is going to be hard to beat.

Michelin Premier A/S (Grand Touring All-Season)

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If you are the kind of Kia Soul driver that wants to prioritize practicality with their vehicle but at the same, you would like to have better performance than what a standard All-Season tire offers, you may want to consider opting for a Grand Touring All-Season option.

Naturally, Michelin has a fantastic tire for you to consider. We found that their Premier A/S option gave the Kia Soul a great performance increase while retaining the qualities of an All-Season tire. However, where this Grand Touring All-Season tire really shined was with its cornering abilities.

If you want to be able to corner with your Kia Soul with more confidence and reliability, this Michelin tire is going to be a great option for you - without needing to go with a High-Performance tire. The way the manufacturer was able to achieve this was due to the advanced silica rubber compound technology that Michelin designed.

This compound enables a solid balance of performance and versatility on the road. The dry and wet capabilities of this tire were very well-rounded with excellent traction in both conditions. We found that hydroplaning was mitigated significantly thanks to the tread design and that dry acceleration and stopping power was precise.

Grand Touring All-Season tires were designed with a focus on increasing driving performance at high speeds. A lot of All-Season tires out there tend to have mediocre performance on highways when driving at high speeds, which can become problematic for a lot of Kia Soul drivers - especially if you are driving on the highway as part of your daily routine.

These Grand Touring All-Season tires were excellent in delivering a driving experience that was comfortable. The physical feel of the road will feel great - with bumps being mitigated significantly. In addition, you will find that they are very quiet. So, no highway hum with these equipped to your Kia Soul.

Another great feature of these Grand Touring All-Season tires is that they performed very well in winter conditions. We found that dense snow could be an issue, but light snow and ice felt very reliable, which means that these could be a great option for someone who lives in a colder part of the country.

With that being said, the increased performance capabilities of this All-Season tire do come at a price and not necessarily a financial one. There is often a trade-off between performance and longevity when it comes to tires. You can expect to get roughly 60,000 miles out of these Grand Touring All-Season tires, which is still good but it does not quite match up to some of the impressive lifespans of pure All-Season tire options. Luckily, these tires are backed by a warranty for this tread life. So, you know you are covered if you run into any issues.

For the increased performance of this tire, you can buy them for a very reasonable price, as they are available at Discount Tire for just $126.00 per piece. Although these are not the most budget-friendly tires, they are still a great deal for the balanced performance and practicality that you get out of them.

Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring (Grand Touring All-Season)

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Cooper has been around for a long time and they have made great quality tires for as long as they have been manufacturing, but we have seen some significant design improvements in their tires in recent years.

This tire manufacturer has raised the bar for tire performance and capabilities with its highly-advanced silica rubber compound. They utilize this compound in a lot of the tires that they produce and a model that it serves particularly well is their CS5 Ultra Touring.

Cooper has proved itself as being one of the best in the business with Grand Touring All-Season tires like these, which is why so many Kia Soul drivers entrust this manufacturer on the road. The sophisticated tread design combined with the signature rubber compound gives this tire an incredibly dynamic range of traction among a variety of different surfaces.

With that being said, the dry traction is fantastic. We found that the Kia Soul’s acceleration and stopping power was improved dramatically with these equipped. When tested in the wet, the tires performed with an equal level of reliability on the road, as hydroplaning was virtually non-existent. In addition, we really enjoyed the response that the Kia Soul has with these Cooper tires on alternate surfaces such as gravel and dirt. Overall, car movements were smooth and the drive felt very reliable.

This sort of increased performance was also reflected when we tested the Kia Soul’s cornering abilities. We saw significant improvements in handling and cornering compared to just about every standard All-Season tire that we tested. If you want better performance out of your Kia Soul - without sacrificing All-Season capabilities, this is going to be an amazing tire option to consider.

The tread life with this Grand Touring All-Season tire, on the other hand, was solid but not excellent. The average tread life for this tire is anywhere from 50,000 to 70,000 miles, which is a bit of a spread. However, the great thing is that the manufacturer backs this with a warranty.

Another great feature that these Cooper tires offer is that they have a tread design that indicates when they need to be replaced. This can sometimes be challenging to tell with certain tire manufacturers, as not everyone has the trained eye to spot a worn tire, which can ultimately be considered an excellent safety feature.

One area that this Grand Touring All-Season tire did struggle to perform well in is snow. When we tested this tire on the Kia Soul in moderate snow conditions, we felt that it could have had better capabilities, as traction was not very reliable. However, in light snow conditions, we found that the tire has a very well-rounded performance. At the end of the day, this tire was not designed to be a winter tire, so you should not expect it to be optimal for severely cold weather.

All in all, this is a fantastic Grand Touring All-Season tire for a Kia Soul driver that wants performance and practicality, but it is also a great choice if you are on a budget. We were very impressed by how well priced this tire from Cooper is, as you can get yourself a set for a mere $89.00 per piece at Discount Tire. For the specs and performance, this price is incredibly low - considering that you might be lucky to find low-end tires at this price. So, if you are shopping on a budget, this is a tire that you should keep at the top of your list.

Pirelli Cinturato P7 (Grand Touring All Season)

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When browsing tier options, there are few names that have as much standing in the industry as Pirelli. This manufacturer has been producing some of the most praised tires in the world for over a century and they continue to pump out world-class products to this day.

This is a manufacturer that tends to focus more on performance than practicality. Traditionally, we have seen a lot of Pirelli tires on cars that were designed for sports racing and optimal on-road driving. However, although Pirelli does still make some of the best High-Performance tires on the market, they have got some excellent Grand Touring All-Season options for Kia Soul drivers that want to have the best of both worlds.

To start, this tire has absolutely phenomenal performance in dry and wet conditions when tested on the Kia Soul. The manufacturer has created a highly-advanced tread design that enables you to optimize traction when on the road. You will feel this when you accelerate in dry conditions and then stop with pure precision. However, we found that this performance was equally matched for wet conditions as well.

If you live in a region that gets a substantial amount of rain, you will really benefit from a set of these Grand Touring All-Season tires from Pirelli, as the wet performance was among the best within this tire classification. The excellent groove design will keep your handling reliable even in the worst wet conditions, which means that your chances of hydroplaning will be greatly mitigated.

However, this tire’s well-designed tread is also highly regarded by Kia Soul drivers as being excellent for maximizing the fuel efficiency of their vehicle. If you spend a lot of time driving and are tired of overpaying for gas, one of the best ways to lower your costs is to simply get a tire that will allow you to make the most of your miles per gallon expectancy. With these tires equipped with your Kia Soul, you can expect only the best in fuel efficiency.

This can also be a great option for Kia Soul drivers that have to drive in areas with moderate winters. Although these are not marketed as snow tires, they certainly had performance capabilities that made us believe so. We were very impressed by how well these Grand Touring All-Season tires could plow through light snow conditions. However, when tested in dense snow and ice, their reliability was not quite as on point.

If you are still not sold on these Grand Touring All-Season tires, they also have a really great tread life. Pirelli has marked these tires with a tread life of at least 70,000 miles, which is backed by a warranty! This tread life is impressive, to say the least, considering the optimum level of performance that you get. For the very affordable price of just $101.00 per piece at Discount Tire, these Grand Touring All-Season tires should be within reach of even the budget shopper.

High-Performance Tires

If you want a set of tires that are going to be well-rounded, then a standard set of All-Season tires will get the job done just fine. However, some Kia Soul drivers want to make the most out of their vehicle’s capabilities, which is why they opt for a High-Performance tire instead. Unlike All-Season tires, High-Performance options aim to optimize driving on-road capabilities - with increased cornering and handling being a priority.

These tires were initially meant for sports performance cars but, these days, many drivers prefer to use them on their standard vehicles. Tire manufacturers took notice of this and began making High-Performance tires that can sometimes be much more dynamic. Although the Kia Soul is not regarded as a High-Performance vehicle, that does not mean that you should resort to a tire that is going to hold your car back from the performance that you desire.

There are a lot of additional perks to having a High-Performance tire on your vehicle. Given that these tires were designed for optimal traction in dry and wet conditions, they can actually be a safer tire in these conditions. Increased traction means that you are going to have better stopping power when you need it most. This can particularly be a very good quality for drivers who live in hotter climates and drive on roads at extremely hot temperatures - where All-Season tires are not nearly as reliable.

With that being said, High-Performance tires can also greatly benefit Kia Soul drivers who opted for the turbo, X-Line, or GT-Line models. These vehicles have considerably better sports performance than a standard Kia Soul and you can significantly better your car’s capabilities with a set of High-Performance tires. However, you want to make sure that you read into the specific qualities that each tire offers, as you are going to come across tire models that are generally more focused on enhancing a specific kind of driving feature. Let’s explore your options for the best High-Performance tires for the Kia Soul.

Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 (Summer High-Performance)

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If you are the kind of Kia Soul driver that wants to prioritize the sports performance of your vehicle, there is really no better option than this Firestone summer tire. This manufacturer is renowned in the industry as being one of the leaders of High-Performance tires and they continue to solidify their position with models like the Firehawk Indy 500.

This is by no means an All-Season tire. So, if you are looking for something that is well-rounded that can be used in a variety of different terrains and conditions, this is not going to be the tire for you. However, if you want to maximize your Kia Souls handling and cornering abilities, you are going to want to put this summer tire at the top of your list.

When we tested this Firestone tire on the Kia Soul, we were amazed by how well the car handled. The feel of the road was so smooth and you can hit curves and turns at high speeds with total confidence, as these tires stick to the ground like glue. Your driving experience in your Kia Soul will be so enhanced so much that you will forget that you are driving a compact SUV.

The dry and wet performance was excellent - with stopping power and acceleration being precise to the T. Your chances of hydroplaning with these on your Kia Soul will be next to impossible. In addition, these summer tires are incredibly heat resistant, which means that they are perfect for drivers that live in hot regions.

This is going to be a particularly appealing tire to Kia Soul drivers who bought the X-Line, GT-Line, and turbo models. There is no tire that we have mentioned in our list that will offer you the kind of sports performance that this Firestone tire can deliver.

With that being said, this is a tire that is solely for people who live in mild climates. If you experience harsh winters, you are either going to want to disregard this option or be ready to switch out your tires on a season basis, as they will give you very poor performance even in light snow conditions.

In addition, these tires are not particularly known for longevity. High-Performance tires like these will rarely see a tread life that is past 25,000 to 30,000 miles, which is not backed by a warranty. This can be problematic for drivers that want to get the most milage out of their tire selections.

With that being said, the great thing about these High-Performance is that they are incredibly well priced for the stellar performance that you get out of them. You can get yourself these summer tires for just $124.00 at Discount Tire. If you want to take your Kia Soul’s summer performance to a new level, these are going to be the way to go.

Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 (High-Performance All-Season)

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One of the most challenging aspects of deciding on a tire is being on the fence between performance and practicality, as it is all too tempting to want both.

If you are feeling conflicted about your options, perhaps the best choice for you is going to be a High-Performance All-Season tire. This kind of tire classification truly offers the best of both worlds when it comes to delivering a versatile tire that is capable of excellent on-road performance.

After testing out a variety of High-Performance All-Season tires, we found that the option that suited the Kia Soul was from Continental. The DWS06 takes dynamic capabilities to a new level, which is why so many Kia Soul drivers prefer this tire over just about anything else that is on the market.

This tire offers all of the amazing perks of an All-Season tire - and then some. The dry and wet performance is phenomenal - with very reliable acceleration and braking in virtually every condition. However, one of the most remarkable performance capabilities of this High-Performance All-Season tire was how well it handled snow.

This tire’s ability to drive on light snow and ice was through the roof, as it had very reliable traction and handling through and through. We then took this tire into dense snow and ice. To our amazement, it had a very solid performance even in severe winter conditions. It is rare to have an All-Season tire perform this well in the snow, which led us to think that this model could just as easily be marketed as a pure winter tire.

Furthermore, the cornering and handling performance that this tire will offer your Kia Soul is simply world-class. All in all, this is one of the most dynamic tires that we have ever used, which makes it a perfect option for you to consider for your Kia Soul. The only downside is that it has a tread life of just 50,000 miles, which does not quite match up to some of the other All-Season tires on our list. However, for the price of just $125.00 from Discount Tire this is still a great value tire.