Sumitomo Tour Plus LS Tire Review

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‍Overview

Most of the budget-friendly all-season touring tires that you will find on the market only perform well in dry conditions. When exposed to snowy or icy conditions, they tend to lose traction and grip. However, the Sumitomo Tour Plus LS appears to be an exception.

It’s one of the few budget-friendly all-season touring tires that deliver reliable performance in dry, wet, and light snowy conditions. And on top of that, the ride is also comfortable and its tread is long-lasting. In short, it’s almost impossible to find a fault with this tire.

Design Features and Technologies

The Sumitomo Tour Plus LS is a well-outfitted tire, which comes with several great features. These features are designed to enable it to deliver the best performance possible, across different terrains and environmental conditions. Some of its key features include:

Carbon Black Tread Compound

Sumitomo has provisioned the Tour Plus LS with an advanced carbon black tread compound. This advanced all-season compound is then formed into a symmetric tread pattern. The tire’s tread also features computer-optimized sipes.

This combination enables the Sumitomo Tour Plus LS to deliver top-notch traction in all weather conditions and on all road surfaces.

Additional Siping

Sumitomo has further provisioned the Tour Plus LS with additional sipes all around the tire. These extra sipes provide additional biting edges, for enhanced grip in snowy conditions.

Wide Longitudinal Grooves

The Sumitomo Tour Plus LS also comes with four wide and deep longitudinal grooves. The main role of these longitudinal grooves is to channel water from the tire in wet and slushy conditions, thus minimizing hydroplaning issues.

Robust Internal Construction

Sumitomo has gone a step further and outfitted the Tour Plus LS with its proprietary Jointless Nylon Band technology. This feature helps to strengthen this tire, thus making sure it doesn’t deform during high-speed driving.

Also, this tire’s sturdy internal construction helps to enhance its durability. Therefore, the chances of experiencing premature wear and tear with this tire are slim, thanks to its robust interior construction.

Performance in Different Conditions

According to Sumitomo, the Tour Plus LS is built to deliver dependable traction in dry, wet, and light snowy conditions. It will also give you a comfortable, quiet, and luxurious ride. But does it deliver accordingly?

Well, we mounted a set of this tire on a 2019 Honda Civic and assessed its performance across different conditions and terrains. And after hours of thorough testing, we made the following observations on its performance.

Dry Performance

On dry tarmac, the Tour Plus LS performed exceptionally well. It delivered ample traction and grip. Even when driving at high speeds, it continued supplying remarkable traction and grip.

The Tour Plus LS may not deliver winning performances on the track like an ultra-high performance tire. But, you can rest assured that it will not disappoint you. It’s one of the best performers on dry tarmac in its class when it comes to traction on dry tarmac.

As for braking distances, we weren’t disappointed either. They remained short. Also, we didn’t experience any skidding. Also, it responded well to steering commands, making it easy to navigate tight corners. Overall, unless you are an aggressive driver, you can always count on this tire to deliver safe and reliable performances on dry tarmac.

Wet Performance

As earlier noted, this tire is designed to perform well across different conditions and surfaces. So, is this the case when you encounter wet conditions? Well, we were fully impressed by this tire’s performance on wet and slippery roads.

Its traction and grip on wet surfaces were also decent. Also, we never encountered aquaplaning issues. And this can be attributed to the four wide and deep longitudinal grooves on its tread, which do a remarkable job of channeling water away.

Its wet cornering was also above average. It comes with large shoulder blocks, which make sure that the tire maintains contact with the road surface, even during instances of tight cornering.

Wet braking is another area where this tire outshines most of the competition. We managed to bring the Honda Civic to a stop within a few seconds. And, the braking distances remained on the lower side.

But, we should mention that the Tour Plus LS is not an ultra-high performance tire. So, you shouldn’t expect it to deliver the braking power that you will get from a premium UHP tire. To this end, you shouldn’t push your vehicle too hard when you are driving in wet and slippery conditions with this tire.

Performance in Snowy Conditions

Its performance in light snowy conditions is above average. With this tire, you can expect a safe ride if you happen to come across snowy conditions, thanks to the extra sipes on its tread, which provide extra biting edges.

However, this is not a dedicated winter tire. Its rubber will harden when you encounter extremely cold conditions. And when this happens, it will lose a considerable amount of grip. So, it will be highly recommended to replace this tire with the designed snow tire when the cold season comes around, especially if you live in an area that experiences harsh and prolonged winter.

Off-road Driving

The Sumitomo Tour Plus LS is an all-season touring tire. With this in mind, we didn’t bother evaluating its performance in off-road conditions. It lacks the performance features present in off-roading tires. As a result, its traction and grip in these conditions will be poor.

Furthermore, its rubber is not sturdy enough, to handle aggressive off-road terrains and conditions. Hence, if you were to use it in these conditions, you will experience serious damage as well as premature wear and tear.

Also, using this tire for off-roading drives can void its warranty, since the manufacturer has not built it for such conditions.

So, it’s not recommended to use this tire for off-roading. If you are planning to take your vehicle for an off-roading excursion over the weekend, you should replace the Tour Plus LS with a dedicated off-roading tire.

Racing Performance

If you are a racing enthusiast, you can sometimes decide to see how your vehicle racks up against your friends’ cars. So, how does this tire perform on the racing track? Can you depend on it?

According to drivers who have assessed its racing performance, the feedback has been positive. It provides a decent steering response during high-speed driving. Also, it comes with a rim protector, which will shield it from curb damage – a common scenario in racing.

But again, the Sumitomo Tour Plus LS is not a dedicated racing tire. It lacks the main racing attributes found in sporty tires. So, you shouldn’t experience its steering feedback to match that of a dedicated racing tire.

Ride Quality

The Sumitomo Tour Plus LS delivers a smooth and comfortable ride. During our test drives, we were impressed by how refined this tire is. We didn’t experience road noise or vibrations. Also, it handles rough road surfaces almost perfectly.

However, we experienced some noise and vibrations coming from the tire when we pushed the vehicle to its limits. But overall, as long as you maintain the recommended speeds, you shouldn’t experience any excessive noise or vibration with the Sumitomo Tour Plus LS.

It’s so refined that your vehicle’s passengers can comfortably catch some sleep. And this is something great, especially during those long road trips when you spend several hours on the road.

Warranties and Guarantees

Sumitomo stands behind the Tour Plus LS with two key warranties. These are a workmanship and materials warranty as well as a treadwear warranty. Besides these two warranties, the Tour Plus LS also qualifies for Sumitomo’s roadside assistance service.  Let’s take an in-depth look at these warranties and guarantees.

Workmanship and Materials Warranty

Similar to other Sumitomo tires, the Tour Plus LS also comes with a workmanship and materials warranty. According to this warranty, Sumitomo promises to replace the Tour Plus LS with a comparable new tire, if it’s removed from service due to defects arising from workmanship or materials.

If the Tour Plus LS is removed from service due to defects caused by workmanship issues or materials used during its first 2/32-inch of the original usable tread, Sumitomo will replace it with a comparable new tire, free of charge.

If the tire becomes unusable due to workmanship or materials defects after the first 2/32-inch of the original usable tread, Sumitomo will replace it with a comparable new one. But this time, the replacement will be entirely on a prorated basis. Hence, you will contribute a certain amount of the tire’s replacement fee.

Treadwear Warranty

Also known as a mileage warranty, this warranty is designed to protect you against losing your money if your tire wears out prematurely without attaining the warranted mileage.

So, if your Sumitomo Tour Plus LS fails to deliver the promised mileage, the manufacturer will replace it for you. The coverage you will get will depend on the version of the tire that you’ve purchased. The H-rated and V-rated versions come with a 55,000-mile warranty while the T-rated version comes with a 65,000-mile warranty.

However, unlike the materials and workmanship warranty, no free replacement is offered under this warranty. All the replacements are purely on a pro-rated basis, meaning you will have to contribute a particular amount towards the tire’s replacement.

An authorized Sumitomo tire dealer will determine the amount you will pay during the tire’s replacement by multiplying the percentage of the original tread that has been worn off the Tour Plus LS with its current retail price.

For example, your H-rated Tour Plus LS may wear out down to its treadwear indicators after only delivering 22,000 miles, out of the promised 55,000 miles. And, this represents a 40% level of treadwear. Assuming that the current retail price for the Tour Plus LS is $100, then the amount that you will contribute at the time of its replacement will be $40.

Roadside Assistance

As we mentioned earlier, this tire also qualifies for Sumitomo’s roadside assistance service. The coverage offered for this tire runs for two years from its date of purchase.

If you happen to get a puncture when driving, you simply need to call Sumitomo’s customer service. And after doing that, Sumitomo will send a technician to your location and replace the tire. However, you will need to have an inflated spare for the replacement to be done.

In case you don’t have an inflated spare, then you will be offered a towing service to the nearest qualified facility, free of charge. However, the towing service is offered for up to $60. If it exceeds this amount, then you will have to cover the extra costs yourself. This service runs 24/7. Therefore, you will always be covered, regardless of when the flat happens.

30-Day Trial

All newly purchased Sumitomo tires come with a 30-day trial. So, if you purchase this tire and you are not satisfied with its performance, you are at liberty to return it to its original place of purchase, as long as you do it within 30 days after buying it.

When you return the tire, the dealer will issue you a full refund. And this will also include the mounting and balancing charges. However, you will be required to produce the tire’s original sales invoice.

Tires that come with damage caused by abuse, negligence, improper inflation, defective wheel, or vehicle issues don’t qualify for this guarantee.

Sizes and Fitment

Sumitomo produces this tire in a wide range of sizes. The available sizes run between 13 inches and 18 inches. And with such a vast range of sizes, you can expect this tire to fit numerous vehicles out there. It can fit vehicles such as:

• Honda Civic, Odyssey, and Accord
• Chevrolet Cavalier, Venture, Cobalt, and Monte Carlo
• Pontiac Grand Prix, Grand Am, Vibe, and Sunfire
• Buick Century and LeSabre
• Ford Mustang, Focus, Taurus, and Edge
• Saturn L200, SL2, L100, and SW1
• Dodge Shadow, Neon, and Caravan
• Volvo S40
• Hyundai Elantra and Accent
• Toyota Camry, Prius, Corolla, Previa, Sienna, and Echo
• Nissan Quest, Maxima, and Altima

Sumitomo Tour Plus LS Pros

• Exceptional dry and wet traction
• Admirable performance on light snowy roads
• Refined ride
• Stellar steering response
• Durable tread

Sumitomo Tour Plus LS Cons

• A bit noisy at high speeds

Verdict

The Sumitomo Tour Plus LS delivers on almost all its promises. It delivers top-notch wet and dry traction, outstanding steering response, a quiet and comfortable ride as well as great tread life. It also comes with a budget-friendly price tag. Overall, you are assured of getting value for your money if you purchase this tire.