For most drivers of sedans, coupes, minivans, and crossovers, all-season tires make the most sense for many reasons. All-season tires are designed for great wear properties with generous limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage, stable road manners, year-round traction, capable and predictable handling, and a quiet, controlled, and refined ride. All-season tires are a great Swiss Army Knife solution for all those reasons, so it’s no surprise that they’re the biggest-selling category of tires year in and year out. It’s also no surprise that all-season tires are available at every price point, from expensive premium brands to affordable lesser-known brands and sub-brands.

We will look at the FM601 from Kpatos, an all-season tire that’s budget-priced but delivers far above expectations for its price point. Let’s go in and take a closer look at this product line review:

Features and Benefits

Here are some of the innovations and design features that make the Kpatos FM601 a great value and great performer in an affordable all-season tire:

• Four wide grooves and open shoulders with a system of circumferential and angled grooves that efficiently move water away from the tire’s contact patch for improved resistance to hydroplaning
• Tread pitch features angled tread blocks and a randomized pattern that’s computer-tuned to help keep road noise low
• Advanced tread formulation is designed for long wear and reduced rolling resistance, helping to save on fuel costs
• Solid center rib delivers good straight-line stability, road manners, and nimble steering response
• A dense pattern of sipes multiplies the tread’s surface area and traction with hundreds of hair-thin slits that dig in and chew through slush, snow, standing water
• Initial tread depth 9/32” for long wear, great traction
• Reinforced shoulder gives the tread the rigidity it needs for improved cornering

Pros and Cons

PROS:

• Very affordable price point
• Handling and cornering are predictable and accurate
• Good traction and control on wet or dry pavement
• Ride quality is quiet and comfortable

CONS:

• No limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage
• Not good in heavier snow
• It can be noisy on some pavement surfaces

SimpleTire’s view on Kpatos FM601 tires

There are so many all-season tires on the market at every price point you can think of. In most cases, with the affordable all-season tires, it’s a caveat emptor, “you get what you pay for” kind of situation, but the FM601 from Kpatos is a tire that exceeds expectations.

On long interstate drives, the Kpatos FM601 shows solid straight-line stability and road manners, with good driver feedback. Noise levels are muted on most pavement surfaces, and the Kpatos’ ride quality is controlled and quiet, if a little firm, the Kpatos stays composed and doesn’t get jittery on irregular or broken pavement surfaces. Steering response is quick and direct, thanks to that solid center rib, and cornering and handling generally are predictable and accurate, if not as nimble as what you’d expect from a performance tire.

On wet pavement, the Kpatos FM601 is confident and does an admirable job resisting any tendency toward hydroplaning. We’ll admit that the Kpatos fall short in heavier winter weather. Still, most all-season tires aren’t designed for winter traction unless its M+S rated for mud/snow or 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certified for severe winter service.

The Kpatos FM601 starts at a very affordable price, making it a great candidate for a replacement tire for an older vehicle where you don’t want to empty a checking account for a set of tires.

Vehicles the Kpatos FM601 is a good replacement tire for

While the Kpatos FM601 isn’t featured as OEM on any vehicles, it would be a great replacement tire for sedans, coupes, minivans, and crossovers such as:

• Audi A4 Quattro
• Subaru Forester
• Subaru Impreza
• Subaru Outback
• Mitsubishi Lancer
• Kia Sportage
• Dodge Caravan
• Chrysler Pacifica
• Toyota Camry
• Toyota Corolla
• Toyota Sienna
• Honda Odyssey
• GMC Terrain
• Kia Rio
• Chevrolet Trailblazer
• GMC Acadian
• Buick Encore
• Ford Flex
• Ford Escape
• Ford Explorer
• Ford Focus
• Dodge Nitro
• Jeep Wagoneer
• Volvo S60
• Volkswagen Passat
• Mitsubishi Eclipse
• Mitsubishi Outlander