Sumitomo Tour Plus LS Tire Review and Rating

Four perimeter grooves perform an excellent job of resisting hydroplaning. They help water escape from beneath this tire’s footprint, ensuring the LS’s road contact remains intact. The grooves also reduce the risk of water damage when you’re driving through heavy water puddles.

This tire performs well in light snow conditions, too. The grooves around its perimeter have biting edges that have improved its ice- and snow-biting ability. You can thus count on the Tour Plus LS to safely carry you over thick snow and ice from point A to B.

I was also impressed with this tire’s interior. Two steel straps work alongside nylon strap technology to make it strong and robust against unstable surfaces. Their combo also increases this tire’s resistance against sharp objects, reducing the likelihood of punctures.

Most touring tires you see on the market are only backed with warranties. The Tour Plus LS is different. This tire is backed by warranties (85,000-mile on T-rated tire; 65,000-mile on H- and V-rated tires) as well as a 2-year roadside assistance insurance and 2-year dangerous protection insurance.

How does it behave on dry tarmac?

Even for a touring tire, the Tour Plus LS performs exceptionally on dry tarmac.

The Tour Plus LS delivers an amazing amount of grip and traction, which is needed given that it will be used by enthusiasts. Even at high speeds, you won’t feel as if you’re losing control over the tire, thanks to its above-average handling and steering responsiveness.

Sure, you cannot count on this tire to chase lap records, but it won’t disappoint for anything else. That is the best you can expect from a tire designed for passenger vehicles. As most people decide against exceeding the speed limit when they have people they care about in the cabin.

Braking distances are also on the shorter side with this tire, with skidding almost non-existent, unless you’re trying to go from 120mph to 0mph within a few seconds. All in all, unless you drive this tire hard, it won’t break a sweat and oblige to whatever commands your steering gives it.

How does it behave over wet and slippery roads?

The Tour Plus LS delivers year-round traction in wet conditions.

Credit for this goes to its carbon black tread compound and symmetric tread pattern. Both work side-by-side to increase the tire’s traction in wet conditions. The symmetric tread pattern, in particular, helps this tire offer good roadholding in moderately slippery conditions.

Wet cornering is another area where this tire shines. Its massive shoulder blocks ensure that even as the tire changes shape when you hold the steering at an angle, there is always a sizable patch of rubber remaining in contact with the road surface, ensuring cornering traction.

Braking stability is above average as well. A continuous center rib, together with the two inner steel belts and Nylon Band Technology, make sure of that. Then again, this isn’t a high-performance or an ultra-high performance tire. So don’t expect its braking power to rival that of premium tires.

How is it over snow?

How does the Sumitomo Tour Plus LS perform over snow?

It depends on how much snow we’re talking about. If the road is covered with thin ice or light snow, the Tour Plus LS might keep your vehicle safe Four circumferential grooves (that channel water and snow away from its footprint) and biting edges (that offer extra traction on snow) are the reasons why.

But there’s a reason this tire isn’t 3-peak mountain snowflake certified. Its rubber isn’t capable of resisting hardening in sub-freezing temperatures. Nor does it have an adequate amount of siping to cut across layers of thick snow. If I were you, I wouldn’t count on this tire to keep my vehicle safe in frigid conditions.

Having said that, it will be able to hold its own during an occasional drive through light snow.

Is it comfortable and refined?

The Tour Plus LS is comfortable but noisy.

Start with comfort. Its soft-rubber construction, two inner steel belts and moderately large shoulder blocks perform an excellent job of not letting road vibrations make their way inside the cabin. Your car’s passengers could enjoy a shut-eye even when you’re driving close to the speed limit.

Provided they can do something about the noise. Every Tour Plus LS user I’ve interviewed for this article told me that it’s noisier than the tires it replaced. However, I don’t think noise should be an issue as long as you keep this tire slightly under-inflated and drive it only on paved surfaces.

Is it good for off-roading?

Most touring and grand-touring tires aren’t designed for off-roading.

The Tour Plus LS is no exception. This tire lacks the wide tread design that gives dedicated off-road tires extra gripping power to conquer rocky terrain. It is also without the siping edges that off-road tires rely on to power through slushy and muddy terrains.

The General Grabber X3 is an excellent example of tires that have perfected the off-road formula. General has equipped this tire with its DuraGen Technology, making it cut- and chip-resistant. You also get sidewall protection lugs for an extreme off-roading experience.

Is it good for sporty conditions?

The Tour Plus LS does have a few things that enthusiasts look for in a tire.

It has the cornering power to handle high-speed driving. The steering feedback provided by the H- and V-speed rated tires won’t give you any cause for complaints either. And there’s also a rim protector to shield its wheels against curb damage, a scenario almost every sporty tire has to deal with.

Then again, this isn’t a dedicated sporty tire. So don’t expect this tire’s sidewall to be as stiff, its profile to be as low, and its steering response to be as high as that of a dedicated sporty tire like the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar 3, which is designed to help you beat records on the track.

Sumitomo Tour Plus LS Warranty

Sumitomo backs the T-speed rated tire with a 90,000-mile treadwear warranty. Both the H- and V-speed rated tires are backed with a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty, whereas the W-rated tire is supplemented with a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty.  

Sumitomo Tour Plus LS: Is it worth the money?

The Tour Plus LS’s price starts from $53, with 15’’ being the smallest size.

When you compare the asking price with the features this tire offers, going for the Tour Plus LS seems to be a no-brainer, especially if you have no intention of off-roading with this tire.

Should I buy the Sumitomo Tour Plus LS?