Sumitomo tires was founded in 1909, and is one of Japan’s oldest tire manufacturers. They ensures superb quality, precise engineering and workmanship, and innovative design. Producing multiple tire types like all-season, UHP tires, mud-terrain, and even commercial tires, Sumitomo knows the art of blending performance with quality.

The Sumitomo Encounter HT2 tire is an all-season, highway terrain tire that focuses on CUVs, SUVs, and light trucks and offers drivers strong braking and handling performance on wet and dry roads plus a 60,000 mile.

But is this the right tire for you? Let’s understand by comparing its features and benefits and take a deeper look at this Sumitomo Encounter HT2 review.

Features and Benefits

An all-season tire is a great fit if you live in areas that experience moderate temperatures year-round, as they make you worry less about changing tires in every season, and that is why an all-season tire suits your needs best as they perform well in dry, wet, and light winter weather conditions and all-season tread makes it possible for these tires to be used all year round. Let’s take a look at the Sumitomo Encounter HT2 tire review to help us understand all its features and benefits at a glance:

• High speed capabilities: The Sumitomo Encounter HT2 has a full-width, jointless nylon overlay plies that optimizes high-speed stability.
• Quiet comfortable ride: The smooth, curved shoulder grooves of the Encounter HT2 reduce road noise and vibration for a quiet, comfortable ride.
• Increased traction: The Encounter HT2 has wave-shaped lateral sipes that deliver incredible braking power on wet and dry surfaces.
• Reduced hydroplaning: Wide circumferential grooves enhance traction on slippery roads by funneling water out of the tread, preventing hydroplaning.
• Solid tread warranty: The Encounter HT2 is backed by a 60,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
• Fuel-efficient tire: The Encounter HT2 features an optimized tread design with reinforced twin steel belts that provide improved dry handling and stability in every season.

You can trust the Sumitomo Encounter HT2 if you want an affordable tire that doesn’t skimp on performance. The tire size ranges from 16 to 22 inches for many of today’s most common commercial and cargo vans.

Pros and Cons

Before deciding whether to buy Sumitomo Encounter HT2 tires or not, let’s first drill down on a few factors that can help you decide whether or not the tire is right for you.

Pros

• Wave-shaped sipes for shorter braking distances
• Four wide circumferential grooves reduce the risk of hydroplaning
• Fuel efficient tire because of reinforced twin steel belts
• 2-ply sidewalls for increased strength and durability for a higher load carrying capacity
• 60,000 miles limited tread warranty

While Sumitomo makes a good claim about the Encounter HT2’s performance, some shortcomings may divide opinions.

Cons

• Not ideal for use in moderate to severe winter weather conditions
• Only available for light trucks and SUVs
• Does not offer great traction on ice

SimpleTire’s view on Sumitomo Encounter HT2 tires

If you are looking for an all-season, highway terrain tire that's designed for use on CUVs, SUVs, and light trucks and offers drivers strong braking and handling performance on wet and dry roads, you can select Sumitomo Encounter HT2 tires as they have everything a cargo van driver needs. They feature wave-shaped sipes within the tread for shorter braking distances and its four wide circumferential grooves reduce hydroplaning. The optimized tread pattern boosts handling and stability performance year-round, and the Encounter HT2 also features reinforced twin steel belts that fend off uneven wear for a longer tread life and 2-ply sidewalls that increase strength and durability for a higher load carrying capacity. The Encounter HT2 is a quiet, comfortable ride with year-round traction, even in light snow.

If you are looking for an alternative that delivers an increased tread life warranty (70,000) along with extreme longevity you can consider the Firestone Destination LE3 against this tire.

Vehicles the Sumitomo Encounter HT2 is a replacement tire for

Commonly used by drivers looking for strong performance on highways, heavy load-carrying capacity, and off-road capabilities the Sumitomo Encounter HT2 can be a common replacement tire for vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ford Maverick, RAM 2500, GMC Savana 2500, and more!