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Last updated 12/04/2024 - Originally published 12/04/2024
Written by SimpleTire
Established in 1962, the Taiwanese tire brand Kenda Tire forayed into the US market in the early 90s and has been rolling out great quality tires in different categories such as all-season, all-terrain, mud-terrain, rugged-terrain, and UHP (ultra-high-performance) tires for passenger cars, CUVs, SUVs, and light trucks ever since. Similarly, the Goodyear-owned Mastercraft Tire has a solid lineup of reliable tires that are capable on the road and lighter on the pocket. The all-season tires Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) from Kenda and Courser Quest from Mastercraft are reliable yet not-so-expensive, best suited for everyday driving in small cars, coupes, and sedans.
Designed for passenger cars, the Kenda Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) and Mastercraft Courser Quest offer great handling, traction, stability, and grip in dry, wet, and light wintry conditions. Built for year-round performance, these all-season tires are designed to last long and come with solid limited tread life warranties from their manufacturers. Both tires are formidable in performance, but you can only choose one for your car. So, which is the one you should go for? Let’s compare Kenda Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) vs Mastercraft Courser Quest based on our SimpleScore scoring mechanism to know which one is a better option.
Kenda Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) tires
Launched in 2018, the Kenda Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) is touted as the ‘grand touring all-season tire’ designed for touring and luxury touring cars. While the randomized and computer-tuned tread design of the Kenda tire reduces noise and vibrations for a comfortable ride, the all-season rubber compound ensures consistent performance in dry, wet, and light snow. Along with an asymmetric tread design, the Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) features four wide grooves to evacuate water quickly from the tread to reduce the risk of hydroplaning and boost wet traction. Thanks to the strategically placed tie bars, the Kenda tire provides increased block stiffness for improved wearability and great dry handling. While high sipe density boosts wet and winter traction, the decoupling groove of the Kenda tire provides enhanced wet traction and snow handling. It is backed by a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
Boasting an 8.1 average SimpleScore, the Kenda Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) promises adequate handling, traction, grip, and longevity.
Mastercraft Courser Quest tires
Introduced in April 2022, the Mastercraft Courser Quest features a symmetric tread pattern that helps deliver great stability, handling, and grip in dry, wet, and light snow. While the reinforced internal construction improves durability, the noise barrier walls of the Courser Quest return increased comfort by reducing noise and vibration levels. The circumferential grooves with connected grooves and sipes allow quick water dispersal for effective wet performance. Moreover, the solid shoulder design and continuous center rib improve its handling and cornering ability. The Mastercraft all-season tire offers a wide contact patch that puts more rubber in contact with the surface for increased grip, stability, handling, and cornering. The Courser Quest is backed by a strong 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
Scoring an 8.5 out of 10, the Mastercraft Courser Quest assures predictable handling, increased grip and traction, and a longer service life.
Kenda Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) vs Mastercraft Courser Quest tires on traction
A tire with low traction is unsafe, so you need tires that offer superior contact with the road and do not skid during cornering on dry, wet, and snowy surfaces. The Kenda and Mastercraft tires offer adequate traction on paved roads.
With a 7.5 traction score, the Kenda all-season tire features four wide circumferential grooves for effective wet traction as they clear water to avoid the risk of hydroplaning. Moreover, the sipes provide extra traction and grip in wet and light snowy conditions.
Scoring a modest 7.7, the Mastercraft all-season features a unique tread pattern and all-season rubber compound that offers adequate traction and grip in dry, wet, and light snow. The circumferential grooves allow quick water dispersal for improved wet performance.
The Mastercraft Courser Quest moves ahead of the Kenda in the traction race with a marginally better score.
ADVANTAGE: Mastercraft Courser Quest
Kenda Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) vs Mastercraft Courser Quest tires on handling
Handling ascertains your safety on the road as it is directly proportional to steering inputs. All-season tires are known to offer adequate handling and stability on dry, wet, and snowy surfaces.
Boasting an 8.3 handling score, the Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) has strategically placed tie-bars that add rigidity to tread blocks for enhanced handling properties. While its asymmetric tread design boosts steering response, the Kenda tire's decoupling grooves improve snow handling performance.
On the other hand, the Courser Quest is slightly behind the Kenda with an 8.1 handling score. With a symmetrical tread design, the Mastercraft tire features a solid center rib and strong shoulder blocks for precise steering response and stability.
The Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) nudges ahead of the Courser Quest with a better handling performance.
ADVANTAGE: Kenda Vezda Touring A/S (KR205)
Kenda Vezda Touring A/S (KR205) vs Mastercraft Courser Quest tires on longevity
The longevity of a tire is determined by the number of miles or years it can survive. All-season tires feature advanced rubber compounds for year-round performance in dry, wet, and light wintry conditions.
At 8.7, the longevity score of the Kenda is great thanks to the computer-optimized tread design and thoughtfully placed tie bars that improve block stiffness and boost wear performance. It is backed by a 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
Stunning the Kenda, the Mastercraft all-season tire scores 9.8 thanks to its excellent wearability and reinforced internal construction that resist uneven wear and promote uniform wear throughout its lifecycle. It is backed by a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
The ‘masterly crafted’ Courser Quest comprehensively beats the Kenda tire in the longevity tussle.
ADVANTAGE: Mastercraft Courser Quest
When to use each
All-season tires are picked for their excellent year-round performance capability as they feature all-season rubber compounds that work great in dry, wet, and light wintry conditions. They come with limited manufacturer tread life warranties and last longer. However, if you experience moderate to heavy snow, then going for all-weather tires should be your safe bet as it comes with advanced rubber compound for effective traction, grip, and control in moderate to severe winter weather conditions. The best thing about these tires is they can be used year-round just like all-season tires. So, no hassle of changing tires with changing weather conditions.
If the temperature in your region consistently remains below the 45 degrees Fahrenheit mark, select dedicated winter tires as they are made to combat sub-freezing temperatures while delivering excellent traction and grip on snow and ice.
Which one should you choose?
In a nutshell, the Mastercraft Courser Quest wins the comparison by beating the Kenda Vezda Touring AS (KR205) 2-1. If you need better traction and exceptional longevity, Mastercraft should be your choice while you should go for the Kenda if handling is your priority. Let’s have a look at their prices to see which one is more worthy.
For a 205/55R16 91V tire size, the Kenda Vezda Touring AS (KR205) costs $107 per tire, while a set of four tires cost $428. Contrarily, the Mastercraft Courser Quest is tagged at $104 per tire and four such tires will cost $416 (the difference in their prices is $12).
Based on SimpleScores, you can choose the Kenda Vezda Touring AS (KR205) if you:
- Drive vehicles like BMW 3 Series, Honda Accord, and Ford Taurus
- Want a tire specifically suited for luxury sedans
- Want better handling (8.3 vs 8.1)
You can go for the Mastercraft Courser Quest if you:
- Drive vehicles like Audi A3, Chevrolet Cobalt, and Dodge Neon
- Want better traction (7.7 vs 7.5)
- Prefer increased tread life (9.8 vs 8.7)
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.