Lion Sport MT
In this short review, we will tell you about the Lion Sport MT tires and find out whether it is worth buying and if it is, then why.
Lion Sport MT tires are designed for light trucks and SUVs. The Leao brand has many light truck tires in its product range, but this tire model is specially designed for everyday off-road use. However, this is immediately clear at the first glance at the tires, since here the tread is made up of large blocks, separated by deep grooves.
Large, pronounced blocks are located along the center rib and the sidewalls of the tires, thus providing sufficient traction on a variety of road surfaces. Lion Sport MT tires are positioned by the manufacturer as an all-season rubber that provides equally good handling on dry, wet and snowy surfaces. Tires are available in the budget price segment, making them a very attractive choice for most practical buyers.
Who produces
Lion Sport MT tires are manufactured by the Chinese brand Leao, which is owned by Shandong Linglong Tire Co., Ltd. This company is today the fifth largest tire manufacturer in China and the 20th largest in the world. Until recently, Leao brand products were practically unknown outside China, but times are changing and in a very short time the company has established the supply of tires to Europe and America.
Although most of the brand's products are presented in the budget price segment, these tires are manufactured on modern equipment using advanced technologies and the best materials. Well, affordable prices, most likely, are explained by the fact that this manufacturer is interested in world popularity and thus attracts buyers to its products. Why don't we take advantage of this?
How inexpensive
Check the prices for these tires from any dealer, and you will be surprised, since European, Japanese, and even American brands will have similar products about one and a half times more expensive. The question is, how does an affordable price affect the quality of tires?
As previously stated, Lion Sport MT tires are inexpensive because the manufacturer is not well known outside of China. Again, the Chinese origin negatively affects the brand's popularity, and therefore Leao is forced to sell its products cheaper than other brands.
How does affordable price affect quality? Yes, it does not affect in any way. For example, Lion Sport MT tires are manufactured using the same technologies as most modern all-season tires in the world. The manufacturing equipment is the same, the materials are the same, so why should these tires be worse than others? Another point - Leao has recently introduced a quality control system at each production stage. Therefore, you most likely will not be able to purchase tires of this brand with a factory defect.
Technologies, design features, and materials
Despite its affordable price, the Lion Sport MT is a high-tech tire. A combined frame of radial weaving is used here. To lighten the tire, the weaving of the carcass is made using polymer and metal fibers. The abandonment of an all-metal carcass in favor of a combined one made it possible not only to lighten the tire but also to make it more balanced and more durable.
The tire, in addition to the carcass, is reinforced with metal belts, which are located longitudinally to the central rib. The presence of such reinforcement not only makes the tire stronger but also ensures uniform adherence of the tread to the road over the entire area of the contact patch. As a result, the tread wears off more evenly, which means tire wear takes longer than usual. Leao uses a proprietary rubber compound with more than 20 ingredients to manufacture the tire, including silicon dioxide and resins. The special proportions of the ingredients make it possible to achieve the effect that the rubber does not soften in summer and does not become overly hard in winter. This feature provides optimum all-season handling, regardless of weather conditions.
Another important feature is the multi-layer tread of these tires. There is an upper layer - denser and more rigid, there is an inner layer - more porous. As the tread wears down, a more porous rubber is exposed under the top layer, which provides additional friction on wet roads and snow and better traction. The tires are tubeless, and therefore the inner side is covered with latex for tightness. A thin layer of latex does not weigh down the tire and nevertheless provides the necessary tightness in case of minor breakdowns. In addition, an O-ring runs along the inner diameter of the tire, which presses the rubber against the rim. The ring here is one-piece and at any air pressure and under any load it provides good clamping.
Protector and its features
The Lion Sport MT is an asymmetric tire as the tread pattern on the outside and inside of the treadmill is different. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that when installing tires, it is necessary to take into account their location on the wheel rim.
As you may have noticed, the center rib and sidewall blocks form diagonally directed grooves. The grooves are positioned to expel water from the contact patch to the outer edge of the tire as the wheel rotates. This is an obvious advantage since, in the end, the likelihood of aquaplaning is minimal.
As you may have noticed, the tread is pronounced, that is, it is higher than the tread height of other tires in the Lion Sport range. This tread makes these tires truly off-road. Good tread grip is felt on any type of surface and gravel, and the ground and the sand.
The effectiveness of this tread pattern also lies in its self-cleaning capability. When driving over rough terrain, the grooves separating the tread blocks are usually contaminated with earth and clay, but even worse, stones are clogged there. The Lion Sport MT's tread is designed in such a way that stones and other contaminants do not linger in the tire.
Self-cleaning occurs when the wheel rotates. When the car is moving at a speed of 40 mi / h and more, dirt itself falls out of the tread under the action of centrifugal force. A clean tread is a significant advantage as the tires will last longer.
Driving performance - comparative test results
Lion Sport MT, before entering the market, was tested in different climatic conditions. Tires have traveled thousands of kilometers in hot, temperate, and cold climates. According to the test results, it was found that the tires handle equally well in different weather conditions in the temperature range from 77 to 23 F. The manufacturer has gone to great lengths to keep the Lion Sport MT's braking distance as short as possible due to the increased friction.
In ice, these tires, unfortunately, do not provide the proper quality of control. Therefore, if the region where the car will be operated is characterized by harsh winters, we recommend stocking up on snow chains in case of trips on ice. Otherwise, the handling characteristics of these tires are not much different from those of other all-season tires.
Let's summarize
Lion Sport MT is a quality and affordable all-season tire that will give your vehicle an off-road capability. The tires handle surprisingly well on dry and wet road surfaces. These tires are, among other things, reliable and durable, making them a practical choice.