Dry grip and value are the clearest strengths of the Kumho Ecsta KU31 in generally positive owner feedback. Wet grip also attracts substantially more praise than criticism, though some drivers find it less reassuring in rain. Tread life and noise are usually viewed favorably, with later-use accounts including good mileage, but both also draw a sizeable minority of complaints. A smaller group reports increasing noise as the tread wears, sometimes alongside uneven wear. Most returning owners remain positive, while two are less satisfied in later accounts, so there is no uniform ageing pattern. Several replacement-mileage accounts support useful life without establishing one dependable lifespan.
What owners mention most counted across 141 reviews
Excellent handling in both the wet and dry and are very quite. Can't comment on the wear and have been using them for about 2000 miles, im expecting to get around 15000 miles. Replaced Pirelli P Zero Rosso's (lasting around 18000 miles) with these at half the price and im very impressed. I would buy them again.
Buy agiain? I just did! I've tried many different brands on my Merc SLK and have just fitted another set of Ecsta KU31's as I have been that impressed with them. I drive over 25000 miles a year, with a mix of London town, ordinary roads and motorways. The grip is impressive and the car stops quicker in the wet and dry than with other brands including the big names (Pirelli, Michelin). The Kumhos are quieter and better in the wet as well as being at least as long lasting as Mich Pilots. Excellent performance overall and certainly nothing touches them at this price. Typical mileage 45-50000 on the front and 25000 on the rear!! Impressive!
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
A massively under rated tire in my humble opinion!
I've used many tires over the years from Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Goodyear, Toyo, Falken etc. and these are amongst the very best. I find that they're let down slightly by lack of progressiveness but this is likely due to the fact that they have a very soft sidewall in comparison with others.
Wear is slightly higher than some harder tires I've used but that's to be expected from a soft compound. Even so, I've done around 3000 miles on these at the moment and the word "Ecsta" is just starting to fade off the center of the tread, so I'm probably looking at 14-15k on this set.
The grip in both dry and wet conditions is surprisingly good given the budget price of this tire (I only paid £58 per corner!). The tires only lose grip in wet conditions when pulling out of a side street in a hurry. Otherwise, they're really well planted and won't ever catch you out. A very predictable, safe tire in my view.
I should probably mention just how quiet and comfortable these tires are too. The car more or less glides on the motorway with much less noise than I was expecting and certainly less noise than the Bridgestone's they replace. Bumps also appear to be soaked up slightly better than the Bridgestone's, again most likely due to the soft nature of the tire/sidewall.
All in all, I wouldn't look at any other tires in this price range and slightly above. I believe that KU31's can hold their own against the best in terms of grip in all conditions. However, if you want a really hard wearing tire or progressiveness, then I'd recommend forking out for Michelin PS3's or similar.
Which tires do you drive?
Researching the Kumho Ecsta KU31? Rate the tires you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
Was disappointed with wear rate,(down to 1mm @ 15K), however I have since had Fulda's that lasted half that! so I may go back to these again better ride than the fulda's and grip in the dry/ wet, poor in the snow but they are summer tires after all
Yep I just came back from wet spirited driving on the very little backroads and have to write only praise about Kumho KU31. I m driving Skyline R34 and was trying hard to get tail happy but wasnt easy at all since grip is fenomenal! The faster you the better progress; in city driving I noticed some tramlining but nothing bad really. Motorway -also great road feedback and not noisy. I just had them for 2000km but I m convinced they are worth evey 90eur spent per wheel and will buy another set already for next year because availibility is not good at dealers.
what more can i say apart from praise for these tires.
outstanding wet grip, outstanding dry grip and regardless of the wear they still perform at the same level.
driving mostly a combination of both motorway and town driving in a 280bhp focus ST, I was extreemely impressed with the tires. the original continental contact sport 3 tires wore out in 6000 miles, and i would say were as good as the KU31 in every respect.
I woudl definately buy again if only I could find a stockist as I am finding very difficult to find these tires.
Amazing tires. They replaced Bridgestone RE040s on the front and it has transformed the handling of the car. The Bridgestones had a number of nasty habits including being noisy, tramlining and having terrible grip until they warmed up (which took a while).
The Kuhmos by comparison have shown just how bad the Bridgestone tires were. Tire noise is considerably better, no tramlining and cold grip is now much improved.
It would be unfair to say they are good for the price....these are good tires for any price! Highly recommended.
When I first bought these tires I was particularly impressed with the grip in the wet and the dry. Although over time the overall grip has deteriorated quite allot, also the braking distance is now very bad basically feels like a badly worn tire when its still legal!
Cheap tire with good preliminary grip and progressive feel for a "mid range" boot but the wear on them is just unacceptable especially in these bad times.
I am going for a full set of Uniroyal Rainsport 2 next as they have glowing reviews!
First pair of KU31s lasted 5K miles on fronts and then 16K miles on backs. Second pair last 16K miles on the fronts.
This is a car with 1.5 tonnes on front axle and 1 tonne on rear. Eventually the insides of the front tires wore out due to mass, negative camber and driving style.
I've got 4 new KU31s on the car now and will rotate in 8K miles.
Looked high and low for what tire i should get, i had avon zz3 before and they were much less then impressive from the go and i paid £73 each ! when i got these they were £58 each and they are much much better.
Dry grip i think could be a bit better but they are very good.
Wet grip is unbelievable so good i never expected as much from them.
Road feedback is good all the snow and ice we have been having (dec 2010) you can always tell when they are not happy and about to lose grip, same on wet and dry roads.
Noise and comfort after they had "bedded" in after approx 100 miles they were bril, i would say noise has gone down by a third or so and comfort is a little better.
To early to say about wear only done 3k - 4k miles but they dont look as if they have gone down alot, compound seems soft when you touch/rub it.
Will definitely buy them again, best tire i have ever had.
Cracking tire for the price. Had 4 fitted due to reviews on here and previous experience with a cheaper kumho tire with was good for the money.
Tires were very reasonable at ?65 per corner fitted. Only driven for a few thousand mile but couldn't fault them. Yes they are not awesome in either dry or wet but they are good. Fitted to a powerful deisel and have new seen TC light flash. They do let go when pushed hard, especially in the wet... but what tire doesn't? Found the side walls quite soft which you feel on a tight steering lock but they soon get used to it and don't notice. A real plus is tire noise. Tire noise is very low, especially on motorways. I could't really comment on wear. I don't think they will last 18+k on a powerful car but for the price, 10+k i'd be happy with. The rears will last 18K easy.
I have sold the wheels now and now have 225-40-18s with Toyo T1Rs and in my opinion, they do not feel any better... maybe a little in the dry. I'll soon be replacing these with the well rated Rainsport 2's based on reviews.
All in all, good tire for the price. Doubt you will be disappointed.
