The Kumho Ecsta KU39 receives substantially more praise than criticism for dry and wet grip, quiet running, comfort and value. Handling and steering feedback are also generally liked, although they attract fewer comments than grip. Tread life draws more favorable than unfavorable reports, with some mid-life and end-of-life accounts supporting good service, but around one in ten reviews raise wear concerns. Most accounts do not identify a stage of use, so they cannot establish a typical lifespan or consistent grip retention. Repeat reviews give varied experiences, and changes in scores alone do not show a common deterioration pattern.
What owners mention most counted across 114 reviews
I've got these on my personal/company car. Ill start by saying i drive quite aggressively and usually floor it away from the lights. These were on the rear axle of my 525d and lasted 4 months for me (15,000) miles.
In the dry, they are great...though my car isnt that powerful (177BHP) they are very grippy and progressive. In the wet, they often break traction before the continentals on the front, would i buy again? Yes!
Budget tires IMO, not fantastic in the dry, not bad in the wet but gives you a false sense of security of just how much grip you have and when you loose grip on them its sudden and sharp.
Have these tires on my w8 Passat and for the first 5 months awesome. Lots of feedback and pretty good grip in most conditions. Now snow in sunny qld so can't comment there. Lost two tires on the front cruising at 110kph inside tire wall blew out on both tires not at the same time thankfully. Anyone else had this issue? Are they known for soft tire walls? I still have two on the rear which seem to be ok at this stage but am unsure if I'll ever buy them again. Didn't get to test them on the track on the front as they blew before I made it.
Best summer tire yet for my Jaguar S type.
In my opinion as good performance wide as the standard pirelli p zero rosso and more comfortable and quiet. After 5000 miles i have next to no signs of wear. Grip and handling in dry and wet is epic. A brilliant tire with an even better price. 9.5/10
Perfect for a 200bhp+ RWD car in the summer.
Changed from dreadful run-flats to these on all four corners and the results were great! The response is great on wet/dry roads and cornering is spot on, but not driven on the limits yet. Noise is bearable but road feedback is much better than I experienced with the RF's.
Priced at £110 per tire incl fitting, so price effective for a mid range brand and would certainly buy them again!
Absolutely fantastic tire. Currently on my Subaru legacy/liberty with Race track days, hard street and rural driving involved, and they tick all the boxes. I will definitely be purchasing again, as they are a fantastic package.
I'm not recognizing some of the comments on here re these tires. I've had mine on my SAAB 9-3 for approx 50k miles so i would say that the wear is great. My journey is mostly Motorway so that may account for that. Grip and noise again, are great.
2009 Passat Estate 2.0 TDi with Kumho Ecsta KU39 - 235 45 17 - on the front. Steady driver with mix of motorway, suburban and rural road driving. Less than 10,000 miles and, as
Bought these as an experiment more than anything. Not as responsive as the Dunlop Sport Maxx I normally buy, but very progressive and overall grip level is very high. My daily commute involves the derestricted Isle of Man TT Course, so they get harder treatment than virtually anything short of a track day car would sunject them to - and they lasted 12,000 miles. For fast road users I would only recommend this tire to someone who is very familiar with the handling of their car, otherwise this tire would probably feel a little disconcerting. For me personally they are very good due to the progressive nature and overall grip levels. These Kumhos allow safe, brisk driving if you know what you're doing.
