My two have a manufacturing defect that is worrying to say the least. See images.

These replaced Continental premium tires. Generally they seem pretty good but there are time the car loses grip and bring on the traction control light, in slightly damp conditions it wouldn't with the Continental. That said they are a pretty cheap tire.

same kumho problem... balancing & egg shape. 245/45/18 100Y XL
I've always used kumho because the price well reflects in proformance if only they didn't need constant rebalencing.
I've had 4 duff pairs, ku31 x 2 pair, ku 39 x 2 pair that had to come off in the end they were so bad.
No amount of balencing can sort an egg shape tire.
These new ps71 are very soft, squishy, feel like running on 20psi with 30g wheel wobble even after twice rebalencing them & 1 of them is egg shape.
I am worn out with trying to get them right & think after years of kumho on various different cars I'm giving up on them.
Changing to Dunlop.
I always feel bad going back to the shop to moan they must think it's me lol but kumho have let themselves down & I will say so.
PS71 is more expensive, lower spec & lower quality, not for me, I like a tire to be not thought about coz it's getting on with it's job instead of feeling there's a 60mph side wind blowing me around & the steering wheel hammering out of ny hands not to mention the amount spent on rebalencing & hanging around tire shop waiting for my turn.

Have YOU got experience with the Kumho Ecsta PS71? Help millions of other tire buyers

Review your Kumho Ecsta PS71 >

Dry:
If you're driving in hot climates (from 20C up) they're quite good (8/10) because handling, braking and stiffness feel just right. They are super noisy for a summer tire, above 90kmh they feel on par with Vredestein Quatrac Pro which are all season tires! The grip is not comparable to Michelin Pilot Sport 4S but that's to be expected.

Wet:
Rain behavior is interesting because they do slip (cars tamer than my Mustang probably wont make them slip at all) but they slip predictably and progressively without snapping, the central grooves are wider than usual so aquaplaning doesn't happen easily. They're okay in my opinion, grip is limited but they warn you soon enough.

Cold:
Kumho PS71 are terrible in the cold (below 10C) they are super stiff and they snap easily even in the dry (cool if you want to do some drifting but dangerous) and they're terrifying in wet conditions, I went on a 18% steep downhill at around 3C temperature on a relatively dry road (it rained the night before but most of the road was dry with some wet patches) and the wheels locked up with minimal and gentle brake input so I had to engine brake at 4k rpm to not slide, this would never happen with Continental SportContact or Bridgestone Potenza high-end summer tire. I never tested these tires below freezing or during winter luckily.

Durability:
No rim protection which on big wheels and low profile should be standard, wear is disappointing considering how stiff the tire is, probably the hard compound tears down more than softer rubber. Rear axle went flush with the wear bars before 18tkm and the front before 25tkm of course the Mustang will eat through the rear tires like butter considering how heavy and powerful it is but a Pilot Sport 4S will last almost 30tkm and provide significantly more grip throughout the entire lifespan...

Conclusion:
Good budget tire for hot climates, to be avoided at all cost in cold environment. I would not buy this tire again unless I get a super good deal (max 110€ per tire compared to Continental which are 160€)

Tested on 2000 NB MX5 with Teinz coilovers

I have another review closer to the beginning of life for these tires, this is a near end of life update

got the MX5 aligned recently, and although it drove well before (its hard to find a poor handling mx5) the toe out on the front destroyed the tires faster than they otherwise would have worn.

however with the new alignment (F: 0 toe; -1.5 camber; 4.5 caster R: -1.3 camber; -0.50mm toe) both the car and tires feel alot better.

I also have done a track day with them, they felt great for about 1 1/2 laps of a ~1 minute track but become really greasy afterward as they overheat somewhat quick. this said that is not a criticism of the tire as it is not designed for track work.

Dry grip on the Twisties / Touge is very good and unless you are really pushing it (to the dismay of local law enforcement) these have more than adequate grip for fun spirited driving. However you can get them loose if you try and of course will not have the pace of dedicated semislicks.

wet grip is very good, you can get them loose with some ease if you try, however to do so would not be 'driving to conditions'. for their class in an Australian climate their wet grip is great (probably not PS4S great, but not so bad it's dangerous.)

only thing I'd say is wear is not that great, granted i did have a poor alignment that accelerated wear, but i would eyeball the wear as below average for it's class. not horrible, not great either. the PS71's on my MX5 have lasted 15,000 km of driving on a harsh alignment (toe out on front) 60-70% of that driving was at 7-9 tenths on twisty roads, so abnormally hard compared to most.

I wouldn't recommend this tire to those who drive Touge / Track at pace often in summer or in a climate where you can run summer tires year round (like australia) . go for a semi slick in that case if you can stomach the poor wet performance. or a PS4/PS4s/PS5/PSs5 if it is in your size (PS4/PS5 also overheat on track so keep that in mind) a PS71 is simply not made for a Track/ heavy Touge use case.

if you need wet weather grip and take your car for a 6-8 tenths run every now and then but need a good daily tire, these tires will be great value for money.

a PSA:
get an alignment. Don't care if you've had the car for a month and the previous owner said they got one recently, get an alignment as any handling or wear issues cannot be blamed on the tire unless you personally have taken your car to get an alignment yourself. a fresh alignment, especially custom performance specs (do your research!) can have a monumental impact on how the car feels regardless of tire choice.

Fitted to 2014 Jaguar XF, replacing Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric 6s, and the difference is not that noticeable. Plenty of grip in the wet and dry, and good handling, although I drive fairly conservatively. Perfect for day to day use, and quite a bit cheaper than premium brands. Only unknown is wear as I’ve only had them for a month, but then the Goodyears tended to wear out fairly rapidly anyway.

They perform well on dry and wet roads. I regularly drive on the highway. I've put 15,000 km on them and think they have reasonable wear. On the downside, I find them quite noisy and my car isn't well insulated, so I won't buy them again when they need replacing. I'll look for quieter ones.

In all but noise level the tire is top, better then many more expensive "premium" brands I have had over the years. Grip, handling, breaking and comfort both wet (most impressive) and dry, performs exceptionally well at low temp. Highly recommend.

A little bit disappointed with these tires. Bought them for a Citroen DS3 1.6 diesel (90hp).

I do mostly driving up and down the Peak District for my commute, so there's a lot of twisty roads and lots of braking and acceleration due to the hills.

Grip is great in the dry and wet, and have good aquaplane resistance on a straight line. Decent grip around the corners, but can occasionally trigger the traction control if you accidentally floor it mid corner. Fuel economy is decent, and from my experience, it has fairly low roll resistance. Braking distance is average, but stable.

However, I can see why these have good performance for the price, and it's because of the poor wear.

Bought these with 7mm tread new on all corners. They are already down to 3mm at the front and 6mm at the back, after only 10,000 miles.

They were £86 per tire when I got them. Would probably buy them again, if I was strapped for cash. But might be better to get something a little bit more expensive, but with better wear resistance.

Premium tire attributes for good price. Wet grip is great, tire construction is very good. Sidewall stiff enough for relatively lightweight Cooper S. Michelin Pilot Sports are better, but if budget won't stretch, these are a good substitute.

Surprisingly good tires, both on dry and wet roads, I've never had a problem with braking, skidding, or aquaplaning. I can only recommend them.

Great tires for the price! 23,500 miles and 15 months driving before they were down to minimum wear markers and needed replaced, which on my BMW F11 520D rear wheel drive seems to be about average life expectancy. Tires never lost grip once, wet or dry. I would have preferred if they lasted at bit longer, but I tow a caravan about in the summer months which probably shortens their life.They seemed to get a little noiser when they were well worn down.

I had limited budget and I study abot two weeks wich tires I will buy...read many tests and I choose Kumho ps71 after Pirelli p7 cinturato.I will just say this tire is underrated.Excellent dry grip and very good wet grip,handling and noise.I love this tire after 20k km and sure I want buy them again.My car is Civic mk8 hatchback.

Great budget tire, been using these daily on a 310bhp Clio 4 RS and they run great. Millage is an average of 30 miles a day. Wear rates are great, fronts going to half in 12 months so rotated them for the rears. Have used them on track also, and even though they arent "slick" level performance, with the pressure kept in check they were great to drive on. Super progressive on break away and easy to balance in the corners. Will defo buy again. (car selection section not working)

The tires are quiet and the grip is very excellent.