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Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72

Replaces the Kumho Ecsta PS71

The Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 is a mid-range max-performance summer tire that punches above its price with genuinely sporty grip and strong braking. Drivers and tests agree it delivers confident wet and dry traction, fast steering response and a stable, tied-down feel that can feel close to premium rivals. It stands out particularly for braking confidence and balanced all-round dynamics, making it a compelling value-focused UUHP option.

The quick answer

Owners say 79% from 9 owner reviews 78% would buy again Read the reviews
Tests say 3rd average finish across 4 independent tests · 1 wins Latest: P2 of 3 · 2026 See every test
Strengths & weaknesses Wet, Dry Value Relative to its rivals across every test we hold

Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tire - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated July 2026.

  • 9owner reviews
  • 25,350miles driven
  • 4professional tests
  • 117sizes available

Tire Reviews Score

Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72

9.3/10

Better than 94% of summer tires

  • High Confidence
  • 4 tests
  • 9 owner reviews
Scores of the 406 summer tires we have tested

How this score is built

Source Better than Weight
Independent tests4 tests · 4 publications · 2025-2026 94% 86%
Owner reviews9 owner reviews · rated 79% 90% 14%
Combined 94% 9.3

A fixed curve turns the combined figure into the 0 to 10 score, so roughly the top 10% of a group score 9 or more.

Category by category

How it compares with other summer tires in each area, and how much each area counts. 50 is the middle of the group.

Category Better than Weight Tests
WetBraking, handling and aquaplaning in the wet 95% 44% 4
DryBraking and handling on dry roads 94% 40% 4
ValueWear, efficiency and cost 12% 9% 2
ComfortNoise and ride comfort 32% 7% 3

Weights are shares of the test result. Owner reviews are blended in afterwards. Faded bars rest on one or two tests.

By discipline

The same results grouped by what the tire was doing. They are not counted a second time.

BrakingEvery braking test, on any surface 98% 4
HandlingEvery handling test, on any surface 90% 4

Confidence

  1. Limited
  2. Medium
  3. High

Its own test results decide 96% of the test figure. The other 4% comes from its predecessor, the Kumho Ecsta PS71, and it shrinks as more tests arrive.

High needs at least 3 tests, with its own results deciding 90% or more. Medium needs 2 tests and 70%. Anything less is Limited: expect the number to move as tests arrive.

The tests behind it

  1. 2026 Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tire Test TopTireReview · 255/35 R19 P2 / 3
  2. 2026 2026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tire Test Auto Bild Sportscars · 255/35 R19 P5 / 8
  3. 2025 2025 AutoView Sports Tire Test AutoView · 275/35R19 P3 / 5
  4. 2025 2025 Tire Rack UUHP Summer Tire Test Tire Rack · 275/35 R19 P1 / 10

Tested 4 times by independent publications, the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 has taken 1 test wins with an average finish of 3rd.

4 Tests
1 Test Wins
3rd Average
1st Best
5th Worst
Finishing position in each test1stLast20252026

Finishing position in each test

The latest test

Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tire Test P2 of 3

The Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 finished a strong second overall. It has no real weakness and genuine strengths in aquaplaning resistance and comfort, and for the money it makes a compelling case against the established premium names in the UUHP class.

Strong: Dry Braking, Wet Braking, Wet Handling, Subj. Wet Handling, Straight Aqua, Curved Aquaplaning, Subj. Comfort, Noise Weak: Dry Handling, Subj. Dry Handling, Wet Circle, Rolling Resistance Winner: Continental SportContact 7

Every independent test of the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72, newest first
YearTestResultAward
2026Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tire TestTopTireReview · 255/35 R19P2 / 3Highly Recommended
20262026 Autobild Sports Cars Summer Tire TestAuto Bild Sportscars · 255/35 R19P5 / 8gut (Good)
20252025 AutoView Sports Tire TestAutoView · 275/35R19P3 / 5
20252025 Tire Rack UUHP Summer Tire TestTire Rack · 275/35 R19P1 / 10

On the full record: Record by disciplineHead-to-head recordEvery published verdict

Dimensions & Label Scores
View All

Size Range60 sizes available

225-325Width30-50Profile18-22Rim88-111 YLoad/Speed Index2024First On Market

EU LabelAcross 60 sizes - the grade depends on the size you buy.

Noise

71-75dB B

Frequently Asked Questions
How good is the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 in the wet?
Across the 4 wet-braking tests it has featured in, the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 stops 2.9% shorter than premium rivals, 3.2% shorter than mid-range rivals and 3.6% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews wet score of 95/100, and owners rate it 8.8/10 in the wet from 9 reviews.
How good is the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 in the dry?
Across the 4 dry-braking tests it has featured in, the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 stops 0.1% shorter than premium rivals, 1% shorter than mid-range rivals and 6.4% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews dry score of 94/100, and owners rate it 9.4/10 in the dry from 9 reviews.
How fuel efficient is the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72?
Across the 2 tests measuring rolling resistance, the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72's rolling resistance is 4.6% higher than premium rivals and 11% higher than mid-range rivals.
What do owners say about the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72?
Across 9 owner ratings the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 averages 79%. Owners rate Handling highest at 9.6 out of 10 and Wear lowest at 4.8. 89% of owners score it 70% or better.
What is the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72's EU tire label rating?
Across its range, the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 most commonly carries EU label ratings of C for fuel efficiency, A for wet grip and 72 dB for noise.
More questions about the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 (5)
How comfortable and quiet are the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72?
Owners rate the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 6.7 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 9 reviews.
How well do the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 4.8 out of 10 for wear across 9 reviews.
Would owners buy the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 again?
78% of owners say they would buy the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 again, based on the 9 owner reviews that answered the question. 33% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What does the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 replace?
The Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 is the successor to the Kumho Ecsta PS71 in Kumho's range.
What sizes does the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 come in?
The Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 is available in 117 sizes, ranging from 225-325/30-50 R18-22.
Owner Questions
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Questions and Answers for the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72

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Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 Owner Reviews

Review this tire

What owners say summarised from 9 reviews

Drivers report the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 delivers strong, sporty performance with high confidence dry and wet grip, quick/precise steering response, and good feedback-often comparing it favorably to more expensive premium options for the price. Most reviews also praise its value for money and stable handling, helped by a notably stiff sidewall. Minority drawbacks center on a firmer ride/comfort trade-off from the stiff construction and some reports of slightly higher road noise versus competitors.

What owners mention most counted across 9 reviews

Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.

Owner ratings averaged from 9 ratings

  • Owner score 79%
  • Handling 96%
  • Dry Grip 94%
  • Road Feedback 88%
  • Wet Grip 88%
  • Comfort 67%
  • Wear 48%

Featured reviews

Most helpful 97%

“After a few thousand kilometers, I had the OE tire Pirelli P Zero removed and the Kumho Ecsta Sport S installed. The only thing that is roughly the same is the noise level inside the vehicle. In everything else that...”

  • Jaguar F Type
  • 1,000 miles
Read full review → 1,124 found this helpful
Most critical 61%

“I use my car for sport driving only on deserted roads so I should preface this review with the knowledge that they have a short life especially on the rear. Most of the 800 miles have been in wet/damp or drying...”

  • Porsche 718 GTS
  • 850 miles
Read full review → 131 found this helpful

All 9 Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 reviews

Score spread across 9 written reviews
88%
Member
Initial Impressions

Kumho's feel very sporty and grippy, as they should. Sidewall is quite stiff for a road tire. Dry grip is awesome and should be more than enough for normal driving in traffic, even for spirited drivers. Wet grip also very good, I've never had any issues in the rain with these. (Yes, they are new tires.) Only downside is road noise which is not their best quality, but noise is not very loud, maybe average in their class.

Car came with almost new Minerva F205's and Kumho's beat these in every category hands on. Kumho is excellent tire and I highly recommend this. True value for money as they are cheaper than competitors (Michelin, Continental, etc) but offer same quality and driving characteristics.

I mostly drive city traffic and motorway in mixed conditions sun or rain.

This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 9
  • Wet Grip 8
  • Road Feedback 10
  • Handling 9
  • Comfort 7
  • Buy again 10
Helpful 48
88%
Member
Initial Impressions
Got the normal PS72 for the front (235/40-18) and PS72 S for the rears without knowing. Apparently you can't get the normal PS72 in 265/35-18. The S has a much stiffer sidewall. So far very impressed by the comfort and wet grip. The combination works, but the fronts are definitely leaning more toward comfort with sluggish turn in as a result. The rears are good even in 5 c and rain. However one tire took 150 grams when balancing! Shop confirmed it is the tire and not wheel. Not noticing any vibrations as reported by others, but I will keep an eye on this and re balance in a couple of months. Might be due to improper storage (tires dated 47th week 2024). Feels like a solid tire, but Kumho quality control is still a valid concern.
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 10
  • Wet Grip 9
  • Road Feedback 9
  • Handling 10
  • Comfort 7
  • Buy again 8
Helpful 101
79%
Azerak
Initial Impressions
A little bit noisier on the road but beat my previous pilot sport 4S on traction. Excellent grip in the dry with minimal slip on a Stage 2+ Audi S3 even when launching.
Do not get the non 'S' variant - was fitted by accident at the tire shop, had to return them within 48h, they have terrible grip.
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 9
  • Wet Grip 8
  • Road Feedback 7
  • Handling 9
  • Wear 6
  • Comfort 7
  • Buy again 9
Helpful 98

Which tires do you drive?

Researching the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72? Rate the tires you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.

Own the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72?
61%
Member
Initial Impressions
I use my car for sport driving only on deserted roads so I should preface this review with the knowledge that they have a short life especially on the rear.

Most of the 800 miles have been in wet/damp or drying conditions.

Tread depth shocked me as they are down to 4mm already.

I have no complaints about the grip, they have excellent traction in wet conditions so I have no doubt the same applies to dry.

I can’t comment on steering feel etc as they are only on the rears.
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 9
  • Wet Grip 9
  • Road Feedback 9
  • Handling 9
  • Wear 1
  • Comfort 5
  • Buy again 1
Helpful 131
70%
Member
I am driving these tires in the dimensions 265/35 R20 at the front and 275/35 R20 at the rear on my 2020 Ford Mustang GT.
Since I previously had 19" rims, I had to look for new tires. The Kumho Ecsta Sport S came out this year and piqued my interest, especially since Kumho promised many improvements over the PS91.

Since the price was very reasonable and the preliminary tests available at the time were all positive, I ultimately decided on the Kumhos.

What was noticable was the very stiff sidewall. I can almost put my entire weight (~90 kg) on the tire without it being pressed down.

Once it was fitted, I immediately noticed the very precise and direct steering response, and that the tire is relatively comfortable despite its 20-inch size and sporty design.

The grip level with this tire is very high, regardless of whether it is dry or wet, and it conveys confidence in the car at all times.
The noise level is unobtrusive, and even potholes are well filtered.

So, everything is great? There is one point where I am absolutely disappointed, and that is wear.

When new, the tire has a tread depth of 7.1 mm, and after approx. 6500 km (~4000 miles), despite mostly calm driving (no racetrack), there is only just 5 mm of tread left at the rear and approx. 5.2 mm at the front. Since I run the tires down to a maximum of 3.0 mm for safety reasons, this means that the tires would not even last 15,000 km (assuming linear wear). The Michelin Pilot Sport 4s lasted for around 40,000 km (~25,000 mls) and still had over 4 mm of tread left!

This is truly devastating. Even though they cost only half as much as Michelin tires, I would have liked to see a higher mileage.
I don't know yet whether I will buy these tires again. The tire itself is really great, but the wear ruins the overall impression.

I am not yet certain whether I would purchase this tire again. On the one hand, it is incredibly enjoyable and gives the Mustang a significantly more direct and enjoyable driving experience while maintaining a high level of driving safety. On the other hand, the wear is abnormally high, which is definitely something to consider. My decision will depend on which alternative tires are available on the market when these tires are worn out.
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 9
  • Wet Grip 8
  • Road Feedback 9
  • Handling 10
  • Wear 2
  • Comfort 7
  • Buy again 4
Helpful 382
93%
Member
I do extensive research before buying any tire and after three months of searching I have found the right tire for my car which is w-220 S Class 2005 model with 19-in wheels from the CL 600 model.

245 40 19 at the front ps72 Sport and 275 35 19 sport s ps72.

These tires are amazing but when they are cold they do juggle the car from left to right vertically the suspension is working extremely hard because these tires are design for Precision cornering and the side wall is extremely hard but this is what I wanted, the reason behind is I did try before the Michelin PS4 acoustic on the set of 20 inch by eight and a half original Mercedes and unfortunately Michelin PS4 acoustic for a price of £1200 were disappointment, I spent a lot of money on the tires and I said to myself never again I will spend so much money on some branded tires which actually do not live to the hype, now these PS72 have outsmarted all the big brands and when I bought my four tires from ATS Euromaster in UK I spent with fitting £125 pounds each so that's that's a huge difference between spending 300 pounds each for a Michelin PS4 but that was a while ago since then I changed the other wheels to 19 inch then I went for a budget option of banoze tires, they were super soft and very comfy very good in wet however because the 275 35 and the way my S-Class is sitting on the airmatic was causing bulges on the inner side of the tire by the rim and I really dont want to end my life too early because of the tire blowout decided to swap it for something that is more reliable in terms of the sidewall because these tires and this profile, this low they tend to crack and cause bulges and they can burst so all in all in comparing to continental Sport contact five Sport contact 6 which I had a pleasure to drive in compared to Uniroyal 3 which was amazing tire but very soft going really quickly but with a right turning of the tires you could still squeeze 40,000 miles out of them so out of all these tires these are the most precise tires I ever had.

I can only compare them to the tires I had before so starting from Goodyear eagle F1 AS2 then Michelin PS4 continental Sport contact 5 then continental Sport contact Three Some budget tires I had some tires oh of course we cannot forget Pirelli p zero.

So after all this mileage I have done over the years these tires are just beating them all in one go there so these tires are perfect in dry perfect in wet amazing in wet amazing heading back home yesterday there was a huge amount of rain starting going around roundabout or starting from a junction no ESP no traction control on after giving it some revs so absolutely amazing grip breaking same story it's super nice and super precise and size for the back 275 35 19 is in a sport s brand so the thing is the car is very jerky from left to right in vertical position when so like your head your whole body is moving with the car the suspension if it's airmatic and set up for comfort mode it's still the tires they dont want to give in, is just the tires are like stiff but when they are warm after a couple of miles it's it's a less of an issue it's still there but not as much but when it comes to a cornering when it comes to changing lanes acceleration breaking absolutely amazing tires amazing the only drawback I mentioned above is that they are so stiff that your whole body is shaking together with the car because the the tires don't want to give up they just don't want to hand over you know like they don't want to give up they are just keeping the form you know and doesn't matter, but luckily for me after a couple of thousands of miles I did inspect the tires there is a almost no visible wear the Tires at the moment and because the size of the different is different to the back then I I can only swap them side from left to right that's it so not sure if that's even necessary but then let's see how it goes amazing tires amazing amazing Tires at the Unbelievable price low price of low of a budget tire with the where the premium brands failed to be the desire so I would buy this tire again even if it means that they are not as comfy as the budget tires which were just too soft probably over time probably they will get more comfy I'm not sure I'm not sure if this is the case I am not so sure but so far I'm very happy with.

I scored in five in a comfort category because of the jerking of the car left and right and that the suspension must work extremely hard to compensate the road imperfections so much because the previous tires and Tires before the previous ones and the tiles before that where just soft and they were really good in like extending the comfort of the airmatic system these tires are just yes not that comfy they're okay but you you win some you lose some I prefer to lose a bit of comfort however they are extremely quiet extremely quiet you don't hear them at all you don't hear them at all it's just that stiffness that's the only issue if you're if you want the tires that have extremely stiff and strong sidewall you go for these you will.

275 35 19 are sport s and sidewall is more hard than sport on the front.
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 10
  • Wet Grip 10
  • Road Feedback 10
  • Handling 10
  • Wear 10
  • Comfort 5
  • Buy again 10
Helpful 509
97%
Member
After a few thousand kilometers, I had the OE tire Pirelli P Zero removed and the Kumho Ecsta Sport S installed.
The only thing that is roughly the same is the noise level inside the vehicle.
In everything else that happens on the road, the Ecsta Sport S is superior by far.
Grip on both wet and dry roads, shorter braking distances, better acceleration, better steering and better feedback.
If you don't overdo it, this tire just doesn't want to slip.
I have the impression that I have a changed car.
Unbeatable price/performance ratio.
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 10
  • Wet Grip 10
  • Road Feedback 9
  • Handling 10
  • Comfort 9
  • Buy again 10
Helpful 1,124
82%
Member
  • BMW M4
  • 295/30 R20
  • 500 miles
  • Mostly Motorways
  • Spirited
I was looking for a lower price tire to change my old Michelin PSS’s. If you buy the S version the TWI is 260. On dry road feels good, grippy enough, i dont know how’s it in the wet, i don’t drive when it’s raining. It has pretty stiff sidewalls, a PS4S is much more comfy. But the road feedback is good, handling is fast and responsive. tread depth is around 7MM new.
TBH im a Michelin fan, but at this price… it is one of the best tires. Sidewalls are good looking, almost Michelin satin like texture. They don’t look cheap.
(I was able to get the set of 4 for $700)
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 10
  • Road Feedback 8
  • Handling 10
  • Comfort 5
  • Buy again 8
Helpful 998
85%
Member
Changed them for the SportContacts 6, the grip is almost the same at the 50% price, a little bit more noisy, better road feel. would recomend. Can’t rate the wear yet.
This owner's scores
  • Dry Grip 9
  • Wet Grip 8
  • Road Feedback 8
  • Handling 9
  • Comfort 8
  • Buy again 9
Helpful 1,199
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