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Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Ecsta PS71 vs Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 14 + 0 road tests and 8,175 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta PS71 leads, 73–69 Narrow edge

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Kumho Ecsta PS71
Tire AKumho

Ecsta PS71

Summer

± 5

Tests 68 · 14 tests Owners 69 · 8,175 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 18 in 2025 ADAC Summer Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)

“Those are Kumho Ecsta PS71s, thread width is supposed to be 245mm, the actual one is hardly 235. How so?”

Kumho Ecsta XS KU36
Tire BKumho

Ecsta XS KU36

Summer

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 68 · 10 reviews

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 75

    Dry

    Ecsta PS71 +3
    72
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71Ecsta XS KU36
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / – tests78≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7273

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 77.6 + 40% × 72.2 = 75

    Ecsta XS KU36: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 72

    No road tests of dry for Ecsta XS KU36. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 85

    Wet

    Ecsta PS71 +15
    70
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71Ecsta XS KU36
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / – tests92≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7569

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 92.5 + 40% × 74.8 = 85

    Ecsta XS KU36: 60% × 69.8 (est.) + 40% × 69.1 = 70

    No road tests of wet for Ecsta XS KU36. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 70

    Comfort

    Ecsta PS71 +9
    61
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71Ecsta XS KU36
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests75≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6658

    Ecsta PS71: 40% × 75.3 + 60% × 65.8 = 70

    Ecsta XS KU36: 40% × 67 (est.) + 60% × 57.5 = 61

    No road tests of comfort for Ecsta XS KU36. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 36

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71Ecsta XS KU36
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests15–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)–

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 15.5 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 36

    No owner ratings of noise for Ecsta PS71. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  5. 51

    Treadwear

    Ecsta XS KU36 +13
    64
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71Ecsta XS KU36
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests45≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online6163

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 45.1 + 40% × 60.6 = 51

    Ecsta XS KU36: 60% × 65 (est.) + 40% × 62.9 = 64

    No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta XS KU36. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  6. 73

    Handling (owners)

    Ecsta PS71 +2
    71
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71Ecsta XS KU36
    Reviews found online7371
  7. 48

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71Ecsta XS KU36
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests48–
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho Ecsta PS71Kumho Ecsta XS KU36
Relative Score 73 69
Dry 75 72
Wet 85 70
Comfort 70 61
Noise 36 –
Treadwear 51 64
Handling (owners) 73 71
Efficiency 48 –

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 5

Ecsta PS71

± 8

Ecsta XS KU36

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Ecsta PS71

Pros

  • Outstanding wet weather grip and aquaplaning resistance
  • High value for money compared to tier-one premium brands
  • Predictable handling and solid cornering stability in both dry and wet conditions

Cons

  • Noticeable road noise or droning at motorway speeds on certain vehicles
  • Occasional reports of balancing difficulties or out-of-round/egg-shaped tires
  • Softer sidewalls can lead to slightly vague steering response around center or tread block movement
All owner themes in the Ecsta PS71 review

Tire B Ecsta XS KU36

Pros

  • Exceptional dry surface grip and cornering confidence
  • Strong, rigid sidewall construction
  • High value-to-performance ratio

Cons

  • High levels of road noise that tend to worsen over time
  • Lack of steering precision and on-center feel
  • Rapid tread wear consistent with aggressive performance compounds
All owner themes in the Ecsta XS KU36 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Kumho Ecsta PS71

Positive

Community sentiment towards the Kumho Ecsta PS71 is generally positive, with drivers viewing it as an affordable, high-value mid-range/UHP tire that performs reliably compared to premium brands. Users praise its wet grip rating, competitive pricing, and overall road manners once warmed up, though some note it provides adequate rather than top-tier grip and raise questions regarding cold performance and tread life.

bimmerforums.co.uk ·1 upvote ·2024-05-05

“On Blackcircles all the 245/40 R19 ditch finders cost around £100 and have a poor wet grip & all the decent mid range cost around £170 and have A rated wet grip. Would you risk it for £240? I know I wouldn't. The cheapest A wet rated is a Kuhmo Ecsta PS71 at £136 if you really want to keep the cost down. If you want a relatively soft comfortable tyre then a Hankook S1 Evo 3 is an excellent choice.”
r/TyreReviews ·1 upvote ·2026-06-17

“Kumho PS71 Question Replaced an older (2021 or 2022 production) set of ps71 with a new set (production 39-42 week of 2024) and noticed something on the new sidewalls I hadn't seen on the old ones. The new ones have ps71 with either a 1 or a 2 under it right above the bead in very small text. I'm curious what they mean if anything at all.”
r/TeslaUK ·2 upvotes ·2026-08-28

“go with Kumho Ecsta PS71 EV around £140 – £165. Good value for money”
Top themes
#Value for money#Wet grip performance#UHP budget alternative#Tread wear durability#Warm-up temperature behavior#Tire pressure specifications

Based on 24 community posts

Tire B

Kumho Ecsta XS KU36

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta PS71 B · Kumho Ecsta XS KU36
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available133—
Rim diameters16″ – 22″—
SidewallBlackwall—

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Ecsta PS71

Kumho Ecsta XS KU36

Narrow edge: Kumho Ecsta PS71 — better wet, comfort and dry. Pick the Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 if treadwear matters most to you. Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta PS71 scores 85 vs 70 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 scores 64 vs 51 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Ecsta PS71 scores 70 vs 61 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta PS71 scores 75 vs 72 on dry.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PS71
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta XS KU36
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Ecsta PS71 or Ecsta XS KU36?

Which is better in the wet, Ecsta PS71 or Ecsta XS KU36?

Kumho Ecsta PS71, 85 vs 70 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta PS71 or Ecsta XS KU36?

Kumho Ecsta PS71, 75 vs 72 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Ecsta PS71 or Ecsta XS KU36?

Kumho Ecsta PS71, 70 vs 61 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ecsta PS71 or Ecsta XS KU36?

Kumho Ecsta XS KU36, 64 vs 51 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology