Tests – · none yet Owners 68 · 10 reviews
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 XS KU36 vs Nexen N Fera SU1 — 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 0 + 3 road tests and 10 + 164 owner reviews. How we score
Ecsta XS KU36 is ahead, 69–63
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Tests 63 · 3 tests Owners 62 · 164 reviews
Best test result: #6 of 22 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance Summer Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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72
Dry
Ecsta XS KU36 +1359Why this score
Source Ecsta XS KU36 N Fera SU1 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 70 (est.) 55 Reviews found online 73 64 Ecsta XS KU36: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 72
N Fera SU1: 60% × 55 + 40% × 64.2 = 59
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).
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70
Wet
Ecsta XS KU36 +664Why this score
Source Ecsta XS KU36 N Fera SU1 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 70 (est.) 62 Reviews found online 69 67 Ecsta XS KU36: 60% × 69.8 (est.) + 40% × 69.1 = 70
N Fera SU1: 60% × 61.9 + 40% × 67.3 = 64
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).
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–
Snow
No comparison58Why this score
Source Ecsta XS KU36 N Fera SU1 Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 63 (est.) Reviews found online – 50 N Fera SU1: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 49.8 = 58
No road tests of snow for N Fera SU1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
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61
Comfort
N Fera SU1 +566Why this score
Source Ecsta XS KU36 N Fera SU1 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 67 (est.) 66 Reviews found online 58 66 Ecsta XS KU36: 40% × 67 (est.) + 60% × 57.5 = 61
N Fera SU1: 40% × 65.7 + 60% × 65.5 = 66
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.
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–
Noise
No comparison69Why this score
Source Ecsta XS KU36 N Fera SU1 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests – 69 Reviews found online – 70 N Fera SU1: 60% × 69.3 + 40% × 69.7 = 69
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64
Treadwear
N Fera SU1 +266Why this score
Source Ecsta XS KU36 N Fera SU1 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 65 (est.) 70 Reviews found online 63 59 Ecsta XS KU36: 60% × 65 (est.) + 40% × 62.9 = 64
N Fera SU1: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 59.2 = 66
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).
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71
Handling (owners)
Ecsta XS KU36 +566Why this score
Source Ecsta XS KU36 N Fera SU1 Reviews found online 71 66 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison76Why this score
Source Ecsta XS KU36 N Fera SU1 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests – 76
Scores at a glance
| Category | Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 | Nexen N Fera SU1 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 69 | 63 |
| Dry | 72 | 59 |
| Wet | 70 | 64 |
| Snow | – | 58 |
| Comfort | 61 | 66 |
| Noise | – | 69 |
| Treadwear | 64 | 66 |
| Handling (owners) | 71 | 66 |
| Efficiency | – | 76 |
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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
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
69
/ 100
Ecsta XS KU36
63
/ 100
N Fera SU1
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 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
Tire B N Fera SU1
Pros
- Exceptional value and significantly lower price compared to premium brands
- Remarkably quiet ride and high overall comfort
- Strong dry and wet grip for daily commuting and spirited driving
Cons
- Soft sidewalls can cause vague handling, body roll, or a floating sensation on heavier vehicles
- Faster than average tread wear or inconsistent durability for some users
- Reports of rubber cracking or splitting along the sidewalls and tread blocks over time
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 | B · Nexen N Fera SU1 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 97 |
| Rim diameters | — | 15″ – 24″ |
| Tread depth | — | 9/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 300 A A |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 25,000 mi |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 51 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
69
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta XS KU36
63
/ 100
Nexen N Fera SU1
Winner: Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 — better dry and wet. Pick the Nexen N Fera SU1 if comfort 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
You want the most grip on dry roads
Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 scores 72 vs 59 on dry.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 scores 70 vs 64 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Nexen N Fera SU1 scores 66 vs 61 on comfort.
Tire A · Kumho Ecsta XS KU36
Tire B · Nexen N Fera SU1
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Ecsta XS KU36 or N Fera SU1?
Which is better in the wet, Ecsta XS KU36 or N Fera SU1?
Kumho Ecsta XS KU36, 70 vs 64 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta XS KU36 or N Fera SU1?
Kumho Ecsta XS KU36, 72 vs 59 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Ecsta XS KU36 or N Fera SU1?
Nexen N Fera SU1, 66 vs 61 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Ecsta XS KU36 or N Fera SU1?
Neither, by our numbers: 64 vs 66 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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