Summer tire Updated October 2026

Kumho Ecsta PS91 review

Name: Kumho Ecsta PS91
Brand: Kumho

Relative score 60% tests + 40% owners

Owners 47 · 485 reviews analysed Road tests 76 · 9 tests

How scores work

Check price on Amazon · Ecsta PS91 Compare with another tire

Add your size for an exact match

Width/AspectRRim

The Amazon link then searches this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

The Kumho Ecsta PS91 is generally well-received as a cost-effective, high-performance summer tire that delivers impressive dry and wet grip, often compared favorably to more expensive tier-one alternatives like the Michelin Pilot Sport series. However, user experiences are somewhat polarized regarding tread longevity, with several drivers noting rapid wear and stiff sidewalls that can contribute to a firmer ride and tramlining on uneven highway surfaces.

Community sentiment Mixed Read the buzz

#budget performance value#rapid tread wear#wet and dry traction#track and heat limitations#ride quality and appearance

Owners rate it 29.3 points lower than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.

Two scoring systems, side by side

Owner scores come from reviews found online; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.

How scores work

Relative score: 0–100. Blends road tests (60%) and owner reviews (40%) category by category, the same way on every TireWheelGuide page. With only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from it, so the score stays closer to average. It needs at least one road test or five owner reviews.
Road tests: 0–100 per score, from published tests, newer tests counting more. Each result is compared with every other tire in the same test, so a win against a strong field counts for more. The average tested tire gets 70, the best 100; with only one or two tests a tire stays nearer 70. The discipline rows show % of the best tire in that test.
Owner reviews: 0–100 from the owner reviews we found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates and scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70. With only a few reviews a tire stays near the average.

By owner reviews

47/100

From 485 owner reviews analysed, scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70.

Would buy again 53%

Dry

Overall dry

56.5

Corner stability

55.5

Dry traction

Steering response

55.3

Wet

Overall wet

55.2

Hydroplaning resistance

56.6

Wet traction

57.2

Snow & ice

Overall snow & ice

Comfort

Overall comfort

52.8

Ride comfort

50.6

Noise

Overall noise

53.9

Treadwear

Overall treadwear

36.6

Handling

Overall handling

56.7

Own these tires? Write a review →

By road tests

76/100

Scaled across every tested tire: the average gets 70, the best 100.

Dry

75.5

Wet

77.4

Noise

74.9

By discipline (% of best in test)

Dry Braking

50%

Dry Handling

37.5%

Subj. Dry Handling

37.5%

Wet Braking

25%

Subj. Wet Handling

37.5%

Wet Handling

25%

Straight Aquaplaning

25%

Inside Noise level

62.5%

Subjective Comfort

37.5%

Rolling Resistance

12.5%

tire Weight

25%

Kumho Ecsta PS91 specs & sizes

Prices vary by size, so each one links out separately.

Specifications
Tread depth	9.5/32″
UTQG	260 A A
Sidewall	Blackwall
Max pressure	50 psi

Size	Retailer
225/35 R19	Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

What owners like and dislike

Themes extracted from 485 owner reviews found online.

Pros

Exceptional dry and wet grip providing high confidence during spirited driving
Significantly more affordable than premium flagship alternatives while offering comparable performance
Stiff sidewalls enhance steering response, cornering stability, and feedback
Relatively low noise levels and improved ride comfort compared to factory run-flats

Cons

Accelerated tread wear and shorter lifespan, particularly with aggressive driving or on heavier vehicles
Stiff sidewalls result in a firmer, less comfortable ride that transmits road imperfections
Tendency to tramline or follow road grooves on straight highways
Occasional reports of sidewall cracking or premature structural failure

Worth knowing

Drivers of heavy rear-wheel-drive sedans and high-torque vehicles (such as BMW 3/5 series and high-horsepower saloons) frequently report faster rear tire wear and occasional skittishness in wet conditions as tread depths lower.
Owners replacing factory run-flat tires with the Kumho PS91 noted a dramatic improvement in ride smoothness and a reduction in harshness, though steering weight can feel heavier due to the stiff sidewalls.

9 published test appearances

Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.

2023 Sport Auto UHP tire Test · 225/40 R18

8th of 11

Best: Noise · 1st Weakest: Dry Handling · 10th

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Braking	9th of 11
Wet Handling	7th of 11
Dry Braking	5th of 11
Dry Handling	10th of 11
Rolling Resistance	8th of 11
Straight Aqua	7th of 11
Noise	1st of 11
Price	4th of 11

Source: Sport Auto

2023 AZ UHP Summer tire Test · 235/35 R19

8th of 10

Best: Price · 1st Weakest: Rolling Resistance · 8th

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Braking	7th of 10
Wet Handling	5th of 10
Dry Braking	7th of 10
Dry Handling	7th of 10
Rolling Resistance	8th of 10
Straight Aqua	4th of 10
Noise	8th of 10
Price	1st of 10

Source: Auto Zeitung

2023 AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023 Summer Tire Test R18 · 225/40R18

9th of 10

Best: Exterior Noise · 1st Weakest: Subj. Elk Test · 10th

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Braking	9th of 10
Wet Circle	4th of 10
Longitudinal Aquaplaning	7th of 10
Transverse Aquaplaning	3rd of 10
Dry Braking	5th of 10
Interior Noise	2nd of 10
Exterior Noise	1st of 10
Rolling Resistance	5th of 10
Subj. Dry Handling	8th of 10
Subj. Wet Handling	6th of 10
Wet	8th of 10
Dry	8th of 10
Wet Lateral Stability	2nd of 10
Dry Subj. Steering Response	8th of 10
Subj. Elk Test	10th of 10
Subj. Wet Circle	4th of 10

Source: AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023

2019 Tyre Reviews UHP Summer tire Test

7th of 8

Best: Inside Noise level · 4th Weakest: Rolling Resistance · 8th

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Dry Braking	5th of 8
Dry Handling	6th of 8
Subj. Dry Handling	6th of 8
Wet Braking	7th of 8
Wet Handling	7th of 8
Subj. Wet Handling	6th of 8
Straight Aquaplaning	7th of 8
Subjective Comfort	6th of 8
Inside Noise level	4th of 8
tire Weight	7th of 8
Rolling Resistance	8th of 8

2017 Motor Mag UHP tire Test · 235/35 R19

4th of 9

Best: Wet Braking · 2nd Weakest: Dry Braking · 3rd

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Braking	2nd of 9
Dry Braking	3rd of 9
Dry Handling	3rd of 9

Source: Motor

2017 Sport Auto UHP and Track Day Test · 225/40 R18

10th of 10

Best: Wet Handling · 5th Weakest: Dry Handling · 9th

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Braking	7th of 10
Wet Handling	5th of 10
Dry Braking	8th of 10
Dry Handling	9th of 10

Source: Sport Auto

2017 Auto Bild Sports Cars tire Test · 235/35 R19

7th of 9

Best: Wet Braking · 4th Weakest: Wet Handling · 7th

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Braking	4th of 9
Wet Handling	7th of 9
Dry Braking	4th of 9
Dry Handling	7th of 9

Source: Auto Bild

2015 Sport Auto 235/35 R19 UHP tire Test · 235/35 R19

7th of 7

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Sport Auto

2015 AZ 225/40 R18 Summer tire Test · 225/40 R18

10th of 14

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

What owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of the scores above.

The Kumho Ecsta PS91 is widely praised as an affordable, budget-friendly summer tire with attractive styling and respectable wet or daily street performance compared to pricier rivals like Michelin. However, several users express frustration with poor tread life, rapid wear, and insufficient grip or heat endurance under hard driving and track conditions. Others also note issues with sketchy handling, flat-spotting, or vibration when cold.

r/e46 ·222 upvotes

“Follow up on new wheels/tires for ZHP Well new wheels and tires are on aswell as aligned. I love the tire and fitment setup but really do not like the gunmetal grey color especially on imola. I will feel it out for a while but probably eventually powder coat to OEM silver. Wheels specs are 18 x 8.5 x ET50 with 255/35/18 Kuhmo Ecsta PS91 all around. -2.5 camber in the front and -2.8 in the rear.”

2025-03-27

r/CarTrackDays ·1 upvote

“Pretty terrible idea, the PS91 will not have the same heat capacity as the V730, so your front/rear grip balance will change wildly during a session. With the non-200s on the front, at least you’ll understeer instead of oversteer/spin, but not ideal. An experienced driver might be able to work around this, if you’re new, this would be a dangerous situation. Similarly, I wouldn’t mix something like a yokohama AO52, which delivers all of its grip from cold and tends to overheat within a couple laps, with something like a hankook RS4, which famously takes some time to warm up and then delivers consistent grip for a long time”

2026-07-20

s197forum.com

“I've only got a couple thousand on them and just spirited driving in the mountains. I think they will easily go over 10k even with a few track events. I am thinking about getting a set for my SVT focus as I autoX with that car, much easier to drive at the limit than a turbocharged S197.”

2017-03-29

rennlist.com

“my turbo came with a set of Kumho Ecsta PS91 in the OEM widebody sizes that were around a year old and had maybe lost 15% wear. coming from someone who loves PS4S, i hated them. grip was subpar. it felt wasteful to toss them though since they were relatively new and had decent tread left so i toughed them out. i got maybe 2k miles out of the rears before they needed replacement just from normal street / occasional spirited driving. they are not a great handling tire and they are quite bad from a wear perspective as well. just buy michelin or even continental and don't look back.”

mbworld.org

“They are actually good tires. I used to have them, they have decent wet/dry traction which is good right now since its raining.”

chargerhellcat.org

“I have the XTS variant of this tyre on my Ram srt10 and the drive nicely and don’t tramline.”

2020-06-08

Sentiment breakdown

Positive58%

Mixed22%

Negative20%

Top themes

#budget performance value#rapid tread wear#wet and dry traction#track and heat limitations#ride quality and appearance#Michelin alternative comparison

From 45 threads and comments.