Summer tire Updated October 2026

Kumho Ecsta PS91 review

Name: Kumho Ecsta PS91
Brand: Kumho

± 6

Relative score 60% tests + 40% owners

Better than 26% of the summer tires we score.

Owners 42 · 485 reviews analysed Road tests 77 · 6 tests

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Kumho Ecsta PS91 has a Relative Score of 56 out of 100 among summer tires. In 9 road tests with an overall ranking it finished first 0 times and in the top three 0 times. Testers rate it best for wet (79) and weakest for efficiency (47). 485 owner reviews rate it 42 out of 100. 53% would buy it again.

Weak point: Efficiency 47 — 8th of 10 (2023 AZ UHP Summer tire Test), 8th of 11 (2023 Sport Auto UHP tire Test)

Community sentiment Positive Read the buzz

#Budget friendly pricing#Street performance and comfort#Tread wear and longevity#Track and grip limitations#Comparison to Michelin

Owners rate it 35 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.

Full methodology

By owner reviews

42/100

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

Would buy again 53%

Dry

Overall dry

Wet

Overall wet

Snow & ice

Overall snow & ice

Comfort

Overall comfort

Noise

Overall noise

Treadwear

Overall treadwear

Handling

Overall handling

Own these tires? Write a review →

By road tests

77/100

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

Dry

Wet

Noise

Efficiency

By discipline (% of best in test)

Dry Braking

50%

Dry Handling

38%

Subj. Dry Handling

38%

Wet Braking

25%

Subj. Wet Handling

38%

Wet Handling

25%

Straight Aquaplaning

25%

Inside Noise level

63%

Subjective Comfort

38%

Rolling Resistance

13%

tire Weight

25%

What owners like and dislike

Themes extracted from 485 owner reviews found online.

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.

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 (6 in the score)

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 Aquaplaning	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: Straight Aquaplaning · 4th 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 Aquaplaning	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 11

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

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Braking	9th of 11
Wet Circle	4th of 11
Dry Braking	5th of 11
Interior Noise	2nd of 11
Exterior Noise	1st of 11
Rolling Resistance	5th of 11
Straight Aquaplaning	7th of 11
Curved Aquaplaning	3rd of 11
Dry Handling (tester's mark)	8th of 11
Wet Handling (tester's mark)	6th of 11
Wet	8th of 11
Dry	8th of 11
Wet Lateral Stability	2nd of 11
Dry Subj. Steering Response	8th of 11
Subj. Elk Test	10th of 11
Subj. Wet Circle	4th of 11

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.

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
EU label: wet grip	A
EU label: energy	D
EU label: external noise	72 dB

Size	Retailer
225/35 R19	Amazon

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What owners are saying

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

The community views the Kumho Ecsta PS91 as an attractive, budget-friendly max performance summer tire that offers decent street traction, low noise, and a tread pattern resembling higher-end options like Michelin. However, opinions are split; while some drivers praise them as a great value alternative for daily driving and light spirited use, enthusiasts note limitations regarding rapid wear, subpar track endurance, and inferior grip compared to top-tier performance tires.

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.”

r/Porsche ·11 upvotes

“Putting some Kumho Ecsta PS91s on. Curious how they’ll do since my go to Falken rt660 doesn’t come in the oem 18” sizes”

2022-02-12

r/E90 ·180 upvotes

“New meaty tires set up installed, now I can order spacers Went up tire sizes and they definitely fill the gap a bit. First time running sticky kumhos on anytime so excited to see how they turn out.Specs are Kumho Ecsta Ps91 235/40/18 up front and 265/40/18 in the rear. Read more”

2025-09-17

r/Autocross ·1 upvote

“You will get smoked if you go with the PS91. They also do not hold well under abuse. I feel that the RE-71RS would be a better value for you simply because they'll hold and remain consistent even as they wear very far down. I've used the RE-71RS at a track day before and even as the tires were chunking and melting, they still maintained their grip, as if they were just BEGGING to be abused, to see how far they could be pushed.”

2025-09-30

r/Mustang ·1 upvote

“no more Kumho Ecsta PS91 for me I have 2015 Mustang GT Premium with 20" wheels. I bought the car new, and it has just over 155k, and the only thing I have replaced is the water pump. However, tire wear is a problem. The alignment is good, and I had the camber adjusted (front and rear) so that the tire has less negative camber than it had when it left the factory. Despite that, I'm only getting about 15k miles out of a set, and I drive it very gently. I've been buying Kumho Ecsta PS91, but I'd like to try something different. What do you recommend?”

2024-01-31

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

Sentiment breakdown

Positive59%

Mixed2%

Negative20%

Neutral20%

Top themes

#Budget friendly pricing#Street performance and comfort#Tread wear and longevity#Track and grip limitations#Comparison to Michelin

From 46 threads and comments.