Summer tire Summer Extreme Performance tires Updated September 2026

Kumho Ecsta PS91 review

Name: Kumho Ecsta PS91
Brand: Kumho

The Kumho Ecsta PS91 is widely regarded as a high-value performance tire that offers impressive dry grip and steering feedback, often rivaling more expensive premium brands. However, user consensus is polarized regarding tread longevity, with many owners reporting premature wear, and some experiencing inconsistent performance in wet conditions or issues with sidewall durability.

Relative score

71/100

tests + owners

Owner reviews

70/100

56 reviews

Road tests

70/100

3 published tests

Community sentiment Mixed Read the buzz

#budget friendly performance#ride quality and comfort#tread wear longevity#track and heat performance#tire mixing risks

Check price Compare with another tire

Scores

Two scoring systems, side by side

Owner scores come from reviews on retailer and review sites; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.

By owner reviews

70.1%

Would buy again 61%

Dry

Overall dry

82.9%

Corner stability

82.5%

Dry traction

87%

Steering response

82%

Wet

Overall wet

73.7%

Hydroplaning resistance

75%

Wet traction

77%

Comfort

Overall comfort

74.2%

Ride comfort

73%

Noise

Overall noise

77%

Treadwear

Overall treadwear

56.6%

Handling

Overall handling

75%

By source

DriverReviews88%415 reviews Tyre Reviews71%46 reviews Tire Rack66%10 reviews

By road tests

69.8%

Dry

80.8%

Wet

80.2%

Comfort

37%

Noise

86.8%

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%

From owners

What owners like and dislike

Themes extracted from 56 owner reviews across retailers and review sites.

Pros

Excellent dry weather grip and cornering stability
High value-for-money proposition compared to premium competitors
Stiff sidewalls provide sharp, responsive steering feedback
Quiet and comfortable ride quality for a performance-oriented tire

Cons

Rapid and premature tread wear, particularly on heavier or high-torque vehicles
Inconsistent wet weather performance and aquaplaning susceptibility
Reports of sidewall cracking or deformation after moderate use
Tendency to tramline or follow road ruts on highway surfaces

Worth knowing

Owners of heavy, high-torque vehicles (e.g., BMW 5-series, performance saloons) frequently report significantly accelerated tread wear.
BMW and Mini owners transitioning from factory run-flat tires often praise the PS91 for improved comfort and steering feel due to its specific sidewall construction.
Some users noted that the tire's actual width when inflated can be narrower than the nominal size, leading to fitment or aesthetic concerns.

Test results

3 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

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

2019 Tyre Reviews UHP Summer tire Test · 265/35 R19

7th of 8

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

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Braking	7th of 8
Wet Handling	7th of 8
Dry Braking	6th of 8
Dry Handling	6th of 8
Rolling Resistance	8th of 8
Straight Aqua	7th of 8
Subj. Dry Handling	6th of 8
Subj. Comfort	6th of 8
Subj. Wet Handling	6th of 8
Noise	4th of 8
Tyre Weight	7th of 8

Community buzz

What owners are saying

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

Community opinion on the Kumho Ecsta PS91 is generally mixed, praising them as a budget-friendly, good-looking max performance summer tire that rivals premium brands in daily driving comfort and appearance. However, multiple users note concerns regarding rapid tread wear, poor heat capacity under track conditions, and susceptibility to degrading under hard abuse compared to dedicated 200 treadwear or extreme performance tires.

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/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/e46 ·39 upvotes

“New wheels and tires for my ZHP My old wheels were super beat up and tires were showing wire so I figured I’d upgrade both. Was able to get these freshly powder coated squared set (18/8.5/et 50). Im excited to feel the Kuhmo Ecsta PS91 as they are a budget friendly performance tire. 255/35/18 tires all around”

2025-03-26

r/G37 ·30 upvotes

“275/40 Square Can Fit on a Sedan Shout out to TireRack for having great information on actual tire size. Ecsta PS91 265/40 and ExtremeContact 275/40 has a tread width and section width difference of 0.1” and 0.2” respectively. Tires fit just about perfect. No rubbing so far, and don’t expect it to rub bc of the relatively minimal width change Really goes to show that tire brand matters for fitment Read more”

2026-03-21

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

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

Sentiment breakdown

Positive38%

Mixed31%

Negative31%

Top themes

#budget friendly performance#ride quality and comfort#tread wear longevity#track and heat performance#tire mixing risks#fitment and appearance

From 16 threads and comments.

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