ECSTA PS72 SPORT S

<p>Kumho's feel very sporty and grippy, as they should. Sidewall is quite stiff for a road tire. Dry grip is awesome and should be more than enough for normal driving in traffic, even for spirited drivers. Wet grip also very good, I've never had any issues in the rain with these. (Yes, they are new tires.) Only downside is road noise which is not their best quality, but noise is not very loud, maybe average in their class.</p><p>Car came with almost new Minerva F205's and Kumho's beat these in every category hands on. Kumho is excellent tire and I highly recommend this. True value for money as they are cheaper than competitors (Michelin, Continental, etc) but offer same quality and driving characteristics.</p><p>I mostly drive city traffic and motorway in mixed conditions sun or rain.</p>

Got the normal PS72 for the front (235/40-18) and PS72 S for the rears without knowing. Apparently you can't get the normal PS72 in 265/35-18. The S has a much stiffer sidewall. So far very impressed by the comfort and wet grip. The combination works, but the fronts are definitely leaning more toward comfort with sluggish turn in as a result. The rears are good even in 5 c and rain. However one tyre took 150 grams when balancing! Shop confirmed it is the tyre and not wheel. Not noticing any vibrations as reported by others, but I will keep an eye on this and re balance in a couple of months. Might be due to improper storage (tyres dated 47th week 2024). Feels like a solid tyre, but Kumho quality control is still a valid concern.

A little bit noisier on the road but beat my previous pilot sport 4S on traction. Excellent grip in the dry with minimal slip on a Stage 2+ Audi S3 even when launching.
Do not get the non 'S' variant - was fitted by accident at the tyre shop, had to return them within 48h, they have terrible grip.

I use my car for sport driving only on deserted roads so I should preface this review with the knowledge that they have a short life especially on the rear.
Most of the 800 miles have been in wet/damp or drying conditions.
Tread depth shocked me as they are down to 4mm already.
I have no complaints about the grip, they have excellent traction in wet conditions so I have no doubt the same applies to dry.
I can’t comment on steering feel etc as they are only on the rears.

I am driving these tires in the dimensions 265/35 R20 at the front and 275/35 R20 at the rear on my 2020 Ford Mustang GT.
Since I previously had 19" rims, I had to look for new tires. The Kumho Ecsta Sport S came out this year and piqued my interest, especially since Kumho promised many improvements over the PS91.
Since the price was very reasonable and the preliminary tests available at the time were all positive, I ultimately decided on the Kumhos.
What was noticable was the very stiff sidewall. I can almost put my entire weight (~90 kg) on the tire without it being pressed down.
Once it was fitted, I immediately noticed the very precise and direct steering response, and that the tyre is relatively comfortable despite its 20-inch size and sporty design.
The grip level with this tire is very high, regardless of whether it is dry or wet, and it conveys confidence in the car at all times.
The noise level is unobtrusive, and even potholes are well filtered.
So, everything is great? There is one point where I am absolutely disappointed, and that is wear.
When new, the tire has a tread depth of 7.1 mm, and after approx. 6500 km (~4000 miles), despite mostly calm driving (no racetrack), there is only just 5 mm of tread left at the rear and approx. 5.2 mm at the front. Since I run the tires down to a maximum of 3.0 mm for safety reasons, this means that the tires would not even last 15,000 km (assuming linear wear). The Michelin Pilot Sport 4s lasted for around 40,000 km (~25,000 mls) and still had over 4 mm of tread left!
This is truly devastating. Even though they cost only half as much as Michelin tires, I would have liked to see a higher mileage.
I don't know yet whether I will buy these tires again. The tire itself is really great, but the wear ruins the overall impression.
I am not yet certain whether I would purchase this tyre again. On the one hand, it is incredibly enjoyable and gives the Mustang a significantly more direct and enjoyable driving experience while maintaining a high level of driving safety. On the other hand, the wear is abnormally high, which is definitely something to consider. My decision will depend on which alternative tyres are available on the market when these tyres are worn out.