Kumho extends Ecsta high performance range with OE, new size

Kumho has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with BMW, having for many years supplied tyres for the 1, 2 and 3 Series ranges. Recently, it also supplied original tyres for the latest X3 and MINI Countryman. Now the new 5 Series BMW has joined the supply list, with Kumho’s Ecsta PS91 Super Sports tyre in 245/45R18 XL 100Y size delivered to the German marque’s Dingolfing plant in Bavaria.

The PS91 is the manufacturer’s flagship high performance road product, achieving a “good” level of sales in the UK market, according to the manufacturer. Targeting supercars and such ultra-quick passenger saloons as BMW M cars, Mercedes-Benz AMG models and Audi RS ones, the entire range is Y or (Y) rated and offered in sizes from 18 to 20 inches in diameter. The focus is on maximum grip and braking performance in the dry, combined with outstanding feel. Nor have any of these qualities been achieved at the expense of other key factors, and the Ecsta PS91 features a specially designed sidewall that suppresses vibration to improve comfort and reduce noise. It also has a 3D dimple design which cools the tyre at high speeds, optimising durability and wear rates.

Kumho expanded its Ecsta line-up with the PS71, which includes 26 fitments suitable for the ever-growing list of car models available with 19 or 20 inch wheels. The relative newcomer was one of the first major products to be developed at the company’s new R&D Centre at Yongin near Seoul, South Korea, and has now effectively replaced the popular Ecsta KU39. The asymmetric PS71 has been designed for outstanding high-speed stability and strong wet weather performance. It is available in a wide selection of Y-rated sizes, from 17 to 20 inches in diameter. A dozen V, W and Y-rated run-flat sizes have also been added, of which six are currently available for sale in the UK.

The Ecsta HS51 has won praise from magazine testers at Auto Express, which judged it the “best of the mid-range brands” in 2017, and German consumer magazine ACE Lenkrad, which gave the tyre a ‘recommended’ rating for its “strong wet road performance”. The tyre features a solid rib-type design for improved wet road braking, four prominent circumferential grooves for optimum water displacement, and wide lateral ones for enhanced wet weather steering. The HS51 is available for 15 to 18 inch rims, in widths from 185 to 245mm, and H, V and W speed ratings.