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Kumho Tire’s Ecsta Sport Lineup Signals a Move Up the UHP Ladder 04/11/2025

04/11/2025

The Korean tire manufacturer introduced the Ecsta Sport All-Season, Ecsta Sport, and Ecsta Sport S to elevate its presence in the UHP segment.



Kumho Tire expanded its Ecsta Sport UHP tire lineup last November during SEMA, announcing the Ecsta Sport All-Season PA71, Ecsta Sport PS72, and Ecsta Sport S PS72. Now that these Kumho UHP tires are available, the manufacturer invited dealers and journalists to the Atlanta Motorsports Park in Atlanta, Georgia to see what they could really do in different high-performance and everyday situations. 


Each tire targets a unique role in the UHP market: the Ecsta Sport All-Season offers balanced, year-round capability; the Ecsta Sport focuses on summer control and comfort; and the Ecsta Sport S delivers high-performance capabilities.


Kumho set up three separate modules to test each tire’s capabilities – wet skidpad, autocross and laps around the track. The wet skidpad showcased how the Ecsta Sport All-Season cuts through water. Meanwhile, the autocross circuit highlighted the Ecsta Sport’s ability to manage tight turns with responsive braking. Laps around the track highlighted the Ecsta Sport S’ handling at high speeds and grip despite tight, speedy turns.



 

Kumho released these UHP tires in hopes to set itself apart in the highly competitive market. 


“[Releasing three new UHP products] goes well with where Kumho wants to be in the UHP space,” explains Andy Wallner, Kumho Tire Development Engineer. “We want to be a top-tier tire company, and the best way to do that is through motorsports and with ultra-high-performance products. That, combined with our sponsorship of Formula Drift, is our way of growing in this segment.”


Let’s start where our day on the track did – with the Ecsta Sport All-Season. 


Ecsta Sport All-Season


 

Kumho designed the Ecsta Sport All-Season to bridge traditional all-season utility with enhanced performance.


“[The Ecsta Sport All-Season] provides very competitive performance, both for wet and dry traction,” Wallner says. “It gives customers a very comfortable ride with low noise, and has great tread wear. It features a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty that can compete with Tier One competitors at an affordable cost.”


The tire features Kumho’s new “High Grip” tread compound, which the manufacturer says helps improve wet and dry performance, tread life, and handling. Thanks to wide and stiff outside tread blocks that add stability when cornering, the Ecsta Sport All-Season is capable of handling the horsepower of high-performance vehicles. The Kumho UHP tire also includes lateral grooves in the tread design that help evacuate water and maintain performance in wet weather. 


Wet weather performance is important, but as an all-season tire, snow performance is also needed. To combat winter weather, Kumho manufactured the tread with zig-zag grooves on the inside tread blocks. 


The tire also features rounded edges on the tread blocks to help lower road noise. It includes Kumho’s “K-Noise Defender” dimple design, which Kumho says interrupts air flow through the tire grooves to minimize road noise even more.


Ecsta Sport and Ecsta Sport S


Kumho says its Ecsta Sport is a summer UHP tire designed to bring race-inspired performance to the road. Kumho engineers developed the tire using its “Innovative Compound Technology.” That tech combines next-gen polymers with high-grip resins and silica for cornering stability and braking performance.


The Ecsta Sport features wide, stiff outer shoulder blocks for high-speed stability, also helping with powerful cornering. Meanwhile, the tire’s inner grooves help with water evacuation to reduce the risk of hydroplaning.



 
The Ecsta Sport S features a lot of the same characteristics of the Sport, but was built for drivers who want to push their high-performance vehicles to the limit. It’s more aggressive than the Sport, with Y and (Y) speed ratings. That means the tire can reach up to 186 MPH with a Y rating or more with a (Y) rating.

Both tires have a similar name, but Wallner says the difference is in how the tires were manufactured.

“There’s slight differences between [the Ecsta Sport and the Ecsta Sport S] – primarily compound and pattern,” Wallner explains. “We made some adjustments from the Sport to the Sport S to give peak traction and grip, both in dry and wet conditions, with a trade-off in tread wear.” 

Kumho UHP Tires Virtual Modeling and AI-Testing Methods

Kumho says it used virtual modeling and AI testing to develop these tires efficiently. These tools helped engineers reach performance targets faster, though traditional testing still played a role. 

“Virtual modeling helps us improve our development cycles, so we’re able to develop tires in a shorter time frame,” Wallner says. “[Kumho was] able to get to the target and improve the performance of these tires better than we would have without these methods. [Virtual modeling and AI-testing] doesn’t fully replace traditional tire testing and development. However, doing that virtual work upfront helps Kumho design tires more efficiently.”

Between “High Grip” tread compounds, “K-Noise Defender” dimple designs, virtual modeling and AI-testing, Wallner says these compounds and testing methods make the tires more competitive in the UHP market. 

“[These compounds and testing methods] help Kumho achieve the type of performance that our Tier One competitors have,” Wallner explains. “It gives these tires the traction that customers want when they go to a racetrack, or if they need to come to a quick stop to avoid an accident. [These tires] have the perfect mix of performance and safety.” 

EV Compatibility Built In

Rather than create a separate EV line, Kumho integrated EV-focused features directly into the Ecsta Sport line. These include low rolling resistance, noise reduction, and enhanced tread wear – all essential for electric vehicle tires. The Ecsta Sport line carries an EV stamp to reflect its EV compatibility.




“[Kumho is] focused on the performance attributes that customers need from EVs. Noise becomes more important, so we focused on improving pattern noise performance,” he says. “With EV customers, range is also very important, so we focused on fuel efficiency and rolling resistance attributes.”


Kumho UHP Tires Availability and Size Options

All three Kumho UHP tires are now available in 16- to 22-inch sizes for sedans, sports cars, and EVs. Wallner says Kumho may expand sizing based on demand. 


“The current [Ecsta] lineup was intended for specific vehicles in the UHP category,” he says. “However, Kumho would be open to adding more sizes if there’s a need for it. We’re always looking at popular sizes and fitments that sell best. If there’s a need for more sizes, [Kumho] will adjust accordingly.”