I just installed a new set of shoes, (Kumho Ecsta 4x) and would like to share my impression on them.

My 2004 MSC has Koni FSD shocks w/ stock springs on all 4 corners and a 19mm H&R rear sway bar. My old wheels were Fuzion ZR1 215/40-17 mounted on stock s-lites 17x7-48ET. These lasted for 35K and were exellent tires. I would have gone with them again but that tire model was discontinued. I opted for the Kumho ECSTA 4x 215/45-17 because of the good reviews. I got the taller 45's instead of 40's to smooth out the harseness of the low profile 40's not mentioning a small bump in MPG. My new wheels include the Sparco RTT524 rims 17x7 w/42ET. Both setups were inflated to 36 PSI.

The mounted wheel fits perfect on the rears. It fits within the fenders wells with no rubbing at all or I haven't hit a bump severe enought to cause it to rub. The fronts looks great, the tire fits within the fenders. The tire sidewalls are about 1/2" inside the from the outer most edge of the fenders. On normal roads and bumps there is no problems but on deep bumps at higher speeds I do notice a slight fender rub. This can probably be cured with a pass or two with a dremel tool.

I noticed the ride is much more compliant than my previous setup. It is much quieter with a noticeable decrease in road noise. My sound system sounds a whole lot better especially at lower volumes. The handling is excellent I can still "feel" the road but don't get jarred with every bump or crevice in the road. This may be a savior for my new rims. The dry traction and road grip is on par with the Fuzions. It holds and tracks well dry pavement. I do notice that during cornering the response is not as crisp as the Fuzion's. This may be impart due to increase in sidewalls on the 45's. It hasn't rained for a while so I can't attest to it's wet performance. I also noticed a decrease in over-steer during tight hard cornering. It steers more near neutral during a hard turn which I find very pleasant.

Overall so far, I am pretty impressed with the Kumho Ecsta 4X, can't wait to see what they do in the rain.

BTW I got my wheels from Tire Rack. It was delivered the DAY after I ordered them. Not enough praises to them....

 

Pls post your impression once you get to around 10-15k again. I'm in the market of new tires for my MR2 And thinking other brand. I have the Fuzion right now.

 

Would you mind posting a picture of what they look like on your car? I'm in the market for new tires since I bought new wheels and I'm curious to see how they look aesthetically. Thanks for the informative review!

 

yeah pictures im thinking about getting the same tires and maybe new wheels too

 

I have the same tires and I am disappointed with them. They are worn out at 20,000 miles, they ride harsh as they get older and hitting holes in the road...they break away. I will get another brand this time around. Good luck with your though

 

I've read some good reviews on the mileage wear but I won't be able verify that for while since my MCS isn't my daily driver anymore. I track the wear with my depth gauge to see if I can predict the wear mileage.

Here are pics of my new shoes

 

Mini Coop, on another tread you posted some pics of your Kumho 205s. Those look like they are the Kumho ASX not 4X. Can you clarify? The 4X has a 10,000 better warranty.

thanks

 

Quick question. I'm not a car guy much at all so I apologize for an amateur question, but since you have different shocks, does that adjust the ride at all?

 

Switching from the stock dampers to the Koni FSD makes a big difference in the ride. It is smooths out the ride to make it a very comfortable daily driver but not sacrificing the handling/performance. Note: Koni FSD dampers are not recommended if you plan lower you ride.

 

yeah can you clarify that for us. I dont think they are the same tires...

 

So does it adjust the ride height then? I'm only concerned about why the larger wheels are rubbing over bumps and am wondering if this might be a result of some upgrade or something.

 

the shocks will not make your ride adjustable. you would need to get coil overs.
he prolly just upgraded to get a more stiff / quality ride and its all preference.

 

I'm thinking about buying the Kumhos, if I don't I think I will go with the Hankooks.

 

im debating between the 2 tires as well. specially that the hankooks come with $80 rebate.

 

I pretty sure that the rubbing I am experiencing would be eliminated if I went with 205/45-17. It is one size smaller and it just so happens to be the recommended tire size.
The Kumho Ecsta 4X has a $50 rebate that is good till August 31th.

 

yeah I saw it 2.

 

just ordered a 4x set for my fiances mini cooper. i hear nothing but good things about these tires. i mean, they are just tires come on.

 

I am considering these as well, mostly because my front run flats are almost done after 12,000 miles, and the rebate w/ good reviews on Tirerack.com. I am looking at the Kumho Ecsta 4x in the 215-45-17. If I go to 17's, I would have to get new wheels as well... I have my eye on the ALTA Performance Deceptions.

http://www.altaperformance.com/hardt...17-wheel-black

 

I got these tires about a week ago and I love them. Again it may be to soon but I also got the LX Platinum for my 350z and they are awesome. I have used kumho in the past and didnt like them but these new breed is great!

 

I'm considering purchasing these tires and will probably be installing hitch on my mini to haul my sailboat (Hobie 16). Does anyone that owns these tires think I'll have a problem with a wet boat launch or snow in the winter?

 

ive got the kumho lx platinum on my 350z and i love it, now we installed these 4x on my fiances mini cooper about 3-4 weeks ago and its great, i think they are better than my lx platinums. i will prolly get them for my z next time around.

 

I have had these tires on my r50 for a few months and so far so great! Dry they are quite grippy and when the do break away I find that they are quite linear and predictable/controllable with the throttle. In the wet, these things are sticky. I had an unfortunate incident where I could not avoid a deep puddle (4+ inches of water) mid corner, with oncoming traffic at a decent clip - only one wheel contacted the water and I feared the worst (pull me into the ditch). The steering wheel did not move, not even a little bit.

 

Just confirming what others have said. I installed my Ecsta 4x's a few months back and they are very comfortable while maintaining a very sporty ride. I came from run flats and was considering buy the Koni FSD's before I got the Kuhmos since upstate NY roads are riddled with potholes, cracks and bumps. Glad I saved my money and didn't buy the new shocks. These tires took the harshness out of the road. Pretty darn sticky overall but I'd like a just little more crispness. I was talked out of buying summer tires by the guy at tire rack and I'm sure I could have got a tire that had that crispness, but the comfort would be lessened. I'm happy with my purchase.

 

Installed my Kumho Ecsta 4x this morning and what a night and day different. Notice the comfort in the ride right away and the noise is almost non-existing but still noisy on bad road. I will have to hold back on the performance until after the new tires break in period (500 miles).

I cannot believe I waited this long to switch from RFT and have never bought a set of performance tires under $400, most of the tires I bought for my other cars are in the $1000 range. Thanks to Alex at Tirerack for helping out with decision. There is a $50 rebate on the Kumho right now.

So far awesome tires and let see how thy hold up.

 

I put the. Kumho 195s, ecsta4 on my 2010 clubman. 1000 miles in, they've settled in nicely. Quiet. Compliant. Sticky. A step up, coming off the conti run flats. Time will tell but they appear to be a bargain and a good tire.