Apparently a new tire that came out in September. Haven't located any threads regarding them.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....del=Ecsta+PA31

On paper, they seem to have a lot going for them. 50,000-mile high performance all-season, and Tire Rack has them for $71.00 each (195/55R15's) plus a $50.00 Visa card. In the Tire Rack test video, they seem to out-perform the Goodyear Eagle Sport A/S (another new tire that I was also considering).

They're directional, which wouldn't seem to matter too much. Does anyone rotate tires in the "X" pattern any more?

The other tires I am considering are some of the usual suspects: Kumho Ecsta 4X, Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum, Yokohama YK580 and Michelin Pilot Exalto.

My car is a '08 Fit Sport, no modifications. Currently running some Sumitomo tires that came on the car. I've put over 45,000 miles on them myself. They've certainly lasted a good, long while, but the wet traction with those tires is horrible. Never had tires before that would spin-out when accelerating from a stop light.

I don't really want a summer, super high performance tire. Just a decent combination of handling, ride, wet traction and fuel economy. And decent tread life. I drive about 20,000+ miles a year (38 miles each way for my work commute), so I'd like to get about 2 years out of them.

So, if anyone has experience with the new Kumho Ecsta PA31's, please post your experiences.

I am also seeking recent feedback from owners of the other tires (Kumho Ecsta 4X, Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum, Yokohama YK580, Eagle Sport A/S and Michelin Pilot Exalto).

Thanks!

 

I've got Kumho Ecsta Platinum on my 2007 Fit. I won't bore you with a lengthy diatribe, but will steer you to what the Tire Rack ratings say; they are dead on. Great tire, but I'm not looking forward to any driving on snow.
I have had Michelin Pilot Exaltos on my "Toyota" Vibe in the past. Again, I agree 100% with the ratings given to it on Tire Rack. Great tire; wears down pretty fast; not stellar in deep snow conditions. I have not heard of the Kumho tire you listed. I'll go to your Tire Rack link right now and check them out. (Edit: I just did; very impressive sipe pattern on that tire)
The hard truth is, that there is no perfect all season tire, and as such, there are a lot of mediocre tires for sale out there. I continue to try to find something better than my Michelin MXV4s, but have yet to do so. It is the best tire I have ever had, yet as it wears down, the grip diminishes greatly. I am likely to give the Pirelli Cinturato a try the next time, although the feedback on that tire is very preliminary at this point.
I also run Hankook H727s on my other car and am satisfied given their price.

 

Thanks for the input!

True, there is no perfect all-season tire. As many of the reviews of the Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum's say, "jack of all trades, master of none". The number of reviews that mention flat spots after the car sits overnight or for a day or two are slightly concerning, though. But that's part of the problem with Tire Rack reviews. Someone says, "I didn't even get 40,000 miles out of these tires", but they're a "spirited" driver of a 2007 Toyota Avalon. Maybe the flat spots are due to the tires being installed on a car that weighs twice as much as a Fit? A lot of reports of some of the tires being out of round. Another concern.

Any of these issues with your Ecsta LX Platinum's?

I had a couple of sets of Michelin MXV4's on my old Integra, and, like you, I loved those tires.

Anyway, there doesn't seem to be much out there on the Kumho Ecsta PA31's yet since they just came out in September. I figured that at least one or two folks on here might have tried them out.

I'm still researching, reading reviews, tests, etc.

 

well, I'm on the Kumho PA31 bandwagon right now. I like the look of the tread design. It is aggressive, plenty of sipes, and the main channels are wider than most, so it will do better in light snow. At $76 for my car, it is the leading on line tire purchase candidate over paying $115 a pop at Costco for the Michelin Defenders or Bridgestone Serenity Plus. The problem with buying on line (like I did with the H727s) is that after adding another $15 to each tire for local mounting and balancing, I'm up to $91 versus $130. Add in the shipping cost (about $13 a tire) and I'm up to $104 versus $130. With that $130, I have lifetime road hazard and balance and rotation, plus free nitrogen fills, versus paying for balance and rotation each time I do it. The PA31's will have to be proven to be an outstanding tire before I blindly go and buy it. I could also add another $10 per tire for the online road hazard program, so the closest equal comparison (not factoring in tax at Costco) takes me to about $114 versus $130.
My current Kumho Ecsta Platinums, again, are very good tires. I did buy the car in May, so I don't have any snow time on them. Trusting the ratings on Tire Rack as I do, I'm not looking forward to driving on snow with them. The rubber is a bit harder, which translates into a firmer ride over bumps, versus, let's say the comfortable MXV4s. The harder rubber in time will also translate to a noisier ride. My Platinums are a bit noisy, but since I have not rotated, nor balanced the tire since owning them, I have no good baseline for comparison. Since the last owner didn't change any of the vital fluids other than oil, I have no idea when the tires were last maintained. As such, I will rotate them myself and consider them throw away tires that will never see a long highway trip anyway. Once they do wear down before the wintertime next year, I will look at the PA31 reviews and decide whether I do the online purchase, or the Costco purchase. I do wish Costco carried a few more brands and would dump the cheaper Michelin made BF Goodrich.
As for the flat spot thing, I'm not buying it, unless the car has been sitting for several weeks at a time. Driven daily, I don't believe that should happen with any tire.

 

These look like a really nice option. The tread width is even a little bit wider than the Ecsta 4X's. I noticed that one of my Continental DWS rear tires has developed a bubble on the sidewall on the inside after only having them for about 6 months. So, now I have to go to the trouble of seeing if I can get a replacement under warranty. Kinda wishing I had gone with the Kumho's and saved some money. I'm thinking that's probably what I'll do when I replace the tires again.....go with the Ecsta 4X or these in the 205/50/16 size. If I end up having to buy a tire to replace the one bad one I have now I may just pony up the extra money and replace all 4 Conti's with Kumho's.

-Dustin

 

It looks like I'm going to be the guinea pig. I just ordered a set of these in the 205/50/R16 size and am hoping to get them put on in the next couple of days......will let you guys know my impressions once I get them mounted.

-Dustin

 

I had these put on last Thursday and have been running on them for a few days now. Comparing them to the Continental DWS 195/50/R16's that I had on before they feel much more solid and less squirmy. The ride quality is pretty similar, still better than the stock Dunlops. Noise level is maybe slightly higher than the DWS's, but still better than the Dunlops. Dry and wet grip is very good if maybe just a touch less than what the DWS were capable of. They don't seem to be quite as smooth on the interstate as the DWS were, but not rough either.

All in all I'm very happy with them. I feel like they can be pushed hard without feeling like they're trying to roll off the rims like the DWS's did.

Also, I think they look very good on the stock rims and give much more of a "flush" look. I was thinking about getting some 5mm slip on wheel spacers to push the wheels and tires out toward the edge of the car a little, but after getting these put on I think I like the look just like it sits now.

-Dustin

 

We're getting an inch or two of snow here in Alabama today and it's cold enough to stick, so it looks like I may get to test the light snow performance of these tires. Not that I have anything to compare it to, but I'll let you guys know how they perform.

-Dustin

 

Okay, I just got back from playing in the snow on the roads here around the office. There's about 1 to 2" of snow on the roads with a layer of ice and slush underneath. The tires seemed to do very well and leaps and bounds better than the stock Dunlops. I did play with the stability control a little and with it off you have to use careful throttle modulation to keep the front wheels pulling instead of just mostly spinning. It does seem to perform much better at accelerating with the stability control/traction control on. But, it's not nearly as much fun as it prevents a lot of sliding and handbrake fun.

I never got a chance to test the Continental DWS's that I had on before the Kumho's in the snow. I would suspect they would perform slightly better since they had a little bit more aggresive tread pattern and were a slightly softer, grippier tire. But the Kumho PA31's seem to do very well in the light snow overall.

-Dustin

 

thanks for taking the time to post this Dustin. There have been a couple of posts on tire rack from Ohio and New York which indicate the same thumbs up in light snow. Other than waiting for the official tire rack winter review from Sweden, I will have them on my car once my Michelins get down to the wear bar.

 

Bumping this thread to keep it on top as I'm considering a set of PA31's for my summer tires. (I have General Altimax Artics on right now that are fabulous!)

Nice to hear they have some snow capability in case we get an early/late snow once I have them on.

Wear is important to me because I drive 20k+/yr.

I'm also considering the General Gmax AS03 in case anyone has comparisons.

 

just wanted to chime in to say thanks. will be going to pa31's in 185/55-16 for all season and for some light snow duties, glad to hear they have held up.

 

Thread is kind of old, but been doing my research. I just ordered a set of the Platinums from tirerack this evening. For the wife's 07' Sport we bought last week. Hard to make a choice. Any updates on how you guys like them?

 

I can't answer your question directly since I have taken the PA-31's off my short list. I replaced my Kumho Platinums with General Altimax RT43 for my Honda Fit and will likely do so for my Vibe when the time comes. They are wearing extremely well. The TA-31s have fallen way down the depth chart on the tirerack.com ratings by owners, but the PA-31s are still kinda hangin' in there in the High Performance All Season category.