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Are Kumho Ecsta ASX bad tires?

32K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  X5Mavs 
#1 · (Edited)
I have a 330i with sports package (staggered tires). I bought the Kumho Ecsta ASX (Ultra High Performance All-Season) at 56,018 miles because they were suppose to wear longer than the other Z rated tires. Recently, at 73,190 miles, very fast thumping noise can be heard starting at 90-120 mph with very little vibration at the steering wheel. The tires were rebalanced by Discount Tires anyway. Thumbing noise still exists at speed greater than 90+ mph. I took the car to Advantage BMW, Clear Lake, TX, to see if they could find the problem. The tech said his insurance would not allow him to drive faster than the speed limit. I told him he would not notice the problem because the car is rock solid at 65 mph. He confirmed what I told him. He suggested that the wheel may be bent. No, the wheels have never been damaged. Then he basically berated the Kumho as M&S tires, not capable at the 90-120 mph speed I was driving. He recommended Michelins or Pirelli PZero Nero. Buy them, and drop ship them to the dealer and they will install and balance, $45/tire, any rebalance would not be free. :yikes: Well, I found out that the PZeros are M&S (Ultra High Performance All-Season) as well. :rolleyes:

Gary and or someone who is knowlegeable, are Kumho Ecsta ASX bad tires? Should I avoid them and get Michelins or PZeros if high speed driving is part of the fun?
 
#2 ·
Kumho = Krapo

I had a set of Kumho Ecsta ASX on my 02 530i. I regularly drive freeway to and from work at around 65-85mph. (although at times, it's 0-20 mph)
My Kumho Ecsta ASXs only lasted about 17,000 miles. On the way to work, there was a thumping/slapping sound from the left rear wheel well for about 30 seconds. It sounded like the tire was kicking up mud. I checked the tire once I parked at work, but didn't see much of anything. On the way back home, that same tire blew out while I was doing 70 mph on the freeway. I saved the tire and had the guys at America's Tire look at it. They said the belt probably started coming off on the way to work and the tire finally blew going home.

I have Continentals now.

Good luck,
Steve
 
#5 · (Edited)
Kumho are not bad tires.

I know it's been a while since I complained about tire problems. I took it to Discount Tires today and had the tires balanced and rotated (side to side). The tire guy showed me that the inside of the front tires were slightly cupped, which he claimed that is normal for cars with sport suspensions. Anyway I'm a happy guy at 100 mph now. No vibration at all. :D

The Kumho ECSTA ASX are very good tires for the money. When I reported the problem to the dealer, the first thing they said was cheap tires. The ASX are 91W and 94W rated tires. If I had Michelins sport pilots they would have been all worn out by now. These ASX has lasted 20,000 miles so far. The fronts could go another 20K while the rear probably need replacing in 5K miles. I like to replace all 4 at a time.
 
#6 ·
I've got Kumho's on my car, they recently replaced the stock ContiTourings that were on it. Not the greatest handling tire in the world, price/performance ratio is great. If I was planning on keeping the car for a while, I would have dropped the extra hundred or two and gone with like BFGoodrichs, but I'm returning the car at the end of the month, so no biggie.
 
#7 ·
I replaced the Michelin Pilot Sports on my e38 M Sport with Kumho Ecsta ASX after they were bald in less than 8000 miles. (a common complaint) The Kumho tires were the best tire available for the price. I ran them at 38 lbs air pressure and they felt reasonably responsive and rode ok. I just replaced the rears with the brand new Yokohama yk580 and the improvement is obvious - they feel very much like the original Michelins. The fronts will be replaced in the next 30 days. They may be the new champ for everyday tires for our cars. Time will tell and I'll write back occasionally. Cheers!
 
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