Kumho is a brand that has been trusted for years. This South Korean company was founded in 1960 with plants not only in South Korea, but also in China, Vietnam, and the United States. These tires are exported worldwide, and the company prides itself on being innovative in developing all season tires. Their development team has surprised us time and time again on high performance tires that are outstanding.
The Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum is a grand touring all season tire that fits not only sporty coupes but also luxurious sedans. Kumho developed this tire to have long wear, exceptional responsive handling, and traction all year long.
The Ecsta provides a good grip when you need it the most. However, we have found that driving winter conditions could be improved upon with this Kumho tire. This is by no means a winter tire, but it can handle small amounts of snow. With that being said, we would appreciate it if the Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum had better snow traction for heavier snowfalls.
Four circumferential grooves deplete water from beneath the tread and enhance friction in wet conditions. They likewise decrease the chance of hydroplaning, which is a range this tire shines in. Treadlife is additionally prolonged on the LX.
Pros
- Amazing ride comfort
- Tread life that is long-lasting
- Affordable price/ excellent value
- Excellent handling
- Top-notch braking performance
Cons
- Winter performance is not up to par
Key Features
Grand Touring All-Season Tire
The Kumho Ecsta LX is a grand touring tire, which means it is perfect for long drives. You literally can be in your car on the road for longer when you have the LX tires.
Asymmetric Tread Design
The Ecsta LX Platinum features an asymmetric tread design that offers excellent ride comfort. This is due to the treads on the tire that are manufactured for all season performance. With an uncommon 3-sipe design, these tires provide an amplified lateral handle and enhance braking on dry pavement, adds additional friction on wet pavement, and implements extra bite in winter road conditions.
Jointless Nylon Cap
The Ecsta LX Platinum was produced with a jointless nylon cap, which decreases the harmonic vibrations on the vehicle as you drive down the road. On the end of the sipes, there are stress relief dimples, which deliver strong ice or snow traction.
Sidewall Design
The Ecsta LX is quite fashionable with a modern sidewall design. While this may not be important to every driver, it is still nice to know that a tire’s sidewall design can complement your vehicle.
Affordable
This Kumho tire is extremely affordable. Even if you purchase a set of tires, you are looking at an investment that is well worth it for your vehicle.
Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum Performance Review
Treadwear and Durability
This tire offers high performance due to its treadwear. Waffle design sipes are utilized on the inboard intermediate and shoulder tread blocks to blend dry-road stability with all-season traction, while straight sipes are used for the middle blocks.
Dry Performance
Throughout this Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum review, we have seen this deliver decent dry traction. Corner stability, along with steering response was strong. Even at higher speeds, the stability on the Ecsta LX Platinum was good.
Wet Performance
The Platinum LX does amazing in both light and heavy rains. You can feel safe in wet conditions and not have to worry too much about hydroplaning.
Snow Traction and Braking Performance
For snow traction with the Kumho Platinum LX, we have found that it does fair. While it certainly is not a standard winter tire, it does the best on light snow up to one or two inches at most. On slippery roads, these tires perform fairly. As for significant ice and deep snow, a significant improvement could stand to be made by Kumho.
We have found in our Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum review that braking performance is supreme.
During cold weather, we noticed the LX Platinum tires did not succeed very well. They do not have much of a grip or traction as the rubber on the tires has a tendency to become hard.
Comfort & Noise
As the LX Platinum is a grand touring tire, you can expect this to have a very good ride comfort. We looked at several reviews, and they all stated that these tires on all surfaces. The noise rating is very low, even at higher speeds. Consumers are rating this as one of the better low noise tires on the market.
Tire Warranty
With a tread life warranty of 6 Years / 60,000 Miles Half mileage if different size front/rear tires, you can rest assured that you will be protected. The uniformity warranty is good for the first 2/32″ of wear on the tires.
These tires also come with a Workmanship and Materials Warranty which provides for 6 Years / Free replacement 2/32″ of wear, then prorated to final 2/32″ remaining depth. There is a Manufacturer’s Road Hazard Warranty good for 1 Year / first 2/32″ of wear. All of these warranties are good for only the original owner of the tires. None of the warranties may be transferred over to another person.
Tire Sizes & Specifications
Specs
Treadwear: 600
Traction: A
Temperature: A
LOAD INDEX: 92
LOAD RANGE: XL
MAX PSI: 51 PSI
SPEED RATING: UP TO 168 MPH
Tire sizes available
The Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum comes in tires that measure 15 inches to 19 inches.
15″
- 195/55R15 85V BSW
- 195/60R15 88V BSW
- 205/60R15 91V BSW
- 215/60R15 94V BSW
- 225/60R15 96V BSW
- 185/65R15 88V BSW
- 195/65R15 91V BSW
- 205/65R15 95V BSW
16″
- 205/55ZR16 91W BSW
- 215/55ZR16 97W XL/RF BSW
- 225/55ZR16 95W BSW
- 205/60R16 96V XL/RF BSW
- 215/60R16 95V BSW
- 225/60ZR16 98W BSW
- 235/60ZR16 100W BSW
- 205/65R16 95V BSW
17″
- 225/45ZR17 91W BSW
- 235/45ZR17 97W XL/RF BSW
- 205/50ZR17 93W XL/RF BSW
- 215/50ZR17 95W XL/RF BSW
- 225/50ZR17 98W XL/RF BSW
- 235/50ZR17 96W BSW
- 245/50ZR17 99W BSW
- 215/55ZR17 94W BSW
- 225/55ZR17 101W XL/RF BSW
- 235/55ZR17 103W XL/RF BSW
- 235/55R17 99V XRP BSW
- 225/60R17 98V XRP BSW
18″
- 225/40ZR18 92W XL/RF BSW
- 235/40ZR18 95W XL/RF BSW
- 245/40ZR18 97W XL/RF BSW
- 255/40ZR18 99W XL/RF BSW
- 225/45ZR18 95W XL/RF BSW
- 245/45ZR18 100W XL/RF BSW
- 255/45ZR18 99W BSW
- 225/50ZR18 95W BSW
- 235/50ZR18 98W BSW
- 245/50ZR18 104W XL/RF BSW
19″
- 245/40ZR19 98W XL/RF BSW
- 225/45ZR19 96W XL/RF BSW
What vehicles will the Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum fit?
The Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum will fit many vehicles. Some of these include:
- Acura TL, 3.0CL
- Audi A4, A6
- BMW 740i, 530i
- Cadillac STS, CTS
- Chevrolet Impala
- Honda Civic, Accord, Odyssey, CR-V, Fit
- Hyundai Elantra, Genesis, Sonota, Azera
- Infiniti M35, G35, Q45
- Lexus GS430, LS400, ES330, IS250
- Lincoln LS, Town Car, MKZ
- Mazda 3, RX-8, Mazda 6
- Mercedes-Benz C300
- Mitsubishi Diamante
- Nissan Versa, 350Z, Maxima
- Pontiac G8
- Subaru Outback, Forester, Legacy, Imprezza
- Toyota Camry, Sienna, Corolla, Avalon
- Volkswagen GTi, CC Sport, Jetta
Conclusion
Overall, consumers have given these tries an excellent rating. We like the affordable price on these, and believe this is a high performance tire. With a jointless nylon cap construction, waffle design sipes, and the comfort one gets from driving with a set of tires on their vehicle, we feel strongly that there are not many tires that will beat this one out when it comes to wet and dry performance. However, the winter season performance is not up to par, so you may wish to have another set of tires for the winter months.
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