My Kumho PS71s continue to impress. They are an extremely capable performance tyre easily capable of competing with the established premium brands. Recently I participated in a track day at the world famous Oulton park race circuit owned by MVS. The day was extremely damp and the track was very greasy. Although I have driven many tracks around the UK I have never driven on one as slippy as Oulton Park was that weekend.

The most recent outing was in the PS71 equipped on my Toyota GT86. We travelled from Manchester to the Yorkshire moors with my partner Claire and Roxy the collie Sat in the back. The trip lasted 2 days and covered many types of road. The GT86 is superb for mixed road driving comfortably capable on the motorway doing responsible mpg but then comes alive as the tarmac becomes narrow and twisty. The car is easy to drive with sharp handling and a delightfully delicate wiggle when to want it from the rear end all without encroaching on the speed limit. Fitting the car with the Kumho PS71 tyres was a stroke of genius. From factory the car comes with a low grip economy tyres as found on the pristine hybrid car. By fitting the PS71 the grip and stability has been increased meaning gradually the car can now dance to the driver’s whims instead of having to be manhandled through turns.

I’ve driven in all conditions, sun, snow, rain and ice in various cars and have only finished in a ditch once. Since fitting the PS71s this summer gone they have coped with the steady reduction in temperature well even the first frosts of the year have not finding out how low the temperature can go and still have safe amounts of grip compared to winter tyres like the SOLUS.

My PS71s have been used for everything. They have carried a full car up and down the length of the country in comfort and with relative quietness. The side-wall of the tyre is stiff so there is little noise. There’s a trade off between sharp handling on country roads and brilliant stability on the motorway.

The grip in all conditions is consistent and predictable. This really does inspire confidence when driving. The lateral grip is impressive but breaking is astonishing especially when wet. I am still waiting on a sub 0 chance to push the breaking to see how the grip feels.

I have currently covered 6078 miles since fitting including track use. The tyres are coping brilliantly with 5mm of tread on the rear and 6.5 on the front which considering the punishment they have taken is impressive.

I’m really impressed with the PS71s and as such am actively praising their abilities on social media and motoring related forums. I have also converted my employer to gradually change all the staff cars over to either the PS71 or the SOLUS range for all season security. Still waiting on a commission contract.

Round and black like any other, but more fun and practical then most. Consider cost and value for money and all bases are covered. They are a pleasure to drive on inspire confidence in your vehicle and won’t let you down when conditions deteriorate.

In my one word opinion………….. Epic! As a rating 8 out of 10. I’d like just a little more heat resistance for track use but otherwise spot on for everyday driving.

The very first impressions were they very noisy with little dry grip. This faded over the first few miles. The tires are now very quiet and grip brilliantly. The shoulder is nice and firm so the change of direction is good giving confidence to push a car into a corner.

I have run two sets of tyres previously on my GT86. The stock Michelin primacy hp and the Yokohama advan sport V105.

Compared to the Michelin everything is better with the PS71. The new tyre offers better economy less road noise and a better ride. The difference in grip is like chalk and cheese the primacy lets go at very slow speeds preventing some driving technics like trail braking as this provokes a spin every time. The PS71s offer plenty of grip when driven smoothly and are willing to play when provoked.

Compared to the Michelin everything is better with the PS71. The new tyre offers better economy less road noise and a better ride. The difference in grip is like chalk and cheese the primacy lets go at very slow speeds preventing some driving technics like trail braking as this provokes a spin every time. The PS71s offer plenty of grip when driven smoothly and are willing to play when provoked.

Perfectly adequate for normal road use. After the first few miles they are very quiet and the ride comfort is great for long journeys. My personal preference would be a little more sidewall support but that would detract from the overall comfort level.

Handling is great. The turn in is sharp and the lateral grip is great. There is a tendency to understeer but this can be tamed by actually driving.
For the most part the grip is very predictable for what feels a hard compound tyre but the trade-off is better economy and that’s a hard balance to find.

I used the tyres and my GT86 to enter a round of the Toyota sprint series and the PS71s performed brilliantly. All the other competitors were running Yoko v105s or Goodyear eagle f1s or Michelin PS4s.

For my final thoughts; the tyres are fantastic, great grip in the dry and surprising in the wet given the price range of the tyre. The fuel efficiency for the tyre was on par with the Continentals I had as standard and the Vredesteins I had after those. If I were to suggest improvement it would possibly be the road noise, it was slightly louder than the standard tyres but that could have been due to the slightly wider profile. 

Whilst driving away from the tyre fitters I could hear that the road noise was a lot less than my previously owned tyres and even at the low speeds I was driving at through Castleford, the tyres were sure-footed and very responsive.

My previous tyres that I had on my car were priced around £85 a tyre, compared to the KU39. In comparison the Sessantas had a louder road noise and slightly poorer grip when driving in the wet.

The grip in both the wet and dry conditions is fantastic, braking distances in the rain are not much worse than in the dry, unless there is a lot of standing water, obviously. In the dry they inspire confidence and egg you on to take ‘B’-road routes over a busy dual carriageway.

As previously mentioned the road noise is quite low vs competitors and the tyres resist being dragged into ruts. They also feel very smooth at high-speeds on motorways. They are also approximately 2-4 mpg more efficient over my 350 mile a week commute, making my wallet comfier.

The KU39’s are a great tyre for spirited driving on back roads. The tyre grip close to the limit is progressive meaning they wont let go of the road without warning and dump you into a ditch. The tyre turn-in is good and they feel like they rollover less than my previous rubber. They even handle the wet well and resist aqua-planning more effectively than my previous tyres.

Over the Easter holidays I went to Whitby for a few days, this meant driving on a mix of dual carriageway’s and twisty ‘A’-roads. The tyres soaked up the bumps of the A64 well and were great when we got to the A169. Over the moors they reacted well to the dips and dives even gripping on off camber corners. They were especially pleasing when they helped prevent a collision with a car overtaking a tractor on a blind bend, allowing me to swerve sharply and stop easily to have a few choice words with the other driver.

Peace of mind.

The tyres have been on some awesome adventures since I had them fitted from the most idyllic lakes settings to stunning South Coast Beach locations.

We (Daniel and his Freelander 2) are now fully scrubbed in and the grip is very impressive. The truck is into 73k miles now and the miles will soon be building-up with more roads and trails waiting to be munched up!

The tyre noise around town has been very pleasing with minimal sound levels. Motorway noise is of a moderate level with slight noise entering the cabin; braking noise is stunning with no real sound being projected even under very harsh braking.
Tread durability is second to none! I have put the tyres to the test though harsh braking, hard cornering and fast and slow gravel tracks with mud and ruts. I have used my Freelander 2 with some beach driving and still the tread looks brand new. I’m totally blown away with how they have stood up against the different terrains and they eject stones from the tread with great efficiency. The tyres have been very refined and comfortable giving a luxury feel and with great tyre wall strength but with superb comfort and an overall relaxing ride.

Town, motorway, country lanes, gravel tracks, beach, muddy rutted lanes, driving over farmers fields to gain access to lakes. All with no tyre issues

Great news. I already have been. Anyone that even mentions tyres gets told how great my test tyres have been and without question. I will recommend Kumho Tyre’s because they say what they do and can back this up with the way they offer great durability results.

They are fantastic tyres. There’s a little road noise at speed but faultless in all driving situations, a very well trusted tyre that will not let you down!

Inspires, outstanding and confidence.