tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

BFGoodrich g-Grip vs Kumho Ecsta PS31 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 4 + 0 road tests and 131 + 259 owner reviews. How we score

g-Grip leads, 70–66 Narrow edge

Check price on Amazon · g-Grip or Ecsta PS31 on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

BFGoodrich g-Grip
Tire ABFGoodrich

g-Grip

Summer

± 7

Tests 67 · 4 tests Owners 75 · 131 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 20 in 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test (wear)

Kumho Ecsta PS31
Tire BKumho

Ecsta PS31

Summer

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 63 · 259 reviews

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 69

    Dry

    g-Grip +6
    63
    Why this score
    Sourceg-GripEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests64≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online7660

    g-Grip: 60% × 63.8 + 40% × 75.7 = 69

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 64.6 (est.) + 40% × 59.7 = 63

    No road tests of dry for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 69

    Wet

    g-Grip +1
    68
    Why this score
    Sourceg-GripEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests66≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7468

    g-Grip: 60% × 66.3 + 40% × 73.7 = 69

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 69 (est.) + 40% × 67.6 = 68

    No road tests of wet for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    58
    Why this score
    Sourceg-GripEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online–49

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 63.7 (est.) + 40% × 49.2 = 58

    No road tests of snow for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 71

    Comfort

    g-Grip +6
    65
    Why this score
    Sourceg-GripEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7364

    g-Grip: 40% × 69.4 (est.) + 60% × 72.5 = 71

    Ecsta PS31: 40% × 67.7 (est.) + 60% × 63.9 = 65

    No road tests of comfort for g-Grip. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 64

    Noise

    Ecsta PS31 +2
    66
    Why this score
    Sourceg-GripEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests62≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)66

    g-Grip: 60% × 62.4 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 64

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.3 = 66

    No owner ratings of noise for g-Grip. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

    No road tests of noise for Ecsta PS31. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 74

    Treadwear

    g-Grip +9
    65
    Why this score
    Sourceg-GripEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7665

    g-Grip: 60% × 73.2 + 40% × 76 = 74

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 72

    Handling (owners)

    g-Grip +4
    68
    Why this score
    Sourceg-GripEcsta PS31
    Reviews found online7268
  8. 71

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    Sourceg-GripEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests71–
Scores at a glance
CategoryBFGoodrich g-GripKumho Ecsta PS31
Relative Score 70 66
Dry 69 63
Wet 69 68
Snow – 58
Comfort 71 65
Noise 64 66
Treadwear 74 65
Handling (owners) 72 68
Efficiency 71 –

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

g-Grip

± 7

Ecsta PS31

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A g-Grip

Pros

  • Exceptional value for money compared to premium tier brands
  • Strong, reliable dry grip and handling
  • Smooth and comfortable ride quality

Cons

  • Some increase in road noise as the tires age and wear down
  • Softer sidewalls can reduce steering feedback or initial confidence
  • Wet weather grip can feel inconsistent or require extra caution during aggressive cornering
All owner themes in the g-Grip review

Tire B Ecsta PS31

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • High levels of ride comfort and low road noise
  • Strong dry traction for daily and spirited street driving

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls lead to vague steering response and 'squirm' during aggressive maneuvers
  • Inconsistent wet weather performance reported by some users, particularly in deep standing water
  • Tread life can be shorter than expected for some driving styles
All owner themes in the Ecsta PS31 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · BFGoodrich g-Grip B · Kumho Ecsta PS31
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available3221
Rim diameters14″ – 19″15″ – 18″
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG—460 A A
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi
Sizes in common88

Which one should you actually buy?

BFGoodrich g-Grip

Kumho Ecsta PS31

Narrow edge: BFGoodrich g-Grip — better treadwear, dry and comfort. Where the Kumho Ecsta PS31 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

BFGoodrich g-Grip scores 74 vs 65 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

BFGoodrich g-Grip scores 69 vs 63 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

BFGoodrich g-Grip scores 71 vs 65 on comfort.

Tire A · BFGoodrich g-Grip
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PS31
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

g-Grip or Ecsta PS31?

Which is better in the wet, g-Grip or Ecsta PS31?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 68 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, g-Grip or Ecsta PS31?

BFGoodrich g-Grip, 69 vs 63 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, g-Grip or Ecsta PS31?

Neither, by our numbers: 64 vs 66 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, g-Grip or Ecsta PS31?

BFGoodrich g-Grip, 71 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, g-Grip or Ecsta PS31?

BFGoodrich g-Grip, 74 vs 65 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology