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Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT vs Kumho Ecsta PS71 — 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 0 + 14 road tests and 13 + 8,191 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta PS71 is ahead, 70–44

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Kumho Ecsta PS71
Tire BKumho

Ecsta PS71

Summer

± 5

Tests 68 · 14 tests Owners 69 · 8,191 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 18 in 2025 ADAC Summer Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)

“Those are Kumho Ecsta PS71s, thread width is supposed to be 245mm, the actual one is hardly 235. How so?”

Category by category

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

  1. 44

    Dry

    Ecsta PS71 +31
    75
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE050A RFTEcsta PS71
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 12 tests≈ 52 (est.)78
    Reviews found online3072

    Potenza RE050A RFT: 60% × 52.5 (est.) + 40% × 30.4 = 44

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 77.6 + 40% × 71.7 = 75

    No road tests of dry for Potenza RE050A RFT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 46

    Wet

    Ecsta PS71 +39
    85
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE050A RFTEcsta PS71
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 13 tests≈ 52 (est.)92
    Reviews found online3775

    Potenza RE050A RFT: 60% × 52.2 (est.) + 40% × 36.8 = 46

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 91.8 + 40% × 74.6 = 85

    No road tests of wet for Potenza RE050A RFT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 52

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE050A RFTEcsta PS71
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)–
    Reviews found online40–

    Potenza RE050A RFT: 60% × 60.7 (est.) + 40% × 39.6 = 52

    No road tests of snow for Potenza RE050A RFT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 32

    Comfort

    Ecsta PS71 +37
    69
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE050A RFTEcsta PS71
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 58 (est.)75
    Reviews found online1465

    Potenza RE050A RFT: 40% × 57.7 (est.) + 60% × 14.2 = 32

    Ecsta PS71: 40% × 74.6 + 60% × 65.3 = 69

    No road tests of comfort for Potenza RE050A RFT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 55

    Noise

    Potenza RE050A RFT +19
    36
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE050A RFTEcsta PS71
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests≈ 66 (est.)16
    Reviews found online37≈ 66 (est.)

    Potenza RE050A RFT: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 36.8 = 55

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 15.6 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 36

    No road tests of noise for Potenza RE050A RFT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    No owner ratings of noise for Ecsta PS71. 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.

  6. 41

    Treadwear

    Ecsta PS71 +11
    52
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE050A RFTEcsta PS71
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 51 (est.)46
    Reviews found online2560

    Potenza RE050A RFT: 60% × 51.5 (est.) + 40% × 24.9 = 41

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 46 + 40% × 59.8 = 52

    No road tests of treadwear for Potenza RE050A RFT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE050A RFTEcsta PS71
    Reviews found online–73
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    48
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza RE050A RFTEcsta PS71
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests–48
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Potenza RE050A RFTKumho Ecsta PS71
Relative Score 44 70
Dry 44 75
Wet 46 85
Snow 52 –
Comfort 32 69
Noise 55 36
Treadwear 41 52
Handling (owners) – 73
Efficiency – 48

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

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

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
± 8

Potenza RE050A RFT

± 5

Ecsta PS71

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 Potenza RE050A RFT

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B Ecsta PS71

Pros

  • Outstanding wet weather grip and aquaplaning resistance
  • High value for money compared to tier-one premium brands
  • Predictable handling and solid cornering stability in both dry and wet conditions

Cons

  • Noticeable road noise or droning at motorway speeds on certain vehicles
  • Occasional reports of balancing difficulties or out-of-round/egg-shaped tires
  • Softer sidewalls can lead to slightly vague steering response around center or tread block movement
All owner themes in the Ecsta PS71 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Kumho Ecsta PS71

Positive

Community members generally view the Kumho Ecsta PS71 as a capable and reliable mid-range ultra-high performance tire offering solid grip and value for money compared to premium alternatives. While perceived as good once warmed up, some drivers note that it does not quite reach the ultimate grip level of top-tier brands and question its tread wear longevity.

z4-forum.com ·2023-01-29

“Not exactly helpful but I've got Hankook winter tyres on my 330i and they're really good. mr wilks on here recommend Kumho Ecstas a couple of times so I got a set for my MC and I've been very pleased with them. And I got a set for £400 from Black Circles! ETA My Kumho Ecstas are also PS71.”
r/TyreReviews ·1 upvote ·2026-06-17

“Kumho PS71 Question Replaced an older (2021 or 2022 production) set of ps71 with a new set (production 39-42 week of 2024) and noticed something on the new sidewalls I hadn't seen on the old ones. The new ones have ps71 with either a 1 or a 2 under it right above the bead in very small text. I'm curious what they mean if anything at all.”
r/tires ·5 upvotes ·2022-10-17

“Those are Kumho Ecsta PS71s, thread width is supposed to be 245mm, the actual one is hardly 235. How so?”
Top themes
#value for money#wet and dry grip#tire wear longevity#sporty handling performance#warm up temperature behavior#mid-range alternative comparison

Based on 23 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT B · Kumho Ecsta PS71
CategoryMax Performance Summer tireSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available6133
Rim diameters18″ – 20″16″ – 22″
Tread depth9/32″—
UTQG140 A A—
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Sizes in common66

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT

Kumho Ecsta PS71

Winner: Kumho Ecsta PS71 — better wet, comfort and dry. Pick the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT if noise matters most to you. Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 13 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta PS71 scores 85 vs 46 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Ecsta PS71 scores 69 vs 32 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta PS71 scores 75 vs 44 on dry.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT scores 55 vs 36 on noise.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PS71
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Potenza RE050A RFT or Ecsta PS71?

Which is better in the wet, Potenza RE050A RFT or Ecsta PS71?

Kumho Ecsta PS71, 85 vs 46 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza RE050A RFT or Ecsta PS71?

Kumho Ecsta PS71, 75 vs 44 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, Potenza RE050A RFT or Ecsta PS71?

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT, 55 vs 36 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Potenza RE050A RFT or Ecsta PS71?

Kumho Ecsta PS71, 69 vs 32 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Potenza RE050A RFT or Ecsta PS71?

Kumho Ecsta PS71, 52 vs 41 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