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Head-to-head Updated

Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position 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 0 + 0 road tests and 10 + 259 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta PS31 is ahead, 65–55

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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. 63

    Dry

    Level
    63
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online6060

    Potenza S-04 Pole Position: 60% × 64.7 (est.) + 40% × 60.1 = 63

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

    No road tests of dry for Potenza S-04 Pole Position. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    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. 57

    Wet

    Ecsta PS31 +11
    68
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online5268

    Potenza S-04 Pole Position: 60% × 60.6 (est.) + 40% × 52.2 = 57

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

    No road tests of wet for Potenza S-04 Pole Position. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    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. 35

    Snow

    Ecsta PS31 +23
    58
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 52 (est.)≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online1149

    Potenza S-04 Pole Position: 60% × 51.6 (est.) + 40% × 11.1 = 35

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

    No road tests of snow for Potenza S-04 Pole Position. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    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. 57

    Comfort

    Ecsta PS31 +8
    65
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online5264

    Potenza S-04 Pole Position: 40% × 65.3 (est.) + 60% × 51.8 = 57

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

    No road tests of comfort for Potenza S-04 Pole Position. 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. 62

    Noise

    Ecsta PS31 +4
    66
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online5566

    Potenza S-04 Pole Position: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 55 = 62

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

    No road tests of noise for Potenza S-04 Pole Position or Ecsta PS31. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 50

    Treadwear

    Ecsta PS31 +15
    65
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionEcsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 57 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online4065

    Potenza S-04 Pole Position: 60% × 57 (est.) + 40% × 40.1 = 50

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

    No road tests of treadwear for Potenza S-04 Pole Position. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    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. 57

    Handling (owners)

    Ecsta PS31 +11
    68
    Why this score
    SourcePotenza S-04 Pole PositionEcsta PS31
    Reviews found online5768
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole PositionKumho Ecsta PS31
Relative Score 55 65
Dry 63 63
Wet 57 68
Snow 35 58
Comfort 57 65
Noise 62 66
Treadwear 50 65
Handling (owners) 57 68

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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Potenza S-04 Pole Position

± 7

Ecsta PS31

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Potenza S-04 Pole Position

Pros

  • Exceptional dry and wet handling with predictable, repeatable limits
  • Solid sidewall design that improves cornering and braking performance
  • Surprisingly smooth and comfortable ride quality for a performance tire

Cons

  • Accelerated tread wear, which is typical for tires in this category
  • Complete lack of usability in freezing temperatures, ice, or snow
  • Development of a road humming noise as the tire wears
All owner themes in the Potenza S-04 Pole Position 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 · Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position B · Kumho Ecsta PS31
CategorySummer tireSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—21
Rim diameters—15″ – 18″
Tread depth10/32″10/32″
UTQG280 A A460 A A
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Max pressure50 psi51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position

Kumho Ecsta PS31

Winner: Kumho Ecsta PS31 — better snow, treadwear and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Kumho Ecsta PS31 scores 58 vs 35 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta PS31 scores 65 vs 50 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta PS31 scores 68 vs 57 on wet.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Kumho Ecsta PS31 scores 68 vs 57 on handling.

Tire A · Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PS31
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Potenza S-04 Pole Position or Ecsta PS31?

Which is better in the wet, Potenza S-04 Pole Position or Ecsta PS31?

Kumho Ecsta PS31, 68 vs 57 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Potenza S-04 Pole Position or Ecsta PS31?

Neither, by our numbers: 63 vs 63 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, Potenza S-04 Pole Position or Ecsta PS31?

Kumho Ecsta PS31, 58 vs 35 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Potenza S-04 Pole Position or Ecsta PS31?

Kumho Ecsta PS31, 66 vs 62 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Potenza S-04 Pole Position or Ecsta PS31?

Kumho Ecsta PS31, 65 vs 57 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Potenza S-04 Pole Position or Ecsta PS31?

Kumho Ecsta PS31, 65 vs 50 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