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Kumho Ecsta 712 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 vs Kumho Ecsta 712 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 0 road tests and 22 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

Direzza DZ102 is ahead, 66–48

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Kumho Ecsta 712
Tire BKumho

Ecsta 712

All Season

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 41 · 10 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 66

    Dry

    Direzza DZ102 +18
    48
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Ecsta 712
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 55 (est.)
    Reviews found online6537

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 65 = 66

    Ecsta 712: 60% × 55.4 (est.) + 40% × 37.1 = 48

    No road tests of dry for Direzza DZ102. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

    No road tests of dry for Ecsta 712. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 68

    Wet

    Direzza DZ102 +24
    44
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Ecsta 712
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 50 (est.)
    Reviews found online6735

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 68.2 (est.) + 40% × 66.9 = 68

    Ecsta 712: 60% × 50.2 (est.) + 40% × 34.8 = 44

    No road tests of wet for Direzza DZ102. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

    No road tests of wet for Ecsta 712. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 65

    Comfort

    Direzza DZ102 +14
    51
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Ecsta 712
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online6133

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 61 = 65

    Ecsta 712: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 33.2 = 51

    No road tests of comfort for Direzza DZ102 or Ecsta 712. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 66

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Ecsta 712
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online65–

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 65.2 = 66

    No road tests of noise for Direzza DZ102. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 62

    Treadwear

    Direzza DZ102 +3
    59
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Ecsta 712
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online5954

    Direzza DZ102: 60% × 63.7 (est.) + 40% × 59.3 = 62

    Ecsta 712: 60% × 62.1 (est.) + 40% × 54.1 = 59

    No road tests of treadwear for Direzza DZ102. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

    No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta 712. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  6. 63

    Handling (owners)

    Direzza DZ102 +29
    34
    Why this score
    SourceDirezza DZ102Ecsta 712
    Reviews found online6334
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Direzza DZ102Kumho Ecsta 712
Relative Score 66 48
Dry 66 48
Wet 68 44
Comfort 65 51
Noise 66 –
Treadwear 62 59
Handling (owners) 63 34

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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

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

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Direzza DZ102

Ecsta 712

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 Direzza DZ102

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • Strong dry pavement grip and cornering stability
  • Surprisingly high levels of ride comfort for a performance tire

Cons

  • Rapid or inconsistent tread wear
  • Inconsistent wet weather performance and hydroplaning resistance
  • Increased road noise as the tire ages
All owner themes in the Direzza DZ102 review

Tire B Ecsta 712

Pros

  • Highly competitive price point
  • Better-than-average tread life compared to some premium performance tires
  • Acceptable dry weather handling for casual driving

Cons

  • Dangerous and unpredictable wet weather traction
  • High levels of road noise and harsh ride quality
  • Poor steering feedback and tendency for understeer/oversteer
All owner themes in the Ecsta 712 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Direzza DZ102 B · Kumho Ecsta 712
CategorySummerAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Direzza DZ102

Kumho Ecsta 712

Winner: Dunlop Direzza DZ102 — better handling, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Kumho Ecsta 712 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 scores 63 vs 34 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 scores 68 vs 44 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 scores 66 vs 48 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop Direzza DZ102 scores 65 vs 51 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop Direzza DZ102
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta 712
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Direzza DZ102 or Ecsta 712?

Which is better in the wet, Direzza DZ102 or Ecsta 712?

Dunlop Direzza DZ102, 68 vs 44 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Direzza DZ102 or Ecsta 712?

Dunlop Direzza DZ102, 66 vs 48 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Direzza DZ102 or Ecsta 712?

Dunlop Direzza DZ102, 65 vs 51 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Direzza DZ102 or Ecsta 712?

Dunlop Direzza DZ102, 62 vs 59 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