Tests – · none yet Owners 51 · 897 reviews
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 SP Sport 01 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 897 + 10 owner reviews. How we score
SP Sport 01 is ahead, 58–48
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Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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59
Dry
SP Sport 01 +1148Why this score
Source SP Sport 01 Ecsta 712 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 62 (est.) ≈ 55 (est.) Reviews found online 54 37 SP Sport 01: 60% × 62.3 (est.) + 40% × 54.3 = 59
Ecsta 712: 60% × 55.4 (est.) + 40% × 37.1 = 48
No road tests of dry for SP Sport 01. 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).
-
57
Wet
SP Sport 01 +1344Why this score
Source SP Sport 01 Ecsta 712 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 60 (est.) ≈ 50 (est.) Reviews found online 53 35 SP Sport 01: 60% × 60.3 (est.) + 40% × 52.8 = 57
Ecsta 712: 60% × 50.2 (est.) + 40% × 34.8 = 44
No road tests of wet for SP Sport 01. 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).
-
49
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source SP Sport 01 Ecsta 712 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 58 (est.) – Reviews found online 35 – SP Sport 01: 60% × 58.3 (est.) + 40% × 35 = 49
No road tests of snow for SP Sport 01. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).
-
59
Comfort
SP Sport 01 +851Why this score
Source SP Sport 01 Ecsta 712 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 63 (est.) Reviews found online 50 33 SP Sport 01: 60% × 65.8 (est.) + 40% × 49.8 = 59
Ecsta 712: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 33.2 = 51
No road tests of comfort for SP Sport 01 or Ecsta 712. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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62
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source SP Sport 01 Ecsta 712 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) – Reviews found online 53 – SP Sport 01: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 53 = 62
No road tests of noise for SP Sport 01. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
58
Treadwear
Ecsta 712 +159Why this score
Source SP Sport 01 Ecsta 712 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 62 (est.) ≈ 62 (est.) Reviews found online 53 54 SP Sport 01: 60% × 61.6 (est.) + 40% × 52.7 = 58
Ecsta 712: 60% × 62.1 (est.) + 40% × 54.1 = 59
No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport 01. 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).
-
55
Handling (owners)
SP Sport 01 +2134Why this score
Source SP Sport 01 Ecsta 712 Reviews found online 55 34
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop SP Sport 01 | Kumho Ecsta 712 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 58 | 48 |
| Dry | 59 | 48 |
| Wet | 57 | 44 |
| Snow | 49 | – |
| Comfort | 59 | 51 |
| Noise | 62 | – |
| Treadwear | 58 | 59 |
| Handling (owners) | 55 | 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
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
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
58
/ 100
SP Sport 01
48
/ 100
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 SP Sport 01
Pros
- Precise steering response and sharp turn-in
- Good dry grip and cornering stability
- Comfortable and relatively quiet ride when new
Cons
- Noticeable increase in road noise and droning as the tire wears
- Deteriorating wet weather traction and reduced grip once tread wears below 4mm
- Rapid or uneven tread wear reported by some heavier vehicle owners
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
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop SP Sport 01 | B · Kumho Ecsta 712 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| UTQG | 280 A A | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
58
/ 100
Dunlop SP Sport 01
48
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta 712
Winner: Dunlop SP Sport 01 — better handling, wet and dry. Where the Kumho Ecsta 712 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. 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 SP Sport 01 scores 55 vs 34 on handling.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Dunlop SP Sport 01 scores 57 vs 44 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Dunlop SP Sport 01 scores 59 vs 48 on dry.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Dunlop SP Sport 01 scores 59 vs 51 on comfort.
Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport 01
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta 712
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SP Sport 01 or Ecsta 712?
Which is better in the wet, SP Sport 01 or Ecsta 712?
Dunlop SP Sport 01, 57 vs 44 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, SP Sport 01 or Ecsta 712?
Dunlop SP Sport 01, 59 vs 48 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, SP Sport 01 or Ecsta 712?
Dunlop SP Sport 01, 59 vs 51 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, SP Sport 01 or Ecsta 712?
Neither, by our numbers: 58 vs 59 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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