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Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop SP Sport 270 vs Kumho Ecsta HS51 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 6 road tests and 11 + 1,663 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta HS51 is ahead, 73–38

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Dunlop SP Sport 270
Tire ADunlop

SP Sport 270

Summer

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 23 · 11 reviews

Kumho Ecsta HS51
Tire BKumho

Ecsta HS51

Summer

Tests 75 · 6 tests Owners 69 · 1,663 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test (wet handling)

Category by category

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

  1. 43

    Dry

    Ecsta HS51 +31
    74
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 270Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 52 (est.)76
    Reviews found online3071

    SP Sport 270: 60% × 52.3 (est.) + 40% × 29.5 = 43

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 70.5 = 74

    No road tests of dry for SP Sport 270. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 33

    Wet

    Ecsta HS51 +43
    76
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 270Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 42 (est.)79
    Reviews found online2073

    SP Sport 270: 60% × 41.8 (est.) + 40% × 19.9 = 33

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 79 + 40% × 72.7 = 76

    No road tests of wet for SP Sport 270. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 49

    Comfort

    Ecsta HS51 +20
    69
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 270Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online3069

    SP Sport 270: 60% × 62.3 (est.) + 40% × 29.8 = 49

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 69.1 = 69

    No road tests of comfort for SP Sport 270 or Ecsta HS51. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 270Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests–65
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 65.2 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 66

    No owner ratings of noise for Ecsta HS51. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  5. 38

    Treadwear

    Ecsta HS51 +32
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 270Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 51 (est.)73
    Reviews found online1865

    SP Sport 270: 60% × 51 (est.) + 40% × 18.1 = 38

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 72.7 + 40% × 64.9 = 70

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport 270. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  6. 28

    Handling (owners)

    Ecsta HS51 +40
    68
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 270Ecsta HS51
    Reviews found online2868
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SP Sport 270Kumho Ecsta HS51
Relative Score 38 73
Dry 43 74
Wet 33 76
Comfort 49 69
Noise – 66
Treadwear 38 70
Handling (owners) 28 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
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

SP Sport 270

Ecsta HS51

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 270

Pros

  • Acceptable performance in dry road conditions
  • Reasonable steering feel and quietness early in its lifespan

Cons

  • Extremely poor and dangerous wet weather traction, often described as driving on ice
  • Rapid and uneven tread wear, with many users needing replacements well under 30,000 km
  • Prone to significant understeer and wheel slip on steep slopes or during low-speed maneuvers in the rain
All owner themes in the SP Sport 270 review

Tire B Ecsta HS51

Pros

  • Impressive wet and dry weather traction
  • Excellent value for money compared to tier-one premium brands
  • Low road noise and enhanced ride comfort

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can cause a wobbly or loose feeling during aggressive cornering
  • Some users experienced faster-than-expected tread wear on the front axle
  • Occasional complaints regarding poor steering feedback and high-speed handling at the limit
All owner themes in the Ecsta HS51 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Sport 270 B · Kumho Ecsta HS51
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available427
Rim diameters17″ – 18″14″ – 18″
Sizes in common22

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Sport 270

Kumho Ecsta HS51

Winner: Kumho Ecsta HS51 — better wet, handling and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score. Dunlop SP Sport 270 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 76 vs 33 on wet.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 68 vs 28 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 70 vs 38 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 74 vs 43 on dry.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport 270
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta HS51
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SP Sport 270 or Ecsta HS51?

Which is better in the wet, SP Sport 270 or Ecsta HS51?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 76 vs 33 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, SP Sport 270 or Ecsta HS51?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 74 vs 43 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, SP Sport 270 or Ecsta HS51?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 69 vs 49 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, SP Sport 270 or Ecsta HS51?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 70 vs 38 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