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Dunlop SP Sport 3000 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 3000 vs Kumho Ecsta PA51 — 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 + 1 road tests and 10 + 165 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta PA51 is ahead, 70–58

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Dunlop SP Sport 3000
Tire ADunlop

SP Sport 3000

All Season

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 53 · 10 reviews

Kumho Ecsta PA51
Tire BKumho

Ecsta PA51

All Season

± 8

Tests – · 1 test Owners 70 · 165 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 60

    Dry

    Ecsta PA51 +9
    69
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 3000Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online5570

    SP Sport 3000: 60% × 62.8 (est.) + 40% × 55.4 = 60

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 69.9 = 69

    No road tests of dry for SP Sport 3000. 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 PA51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 59

    Wet

    Ecsta PA51 +12
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 3000Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online5471

    SP Sport 3000: 60% × 61.6 (est.) + 40% × 54.1 = 59

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 71.1 (est.) + 40% × 71.4 = 71

    No road tests of wet for SP Sport 3000. 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 PA51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    64
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 3000Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online–59

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 67 (est.) + 40% × 59.3 = 64

    No road tests of snow for Ecsta PA51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 56

    Comfort

    Ecsta PA51 +10
    66
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 3000Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online5165

    SP Sport 3000: 40% × 65 (est.) + 60% × 50.5 = 56

    Ecsta PA51: 40% × 67.9 (est.) + 60% × 64.7 = 66

    No road tests of comfort for SP Sport 3000. 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 PA51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    69
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 3000Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online–74

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 74 = 69

    No road tests of noise for Ecsta PA51. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 56

    Treadwear

    Ecsta PA51 +16
    72
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 3000Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 60 (est.)70
    Reviews found online5074

    SP Sport 3000: 60% × 60.4 (est.) + 40% × 49.7 = 56

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 69.9 + 40% × 74.4 = 72

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport 3000. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 50

    Handling (owners)

    Ecsta PA51 +17
    67
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport 3000Ecsta PA51
    Reviews found online5067
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SP Sport 3000Kumho Ecsta PA51
Relative Score 58 70
Dry 60 69
Wet 59 71
Snow – 64
Comfort 56 66
Noise – 69
Treadwear 56 72
Handling (owners) 50 67

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
± 8

SP Sport 3000

± 8

Ecsta PA51

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 3000

Pros

  • Good, predictable dry road grip and handling feedback
  • Affordable alternative to premium tire brands
  • Comfortable ride quality with minimal tramlining when warm

Cons

  • Scary and unpredictable wet grip performance when approaching the end of their tread life
  • Subpar performance and virtually hopeless traction on snow and ice
  • Polarizing treadwear characteristics, with some users reporting fast wear or uneven shoulder wear
All owner themes in the SP Sport 3000 review

Tire B Ecsta PA51

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • Strong dry pavement traction and cornering grip
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality

Cons

  • Inconsistent performance in heavy rain or standing water
  • Some reports of increased road noise over time
  • Limited availability in certain niche sizes
All owner themes in the Ecsta PA51 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop SP Sport 3000 B · Kumho Ecsta PA51
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—13
Rim diameters—16″ – 19″
Tread depth—10.5/32″
UTQG—500 A A
Treadwear warranty—45,000 mi
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Sport 3000

Kumho Ecsta PA51

Winner: Kumho Ecsta PA51 — better handling, treadwear and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Dunlop SP Sport 3000 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 67 vs 50 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 72 vs 56 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 71 vs 59 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 66 vs 56 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport 3000
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PA51
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SP Sport 3000 or Ecsta PA51?

Which is better in the wet, SP Sport 3000 or Ecsta PA51?

Kumho Ecsta PA51, 71 vs 59 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, SP Sport 3000 or Ecsta PA51?

Kumho Ecsta PA51, 69 vs 60 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, SP Sport 3000 or Ecsta PA51?

Kumho Ecsta PA51, 66 vs 56 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, SP Sport 3000 or Ecsta PA51?

Kumho Ecsta PA51, 72 vs 56 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