Tests – · none yet Owners 15 · 502 reviews
“I also found last night that this tire in my size (195/65R15) is the OEM tire for the 2009 Honda Civic DX-VP (and probably other configurations and model years close to that).”
Head-to-head
Updated
Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical vs Kumho Ecsta PA31 — 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 502 + 23 owner reviews. How we score
Ecsta PA31 is ahead, 63–33
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Tests – · none yet Owners 60 · 23 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
30
Dry
Ecsta PA31 +3363Why this score
Source SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical Ecsta PA31 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 44 (est.) ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 10 61 SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 43.7 (est.) + 40% × 10 = 30
Ecsta PA31: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 60.5 = 63
No road tests of dry for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
No road tests of dry for Ecsta PA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
-
33
Wet
Ecsta PA31 +3467Why this score
Source SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical Ecsta PA31 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 42 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 19 66 SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 42.2 (est.) + 40% × 19.1 = 33
Ecsta PA31: 60% × 68.1 (est.) + 40% × 66 = 67
No road tests of wet for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. 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 PA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
40
Snow
Ecsta PA31 +1959Why this score
Source SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical Ecsta PA31 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 52 (est.) ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 21 52 SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 52.3 (est.) + 40% × 21.4 = 40
Ecsta PA31: 60% × 63.8 (est.) + 40% × 52 = 59
No road tests of snow for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
No road tests of snow for Ecsta PA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
-
29
Comfort
Ecsta PA31 +3059Why this score
Source SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical Ecsta PA31 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 58 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 10 55 SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 40% × 58.3 (est.) + 60% × 10 = 29
Ecsta PA31: 40% × 66.4 (est.) + 60% × 54.5 = 59
No road tests of comfort for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical or Ecsta PA31. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
–
Noise
No comparison67Why this score
Source SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical Ecsta PA31 Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online – 67 Ecsta PA31: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 67.2 = 67
No road tests of noise for Ecsta PA31. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
35
Treadwear
Ecsta PA31 +2661Why this score
Source SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical Ecsta PA31 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 48 (est.) ≈ 63 (est.) Reviews found online 15 58 SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 48.2 (est.) + 40% × 14.6 = 35
Ecsta PA31: 60% × 63.4 (est.) + 40% × 58.3 = 61
No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta PA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
-
–
Handling (owners)
No comparison55Why this score
Source SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical Ecsta PA31 Reviews found online – 55
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical | Kumho Ecsta PA31 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 33 | 63 |
| Dry | 30 | 63 |
| Wet | 33 | 67 |
| Snow | 40 | 59 |
| Comfort | 29 | 59 |
| Noise | – | 67 |
| Treadwear | 35 | 61 |
| Handling (owners) | – | 55 |
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
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
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
33
/ 100
SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
63
/ 100
Ecsta PA31
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 5000 Symmetrical
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Tire B Ecsta PA31
Pros
- Affordable price and high overall value
- Smooth and quiet ride quality
- Strong wet-weather grip and confidence
Cons
- Tendency to develop temporary flat spots when parked for a few days
- Occasional durability issues such as sidewall bubbles reported by some users
- Not intended for high-performance track use or extreme grip
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Mixed
Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
Community members generally consider the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical an acceptable OEM tire with attractive budget pricing when found on sale. While users appreciate its overall performance, ride comfort, and noise levels, concerns are raised regarding rapid treadwear and limited expected mileage.
Top themes
#Affordable pricing#OEM fitment#Poor treadwear#Expected tire lifespan#Ride comfort and noise
Based on 5 community posts
Tire B
Kumho Ecsta PA31
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical | B · Kumho Ecsta PA31 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All-Season tire | All Season Ultra High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | — | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 7 |
| Rim diameters | — | 15″ – 18″ |
| Tread depth | — | 11/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 500 A A |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 50,000 mi |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
33
/ 100
Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
63
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta PA31
Winner: Kumho Ecsta PA31 — better wet, dry and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Kumho Ecsta PA31 scores 67 vs 33 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Kumho Ecsta PA31 scores 63 vs 30 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Kumho Ecsta PA31 scores 59 vs 29 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Kumho Ecsta PA31 scores 61 vs 35 on treadwear.
Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PA31
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SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical or Ecsta PA31?
Which is better in the wet, SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical or Ecsta PA31?
Kumho Ecsta PA31, 67 vs 33 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical or Ecsta PA31?
Kumho Ecsta PA31, 63 vs 30 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical or Ecsta PA31?
Kumho Ecsta PA31, 59 vs 40 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical or Ecsta PA31?
Kumho Ecsta PA31, 59 vs 29 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical or Ecsta PA31?
Kumho Ecsta PA31, 61 vs 35 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