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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 SP Sport Maxx 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 173 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

SP Sport Maxx is ahead, 59–48

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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. 61

    Dry

    SP Sport Maxx +13
    48
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxEcsta 712
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 55 (est.)
    Reviews found online5837

    SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 63.7 (est.) + 40% × 57.7 = 61

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

    No road tests of dry for SP Sport Maxx. 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. 61

    Wet

    SP Sport Maxx +17
    44
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxEcsta 712
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 50 (est.)
    Reviews found online5735

    SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 57.4 = 61

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

    No road tests of wet for SP Sport Maxx. 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. 54

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxEcsta 712
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)–
    Reviews found online43–

    SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 61 (est.) + 40% × 43 = 54

    No road tests of snow for SP Sport Maxx. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

  4. 60

    Comfort

    SP Sport Maxx +9
    51
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxEcsta 712
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online5133

    SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 66 (est.) + 40% × 51.1 = 60

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

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

  5. 63

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxEcsta 712
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online57–

    SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 56.7 = 63

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

  6. 56

    Treadwear

    Ecsta 712 +3
    59
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxEcsta 712
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 60 (est.)≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online4954

    SP Sport Maxx: 60% × 60.4 (est.) + 40% × 48.7 = 56

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

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport Maxx. 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).

  7. 55

    Handling (owners)

    SP Sport Maxx +21
    34
    Why this score
    SourceSP Sport MaxxEcsta 712
    Reviews found online5534
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop SP Sport MaxxKumho Ecsta 712
Relative Score 59 48
Dry 61 48
Wet 61 44
Snow 54 –
Comfort 60 51
Noise 63 –
Treadwear 56 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

SP Sport Maxx

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 Maxx

Pros

  • Strong dry and wet grip when brand new
  • Responsive handling and sharp cornering precision
  • Low initial road noise and good ride comfort on smooth surfaces

Cons

  • Rapid and uneven tread wear (often wearing out in under 10,000–15,000 miles)
  • High road noise and 'sawtoothing' issues as the tires age
  • Noticeable drop in wet-weather traction and sudden loss of grip near the end of their lifespan
All owner themes in the SP Sport Maxx 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 SP Sport Maxx B · Kumho Ecsta 712
CategorySummerAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available8—
Rim diameters16″ – 21″—
Tread depth10/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx

Kumho Ecsta 712

Winner: Dunlop SP Sport Maxx — better handling, wet and dry. Pick the Kumho Ecsta 712 if treadwear matters most to you. 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 Maxx scores 55 vs 34 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx scores 61 vs 44 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx scores 61 vs 48 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx scores 60 vs 51 on comfort.

Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport Maxx
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta 712
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SP Sport Maxx or Ecsta 712?

Which is better in the wet, SP Sport Maxx or Ecsta 712?

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, 61 vs 44 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, SP Sport Maxx or Ecsta 712?

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, 61 vs 48 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, SP Sport Maxx or Ecsta 712?

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx, 60 vs 51 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, SP Sport Maxx or Ecsta 712?

Kumho Ecsta 712, 59 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