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Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ vs Kumho Ecsta KU39 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Ecsta KU39 leads, 69–66 Narrow edge

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Tire BKumho

Ecsta KU39

Summer

Tests – · none yet Owners 69 · 125 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 65

    Dry

    Ecsta KU39 +5
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx 050+Ecsta KU39
    Reviews found online6472
  2. 67

    Wet

    Ecsta KU39 +4
    71
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx 050+Ecsta KU39
    Reviews found online6672
  3. 64

    Comfort

    Ecsta KU39 +6
    70
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx 050+Ecsta KU39
    Reviews found online5970
  4. 66

    Treadwear

    Sport Maxx 050+ +2
    64
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx 050+Ecsta KU39
    Reviews found online6663
  5. 67

    Handling

    Ecsta KU39 +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourceSport Maxx 050+Ecsta KU39
    Reviews found online6769
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Sport Maxx 050+Kumho Ecsta KU39
Relative Score 66 69
Dry 65 70
Wet 67 71
Comfort 64 70
Treadwear 66 64
Handling 67 69

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
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Important
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Less important
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Sport Maxx 050+

Ecsta KU39

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Sport Maxx 050+

Pros

  • Reliable and confident dry grip for high-speed cornering and handling
  • Impressive tread wear and long-lasting durability over tens of thousands of kilometers
  • Good value for money relative to premium European brands

Cons

  • Excessive road and cabin noise, particularly at motorway speeds
  • Stiff and harsh ride quality over bumps and rough surfaces
  • Mediocre to poor wet-weather traction with tendencies to slip or aquaplane
All owner themes in the Sport Maxx 050+ review

Tire B Ecsta KU39

Pros

  • Exceptional value for money compared to premium competitors
  • Strong wet and dry traction
  • Outstanding ride comfort and low road noise

Cons

  • Inconsistent tread life, with some users reporting premature wear
  • Soft sidewalls can lead to a lack of steering sharpness or 'squirm' under heavy load
  • Performance can drop off noticeably as tread depth approaches 3mm
All owner themes in the Ecsta KU39 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+ B · Kumho Ecsta KU39
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—4
Rim diameters—17″ – 19″

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+

Kumho Ecsta KU39

Winner: Kumho Ecsta KU39 — better comfort, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Ecsta KU39 scores 70 vs 64 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta KU39 scores 70 vs 65 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta KU39 scores 71 vs 67 on wet.

Tire A · Dunlop Sport Maxx 050+
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta KU39
Check price on Amazon

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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

69

Narrow edge

Ecsta KU39

Amazon