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Falken FK451 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Falken FK451 vs Kumho Ecsta PA51 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 1 road tests and 10 + 165 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: FK451 and Ecsta PA51 are level at 68.

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Falken FK451
Tire AFalken

FK451

Summer

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 67 · 10 reviews

Kumho Ecsta PA51
Tire BKumho

Ecsta PA51

All Season

Tests – · 1 test Owners 67 · 165 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 66

    Dry

    Ecsta PA51 +2
    68
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6568

    FK451: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 64.9 = 66

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 67.9 (est.) + 40% × 68.2 = 68

    No road tests of dry for FK451. 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 PA51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 70

    Wet

    FK451 +2
    68
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7067

    FK451: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 70.2 = 70

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 67.3 = 68

    No road tests of wet for FK451. 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 PA51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    62
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online–57

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 65.5 (est.) + 40% × 56.7 = 62

    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 0.33).

  4. 68

    Comfort

    FK451 +2
    66
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6763

    FK451: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 67.4 = 68

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 68.1 (est.) + 40% × 62.9 = 66

    No road tests of comfort for FK451 or Ecsta PA51. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    69
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online–73

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 69

    No road tests of noise for Ecsta PA51. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 67

    Treadwear

    Ecsta PA51 +4
    71
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 66 (est.)70
    Reviews found online6872

    FK451: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 67.5 = 67

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 69.8 + 40% × 71.8 = 71

    No road tests of treadwear for FK451. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 65

    Handling (owners)

    Ecsta PA51 +1
    66
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta PA51
    Reviews found online6566
Scores at a glance
CategoryFalken FK451Kumho Ecsta PA51
Relative Score 68 68
Dry 66 68
Wet 70 68
Snow – 62
Comfort 68 66
Noise – 69
Treadwear 67 71
Handling (owners) 65 66

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

FK451

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 FK451

Pros

  • Exceptional price-to-performance ratio
  • Strong wet and dry traction
  • Excellent tread life and durability

Cons

  • Potential for rubber cracking between treads over long-term storage or extended age
  • Some users report a slightly less 'alive' or communicative steering feel compared to premium performance tires
  • Availability concerns as it is an older model often superseded by newer iterations
All owner themes in the FK451 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 · Falken FK451 B · Kumho Ecsta PA51
CategorySummerAll 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?

Falken FK451

Kumho Ecsta PA51

Too close to call: Falken FK451 and Kumho Ecsta PA51 are within 2 points overall. Kumho Ecsta PA51 is stronger on treadwear. Falken FK451 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 71 vs 67 on treadwear.

Tire A · Falken FK451
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PA51
Check price on Amazon

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FK451 or Ecsta PA51?

Which is better in the wet, FK451 or Ecsta PA51?

Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 68 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, FK451 or Ecsta PA51?

Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 68 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, FK451 or Ecsta PA51?

Neither, by our numbers: 68 vs 66 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, FK451 or Ecsta PA51?

Kumho Ecsta PA51, 71 vs 67 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