Tests – · none yet Owners 67 · 10 reviews
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 PS91 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 6 road tests and 10 + 485 owner reviews. How we score
FK451 is ahead, 68–63
Add your size for an exact match
/R
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests 77 · 6 tests Owners 46 · 485 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 11 in 2023 Sport Auto UHP Tyre Test (noise)
“Putting some Kumho Ecsta PS91s on. Curious how they’ll do since my go to Falken rt660 doesn’t come in the oem 18” sizes”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
66
Dry
Ecsta PS91 +268Why this score
Source FK451 Ecsta PS91 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests ≈ 67 (est.) 76 Reviews found online 65 57 FK451: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 64.9 = 66
Ecsta PS91: 60% × 76.5 + 40% × 56.5 = 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).
-
70
Wet
FK451 +169Why this score
Source FK451 Ecsta PS91 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests ≈ 70 (est.) 78 Reviews found online 70 55 FK451: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 70.2 = 70
Ecsta PS91: 60% × 78.4 + 40% × 55.3 = 69
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).
-
–
Snow
No comparison37Why this score
Source FK451 Ecsta PS91 Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 52 (est.) Reviews found online – 14 Ecsta PS91: 60% × 51.5 (est.) + 40% × 14.3 = 37
No road tests of snow for Ecsta PS91. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).
-
68
Comfort
FK451 +761Why this score
Source FK451 Ecsta PS91 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 67 52 FK451: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 67.4 = 68
Ecsta PS91: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 52.3 = 61
No road tests of comfort for FK451 or Ecsta PS91. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
–
Noise
No comparison64Why this score
Source FK451 Ecsta PS91 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests – 70 Reviews found online – 55 Ecsta PS91: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 54.7 = 64
-
67
Treadwear
FK451 +1948Why this score
Source FK451 Ecsta PS91 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 57 (est.) Reviews found online 68 36 FK451: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 67.5 = 67
Ecsta PS91: 60% × 56.6 (est.) + 40% × 36.2 = 48
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).
No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta PS91. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
-
65
Handling (owners)
FK451 +857Why this score
Source FK451 Ecsta PS91 Reviews found online 65 57
Scores at a glance
| Category | Falken FK451 | Kumho Ecsta PS91 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 68 | 63 |
| Dry | 66 | 68 |
| Wet | 70 | 69 |
| Snow | – | 37 |
| Comfort | 68 | 61 |
| Noise | – | 64 |
| Treadwear | 67 | 48 |
| Handling (owners) | 65 | 57 |
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
68
/ 100
FK451
63
/ 100
Ecsta PS91
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
Tire B Ecsta PS91
Pros
- Exceptional dry and wet grip providing high confidence during spirited driving
- Significantly more affordable than premium flagship alternatives while offering comparable performance
- Stiff sidewalls enhance steering response, cornering stability, and feedback
Cons
- Accelerated tread wear and shorter lifespan, particularly with aggressive driving or on heavier vehicles
- Stiff sidewalls result in a firmer, less comfortable ride that transmits road imperfections
- Tendency to tramline or follow road grooves on straight highways
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Falken FK451
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
Kumho Ecsta PS91
The Kumho Ecsta PS91 is widely praised as an affordable, budget-friendly summer tire with attractive styling and respectable wet or daily street performance compared to pricier rivals like Michelin. However, several users express frustration with poor tread life, rapid wear, and insufficient grip or heat endurance under hard driving and track conditions. Others also note issues with sketchy handling, flat-spotting, or vibration when cold.
r/G37
·30 upvotes ·2026-03-21
“275/40 Square Can Fit on a Sedan Shout out to TireRack for having great information on actual tire size. Ecsta PS91 265/40 and ExtremeContact 275/40 has a tread width and section width difference of 0.1” and 0.2” respectively. Tires fit just about perfect. No rubbing so far, and don’t expect it to rub bc of the relatively minimal width change Really goes to show that tire brand matters for fitment Read more”
r/Wheels
·2020-10-06
“90% used Michelin super sports or New Kumho ecsta ps91. I am juggling between either getting a set of used 90% tread Michelin pss or 4s... or getting some new kumho ecsta ps91s. I’ve always thought Michelin had the best ride and profile appearance even in a high end sport tire but of course the price. If I go used they are about the same price as a set of new kumho. I have never tried the ps91 but they look like Michelin’s even the recessed rim guard looks similar and many reviews say performance and ride is similar.”
mbworld.org
“Iv gone threw so many tires and just a heads up... I will never get any other tire for the street other than a pss. smooth as silk all the way up to 160mph and redic grip in the corners for a street tire”
Top themes
#budget performance value#rapid tread wear#wet and dry traction#track and heat limitations#ride quality and appearance#Michelin alternative comparison
Based on 45 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Falken FK451 | B · Kumho Ecsta PS91 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Tread depth | — | 9.5/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 260 A A |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
68
/ 100
Falken FK451
63
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta PS91
Winner: Falken FK451 — better treadwear, handling and comfort. Where the Kumho Ecsta PS91 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Falken FK451 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Falken FK451 scores 67 vs 48 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Falken FK451 scores 65 vs 57 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Falken FK451 scores 68 vs 61 on comfort.
Tire A · Falken FK451
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PS91
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
FK451 or Ecsta PS91?
Which is better in the wet, FK451 or Ecsta PS91?
Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 69 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, FK451 or Ecsta PS91?
Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 68 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, FK451 or Ecsta PS91?
Falken FK451, 68 vs 61 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, FK451 or Ecsta PS91?
Falken FK451, 67 vs 48 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