tirewheelguide

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

Kumho Ecsta XT KU37 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 XT KU37 — 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 10 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

FK451 is ahead, 68–56

Check price on Amazon · FK451 or Ecsta XT KU37 on Amazon
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.

Falken FK451
Tire AFalken

FK451

Summer

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 67 · 10 reviews

Kumho Ecsta XT KU37
Tire BKumho

Ecsta XT KU37

Summer

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 51 · 11 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

    FK451 +10
    56
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta XT KU37
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online6549

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

    Ecsta XT KU37: 60% × 60.2 (est.) + 40% × 49.1 = 56

    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 XT KU37. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 70

    Wet

    FK451 +13
    57
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta XT KU37
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online7053

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

    Ecsta XT KU37: 60% × 60.3 (est.) + 40% × 52.8 = 57

    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 XT KU37. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 68

    Comfort

    FK451 +7
    61
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta XT KU37
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6752

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

    Ecsta XT KU37: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 52.4 = 61

    No road tests of comfort for FK451 or Ecsta XT KU37. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 67

    Treadwear

    FK451 +10
    57
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta XT KU37
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online6851

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

    Ecsta XT KU37: 60% × 61.2 (est.) + 40% × 51.4 = 57

    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 XT KU37. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  5. 65

    Handling (owners)

    FK451 +16
    49
    Why this score
    SourceFK451Ecsta XT KU37
    Reviews found online6549
Scores at a glance
CategoryFalken FK451Kumho Ecsta XT KU37
Relative Score 68 56
Dry 66 56
Wet 70 57
Comfort 68 61
Treadwear 67 57
Handling (owners) 65 49

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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

FK451

Ecsta XT KU37

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 XT KU37

Pros

  • Excellent value for money compared to premium brands
  • Low road noise levels
  • Good dry-weather stability and cornering

Cons

  • Inconsistent wet-weather grip and confidence
  • Lack of steering feedback and road feel
  • Tendency to lose traction under hard acceleration
All owner themes in the Ecsta XT KU37 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Falken FK451 B · Kumho Ecsta XT KU37
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Falken FK451

Kumho Ecsta XT KU37

Winner: Falken FK451 — better handling, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Falken FK451 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Kumho Ecsta XT KU37 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Falken FK451 scores 65 vs 49 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Falken FK451 scores 70 vs 57 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Falken FK451 scores 66 vs 56 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Falken FK451 scores 67 vs 57 on treadwear.

Tire A · Falken FK451
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta XT KU37
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

FK451 or Ecsta XT KU37?

Which is better in the wet, FK451 or Ecsta XT KU37?

Falken FK451, 70 vs 57 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, FK451 or Ecsta XT KU37?

Falken FK451, 66 vs 56 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, FK451 or Ecsta XT KU37?

Falken FK451, 68 vs 61 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, FK451 or Ecsta XT KU37?

Falken FK451, 67 vs 57 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