Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 14 road tests and 211 + 8,168 owner reviews. How we score
Ecsta PS71 is ahead, 73–65
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests – · none yet Owners 63 · 211 reviews
“I love them, I also have them at 245/45/17. They are great street tires, ride is smooth and quiet, but they have great grip and treadwear is at 300 I think, so they should last. Overall I am very happy and they are decently priced.”
Tests 67 · 14 tests Owners 69 · 8,168 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 18 in 2025 ADAC Summer Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)
“Those are Kumho Ecsta PS71s, thread width is supposed to be 245mm, the actual one is hardly 235. How so?”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | FK452 | Ecsta PS71 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 12 tests | ≈ 66 (est.) | 77 |
| Reviews found online | 65 | 71 |
FK452: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 64.6 = 66
Ecsta PS71: 60% × 77.3 + 40% × 71 = 75
No road tests of dry for FK452. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).
| Source | FK452 | Ecsta PS71 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 13 tests | ≈ 68 (est.) | 91 |
| Reviews found online | 66 | 73 |
FK452: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.9 = 67
Ecsta PS71: 60% × 90.9 + 40% × 73.1 = 84
No road tests of wet for FK452. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).
| Source | FK452 | Ecsta PS71 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests | ≈ 68 (est.) | 75 |
| Reviews found online | 62 | 65 |
FK452: 60% × 67.9 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 66
Ecsta PS71: 60% × 75.2 + 40% × 64.8 = 71
No road tests of comfort for FK452. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | FK452 | Ecsta PS71 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests | – | 15 |
| Reviews found online | – | ≈ 67 (est.) |
Ecsta PS71: 60% × 15.5 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 36
No owner ratings of noise for Ecsta PS71. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
| Source | FK452 | Ecsta PS71 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests | ≈ 63 (est.) | 45 |
| Reviews found online | 58 | 63 |
FK452: 60% × 63.3 (est.) + 40% × 58.2 = 61
Ecsta PS71: 60% × 45.1 + 40% × 62.5 = 52
No road tests of treadwear for FK452. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
| Source | FK452 | Ecsta PS71 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 64 | 71 |
| Category | Falken FK452 | Kumho Ecsta PS71 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 65 | 73 |
| Dry | 66 | 75 |
| Wet | 67 | 84 |
| Comfort | 66 | 71 |
| Noise | – | 36 |
| Treadwear | 61 | 52 |
| Handling (owners) | 64 | 71 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
FK452
Ecsta PS71
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Community opinion on the Falken FK452 is generally favorable, with many drivers praising its balance of solid wet and dry grip, low road noise, and accessible pricing. While regarded as a dependable daily performance tire that also stretches well, notable drawbacks cited by owners include fast tread wear on sports cars, tendency to flat-spot when sitting, and degradation in grip and road noise as the tread gets low.
“for the price, theyre pretty decent. theyre not the stickiest tires available, but theyre alright and imo, theyre pretty predictable when nearing their limits.”
“Dude, I had pretty much the same choice as you... same rims, same vendors, same car Many reviews mentioned that T1Rs have softer sidewall than FK452, thus preferring the steering feel of Falken when you push it in the curves. As for daily driver it probably doesn't make a difference. Also, are you planning to have a different set for the winter? If not, you'll need all seasons. 1010tires . com have plenty of real-world user reviews on those tires. Also, search Google, there were some interesting reviews on BMW & Audi forums.”
“I also have Falken FK452 on my MKII Focus Diesel, in 225/40/18. They're really quite excellent tyres in both wet and dry to be quite honest. Seeing as the Focus isn't really that "sporting", I was quite happy to get 29'000 miles out of the set I last had at the front, which was a lot more than the 14'000 or so I got out of the Goodyear Eagle F1 (but the F1 was sticky as anything!). Only issue: they're not as cheap as they once were. People are getting wise to their performance for the rather sensible price, and I've seen them creep up around £25 a corner for me in the last two years.”
Based on 47 community posts
Community sentiment towards the Kumho Ecsta PS71 is generally positive, with drivers viewing it as an affordable, high-value mid-range/UHP tire that performs reliably compared to premium brands. Users praise its wet grip rating, competitive pricing, and overall road manners once warmed up, though some note it provides adequate rather than top-tier grip and raise questions regarding cold performance and tread life.
“Those are Kumho Ecsta PS71s, thread width is supposed to be 245mm, the actual one is hardly 235. How so?”
“Not exactly helpful but I've got Hankook winter tyres on my 330i and they're really good. mr wilks on here recommend Kumho Ecstas a couple of times so I got a set for my MC and I've been very pleased with them. And I got a set for £400 from Black Circles! ETA My Kumho Ecstas are also PS71.”
“I've had the PS71 several years ago - it was ok, nothing spectacular. They might have changed the compound now, so it may be better. Its a good tire, I don't remember any real weaknesses, it just never felt like "yeah, this sticks like glue to the road". Edit: I just remembered - it was mediocre in the city - when the tire was not warmed up, but I reckon this is shared between most sport tires with high speed rating. Once warmed up was good.”
Based on 24 community posts
| Attribute | A · Falken FK452 | B · Kumho Ecsta PS71 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 133 |
| Rim diameters | — | 16″ – 22″ |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
Falken FK452
Kumho Ecsta PS71
Winner: Kumho Ecsta PS71 — better wet, dry and handling. Pick the Falken FK452 if treadwear matters most to you.
Kumho Ecsta PS71 scores 84 vs 67 on wet.
Falken FK452 scores 61 vs 52 on treadwear.
Kumho Ecsta PS71 scores 75 vs 66 on dry.
Kumho Ecsta PS71 scores 71 vs 64 on handling.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Kumho Ecsta PS71, 84 vs 67 on our wet score.
Kumho Ecsta PS71, 75 vs 66 on our dry score.
Kumho Ecsta PS71, 71 vs 66 on our comfort score.
Falken FK452, 61 vs 52 on our treadwear score.
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
