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Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate vs Kumho Ecsta STX KL12 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 1 + 0 road tests and 13 + 15 owner reviews. How we score

Eagle Exhilarate leads, 67–63 Narrow edge

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Kumho Ecsta STX KL12
Tire BKumho

Ecsta STX KL12

Summer High Performance tires

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 60 · 15 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 68

    Dry

    Eagle Exhilarate +4
    64
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateEcsta STX KL12
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online6862

    Eagle Exhilarate: 60% × 67.9 (est.) + 40% × 67.9 = 68

    Ecsta STX KL12: 60% × 65.4 (est.) + 40% × 61.8 = 64

    No road tests of dry for Eagle Exhilarate. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for Ecsta STX KL12. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 71

    Wet

    Eagle Exhilarate +10
    61
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateEcsta STX KL12
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online7157

    Eagle Exhilarate: 60% × 70.9 (est.) + 40% × 71.1 = 71

    Ecsta STX KL12: 60% × 63.4 (est.) + 40% × 57.4 = 61

    No road tests of wet for Eagle Exhilarate. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Ecsta STX KL12. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 60

    Snow

    Ecsta STX KL12 +4
    64
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateEcsta STX KL12
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online5359

    Eagle Exhilarate: 60% × 65 (est.) + 40% × 53.2 = 60

    Ecsta STX KL12: 60% × 66.9 (est.) + 40% × 59.1 = 64

    No road tests of snow for Eagle Exhilarate. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    No road tests of snow for Ecsta STX KL12. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Eagle Exhilarate +2
    63
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateEcsta STX KL12
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6461

    Eagle Exhilarate: 40% × 67.6 (est.) + 60% × 63.6 = 65

    Ecsta STX KL12: 40% × 67 (est.) + 60% × 60.6 = 63

    No road tests of comfort for Eagle Exhilarate. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Ecsta STX KL12. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 67

    Noise

    Level
    67
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateEcsta STX KL12
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6967

    Eagle Exhilarate: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 68.5 = 67

    Ecsta STX KL12: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 67.1 = 67

    No road tests of noise for Eagle Exhilarate or Ecsta STX KL12. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 64

    Treadwear

    Eagle Exhilarate +2
    62
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateEcsta STX KL12
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests63≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online6759

    Eagle Exhilarate: 60% × 62.9 + 40% × 66.9 = 64

    Ecsta STX KL12: 60% × 63.7 (est.) + 40% × 58.7 = 62

    No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta STX KL12. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 68

    Handling (owners)

    Eagle Exhilarate +11
    57
    Why this score
    SourceEagle ExhilarateEcsta STX KL12
    Reviews found online6857
Scores at a glance
CategoryGoodyear Eagle ExhilarateKumho Ecsta STX KL12
Relative Score 67 63
Dry 68 64
Wet 71 61
Snow 60 64
Comfort 65 63
Noise 67 67
Treadwear 64 62
Handling (owners) 68 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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Eagle Exhilarate

± 8

Ecsta STX KL12

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Eagle Exhilarate

Pros

  • Strong dry pavement handling and sporty steering response
  • High level of ride comfort and bump absorption
  • Reliable wet-weather grip and hydroplaning resistance for many users

Cons

  • Reports of significant road noise, described by some as intrusive
  • Inconsistent tread life and potential for uneven wear
  • Polarizing performance in snow and ice conditions
All owner themes in the Eagle Exhilarate review

Tire B Ecsta STX KL12

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • High tread life and durability
  • Strong wet weather grip and cornering stability

Cons

  • Potential for increased road noise over time
  • Inconsistent traction performance on certain vehicle chassis
  • Accelerated wear on poor road surfaces
All owner themes in the Ecsta STX KL12 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate B · Kumho Ecsta STX KL12
CategoryAll SeasonSummer High Performance tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available377
Rim diameters17″ – 22″18″ – 22″
Tread depth10 - 11/32″11.5/32″
UTQG500 AA A420 A A
Treadwear warranty45,000 mi—
SidewallVertical Serrated BandBlackwall
Max pressure50 - 51 psi50 psi
Sizes in common11

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate

Kumho Ecsta STX KL12

Narrow edge: Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate — better handling, wet and dry. Pick the Kumho Ecsta STX KL12 if snow matters most to you. Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 13 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Kumho Ecsta STX KL12 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 15 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate scores 68 vs 57 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate scores 71 vs 61 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate scores 68 vs 64 on dry.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Kumho Ecsta STX KL12 scores 64 vs 60 on snow.

Tire A · Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta STX KL12
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Eagle Exhilarate or Ecsta STX KL12?

Which is better in the wet, Eagle Exhilarate or Ecsta STX KL12?

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate, 71 vs 61 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Eagle Exhilarate or Ecsta STX KL12?

Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate, 68 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Eagle Exhilarate or Ecsta STX KL12?

Kumho Ecsta STX KL12, 64 vs 60 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Eagle Exhilarate or Ecsta STX KL12?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 67 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Eagle Exhilarate or Ecsta STX KL12?

Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 63 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Eagle Exhilarate or Ecsta STX KL12?

Neither, by our numbers: 64 vs 62 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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