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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Kinergy 4S vs Kumho Ecsta PA51 — 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 3 + 1 road tests and 13 + 165 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta PA51 leads, 70–67 Narrow edge

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Hankook Kinergy 4S
Tire AHankook

Kinergy 4S

All Season

± 8

Tests 67 · 3 tests Owners 68 · 13 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 11 in 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

Kumho Ecsta PA51
Tire BKumho

Ecsta PA51

All Season

± 8

Tests – · 1 test Owners 70 · 165 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 69

    Dry

    Ecsta PA51 +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests70≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6970

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 69.7 + 40% × 68.5 = 69

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 69 (est.) + 40% × 70.3 = 70

    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 0.42).

  2. 73

    Wet

    Kinergy 4S +2
    71
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests74≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7172

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 74.1 + 40% × 71.1 = 73

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 71.6 = 71

    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 0.55).

  3. 70

    Snow

    Kinergy 4S +6
    64
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests66≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7660

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 66.2 + 40% × 76 = 70

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 66.7 (est.) + 40% × 59.8 = 64

    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 0.37).

  4. 67

    Comfort

    Level
    67
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6765

    Kinergy 4S: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 66.5 = 67

    Ecsta PA51: 40% × 68.4 (est.) + 60% × 65.4 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for Kinergy 4S or Ecsta PA51. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 60

    Noise

    Ecsta PA51 +10
    70
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests56≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)74

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 56.2 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 60

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 74.2 = 70

    No owner ratings of noise for Kinergy 4S. 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.

    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. 62

    Treadwear

    Ecsta PA51 +10
    72
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests6270
    Reviews found online6274

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 62.4 + 40% × 62 = 62

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 69.8 + 40% × 74.2 = 72

  7. 64

    Handling (owners)

    Ecsta PA51 +4
    68
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta PA51
    Reviews found online6468
  8. 67

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests67–
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Kinergy 4SKumho Ecsta PA51
Relative Score 67 70
Dry 69 70
Wet 73 71
Snow 70 64
Comfort 67 67
Noise 60 70
Treadwear 62 72
Handling (owners) 64 68
Efficiency 67 –

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Kinergy 4S

± 8

Ecsta PA51

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryKinergy 4SEcsta PA51ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #12/30 2025 All Season 30 Tyre Braking Test #7/19 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Kinergy 4S

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and stability in wet and torrential rain conditions
  • Strong performance in snow and slush, often cited as a viable alternative to dedicated winter tires
  • High value-for-money proposition compared to premium competitors

Cons

  • Reports of premature tread wear and shorter-than-expected service life
  • Inconsistent dry-road handling and feedback compared to dedicated summer tires
  • Occasional reports of poor traction on greasy or specific wet road surfaces
All owner themes in the Kinergy 4S 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 · Hankook Kinergy 4S B · Kumho Ecsta PA51
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available6713
Rim diameters13″ – 18″16″ – 19″
Tread depth—10.5/32″
UTQG—500 A A
Treadwear warranty—45,000 mi
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi
Sizes in common66

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Kinergy 4S

Kumho Ecsta PA51

Narrow edge: Kumho Ecsta PA51 — better noise and treadwear. Pick the Hankook Kinergy 4S if snow matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 70 vs 60 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 72 vs 62 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 70 vs 64 on snow.

Tire A · Hankook Kinergy 4S
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PA51
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Kinergy 4S or Ecsta PA51?

Which is better in the wet, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta PA51?

Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 71 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta PA51?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 70 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta PA51?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 70 vs 64 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta PA51?

Kumho Ecsta PA51, 70 vs 60 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta PA51?

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

Which lasts longer, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta PA51?

Kumho Ecsta PA51, 72 vs 62 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