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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Ventus R-S4 vs Kumho Ecsta PS31 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Ventus R-S4 is ahead, 72–66

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Tire BKumho

Ecsta PS31

Summer

Tests – · none yet Owners 64 · 259 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 75

    Dry

    Ventus R-S4 +11
    64
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta PS31
    Reviews found online8063
  2. 67

    Wet

    Ecsta PS31 +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta PS31
    Reviews found online6668
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    57
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta PS31
    Reviews found online–49
  4. 65

    Comfort

    Ecsta PS31 +2
    67
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta PS31
    Reviews found online6065
  5. 68

    Noise

    Ventus R-S4 +2
    66
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta PS31
    Reviews found online7066
  6. 71

    Treadwear

    Ventus R-S4 +6
    65
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta PS31
    Reviews found online7465
  7. 80

    Handling

    Ventus R-S4 +13
    67
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta PS31
    Reviews found online8067
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Ventus R-S4Kumho Ecsta PS31
Relative Score 72 66
Dry 75 64
Wet 67 69
Snow – 57
Comfort 65 67
Noise 68 66
Treadwear 71 65
Handling 80 67

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

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Recomputed
Headline score

Ventus R-S4

Ecsta PS31

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 Ventus R-S4

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and wear resistance ("wears like iron")
  • Highly consistent performance and resistance to overheating or getting greasy during long sessions
  • Stiff sidewalls providing precise steering response and excellent feedback

Cons

  • Slow to come up to optimal operating temperature, especially in cooler weather or for autocross
  • Slightly lower ultimate dry grip compared to top-tier rivals like the Bridgestone RE-71R/RE-71RS
  • High road noise and a harsh ride due to stiff sidewalls
All owner themes in the Ventus R-S4 review

Tire B Ecsta PS31

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • High levels of ride comfort and low road noise
  • Strong dry traction for daily and spirited street driving

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls lead to vague steering response and 'squirm' during aggressive maneuvers
  • Inconsistent wet weather performance reported by some users, particularly in deep standing water
  • Tread life can be shorter than expected for some driving styles
All owner themes in the Ecsta PS31 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Ventus R-S4 B · Kumho Ecsta PS31
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—21
Rim diameters—15″ – 18″
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG—460 A A
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Ventus R-S4

Kumho Ecsta PS31

Winner: Hankook Ventus R-S4 — better handling, dry and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 80 vs 67 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 75 vs 64 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 71 vs 65 on treadwear.

Tire A · Hankook Ventus R-S4
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PS31
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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

72

Leads

Ventus R-S4

Amazon