Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Ventus R-S4 vs Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 — 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 0 + 0 road tests and 211 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

Ventus R-S4 leads, 72–69 Narrow edge

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.

Hankook Ventus R-S4
Tire AHankook

Ventus R-S4

Summer

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 74 · 211 reviews

“I had the DW's on my Porsche 911 last year and really liked them. I liked them so much, I just installed a set on my C6 base. I waiting for the 3' of snow to melt before I try them out.”

Kumho Ecsta XS KU36
Tire BKumho

Ecsta XS KU36

Summer

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 68 · 10 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 76

    Dry

    Ventus R-S4 +4
    72
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta XS KU36
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 73 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online8073

    Ventus R-S4: 60% × 73.1 (est.) + 40% × 80.1 = 76

    Ecsta XS KU36: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 72

    No road tests of dry for Ventus R-S4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for Ecsta XS KU36. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 67

    Wet

    Ecsta XS KU36 +3
    70
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta XS KU36
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6669

    Ventus R-S4: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 65.8 = 67

    Ecsta XS KU36: 60% × 69.8 (est.) + 40% × 69.1 = 70

    No road tests of wet for Ventus R-S4. 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 XS KU36. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 59

    Comfort

    Ecsta XS KU36 +2
    61
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta XS KU36
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online5558

    Ventus R-S4: 40% × 66.5 (est.) + 60% × 54.7 = 59

    Ecsta XS KU36: 40% × 67 (est.) + 60% × 57.5 = 61

    No road tests of comfort for Ventus R-S4 or Ecsta XS KU36. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 73

    Treadwear

    Ventus R-S4 +9
    64
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta XS KU36
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online7863

    Ventus R-S4: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 78 = 73

    Ecsta XS KU36: 60% × 65 (est.) + 40% × 62.9 = 64

    No road tests of treadwear for Ventus R-S4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

    No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta XS KU36. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  5. 82

    Handling (owners)

    Ventus R-S4 +11
    71
    Why this score
    SourceVentus R-S4Ecsta XS KU36
    Reviews found online8271
Scores at a glance
Hankook Ventus R-S4 vs Kumho Ecsta XS KU36: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryHankook Ventus R-S4Kumho Ecsta XS KU36
Relative Score 72 69
Dry 76 72
Wet 67 70
Comfort 59 61
Treadwear 73 64
Handling (owners) 82 71

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
± 7

Ventus R-S4

± 8

Ecsta XS KU36

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 XS KU36

Pros

  • Exceptional dry surface grip and cornering confidence
  • Strong, rigid sidewall construction
  • High value-to-performance ratio

Cons

  • High levels of road noise that tend to worsen over time
  • Lack of steering precision and on-center feel
  • Rapid tread wear consistent with aggressive performance compounds
All owner themes in the Ecsta XS KU36 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Hankook Ventus R-S4

Positive

The community holds a very positive view of the Hankook Ventus R-S4, praising its exceptional grip, excellent treadwear, and durability on the track. Users also note that it provides a surprisingly smooth and quiet ride for street use, though some mention it requires heat cycling management as it ages.

r/CarTrackDays ·11 upvotes ·2026-09-15

“Super happy w Hankook Ventus R-S4s. Follow-up question. I'm 10 track days into owning my first set of Hankook Ventus R-S4s. Thanks for the recommendation. I rotate them after every 2 days on my ND miata. I'm noticing the forewarned heat cycling now. TBH - I like them more now. Car moves around more and i have to modulate brakes myself. When they were new I couldn't get the abs engaged - there was just too much grip for the stock equipment. Anyway, my question is - my research says that with this Tire the grip can drop off quickly. Is that accurate? now that I'm getting into this gray area where they are definitely starting to heat cycle out am I going to leave an event Sunday with 80% new level grip and show up to my next track day two Weeks later at 30%? Edit. I’m working with some assumptions here that might not be valid. I’m assuming I’m getting heat cycling performance drop because I was warned I would heat cycle them out before I wore them down to chords. I am definitely experiencing a noticeable drop in mechanical grip during breaking. I am much more capable of getting into the ABS now than I was on the first days on these tires. My last track weekend was also on a set of pads that are near life end so I think that variable is accounted for. That same weekend was cooler than normal and I noticed the performance drop the entire day not, for example, on cold tires or late in a heavy session.”

corvetteforum.com

“I had the DW's on my Porsche 911 last year and really liked them. I liked them so much, I just installed a set on my C6 base. I waiting for the 3' of snow to melt before I try them out.”

Top themes
#exceptional track grip#long treadwear life#heat cycling behavior#smooth and quiet ride#hpde and track day use

Based on 10 community posts

Tire B

Kumho Ecsta XS KU36

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Ventus R-S4 B · Kumho Ecsta XS KU36
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Ventus R-S4

Kumho Ecsta XS KU36

Narrow edge: Hankook Ventus R-S4 — better handling, treadwear and dry. Pick the Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 if wet matters most to you. Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 82 vs 71 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 73 vs 64 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus R-S4 scores 76 vs 72 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta XS KU36 scores 70 vs 67 on wet.

Tire A · Hankook Ventus R-S4
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta XS KU36

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

Ventus R-S4 or Ecsta XS KU36?

Which is better in the wet, Ventus R-S4 or Ecsta XS KU36?

Kumho Ecsta XS KU36, 70 vs 67 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ventus R-S4 or Ecsta XS KU36?

Hankook Ventus R-S4, 76 vs 72 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Ventus R-S4 or Ecsta XS KU36?

Neither, by our numbers: 59 vs 61 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Ventus R-S4 or Ecsta XS KU36?

Hankook Ventus R-S4, 73 vs 64 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