Tests 74 · 1 test Owners 63 · 45 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 8 in 2018 Auto Bild 20 inch UHP Tyre Test (dry handling)
Head-to-head
Updated
Hankook Ventus S1 evo vs Kumho Ecsta KU19 — 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 45 + 8 owner reviews. How we score
Ecsta KU19 is ahead, 74–68
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Tests – · none yet Owners 75 · 8 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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70
Dry
Ecsta KU19 +373Why this score
Source Ventus S1 evo Ecsta KU19 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 75 ≈ 71 (est.) Reviews found online 63 75 Ventus S1 evo: 60% × 75.1 + 40% × 63.1 = 70
Ecsta KU19: 60% × 71 (est.) + 40% × 75.4 = 73
No road tests of dry for Ecsta KU19. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
-
71
Wet
Ecsta KU19 +576Why this score
Source Ventus S1 evo Ecsta KU19 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 75 ≈ 75 (est.) Reviews found online 66 78 Ventus S1 evo: 60% × 74.8 + 40% × 66 = 71
Ecsta KU19: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 78 = 76
No road tests of wet for Ecsta KU19. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
63
Comfort
Ecsta KU19 +1174Why this score
Source Ventus S1 evo Ecsta KU19 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 60 77 Ventus S1 evo: 40% × 66.9 (est.) + 60% × 59.8 = 63
Ecsta KU19: 40% × 70.2 (est.) + 60% × 76.5 = 74
No road tests of comfort for Ventus S1 evo. 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 KU19. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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67
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Ventus S1 evo Ecsta KU19 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 67 – Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) – Ventus S1 evo: 60% × 66.9 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 67
No owner ratings of noise for Ventus S1 evo. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
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64
Treadwear
Ecsta KU19 +569Why this score
Source Ventus S1 evo Ecsta KU19 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 63 71 Ventus S1 evo: 60% × 65.1 (est.) + 40% × 62.5 = 64
Ecsta KU19: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 70.7 = 69
No road tests of treadwear for Ventus S1 evo. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta KU19. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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63
Handling (owners)
Ecsta KU19 +1578Why this score
Source Ventus S1 evo Ecsta KU19 Reviews found online 63 78 -
70
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source Ventus S1 evo Ecsta KU19 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 70 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Hankook Ventus S1 evo | Kumho Ecsta KU19 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 68 | 74 |
| Dry | 70 | 73 |
| Wet | 71 | 76 |
| Comfort | 63 | 74 |
| Noise | 67 | – |
| Treadwear | 64 | 69 |
| Handling (owners) | 63 | 78 |
| Efficiency | 70 | – |
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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
68
/ 100
Ventus S1 evo
74
/ 100
Ecsta KU19
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 S1 evo
Pros
- Excellent dry grip and sporty, predictable handling
- High value for money compared to more expensive premium brands
- Quiet and comfortable ride quality
Cons
- Subpar or inconsistent wet weather performance reported by some users
- Rapid tread wear on specific vehicles or under aggressive driving
- Tendency for the rubber to crack or perish prematurely along the grooves over time
Tire B Ecsta KU19
Pros
- Excellent wet and dry grip performance
- Superior noise suppression at highway speeds
- High value-to-performance ratio compared to premium brands
Cons
- Softer sidewall construction may not suit all driving styles
- Limited long-term tread life data available from current user reports
- Potential for inconsistent handling feel if mixed with stiffer-sidewall tires on the same axle
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Hankook Ventus S1 evo | B · Kumho Ecsta KU19 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 29 | 1 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 22″ | 18″ |
| UTQG | 280 AA A | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
68
/ 100
Hankook Ventus S1 evo
74
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta KU19
Winner: Kumho Ecsta KU19 — better handling, comfort and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Kumho Ecsta KU19 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 8 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Kumho Ecsta KU19 scores 78 vs 63 on handling.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Kumho Ecsta KU19 scores 74 vs 63 on comfort.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Kumho Ecsta KU19 scores 76 vs 71 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Kumho Ecsta KU19 scores 69 vs 64 on treadwear.
Tire A · Hankook Ventus S1 evo
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta KU19
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Ventus S1 evo or Ecsta KU19?
Which is better in the wet, Ventus S1 evo or Ecsta KU19?
Kumho Ecsta KU19, 76 vs 71 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Ventus S1 evo or Ecsta KU19?
Kumho Ecsta KU19, 73 vs 70 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Ventus S1 evo or Ecsta KU19?
Kumho Ecsta KU19, 74 vs 63 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Ventus S1 evo or Ecsta KU19?
Kumho Ecsta KU19, 69 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