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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Ventus S1 evo 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 1 + 1 road tests and 45 + 165 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta PA51 leads, 70–68 Narrow edge

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Hankook Ventus S1 evo
Tire AHankook

Ventus S1 evo

Summer

± 7

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)

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. 70

    Dry

    Ventus S1 evo +1
    69
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evoEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests75≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6370

    Ventus S1 evo: 60% × 75.1 + 40% × 63.1 = 70

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 69.9 = 69

    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 0.41).

  2. 71

    Wet

    Level
    71
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evoEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests75≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online6671

    Ventus S1 evo: 60% × 74.8 + 40% × 66 = 71

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 71.1 (est.) + 40% × 71.4 = 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. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    64
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evoEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online–59

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 67 (est.) + 40% × 59.3 = 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 0.32).

  4. 63

    Comfort

    Ecsta PA51 +3
    66
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evoEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6065

    Ventus S1 evo: 40% × 66.9 (est.) + 60% × 59.8 = 63

    Ecsta PA51: 40% × 67.9 (est.) + 60% × 64.7 = 66

    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 PA51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 67

    Noise

    Ecsta PA51 +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evoEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests67≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)74

    Ventus S1 evo: 60% × 66.9 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 67

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 74 = 69

    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.

    No road tests of noise for Ecsta PA51. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 64

    Treadwear

    Ecsta PA51 +8
    72
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evoEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 65 (est.)70
    Reviews found online6374

    Ventus S1 evo: 60% × 65.1 (est.) + 40% × 62.5 = 64

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 69.9 + 40% × 74.4 = 72

    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).

  7. 63

    Handling (owners)

    Ecsta PA51 +4
    67
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evoEcsta PA51
    Reviews found online6367
  8. 70

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceVentus S1 evoEcsta PA51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests70–
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Ventus S1 evoKumho Ecsta PA51
Relative Score 68 70
Dry 70 69
Wet 71 71
Snow – 64
Comfort 63 66
Noise 67 69
Treadwear 64 72
Handling (owners) 63 67
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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

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

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
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
± 7

Ventus S1 evo

± 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.

DisciplineCategoryVentus S1 evoEcsta PA51ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #3/8 2018 Auto Bild 20 inch UHP Tyre 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 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
All owner themes in the Ventus S1 evo 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 Ventus S1 evo B · Kumho Ecsta PA51
CategorySummerAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available2913
Rim diameters15″ – 22″16″ – 19″
Tread depth—10.5/32″
UTQG280 AA A500 A A
Treadwear warranty—45,000 mi
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Ventus S1 evo

Kumho Ecsta PA51

Narrow edge: Kumho Ecsta PA51 — better treadwear and comfort. Where the Hankook Ventus S1 evo is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 72 vs 64 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 66 vs 63 on comfort.

Tire A · Hankook Ventus S1 evo
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PA51
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Ventus S1 evo or Ecsta PA51?

Which is better in the wet, Ventus S1 evo or Ecsta PA51?

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

Which grips better on dry roads, Ventus S1 evo or Ecsta PA51?

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

Which is quieter, Ventus S1 evo or Ecsta PA51?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 69 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Ventus S1 evo or Ecsta PA51?

Kumho Ecsta PA51, 66 vs 63 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ventus S1 evo or Ecsta PA51?

Kumho Ecsta PA51, 72 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