Tests 71 · 1 test Owners 67 · 93 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 vs Kumho Ecsta KU31 — 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 93 + 165 owner reviews. How we score
Ventus V12 evo2 leads, 69–67 Narrow edge
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Tests – · none yet Owners 66 · 165 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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71
Dry
Ventus V12 evo2 +467Why this score
Source Ventus V12 evo2 Ecsta KU31 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 71 ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 71 67 Ventus V12 evo2: 60% × 70.9 + 40% × 70.8 = 71
Ecsta KU31: 60% × 67.6 (est.) + 40% × 67.1 = 67
No road tests of dry for Ecsta KU31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
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71
Wet
Ventus V12 evo2 +170Why this score
Source Ventus V12 evo2 Ecsta KU31 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 69 ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 73 69 Ventus V12 evo2: 60% × 69.2 + 40% × 72.8 = 71
Ecsta KU31: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 69.2 = 70
No road tests of wet for Ecsta KU31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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66
Comfort
Ventus V12 evo2 +165Why this score
Source Ventus V12 evo2 Ecsta KU31 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 65 63 Ventus V12 evo2: 40% × 67.9 (est.) + 60% × 64.9 = 66
Ecsta KU31: 40% × 67.5 (est.) + 60% × 63 = 65
No road tests of comfort for Ventus V12 evo2. 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 KU31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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73
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Ventus V12 evo2 Ecsta KU31 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 77 – Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) – Ventus V12 evo2: 60% × 77.1 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 73
No owner ratings of noise for Ventus V12 evo2. 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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62
Treadwear
Ecsta KU31 +163Why this score
Source Ventus V12 evo2 Ecsta KU31 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 64 (est.) ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 58 61 Ventus V12 evo2: 60% × 63.6 (est.) + 40% × 58.4 = 62
Ecsta KU31: 60% × 64.3 (est.) + 40% × 60.5 = 63
No road tests of treadwear for Ventus V12 evo2. 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 KU31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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70
Handling (owners)
Ventus V12 evo2 +367Why this score
Source Ventus V12 evo2 Ecsta KU31 Reviews found online 70 67
Scores at a glance
| Category | Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 | Kumho Ecsta KU31 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 69 | 67 |
| Dry | 71 | 67 |
| Wet | 71 | 70 |
| Comfort | 66 | 65 |
| Noise | 73 | – |
| Treadwear | 62 | 63 |
| Handling (owners) | 70 | 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 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
Recomputed
Headline score
69
/ 100
Ventus V12 evo2
67
/ 100
Ecsta KU31
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.
| Discipline | Category | Ventus V12 evo2 | Ecsta KU31 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #4/5 2017 Car and Driver UHP Tyre Test | #7/7 2014 Auto Review Max Performance Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Ventus V12 evo2
Pros
- Excellent value and cost-to-performance ratio compared to premium brands
- Strong, reliable grip in both dry and wet conditions with good aquaplaning resistance
- Comfortable ride with low initial road noise
Cons
- Soft sidewalls can cause a floaty feel or roll during aggressive cornering and track use
- Road noise increases noticeably as the tires wear down
- Treadwear is relatively fast, leading to shorter overall mileage
Tire B Ecsta KU31
Pros
- Excellent value for money compared to premium brands
- Strong dry and wet weather handling
- Progressive and predictable feedback at the limit
Cons
- Increased road noise and potential 'droning' as tread wears
- Inconsistent tread life, with some users reporting rapid wear
- Soft sidewalls can lead to less precise steering feel for some drivers
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 | B · Kumho Ecsta KU31 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 38 | — |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 21″ | — |
| UTQG | 320 - 380 A - AA A | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
69
/ 100
Hankook Ventus V12 evo2
67
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta KU31
Narrow edge: Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 — better dry. Where the Kumho Ecsta KU31 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Hankook Ventus V12 evo2 scores 71 vs 67 on dry.
Tire A · Hankook Ventus V12 evo2
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta KU31
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Ventus V12 evo2 or Ecsta KU31?
Which is better in the wet, Ventus V12 evo2 or Ecsta KU31?
Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 70 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, Ventus V12 evo2 or Ecsta KU31?
Hankook Ventus V12 evo2, 71 vs 67 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Ventus V12 evo2 or Ecsta KU31?
Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 65 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, Ventus V12 evo2 or Ecsta KU31?
Neither, by our numbers: 62 vs 63 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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