Tests – · none yet Owners 41 · 10 reviews
Kumho Ecsta 712 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Kumho Ecsta 712 vs Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 2 road tests and 10 + 4 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R is ahead, 66–48
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Tests 62 · 2 tests Owners 67 · 4 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 6 in The BEST Track Day Tyres for 2024 (dry braking)
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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48
Dry
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R +3179Why this score
Source Ecsta 712 Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 55 (est.) 79 Reviews found online 37 80 Ecsta 712: 60% × 55.4 (est.) + 40% × 37.1 = 48
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R: 60% × 78.8 + 40% × 80.4 = 79
No road tests of dry for Ecsta 712. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).
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44
Wet
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R +549Why this score
Source Ecsta 712 Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 50 (est.) 45 Reviews found online 35 55 Ecsta 712: 60% × 50.2 (est.) + 40% × 34.8 = 44
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R: 60% × 45 + 40% × 54.6 = 49
No road tests of wet for Ecsta 712. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).
-
51
Comfort
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R +2273Why this score
Source Ecsta 712 Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 63 (est.) ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 33 77 Ecsta 712: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 33.2 = 51
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.8 = 73
No road tests of comfort for Ecsta 712 or Pilot Sport Cup 2 R. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
–
Noise
No comparison66Why this score
Source Ecsta 712 Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Professional tests (TWG score) – ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online – 63 Pilot Sport Cup 2 R: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 63 = 66
No road tests of noise for Pilot Sport Cup 2 R. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
59
Treadwear
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R +463Why this score
Source Ecsta 712 Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 62 (est.) ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 54 61 Ecsta 712: 60% × 62.1 (est.) + 40% × 54.1 = 59
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R: 60% × 64 (est.) + 40% × 60.5 = 63
No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta 712. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Sport Cup 2 R. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
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34
Handling (owners)
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R +4579Why this score
Source Ecsta 712 Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Reviews found online 34 79
Scores at a glance
| Category | Kumho Ecsta 712 | Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 48 | 66 |
| Dry | 48 | 79 |
| Wet | 44 | 49 |
| Comfort | 51 | 73 |
| Noise | – | 66 |
| Treadwear | 59 | 63 |
| Handling (owners) | 34 | 79 |
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
48
/ 100
Ecsta 712
66
/ 100
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R
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 Ecsta 712
Pros
- Highly competitive price point
- Better-than-average tread life compared to some premium performance tires
- Acceptable dry weather handling for casual driving
Cons
- Dangerous and unpredictable wet weather traction
- High levels of road noise and harsh ride quality
- Poor steering feedback and tendency for understeer/oversteer
Tire B Pilot Sport Cup 2 R
Pros
- Phenomenal dry grip providing a planted and confident feel on the track
- Optimized design specifically for extracting maximum performance during time attacks
- Superior circuit performance compared to the standard Pilot Sport Cup 2
Cons
- Extremely limited performance longevity, with grip dropping off rapidly after just a few laps
- Poor performance and safety risks in damp to wet conditions due to shallow and narrow tread patterns
- Best suited strictly for single-lap time trials rather than extended track sessions
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Kumho Ecsta 712 | B · Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 7 |
| Rim diameters | — | 20″ – 21″ |
Which one should you actually buy?
48
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta 712
66
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R — better handling, dry and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Kumho Ecsta 712 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R scores 79 vs 34 on handling.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R scores 79 vs 48 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R scores 73 vs 51 on comfort.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R scores 49 vs 44 on wet.
Tire A · Kumho Ecsta 712
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R
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Ecsta 712 or Pilot Sport Cup 2 R?
Which is better in the wet, Ecsta 712 or Pilot Sport Cup 2 R?
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R, 49 vs 44 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta 712 or Pilot Sport Cup 2 R?
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R, 79 vs 48 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Ecsta 712 or Pilot Sport Cup 2 R?
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R, 73 vs 51 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Ecsta 712 or Pilot Sport Cup 2 R?
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R, 63 vs 59 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