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Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Ecsta HS51 vs Kumho Ecsta PS31 — 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 6 + 0 road tests and 1,663 + 259 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta HS51 is ahead, 73–66

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Kumho Ecsta HS51
Tire AKumho

Ecsta HS51

Summer

± 5

Tests 76 · 6 tests Owners 69 · 1,663 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test (wet handling)

Kumho Ecsta PS31
Tire BKumho

Ecsta PS31

Summer

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 63 · 259 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 74

    Dry

    Ecsta HS51 +11
    63
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51Ecsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests77≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online7160

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 76.6 + 40% × 70.9 = 74

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 60.4 = 63

    No road tests of dry for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 77

    Wet

    Ecsta HS51 +8
    69
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51Ecsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests80≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7368

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 79.7 + 40% × 72.9 = 77

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 68 = 69

    No road tests of wet for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    58
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51Ecsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online–50

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 49.8 = 58

    No road tests of snow for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 69

    Comfort

    Ecsta HS51 +3
    66
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51Ecsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6965

    Ecsta HS51: 40% × 69.1 (est.) + 60% × 68.8 = 69

    Ecsta PS31: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 64.6 = 66

    No road tests of comfort for Ecsta HS51 or Ecsta PS31. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 66

    Noise

    Ecsta PS31 +1
    67
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51Ecsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests65≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)67

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 65.2 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 66

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 66.6 = 67

    No owner ratings of noise for Ecsta HS51. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): 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 PS31. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Ecsta HS51 +5
    65
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51Ecsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests73≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6565

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 73.4 + 40% × 64.9 = 70

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 69

    Handling (owners)

    Level
    69
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51Ecsta PS31
    Reviews found online6969
  8. 57

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51Ecsta PS31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests57–
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho Ecsta HS51Kumho Ecsta PS31
Relative Score 73 66
Dry 74 63
Wet 77 69
Snow – 58
Comfort 69 66
Noise 66 67
Treadwear 70 65
Handling (owners) 69 69
Efficiency 57 –

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
± 5

Ecsta HS51

± 7

Ecsta PS31

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 HS51

Pros

  • Impressive wet and dry weather traction
  • Excellent value for money compared to tier-one premium brands
  • Low road noise and enhanced ride comfort

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can cause a wobbly or loose feeling during aggressive cornering
  • Some users experienced faster-than-expected tread wear on the front axle
  • Occasional complaints regarding poor steering feedback and high-speed handling at the limit
All owner themes in the Ecsta HS51 review

Tire B Ecsta PS31

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • High levels of ride comfort and low road noise
  • Strong dry traction for daily and spirited street driving

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls lead to vague steering response and 'squirm' during aggressive maneuvers
  • Inconsistent wet weather performance reported by some users, particularly in deep standing water
  • Tread life can be shorter than expected for some driving styles
All owner themes in the Ecsta PS31 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta HS51 B · Kumho Ecsta PS31
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available2721
Rim diameters14″ – 18″15″ – 18″
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG—460 A A
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi
Sizes in common77

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Ecsta HS51

Kumho Ecsta PS31

Winner: Kumho Ecsta HS51 — better dry, wet and treadwear. Where the Kumho Ecsta PS31 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 74 vs 63 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 77 vs 69 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 70 vs 65 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 69 vs 66 on comfort.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta HS51
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PS31
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Ecsta HS51 or Ecsta PS31?

Which is better in the wet, Ecsta HS51 or Ecsta PS31?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 77 vs 69 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta HS51 or Ecsta PS31?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 74 vs 63 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, Ecsta HS51 or Ecsta PS31?

Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 67 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Ecsta HS51 or Ecsta PS31?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 69 vs 66 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ecsta HS51 or Ecsta PS31?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 70 vs 65 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