Tests 75 · 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 Solus Vier KH21 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Kumho Ecsta HS51 vs Kumho Solus Vier KH21 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 6 + 0 road tests and 1,663 + 5 owner reviews. How we score
Ecsta HS51 is ahead, 73–65
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Tests – · none yet Owners 60 · 5 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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74
Dry
Ecsta HS51 +866Why this score
Source Ecsta HS51 Solus Vier KH21 Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests 76 ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 71 65 Ecsta HS51: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 70.5 = 74
Solus Vier KH21: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 64.6 = 66
No road tests of dry for Solus Vier KH21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).
-
76
Wet
Ecsta HS51 +571Why this score
Source Ecsta HS51 Solus Vier KH21 Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests 79 ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 73 71 Ecsta HS51: 60% × 79 + 40% × 72.7 = 76
Solus Vier KH21: 60% × 70.4 (est.) + 40% × 70.9 = 71
No road tests of wet for Solus Vier KH21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).
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69
Comfort
Ecsta HS51 +762Why this score
Source Ecsta HS51 Solus Vier KH21 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 69 54 Ecsta HS51: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 69.1 = 69
Solus Vier KH21: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 54.1 = 62
No road tests of comfort for Ecsta HS51 or Solus Vier KH21. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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66
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Ecsta HS51 Solus Vier KH21 Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests 65 – Reviews found online ≈ 67 (est.) – Ecsta HS51: 60% × 65.2 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 66
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.
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70
Treadwear
Ecsta HS51 +1555Why this score
Source Ecsta HS51 Solus Vier KH21 Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests 73 ≈ 60 (est.) Reviews found online 65 47 Ecsta HS51: 60% × 72.7 + 40% × 64.9 = 70
Solus Vier KH21: 60% × 59.8 (est.) + 40% × 46.6 = 55
No road tests of treadwear for Solus Vier KH21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
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68
Handling (owners)
Ecsta HS51 +365Why this score
Source Ecsta HS51 Solus Vier KH21 Reviews found online 68 65
Scores at a glance
| Category | Kumho Ecsta HS51 | Kumho Solus Vier KH21 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 73 | 65 |
| Dry | 74 | 66 |
| Wet | 76 | 71 |
| Comfort | 69 | 62 |
| Noise | 66 | – |
| Treadwear | 70 | 55 |
| Handling (owners) | 68 | 65 |
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
73
/ 100
Ecsta HS51
65
/ 100
Solus Vier KH21
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 | Ecsta HS51 | Solus Vier KH21 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #3/11 2021 Autonavigator Summer Tire Test R16 | #9/9 2011 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
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
Tire B Solus Vier KH21
Pros
- Cost-effective pricing compared to premium alternatives
- Certified for winter use with the mountain and snowflake symbol
- Reliable grip and handling characteristics when tires are new
Cons
- Rapid and uneven tread wear, particularly on front axles
- Increased road noise and reduced comfort as the rubber compound hardens over time
- Susceptibility to balancing issues and structural deformation
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Kumho Ecsta HS51 | B · Kumho Solus Vier KH21 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 27 | — |
| Rim diameters | 14″ – 18″ | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
73
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta HS51
65
/ 100
Kumho Solus Vier KH21
Winner: Kumho Ecsta HS51 — better treadwear, dry and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Kumho Solus Vier KH21 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 70 vs 55 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 74 vs 66 on dry.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 69 vs 62 on comfort.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 76 vs 71 on wet.
Tire A · Kumho Ecsta HS51
Tire B · Kumho Solus Vier KH21
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Ecsta HS51 or Solus Vier KH21?
Which is better in the wet, Ecsta HS51 or Solus Vier KH21?
Kumho Ecsta HS51, 76 vs 71 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta HS51 or Solus Vier KH21?
Kumho Ecsta HS51, 74 vs 66 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Ecsta HS51 or Solus Vier KH21?
Kumho Ecsta HS51, 69 vs 62 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Ecsta HS51 or Solus Vier KH21?
Kumho Ecsta HS51, 70 vs 55 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