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Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Ecsta PA31 vs Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical — 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 0 + 0 road tests and 23 + 502 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta PA31 is ahead, 63–33

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Kumho Ecsta PA31
Tire AKumho

Ecsta PA31

All Season Ultra High Performance tires

Tests – · none yet Owners 60 · 23 reviews

Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
Tire BDunlop

SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical

All-Season tire

Tests – · none yet Owners 15 · 502 reviews

“I also found last night that this tire in my size (195/65R15) is the OEM tire for the 2009 Honda Civic DX-VP (and probably other configurations and model years close to that).”

Category by category

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

  1. 63

    Dry

    Ecsta PA31 +33
    30
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)≈ 44 (est.)
    Reviews found online6110

    Ecsta PA31: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 60.5 = 63

    SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 43.7 (est.) + 40% × 10 = 30

    No road tests of dry for Ecsta PA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 67

    Wet

    Ecsta PA31 +34
    33
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 42 (est.)
    Reviews found online6619

    Ecsta PA31: 60% × 68.1 (est.) + 40% × 66 = 67

    SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 42.2 (est.) + 40% × 19.1 = 33

    No road tests of wet for Ecsta PA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 59

    Snow

    Ecsta PA31 +19
    40
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 52 (est.)
    Reviews found online5221

    Ecsta PA31: 60% × 63.8 (est.) + 40% × 52 = 59

    SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 52.3 (est.) + 40% × 21.4 = 40

    No road tests of snow for Ecsta PA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

    No road tests of snow for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 59

    Comfort

    Ecsta PA31 +30
    29
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 58 (est.)
    Reviews found online5510

    Ecsta PA31: 40% × 66.4 (est.) + 60% × 54.5 = 59

    SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 40% × 58.3 (est.) + 60% × 10 = 29

    No road tests of comfort for Ecsta PA31 or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 67

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online67–

    Ecsta PA31: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 67.2 = 67

    No road tests of noise for Ecsta PA31. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 61

    Treadwear

    Ecsta PA31 +26
    35
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 48 (est.)
    Reviews found online5815

    Ecsta PA31: 60% × 63.4 (est.) + 40% × 58.3 = 61

    SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical: 60% × 48.2 (est.) + 40% × 14.6 = 35

    No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta PA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 55

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
    Reviews found online55–
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho Ecsta PA31Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
Relative Score 63 33
Dry 63 30
Wet 67 33
Snow 59 40
Comfort 59 29
Noise 67 –
Treadwear 61 35
Handling (owners) 55 –

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
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

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

Recomputed
Headline score

Ecsta PA31

SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical

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 PA31

Pros

  • Affordable price and high overall value
  • Smooth and quiet ride quality
  • Strong wet-weather grip and confidence

Cons

  • Tendency to develop temporary flat spots when parked for a few days
  • Occasional durability issues such as sidewall bubbles reported by some users
  • Not intended for high-performance track use or extreme grip
All owner themes in the Ecsta PA31 review

Tire B SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Kumho Ecsta PA31

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical

Mixed

Community members generally consider the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical an acceptable OEM tire with attractive budget pricing when found on sale. While users appreciate its overall performance, ride comfort, and noise levels, concerns are raised regarding rapid treadwear and limited expected mileage.

bobistheoilguy.com ·2010-04-06

“I also found last night that this tire in my size (195/65R15) is the OEM tire for the 2009 Honda Civic DX-VP (and probably other configurations and model years close to that).”
Top themes
#Affordable pricing#OEM fitment#Poor treadwear#Expected tire lifespan#Ride comfort and noise

Based on 5 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta PA31 B · Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
CategoryAll Season Ultra High Performance tiresAll-Season tire
Vehicle typePassenger Car / Crossover—
Sizes available7—
Rim diameters15″ – 18″—
Tread depth11/32″—
UTQG500 A A—
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure50 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Ecsta PA31

Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical

Winner: Kumho Ecsta PA31 — better wet, dry and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta PA31 scores 67 vs 33 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta PA31 scores 63 vs 30 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Ecsta PA31 scores 59 vs 29 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta PA31 scores 61 vs 35 on treadwear.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PA31
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Tire B · Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical
Check price on Amazon

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Ecsta PA31 or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

Which is better in the wet, Ecsta PA31 or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

Kumho Ecsta PA31, 67 vs 33 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta PA31 or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

Kumho Ecsta PA31, 63 vs 30 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Ecsta PA31 or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

Kumho Ecsta PA31, 59 vs 40 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Ecsta PA31 or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

Kumho Ecsta PA31, 59 vs 29 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ecsta PA31 or SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical?

Kumho Ecsta PA31, 61 vs 35 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