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Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Ecsta PA51 vs General Altimax Sport — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Altimax Sport leads, 70–68 Narrow edge

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Tire AKumho

Ecsta PA51

All Season

Tests – · 1 test Owners 67 · 165 reviews

Best test result: #7 of 19 in 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires (overall ranking)

Tire BGeneral

Altimax Sport

Summer

Tests 68 · 1 test Owners 71 · 32 reviews

Best test result: #34 of 50 in 2016 Market Overview - Braking Test (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 68

    Dry

    Ecsta PA51 +3
    65
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Altimax Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)–64
    Reviews found online6868
  2. 68

    Wet

    Altimax Sport +5
    73
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Altimax Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)–72
    Reviews found online6773
  3. 62

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Altimax Sport
    Reviews found online57–
  4. 66

    Comfort

    Altimax Sport +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Altimax Sport
    Reviews found online6370
  5. 69

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Altimax Sport
    Reviews found online72–
  6. 71

    Treadwear

    Ecsta PA51 +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Altimax Sport
    Professional tests (TWG score)70–
    Reviews found online7273
  7. 66

    Handling

    Altimax Sport +6
    72
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Altimax Sport
    Reviews found online6672
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho Ecsta PA51General Altimax Sport
Relative Score 68 70
Dry 68 65
Wet 68 73
Snow 62 –
Comfort 66 70
Noise 69 –
Treadwear 71 70
Handling 66 72

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
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Important
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Neutral
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
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Less important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Ecsta PA51

Altimax Sport

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryEcsta PA51Altimax SportΔBoth?
Overall Ranking Overall 67% #7/19 · 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires 3% #34/50 · 2016 Market Overview - Braking Test +63.7 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Ecsta PA51

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • Strong dry pavement traction and cornering grip
  • Quiet and smooth ride quality

Cons

  • Inconsistent performance in heavy rain or standing water
  • Some reports of increased road noise over time
  • Limited availability in certain niche sizes
All owner themes in the Ecsta PA51 review

Tire B Altimax Sport

Pros

  • Excellent value for money compared to premium brands
  • Impressive tread life and durability
  • Reliable dry-weather handling and responsiveness

Cons

  • Increased road noise as the tire ages
  • Inconsistent wet-weather grip for some users
  • Performance degradation noted after significant mileage
All owner themes in the Altimax Sport review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta PA51 B · General Altimax Sport
CategoryAll SeasonSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available1320
Rim diameters16″ – 19″14″ – 20″
Tread depth10.5/32″—
UTQG500 A A—
Treadwear warranty45,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Ecsta PA51

General Altimax Sport

Winner: General Altimax Sport — better handling, wet and comfort. Pick the Kumho Ecsta PA51 if dry matters most to you.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

General Altimax Sport scores 72 vs 66 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

General Altimax Sport scores 73 vs 68 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

General Altimax Sport scores 70 vs 66 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 68 vs 65 on dry.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PA51
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · General Altimax Sport
Check price on Amazon

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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

70

Narrow edge

Altimax Sport

Amazon