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Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Ecsta PA51 vs Hankook Kinergy 4S — 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 1 + 3 road tests and 165 + 13 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta PA51 leads, 70–67 Narrow edge

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Kumho Ecsta PA51
Tire AKumho

Ecsta PA51

All Season

± 8

Tests – · 1 test Owners 70 · 165 reviews

Hankook Kinergy 4S
Tire BHankook

Kinergy 4S

All Season

± 8

Tests 67 · 3 tests Owners 68 · 13 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 11 in 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 70

    Dry

    Ecsta PA51 +1
    69
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 69 (est.)70
    Reviews found online7069

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 69 (est.) + 40% × 70.3 = 70

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 69.7 + 40% × 68.5 = 69

    No road tests of dry for Ecsta PA51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 71

    Wet

    Kinergy 4S +2
    73
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 71 (est.)74
    Reviews found online7271

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 71.6 = 71

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 74.1 + 40% × 71.1 = 73

    No road tests of wet for Ecsta PA51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 64

    Snow

    Kinergy 4S +6
    70
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 67 (est.)66
    Reviews found online6076

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 66.7 (est.) + 40% × 59.8 = 64

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 66.2 + 40% × 76 = 70

    No road tests of snow for Ecsta PA51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 67

    Comfort

    Level
    67
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6567

    Ecsta PA51: 40% × 68.4 (est.) + 60% × 65.4 = 67

    Kinergy 4S: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 66.5 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for Ecsta PA51 or Kinergy 4S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 70

    Noise

    Ecsta PA51 +10
    60
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 67 (est.)56
    Reviews found online74≈ 67 (est.)

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 74.2 = 70

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 56.2 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 60

    No road tests of noise for Ecsta PA51. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    No owner ratings of noise for Kinergy 4S. 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.

  6. 72

    Treadwear

    Ecsta PA51 +10
    62
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests7062
    Reviews found online7462

    Ecsta PA51: 60% × 69.8 + 40% × 74.2 = 72

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 62.4 + 40% × 62 = 62

  7. 68

    Handling (owners)

    Ecsta PA51 +4
    64
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Kinergy 4S
    Reviews found online6864
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA51Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests–67
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho Ecsta PA51Hankook Kinergy 4S
Relative Score 70 67
Dry 70 69
Wet 71 73
Snow 64 70
Comfort 67 67
Noise 70 60
Treadwear 72 62
Handling (owners) 68 64
Efficiency – 67

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.

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

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Ecsta PA51

± 8

Kinergy 4S

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.

DisciplineCategoryEcsta PA51Kinergy 4SΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #7/19 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires #12/30 2025 All Season 30 Tyre Braking Test – 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 Kinergy 4S

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and stability in wet and torrential rain conditions
  • Strong performance in snow and slush, often cited as a viable alternative to dedicated winter tires
  • High value-for-money proposition compared to premium competitors

Cons

  • Reports of premature tread wear and shorter-than-expected service life
  • Inconsistent dry-road handling and feedback compared to dedicated summer tires
  • Occasional reports of poor traction on greasy or specific wet road surfaces
All owner themes in the Kinergy 4S review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta PA51 B · Hankook Kinergy 4S
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available1367
Rim diameters16″ – 19″13″ – 18″
Tread depth10.5/32″—
UTQG500 A A—
Treadwear warranty45,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—
Sizes in common66

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Ecsta PA51

Hankook Kinergy 4S

Narrow edge: Kumho Ecsta PA51 — better noise and treadwear. Pick the Hankook Kinergy 4S if snow matters most to you.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 70 vs 60 on noise.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 72 vs 62 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 70 vs 64 on snow.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PA51
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Tire B · Hankook Kinergy 4S
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Ecsta PA51 or Kinergy 4S?

Which is better in the wet, Ecsta PA51 or Kinergy 4S?

Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 73 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta PA51 or Kinergy 4S?

Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 69 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, Ecsta PA51 or Kinergy 4S?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 70 vs 64 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Ecsta PA51 or Kinergy 4S?

Kumho Ecsta PA51, 70 vs 60 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Ecsta PA51 or Kinergy 4S?

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

Which lasts longer, Ecsta PA51 or Kinergy 4S?

Kumho Ecsta PA51, 72 vs 62 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