Tests – · 1 test Owners 70 · 165 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Kumho Ecsta PA51 vs Laufenn S FIT AS — 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 + 1 road tests and 165 + 16 owner reviews. How we score
Ecsta PA51 is ahead, 69–60
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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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69
Dry
Ecsta PA51 +960Why this score
Source Ecsta PA51 S FIT AS Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 63 (est.) Reviews found online 70 55 Ecsta PA51: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 69.9 = 69
S FIT AS: 60% × 62.7 (est.) + 40% × 55.3 = 60
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 0.41).
No road tests of dry for S FIT AS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
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71
Wet
Ecsta PA51 +1358Why this score
Source Ecsta PA51 S FIT AS Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 71 (est.) ≈ 61 (est.) Reviews found online 71 54 Ecsta PA51: 60% × 71.1 (est.) + 40% × 71.4 = 71
S FIT AS: 60% × 61.4 (est.) + 40% × 53.7 = 58
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).
No road tests of wet for S FIT AS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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64
Snow
Ecsta PA51 +1450Why this score
Source Ecsta PA51 S FIT AS Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 60 (est.) Reviews found online 59 37 Ecsta PA51: 60% × 67 (est.) + 40% × 59.3 = 64
S FIT AS: 60% × 59.7 (est.) + 40% × 36.6 = 50
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 0.32).
No road tests of snow for S FIT AS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
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66
Comfort
Ecsta PA51 +561Why this score
Source Ecsta PA51 S FIT AS Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 65 58 Ecsta PA51: 40% × 67.9 (est.) + 60% × 64.7 = 66
S FIT AS: 40% × 66.5 (est.) + 60% × 57.9 = 61
No road tests of comfort for Ecsta PA51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
No road tests of comfort for S FIT AS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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69
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Ecsta PA51 S FIT AS Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) – Reviews found online 74 – Ecsta PA51: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 74 = 69
No road tests of noise for Ecsta PA51. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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72
Treadwear
Ecsta PA51 +567Why this score
Source Ecsta PA51 S FIT AS Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 70 75 Reviews found online 74 56 Tested Tread Life (Miles) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 67% 80% Ecsta PA51: 60% × 69.9 + 40% × 74.4 = 72
S FIT AS: 60% × 74.9 + 40% × 56.4 = 67
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67
Handling (owners)
Ecsta PA51 +1255Why this score
Source Ecsta PA51 S FIT AS Reviews found online 67 55
Scores at a glance
| Category | Kumho Ecsta PA51 | Laufenn S FIT AS |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 69 | 60 |
| Dry | 69 | 60 |
| Wet | 71 | 58 |
| Snow | 64 | 50 |
| Comfort | 66 | 61 |
| Noise | 69 | – |
| Treadwear | 72 | 67 |
| Handling (owners) | 67 | 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 and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. 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.
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
69
/ 100
Ecsta PA51
60
/ 100
S FIT AS
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.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Kumho Ecsta PA51 finished ahead 1 times and Laufenn S FIT AS 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | Ecsta PA51 | S FIT AS | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Tread Life (Miles) | Treadwear | 67% | 80% | −13.3 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires · 225/40R18 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #7/19 | #15/19 | – | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires · 225/40R18 |
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
Tire B S FIT AS
Pros
- Exceptional value for the price compared to ultra-budget alternatives
- Very quiet and comfortable ride quality
- Good grip and handling in dry conditions
Cons
- Subpar wet-weather grip, with tendencies to lose traction easily under acceleration
- Wet performance degrades noticeably after 50% wear
- Concerns regarding rapid tread wear or limited lifespan
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Kumho Ecsta PA51 | B · Laufenn S FIT AS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 13 | — |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 19″ | — |
| Tread depth | 10.5/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 500 A A | 500 A A |
| Treadwear warranty | 45,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
69
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta PA51
60
/ 100
Laufenn S FIT AS
Winner: Kumho Ecsta PA51 — better snow, wet and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score. Laufenn S FIT AS rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 16 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 64 vs 50 on snow.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 71 vs 58 on wet.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 67 vs 55 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 69 vs 60 on dry.
Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PA51
Tire B · Laufenn S FIT AS
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Ecsta PA51 or S FIT AS?
Which is better in the wet, Ecsta PA51 or S FIT AS?
Kumho Ecsta PA51, 71 vs 58 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta PA51 or S FIT AS?
Kumho Ecsta PA51, 69 vs 60 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Ecsta PA51 or S FIT AS?
Kumho Ecsta PA51, 64 vs 50 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Ecsta PA51 or S FIT AS?
Kumho Ecsta PA51, 66 vs 61 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Ecsta PA51 or S FIT AS?
Kumho Ecsta PA51, 72 vs 67 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