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Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Ecsta PS31 vs Kumho Ecsta HS51 — 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 + 6 road tests and 259 + 1,663 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta HS51 is ahead, 73–66

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Kumho Ecsta PS31
Tire AKumho

Ecsta PS31

Summer

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 63 · 259 reviews

Kumho Ecsta HS51
Tire BKumho

Ecsta HS51

Summer

± 5

Tests 76 · 6 tests Owners 69 · 1,663 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test (wet handling)

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 HS51 +11
    74
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 65 (est.)77
    Reviews found online6071

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 60.4 = 63

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 76.6 + 40% × 70.9 = 74

    No road tests of dry for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 69

    Wet

    Ecsta HS51 +8
    77
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 69 (est.)80
    Reviews found online6873

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 68 = 69

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 79.7 + 40% × 72.9 = 77

    No road tests of wet for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 58

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)–
    Reviews found online50–

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 49.8 = 58

    No road tests of snow for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 66

    Comfort

    Ecsta HS51 +3
    69
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6569

    Ecsta PS31: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 64.6 = 66

    Ecsta HS51: 40% × 69.1 (est.) + 60% × 68.8 = 69

    No road tests of comfort for Ecsta PS31 or Ecsta HS51. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 67

    Noise

    Ecsta PS31 +1
    66
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 67 (est.)65
    Reviews found online67≈ 67 (est.)

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 66.6 = 67

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 65.2 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 66

    No road tests of noise for Ecsta PS31. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    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.

  6. 65

    Treadwear

    Ecsta HS51 +5
    70
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 66 (est.)73
    Reviews found online6565

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 65

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 73.4 + 40% × 64.9 = 70

    No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta PS31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 69

    Handling (owners)

    Level
    69
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Ecsta HS51
    Reviews found online6969
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    57
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Ecsta HS51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests–57
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho Ecsta PS31Kumho Ecsta HS51
Relative Score 66 73
Dry 63 74
Wet 69 77
Snow 58 –
Comfort 66 69
Noise 67 66
Treadwear 65 70
Handling (owners) 69 69
Efficiency – 57

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

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

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not 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
± 7

Ecsta PS31

± 5

Ecsta HS51

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 PS31

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • High levels of ride comfort and low road noise
  • Strong dry traction for daily and spirited street driving

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls lead to vague steering response and 'squirm' during aggressive maneuvers
  • Inconsistent wet weather performance reported by some users, particularly in deep standing water
  • Tread life can be shorter than expected for some driving styles
All owner themes in the Ecsta PS31 review

Tire B 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
All owner themes in the Ecsta HS51 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta PS31 B · Kumho Ecsta HS51
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available2127
Rim diameters15″ – 18″14″ – 18″
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG460 A A—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—
Sizes in common77

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Ecsta PS31

Kumho Ecsta HS51

Winner: Kumho Ecsta HS51 — better dry, wet and treadwear. Where the Kumho Ecsta PS31 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 74 vs 63 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 77 vs 69 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 70 vs 65 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 69 vs 66 on comfort.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PS31
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta HS51
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Ecsta PS31 or Ecsta HS51?

Which is better in the wet, Ecsta PS31 or Ecsta HS51?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 77 vs 69 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta PS31 or Ecsta HS51?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 74 vs 63 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, Ecsta PS31 or Ecsta HS51?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 66 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Ecsta PS31 or Ecsta HS51?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 69 vs 66 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ecsta PS31 or Ecsta HS51?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 70 vs 65 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