Tests – · none yet Owners 64 · 259 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Kumho Ecsta PS31 vs Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 80–66
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Tests 84 · 21 tests Owners 75 · 12,676 reviews
“Wow! You burn rubber. I totally appreciate what you’ve said and on my old e60 I ran both contis D06 and Michelins ps4 for 3 sets each. Both different feel and wear. Contis lasted longer but didn’t feel as nice as PS4. Now I’m in another BMW and cannot rotate the same way with a staggered wheel size. I’m in NC, when I drove PS4, in cold weather, they wore out quickly. They are a summer tire for sure, but I will use a slightly higher pressure to lengthen service life. That camber is rough on the inner tire shoulder / tread and the all season contains held up better there.”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
64
Dry
Pilot Sport 4 +2185Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 Pilot Sport 4 Professional tests (TWG score) – 87 Reviews found online 63 81 -
69
Wet
Pilot Sport 4 +1887Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 Pilot Sport 4 Professional tests (TWG score) – 90 Reviews found online 68 81 -
57
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 Pilot Sport 4 Reviews found online 49 – -
67
Comfort
Pilot Sport 4 +1178Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 Pilot Sport 4 Professional tests (TWG score) – 83 Reviews found online 65 71 -
66
Noise
Pilot Sport 4 +874Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 Pilot Sport 4 Professional tests (TWG score) – 76 Reviews found online 66 72 -
65
Treadwear
Pilot Sport 4 +570Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 Pilot Sport 4 Professional tests (TWG score) – 76 Reviews found online 65 61 -
67
Handling
Pilot Sport 4 +1178Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 Pilot Sport 4 Reviews found online 67 78
Scores at a glance
| Category | Kumho Ecsta PS31 | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 66 | 80 |
| Dry | 64 | 85 |
| Wet | 69 | 87 |
| Snow | 57 | – |
| Comfort | 67 | 78 |
| Noise | 66 | 74 |
| Treadwear | 65 | 70 |
| Handling | 67 | 78 |
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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Neutral
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
Less important
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score
66
/ 100
Ecsta PS31
80
/ 100
Pilot Sport 4
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
Tire B Pilot Sport 4
Pros
- Exceptional wet and dry traction with outstanding resistance to aquaplaning
- Noticeable improvement in ride comfort and a reduction in cabin noise compared to standard run-flat tires
- Progressive and predictable breakaway limits during spirited driving
Cons
- Faster-than-average treadwear, particularly under aggressive driving or on rear-wheel-drive performance cars
- Softer sidewalls can lead to a slight lack of initial steering precision and a vague feel at the limit for hardcore enthusiasts
- Performance drops off significantly in cold, freezing, or snowy winter conditions
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Kumho Ecsta PS31
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Community opinion on the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 (and PS4S) is overwhelmingly positive, with users frequently praising the massive grip, excellent steering feel, and dramatic improvements in ride quality compared to OEM run-flats. While some note that they wear out relatively quickly and can be noisy on highways or sensitive to cold temperatures (below 40°F), they are widely considered a top-tier performance tire for both daily driving and spirited use.
r/wrx_vb
·3 upvotes ·2025-04-10
“I switched to ps4s. Sidewall is a little softer so they have a more comfortable ride at the expense of a little numbness during normal driving. Grip limits seem pretty similar. Ps4s should last longer. We'll see. Would buy again over stock dunlops.”
r/GR86
·20 upvotes ·2023-07-13
“PS4 tires for sale (OEM 18” takeoffs) I’ve got some PS4 take offs for sale. Only 2000 miles on them. Asking $400. Located in Boulder Colorado area. Willing to meet up within a few hundred miles. No tears, plugs or curbing. Read more”
r/JettaGLI
·59 upvotes ·2026-09-27
“Reminder: Tires are the key to this car Just replaced my Michelin Pilot Sport 4 AS tires with a new set ahead of the rainy season. Lasted 36K miles. It was the best mod to the car and a fresh set reminded just how good a brand new set is. The car is glued to the road, riding wonderfully smooth and quiet. Spend the money, get the best tires for you. The tune can wait. And it will need it.”
Top themes
#Exceptional grip and handling#Ride quality and noise#Tread life and wear#Cold weather limitations#PS4 vs PS4S comparison#Run-flat replacement upgrade
Based on 122 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Kumho Ecsta PS31 | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 21 | 62 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 18″ | 16″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 460 A A | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
66
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta PS31
80
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — better dry, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 85 vs 64 on dry.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 87 vs 69 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 67 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 78 vs 67 on handling.
Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PS31
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4
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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.