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Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Ecsta PS31 vs Michelin Primacy 4+ — 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 + 10 road tests and 259 + 40 owner reviews. How we score

Primacy 4+ is ahead, 77–66

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Kumho Ecsta PS31
Tire AKumho

Ecsta PS31

Summer

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 63 · 259 reviews

Michelin Primacy 4+
Tire BMichelin

Primacy 4+

Summer

± 4

Tests 85 · 10 tests Owners 71 · 40 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test (abrasion)

Category by category

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

  1. 63

    Dry

    Primacy 4+ +15
    78
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 9 tests≈ 65 (est.)82
    Reviews found online6071

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 64.6 (est.) + 40% × 59.7 = 63

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 82.4 + 40% × 71 = 78

    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 0.41).

  2. 68

    Wet

    Primacy 4+ +11
    79
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 9 tests≈ 69 (est.)82
    Reviews found online6875

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 69 (est.) + 40% × 67.6 = 68

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 82 + 40% × 74.6 = 79

    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 PS31Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)–
    Reviews found online49–

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 63.7 (est.) + 40% × 49.2 = 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 0.32).

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Primacy 4+ +6
    71
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 68 (est.)73
    Reviews found online6469

    Ecsta PS31: 40% × 67.7 (est.) + 60% × 63.9 = 65

    Primacy 4+: 40% × 72.9 + 60% × 69.4 = 71

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

  5. 66

    Noise

    Primacy 4+ +6
    72
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests≈ 66 (est.)76
    Reviews found online66≈ 66 (est.)

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.3 = 66

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 72

    No road tests of noise for Ecsta PS31. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    No owner ratings of noise for Primacy 4+. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 65

    Treadwear

    Primacy 4+ +20
    85
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 66 (est.)95
    Reviews found online6570

    Ecsta PS31: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 65

    Primacy 4+: 60% × 94.9 + 40% × 69.7 = 85

    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 0.36).

  7. 68

    Handling (owners)

    Ecsta PS31 +1
    67
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Primacy 4+
    Reviews found online6867
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    78
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS31Primacy 4+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests–78
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho Ecsta PS31Michelin Primacy 4+
Relative Score 66 77
Dry 63 78
Wet 68 79
Snow 58 –
Comfort 65 71
Noise 66 72
Treadwear 65 85
Handling (owners) 68 67
Efficiency – 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 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

± 4

Primacy 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
All owner themes in the Ecsta PS31 review

Tire B Primacy 4+

Pros

  • Strong wet and dry grip and braking confidence, often cited as a big improvement over Bridgestone, Dunlop and Nexen tyres, including on powerful cars and PHEVs that previously spun their tyres
  • Comfortable, compliant ride with soft sidewalls that suits softly sprung and family cars
  • Low and even tread wear, with several owners reporting little visible wear after 5,000–10,000 miles and one reporting about 60,000 km in hot climates

Cons

  • Road noise and drone, especially on rough asphalt, was described as severe by several owners (Skoda Yeti, Lexus), contradicting other reports of quiet running
  • Reduced grip and confidence in cold, damp conditions, with two UK owners saying the tyre behaves like a budget tyre
  • Premium pricing, with some owners questioning value when life fell short of expectations
All owner themes in the Primacy 4+ review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta PS31 B · Michelin Primacy 4+
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available2166
Rim diameters15″ – 18″16″ – 21″
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG460 A A—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—
Sizes in common1616

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Ecsta PS31

Michelin Primacy 4+

Winner: Michelin Primacy 4+ — better treadwear, dry and wet. Where the Kumho Ecsta PS31 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 85 vs 65 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 78 vs 63 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 79 vs 68 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Primacy 4+ scores 71 vs 65 on comfort.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PS31
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Tire B · Michelin Primacy 4+
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Ecsta PS31 or Primacy 4+?

Which is better in the wet, Ecsta PS31 or Primacy 4+?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 79 vs 68 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta PS31 or Primacy 4+?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 78 vs 63 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, Ecsta PS31 or Primacy 4+?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 72 vs 66 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Ecsta PS31 or Primacy 4+?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 71 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ecsta PS31 or Primacy 4+?

Michelin Primacy 4+, 85 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