Tests – · none yet Owners 63 · 259 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Kumho Ecsta PS31 vs Sumitomo HTR Z III — 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 + 1 road tests and 259 + 42 owner reviews. How we score
Ecsta PS31 leads, 65–61 Narrow edge
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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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63
Dry
HTR Z III +568Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 HTR Z III Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 60 68 Ecsta PS31: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 60.4 = 63
HTR Z III: 60% × 67.9 (est.) + 40% × 67.6 = 68
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).
No road tests of dry for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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69
Wet
Ecsta PS31 +663Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 HTR Z III Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 68 61 Ecsta PS31: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 68 = 69
HTR Z III: 60% × 65.1 (est.) + 40% × 60.6 = 63
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).
No road tests of wet for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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58
Snow
Ecsta PS31 +2236Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 HTR Z III Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 63 (est.) ≈ 50 (est.) Reviews found online 50 14 Ecsta PS31: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 49.8 = 58
HTR Z III: 60% × 49.7 (est.) + 40% × 14.4 = 36
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).
No road tests of snow for HTR Z III. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
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66
Comfort
Level66Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 HTR Z III Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 65 65 Ecsta PS31: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 64.6 = 66
HTR Z III: 40% × 68.4 (est.) + 60% × 65 = 66
No road tests of comfort for Ecsta PS31 or HTR Z III. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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67
Noise
Ecsta PS31 +265Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 HTR Z III Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 67 63 Ecsta PS31: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 66.7 = 67
HTR Z III: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 62.6 = 65
No road tests of noise for Ecsta PS31 or HTR Z III. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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65
Treadwear
HTR Z III +166Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 HTR Z III Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 66 (est.) 70 Reviews found online 65 59 Ecsta PS31: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 64.9 = 65
HTR Z III: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 59 = 66
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).
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69
Handling (owners)
Ecsta PS31 +366Why this score
Source Ecsta PS31 HTR Z III Reviews found online 69 66
Scores at a glance
| Category | Kumho Ecsta PS31 | Sumitomo HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 65 | 61 |
| Dry | 63 | 68 |
| Wet | 69 | 63 |
| Snow | 58 | 36 |
| Comfort | 66 | 66 |
| Noise | 67 | 65 |
| Treadwear | 65 | 66 |
| Handling (owners) | 69 | 66 |
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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
65
/ 100
Ecsta PS31
61
/ 100
HTR Z III
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 HTR Z III
Pros
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio
- Strong dry handling and steering feedback
- Quiet and comfortable ride quality
Cons
- Inconsistent wet-weather side grip during cornering
- Limited traction under heavy acceleration on high-horsepower vehicles
- Not suitable for winter or freezing conditions
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Kumho Ecsta PS31 | B · Sumitomo HTR Z III |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 21 | 1 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 18″ | 19″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | 460 A A | 300 A A |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | 50 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
65
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta PS31
61
/ 100
Sumitomo HTR Z III
Narrow edge: Kumho Ecsta PS31 — better snow and wet. Pick the Sumitomo HTR Z III if dry matters most to you.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Kumho Ecsta PS31 scores 58 vs 36 on snow.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Kumho Ecsta PS31 scores 69 vs 63 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Sumitomo HTR Z III scores 68 vs 63 on dry.
Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PS31
Tire B · Sumitomo HTR Z III
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Ecsta PS31 or HTR Z III?
Which is better in the wet, Ecsta PS31 or HTR Z III?
Kumho Ecsta PS31, 69 vs 63 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta PS31 or HTR Z III?
Sumitomo HTR Z III, 68 vs 63 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Ecsta PS31 or HTR Z III?
Kumho Ecsta PS31, 58 vs 36 on our snow score.
Which is quieter, Ecsta PS31 or HTR Z III?
Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 65 on the noise score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, Ecsta PS31 or HTR Z III?
Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 66 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, Ecsta PS31 or HTR Z III?
Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 66 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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