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Yokohama C Drive looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Ecsta PS71 vs Yokohama C Drive — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 14 + 0 road tests and 8,168 + 45 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta PS71 leads, 73–71 Narrow edge

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Kumho Ecsta PS71
Tire AKumho

Ecsta PS71

Summer

Tests 67 · 14 tests Owners 69 · 8,168 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 18 in 2025 ADAC Summer Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)

“Those are Kumho Ecsta PS71s, thread width is supposed to be 245mm, the actual one is hardly 235. How so?”

Yokohama C Drive
Tire BYokohama

C Drive

Summer

Tests – · none yet Owners 72 · 45 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 75

    Dry

    Ecsta PS71 +4
    71
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71C Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / – tests77≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7173

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 77.3 + 40% × 71 = 75

    C Drive: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 73.3 = 71

    No road tests of dry for C Drive. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 84

    Wet

    Ecsta PS71 +10
    74
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71C Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / – tests91≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online7375

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 90.9 + 40% × 73.1 = 84

    C Drive: 60% × 72.8 (est.) + 40% × 75.2 = 74

    No road tests of wet for C Drive. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 71

    Comfort

    C Drive +1
    72
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71C Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests75≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6574

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 75.2 + 40% × 64.8 = 71

    C Drive: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 74.3 = 72

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

  4. 36

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71C Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests15–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)–

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 15.5 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 36

    No owner ratings of noise for Ecsta PS71. 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.

  5. 52

    Treadwear

    C Drive +14
    66
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71C Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests45≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6367

    Ecsta PS71: 60% × 45.1 + 40% × 62.5 = 52

    C Drive: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 66.5 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for C Drive. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  6. 71

    Handling (owners)

    C Drive +1
    72
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PS71C Drive
    Reviews found online7172
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho Ecsta PS71Yokohama C Drive
Relative Score 73 71
Dry 75 71
Wet 84 74
Comfort 71 72
Noise 36 –
Treadwear 52 66
Handling (owners) 71 72

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
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.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Ecsta PS71

C Drive

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 PS71

Pros

  • Outstanding wet weather grip and aquaplaning resistance
  • High value for money compared to tier-one premium brands
  • Predictable handling and solid cornering stability in both dry and wet conditions

Cons

  • Noticeable road noise or droning at motorway speeds on certain vehicles
  • Occasional reports of balancing difficulties or out-of-round/egg-shaped tires
  • Softer sidewalls can lead to slightly vague steering response around center or tread block movement
All owner themes in the Ecsta PS71 review

Tire B C Drive

Pros

  • Excellent wet weather traction and hydroplaning resistance
  • High levels of ride comfort and low road noise
  • Predictable, progressive handling characteristics

Cons

  • Inconsistent tread life reports ranging from premature wear to high mileage
  • Some users report increased noise and stiffness as the tire ages
  • Mixed feedback on dry grip performance under aggressive driving conditions
All owner themes in the C Drive review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Kumho Ecsta PS71

Positive

Community sentiment towards the Kumho Ecsta PS71 is generally positive, with drivers viewing it as an affordable, high-value mid-range/UHP tire that performs reliably compared to premium brands. Users praise its wet grip rating, competitive pricing, and overall road manners once warmed up, though some note it provides adequate rather than top-tier grip and raise questions regarding cold performance and tread life.

r/tires ·5 upvotes ·2022-10-17

“Those are Kumho Ecsta PS71s, thread width is supposed to be 245mm, the actual one is hardly 235. How so?”
z4-forum.com ·2023-01-29

“Not exactly helpful but I've got Hankook winter tyres on my 330i and they're really good. mr wilks on here recommend Kumho Ecstas a couple of times so I got a set for my MC and I've been very pleased with them. And I got a set for £400 from Black Circles! ETA My Kumho Ecstas are also PS71.”
r/TyreReviews ·2 upvotes ·2024-10-25

“I've had the PS71 several years ago - it was ok, nothing spectacular. They might have changed the compound now, so it may be better. Its a good tire, I don't remember any real weaknesses, it just never felt like "yeah, this sticks like glue to the road". Edit: I just remembered - it was mediocre in the city - when the tire was not warmed up, but I reckon this is shared between most sport tires with high speed rating. Once warmed up was good.”
Top themes
#Value for money#Wet grip performance#UHP budget alternative#Tread wear durability#Warm-up temperature behavior#Tire pressure specifications

Based on 24 community posts

Tire B

Yokohama C Drive

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta PS71 B · Yokohama C Drive
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available133—
Rim diameters16″ – 22″—
SidewallBlackwall—

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Ecsta PS71

Yokohama C Drive

Narrow edge: Kumho Ecsta PS71 — better wet and dry. Pick the Yokohama C Drive if treadwear matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Yokohama C Drive scores 66 vs 52 on treadwear.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta PS71 scores 84 vs 74 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta PS71 scores 75 vs 71 on dry.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PS71
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Tire B · Yokohama C Drive
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Ecsta PS71 or C Drive?

Which is better in the wet, Ecsta PS71 or C Drive?

Kumho Ecsta PS71, 84 vs 74 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta PS71 or C Drive?

Kumho Ecsta PS71, 75 vs 71 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Ecsta PS71 or C Drive?

Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 72 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Ecsta PS71 or C Drive?

Yokohama C Drive, 66 vs 52 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