Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 6 + 21 road tests and 485 + 12,721 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Sport 4 is ahead, 82–61
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Tests 77 · 6 tests Owners 42 · 485 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 11 in 2023 AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023 Summer Tire Test R18 (exterior noise)
“Putting some Kumho Ecsta PS91s on. Curious how they’ll do since my go to Falken rt660 doesn’t come in the oem 18” sizes”
Tests 85 · 21 tests Owners 76 · 12,721 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 45 in 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout (dry braking)
“Those are Pilot sport 4 (all season). If it had s after the 4 it would be the summer high performance version. I put the pilot sport 4 on wife's GTI autobahn 2016. Great handling tire, stiff side walls, not the smoothest ride but best overall.”
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Ecsta PS91 | Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / 20 tests | 77 | 89 |
| Reviews found online | 51 | 84 |
| Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 92% | 95% |
| Dry Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 97% | 98% |
Ecsta PS91: 60% × 76.7 + 40% × 51 = 66
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 89.3 + 40% × 84 = 87
| Source | Ecsta PS91 | Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / 20 tests | 79 | 93 |
| Reviews found online | 52 | 85 |
| Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 90% | 98% |
| Wet Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 96% | 100% |
Ecsta PS91: 60% × 78.8 + 40% × 51.5 = 68
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 92.6 + 40% × 84.5 = 89
| Source | Ecsta PS91 | Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 53 (est.) | – |
| Reviews found online | 15 | – |
Ecsta PS91: 60% × 53 (est.) + 40% × 15.1 = 38
No road tests of snow for Ecsta PS91. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
| Source | Ecsta PS91 | Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests | ≈ 64 (est.) | 81 |
| Reviews found online | 48 | 72 |
Ecsta PS91: 40% × 64.5 (est.) + 60% × 47.7 = 54
Pilot Sport 4: 40% × 81.2 + 60% × 71.7 = 76
No road tests of comfort for Ecsta PS91. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
| Source | Ecsta PS91 | Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 13 tests | 70 | 73 |
| Reviews found online | 50 | ≈ 66 (est.) |
Ecsta PS91: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 49.5 = 62
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 73.1 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 70
No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Sport 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.
| Source | Ecsta PS91 | Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests | ≈ 53 (est.) | 78 |
| Reviews found online | 30 | 60 |
Ecsta PS91: 60% × 53.5 (est.) + 40% × 30 = 44
Pilot Sport 4: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 59.5 = 71
No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta PS91. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
| Source | Ecsta PS91 | Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 53 | 81 |
| Source | Ecsta PS91 | Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 14 tests | 47 | 76 |
| Category | Kumho Ecsta PS91 | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 61 | 82 |
| Dry | 66 | 87 |
| Wet | 68 | 89 |
| Snow | 38 | – |
| Comfort | 54 | 76 |
| Noise | 62 | 70 |
| Treadwear | 44 | 71 |
| Handling (owners) | 53 | 81 |
| Efficiency | 47 | 76 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Ecsta PS91
Pilot Sport 4
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Kumho Ecsta PS91 finished ahead 0 times and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | Ecsta PS91 | Pilot Sport 4 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 92% | 95% | −3.0 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2017 Sport Auto UHP and Track Day Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 97% | 98% | −1.0 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2017 Sport Auto UHP and Track Day Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 70% #8/10 · 2023 AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023 Summer Tire Test R18 | 90% #2/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 | – | Different tests |
| Curved Aquaplaning | Wet | 90% #3/10 · 2023 AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023 Summer Tire Test R18 | 80% #5/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 | – | Different tests |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 80% #7/10 · 2023 AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023 Summer Tire Test R18 | 80% #2/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 | – | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 90% | 98% | −8.0 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2017 Sport Auto UHP and Track Day Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 70% #4/10 · 2023 AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023 Summer Tire Test R18 | 97% #4/10 · 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 96% | 100% | −4.0 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2017 Sport Auto UHP and Track Day Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) | Wet | 78% #6/10 · 2023 AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023 Summer Tire Test R18 | 78% #7/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 | – | Different tests |
| Wet Lateral Stability | Wet | 80% #2/10 · 2023 AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023 Summer Tire Test R18 | 70% #8/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 | – | Different tests |
| Exterior Noise | Noise | 100% #1/10 · 2023 AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023 Summer Tire Test R18 | 90% #3/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 | – | Different tests |
| Noise | Noise | 94% #8/10 · 2023 AZ UHP Summer Tyre Test | 99% #6/10 · 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 70% #5/10 · 2023 AUTO Straßenverkehr 2023 Summer Tire Test R18 | 80% #2/9 · 2022 AUTO Straßenverkehr Summer Tire Test R19 | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Price | Cost | 100% #1/10 · 2023 AZ UHP Summer Tyre Test | 66% #7/10 · 2022 Sport Auto UHP, UUHP and Semi Slick Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #10/10 | #1/10 | – | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2017 Sport Auto UHP and Track Day Test · 225/40 R18 |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
The community views the Kumho Ecsta PS91 as an attractive, budget-friendly max performance summer tire that offers decent street traction, low noise, and a tread pattern resembling higher-end options like Michelin. However, opinions are split; while some drivers praise them as a great value alternative for daily driving and light spirited use, enthusiasts note limitations regarding rapid wear, subpar track endurance, and inferior grip compared to top-tier performance tires.
“my turbo came with a set of Kumho Ecsta PS91 in the OEM widebody sizes that were around a year old and had maybe lost 15% wear. coming from someone who loves PS4S, i hated them. grip was subpar. it felt wasteful to toss them though since they were relatively new and had decent tread left so i toughed them out. i got maybe 2k miles out of the rears before they needed replacement just from normal street / occasional spirited driving. they are not a great handling tire and they are quite bad from a wear perspective as well. just buy michelin or even continental and don't look back.”
“Pretty terrible idea, the PS91 will not have the same heat capacity as the V730, so your front/rear grip balance will change wildly during a session. With the non-200s on the front, at least you’ll understeer instead of oversteer/spin, but not ideal. An experienced driver might be able to work around this, if you’re new, this would be a dangerous situation. Similarly, I wouldn’t mix something like a yokohama AO52, which delivers all of its grip from cold and tends to overheat within a couple laps, with something like a hankook RS4, which famously takes some time to warm up and then delivers consistent grip for a long time”
“I've only got a couple thousand on them and just spirited driving in the mountains. I think they will easily go over 10k even with a few track events. I am thinking about getting a set for my SVT focus as I autoX with that car, much easier to drive at the limit than a turbocharged S197.”
Based on 46 community posts
The community widely regards the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 line as a premium upgrade offering exceptional dry and wet grip, precise handling, and superior ride comfort compared to OEM or run-flat tires. While celebrated for performance, users frequently discuss its high price tag, faster treadwear, and noticeable drop in EV efficiency. Some drivers also note increased road noise and reduced traction when temperatures drop near freezing.
“I was running pilot sport 4s on my MS. (19” wheels) I was lucky to get 13,000-14,000. I just switched to Kumho Majesty 9’s for about 1/3 the price. Currently have 4,000 miles on them and just to rotated. Fingers crossed I can get 13,000 miles out of them.”
“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.”
“Quote: Originally Posted by weston.__ I will be going down the non-rft route, Pilot Sport 4. You're not the only one to say the ride quality with non-rft is a massive improvement and this is the reason why I will change once the time comes. I went from Bridgestone S001 RFT to 'go-flats' and have found the suppleness an obvious difference. Since I put the pressure to the mid point between the low and high load plated pressures I have yet to have any of the heartstopping thumps come through the suspension that the Bridgestone seemed prone to.”
Based on 246 community posts
| Attribute | A · Kumho Ecsta PS91 | B · Michelin Pilot Sport 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 1 | 62 |
| Rim diameters | 19″ | 16″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | 9.5/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 260 A A | 300 - 320 A - AA A |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | — |
Kumho Ecsta PS91
Michelin Pilot Sport 4
Winner: Michelin Pilot Sport 4 — better efficiency, handling and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 76 vs 47 on efficiency.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 81 vs 53 on handling.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 71 vs 44 on treadwear.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 scores 76 vs 54 on comfort.
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Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 89 vs 68 on our wet score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 87 vs 66 on our dry score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 70 vs 62 on our noise score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 76 vs 54 on our comfort score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 71 vs 44 on our treadwear score.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4, 76 vs 47 on our efficiency score.
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
