Tests 62 · 2 tests Owners 63 · 4 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 6 in The BEST Track Day Tyres for 2024 (dry braking)
Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R vs Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23 — 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 2 + 0 road tests and 4 + 5 owner reviews. How we score
Ecsta Seven KU23 is ahead, 71–64
Add your size for an exact match
/R
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests – · none yet Owners 71 · 5 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
77
Dry
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R +869Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Ecsta Seven KU23 Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests 79 ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 74 70 Pilot Sport Cup 2 R: 60% × 79.1 + 40% × 73.9 = 77
Ecsta Seven KU23: 60% × 69 (est.) + 40% × 70.2 = 69
No road tests of dry for Ecsta Seven KU23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
-
52
Wet
Ecsta Seven KU23 +2476Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Ecsta Seven KU23 Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests 45 ≈ 75 (est.) Reviews found online 63 78 Pilot Sport Cup 2 R: 60% × 45 + 40% × 63.3 = 52
Ecsta Seven KU23: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 77.9 = 76
No road tests of wet for Ecsta Seven KU23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
71
Comfort
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R +170Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Ecsta Seven KU23 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 72 70 Pilot Sport Cup 2 R: 40% × 69.6 (est.) + 60% × 71.7 = 71
Ecsta Seven KU23: 40% × 69.3 (est.) + 60% × 70.1 = 70
No road tests of comfort for Pilot Sport Cup 2 R or Ecsta Seven KU23. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
53
Treadwear
Ecsta Seven KU23 +1467Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Ecsta Seven KU23 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 59 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 45 68 Pilot Sport Cup 2 R: 60% × 58.8 (est.) + 40% × 45.4 = 53
Ecsta Seven KU23: 60% × 66.8 (est.) + 40% × 68 = 67
No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Sport Cup 2 R. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta Seven KU23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
-
73
Handling (owners)
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R +865Why this score
Source Pilot Sport Cup 2 R Ecsta Seven KU23 Reviews found online 73 65
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R | Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 64 | 71 |
| Dry | 77 | 69 |
| Wet | 52 | 76 |
| Comfort | 71 | 70 |
| Treadwear | 53 | 67 |
| Handling (owners) | 73 | 65 |
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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
64
/ 100
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R
71
/ 100
Ecsta Seven KU23
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Pilot Sport Cup 2 R
Pros
- Phenomenal dry grip providing a planted and confident feel on the track
- Optimized design specifically for extracting maximum performance during time attacks
- Superior circuit performance compared to the standard Pilot Sport Cup 2
Cons
- Extremely limited performance longevity, with grip dropping off rapidly after just a few laps
- Poor performance and safety risks in damp to wet conditions due to shallow and narrow tread patterns
- Best suited strictly for single-lap time trials rather than extended track sessions
Tire B Ecsta Seven KU23
Pros
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio
- Reliable wet-weather traction
- Consistent and even tread wear patterns
Cons
- Inconsistent tread life expectations
- Potential for faster wear compared to premium-tier competitors
- Limited long-term durability data
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R | B · Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 7 | — |
| Rim diameters | 20″ – 21″ | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
64
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R
71
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23
Winner: Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23 — better wet and treadwear. Pick the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R if dry and handling matter most to you. Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23 scores 76 vs 52 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23 scores 67 vs 53 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R scores 77 vs 69 on dry.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R scores 73 vs 65 on handling.
Tire A · Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Pilot Sport Cup 2 R or Ecsta Seven KU23?
Which is better in the wet, Pilot Sport Cup 2 R or Ecsta Seven KU23?
Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23, 76 vs 52 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Sport Cup 2 R or Ecsta Seven KU23?
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R, 77 vs 69 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Pilot Sport Cup 2 R or Ecsta Seven KU23?
Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 70 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, Pilot Sport Cup 2 R or Ecsta Seven KU23?
Kumho Ecsta Seven KU23, 67 vs 53 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