73
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
67/100
20 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated September 2026
Dunlop SP Sport 3000 vs Kumho Ecsta PA51 — Compared (September 2026)
Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.
VS
81
/ 100
Objective (60%)
68/100
1 professional test
User signal (40%)
91/100
108 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Kumho Ecsta PA51 — better handling, treadwear and wet. Pick the Dunlop SP Sport 3000 if comfort and dry matter most to you.
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Category breakdown
7 categories, side by side
Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.
Dry
Score (0–100)
SP Sport 3000 leads by 6
Why this score
| Source | SP Sport 3000 | Ecsta PA51 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 69 |
| Tire Rack owners | – | 89 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 81 | 75 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 98 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 94 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Ecsta PA51 leads by 12
Why this score
| Source | SP Sport 3000 | Ecsta PA51 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 85 |
| Tire Rack owners | – | 84 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 64 | 58 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 98 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 89 |
Snow
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | SP Sport 3000 | Ecsta PA51 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 74 |
| Tire Rack owners | – | 63 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 60 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 88 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
SP Sport 3000 leads by 26
Why this score
| Source | SP Sport 3000 | Ecsta PA51 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 23 |
| Tire Rack owners | – | 82 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 69 | 63 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 93 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 92 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | SP Sport 3000 | Ecsta PA51 |
|---|---|---|
| SimpleTire owners | – | 96 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 89 |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Ecsta PA51 leads by 20
Why this score
| Source | SP Sport 3000 | Ecsta PA51 |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | – | 79 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 66 | 85 |
| SimpleTire owners | – | 94 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 90 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Ecsta PA51 leads by 27
Why this score
| Source | SP Sport 3000 | Ecsta PA51 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 64 | 75 |
| America's Tire owners | – | 92 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop SP Sport 3000 | Kumho Ecsta PA51 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 73 | 81 |
| Dry | 85 | 79 |
| Wet | 74 | 86 |
| Snow | – | 76 |
| Comfort | 76 | 50 |
| Noise | – | 90 |
| Treadwear | 70 | 90 |
| Handling | 64 | 91 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
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Recomputed
Headline score
73
/ 100
Tire A
81
/ 100
Tire B
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
The Dunlop SP Sport 3000 is generally regarded as a competent, comfortable, and quiet summer tire that excels in dry road performance and ride quality. While many users appreciate its handling characteristics and refinement, the consensus is heavily polarized by inconsistent tread life and significant performance degradation in wet or cold conditions as the tire wears.
Pros
- Excellent dry road grip and handling precision
- High levels of cabin comfort and low noise output
- Strong value proposition compared to premium competitors
- Predictable and progressive feedback in dry conditions
Cons
- Rapid tread wear, particularly on high-performance vehicles
- Significant loss of wet-weather traction as tread depth decreases
- Poor performance in cold, snowy, or icy conditions
- Inconsistent longevity across different vehicle platforms
Observations
- High-horsepower vehicles (e.g., C63s AMG) struggle with traction, suggesting the tire is ill-suited for high-torque applications.
- Drivers of luxury sedans (e.g., Lexus SC430) value the stiff sidewall construction for maintaining steering tracking and preventing tramlining.
The Kumho Ecsta PA51 is widely regarded as a high-value, ultra-high-performance all-season tire that delivers impressive dry grip and ride comfort at a competitive price point. While the vast majority of users report satisfaction with its handling and noise levels, a small minority of drivers find its wet-weather performance and noise characteristics lacking compared to premium-tier alternatives.
Pros
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio
- Strong dry pavement traction and cornering grip
- Quiet and smooth ride quality
- Attractive sidewall aesthetics
- Consistent, even tread wear over long-term use
Cons
- Inconsistent performance in heavy rain or standing water
- Some reports of increased road noise over time
- Limited availability in certain niche sizes
- Occasional traction loss under hard acceleration
Observations
- Users with performance-oriented sedans (e.g., Acura TL, Infiniti G35x) report that the tire effectively manages power delivery and provides a significant upgrade over worn OEM tires.
- Owners of daily drivers and SUVs frequently praise the tire's longevity and comfort, noting it performs well for suburban and highway commuting.
- Some users noted that while the tire is excellent for general use, it may not meet the extreme performance expectations of high-horsepower sports cars compared to top-tier dedicated performance tires.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop SP Sport 3000 | B · Kumho Ecsta PA51 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season High Performance tires | All Season Ultra High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 13 |
| Rim diameters | — | 16″ – 19″ |
| Tread depth | — | 10.5/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 500 A A |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 45,000 mi |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 51 psi |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
73
/ 100
Dunlop
81
/ 100
Kumho
Winner: Kumho Ecsta PA51 — better handling, treadwear and wet. Pick the Dunlop SP Sport 3000 if comfort and dry matter most to you.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 91 vs 64 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Dunlop SP Sport 3000 scores 76 vs 50 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 90 vs 70 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Kumho Ecsta PA51 scores 86 vs 74 on wet.
Tire A · Dunlop SP Sport 3000
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta PA51
More comparisons
Also compared with
Dunlop SP Sport 3000 also compared with
Kumho Ecsta PA51 also compared with
How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.