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Head-to-head Updated May 2026

Kumho Ecsta PS31 vs Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP — Compared (May 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.

Tire A Kumho

Kumho Ecsta PS31

Summer Ultra High Performance tires

Kumho Ecsta PS31 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
77/100
258 owner reviews
Dry
86
Wet
81
Snow
79
Comfort
83
Noise
89
Treadwear
81
Handling
79

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Nexen

Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP

Summer High Performance tires

Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
30/100
1 owner review
Dry
60
Wet
30
Snow
–
Comfort
30
Noise
–
Treadwear
–
Handling
10

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Kumho Ecsta PS31 — better handling, comfort and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.
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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

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Ecsta PS31 leads by 26
A — Kumho Ecsta PS31
86
B — Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
60
Why this score
SourceEcsta PS31ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
Tire Rack owners 85 –
Tyre Reviews owners 83 60
SimpleTire owners 93 –

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Ecsta PS31 leads by 51
A — Kumho Ecsta PS31
81
B — Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
30
Why this score
SourceEcsta PS31ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
Tire Rack owners 81 –
Tyre Reviews owners 78 30
SimpleTire owners 87 –

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — Kumho Ecsta PS31
79
B — Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
–
Why this score
SourceEcsta PS31ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
SimpleTire owners 79 –

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Ecsta PS31 leads by 53
A — Kumho Ecsta PS31
83
B — Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
30
Why this score
SourceEcsta PS31ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
Tire Rack owners 84 –
Tyre Reviews owners 78 30
SimpleTire owners 89 –

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — Kumho Ecsta PS31
89
B — Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
–
Why this score
SourceEcsta PS31ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
SimpleTire owners 89 –

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100)
A — Kumho Ecsta PS31
81
B — Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
–
Why this score
SourceEcsta PS31ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
Tire Rack owners 82 –
Tyre Reviews owners 75 –
SimpleTire owners 88 –

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Ecsta PS31 leads by 69
A — Kumho Ecsta PS31
79
B — Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
10
Why this score
SourceEcsta PS31ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
Tyre Reviews owners 79 10

Scores at a glance

Kumho Ecsta PS31 vs Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryKumho Ecsta PS31Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
Relative Score 82 32
Dry 86 60
Wet 81 30
Snow 79 –
Comfort 83 30
Noise 89 –
Treadwear 81 –
Handling 79 10

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

Tire A

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.

Tire A Kumho Ecsta PS31

The Kumho Ecsta PS31 is widely regarded as a high-value, budget-friendly performance tire that excels in daily driving comfort and quietness. While it offers impressive dry grip and reliable wet weather performance for most drivers, enthusiasts often note that its soft sidewalls result in less steering precision and reduced feedback during aggressive cornering compared to premium ultra-high-performance alternatives.

Pros

  • Excellent price-to-performance ratio
  • High levels of ride comfort and low road noise
  • Strong dry traction for daily and spirited street driving
  • Predictable and capable wet weather performance for most conditions

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
  • Increased noise levels as the tire wears down

Observations

  • Users with smaller, lighter vehicles (e.g., Mazda Miata, Honda Civic) often praise the comfort and value, while those with heavier or more powerful vehicles report more pronounced sidewall flex and handling vagueness.
  • Drivers running low-profile sizes on rough roads report a higher susceptibility to sidewall bubbles and damage from potholes, suggesting a need for road hazard coverage.
  • The tire is frequently noted as a significant upgrade in comfort and noise reduction when replacing OEM run-flat tires.
Tire B Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP

The Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP receives highly critical feedback, with users reporting significant deficiencies in handling, traction, and structural integrity. The consensus suggests that the tire fails to meet the performance expectations of an Ultra High Performance category, leading to a poor driving experience and safety concerns.

Cons

  • Severe lack of traction and grip
  • Excessive road noise
  • Poor structural integrity and sidewall stability
  • Unpredictable handling and excessive understeer

Observations

  • Users reported significant instability and swaying during direction changes when the tires were mounted on the rear axle.
  • The tire's soft construction was noted to cause handling issues even at moderate speeds, requiring electronic stability control intervention.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta PS31 B · Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP
CategorySummer Ultra High Performance tiresSummer High Performance tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available4—
Rim diameters17″ – 18″—
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG460 A A—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho

Nexen

Winner: Kumho Ecsta PS31 — better handling, comfort and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Kumho Ecsta PS31 scores 79 vs 10 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Ecsta PS31 scores 83 vs 30 on comfort.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta PS31 scores 81 vs 30 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta PS31 scores 86 vs 60 on dry.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PS31
Tire B · Nexen ArrowSpeed Performance UHP

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.