Continental SportContact 7 vs Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72
Across the two shared professional tests (AutoView 2025 in 275/35R19 and Auto Bild Sports Cars 2026 in 255/35R19), the pattern is consistent: the Continental is the more complete, confidence-inspiring performance tire-especially in the wet-while the Kumho can nip at its heels in a few dry metrics and makes a strong case if budget is a major factor. The biggest story here is how large the wet-performance gap becomes in the Autobild test, versus how close the two can look on paper in certain dry measures.
Test Results
Independent comparison tire tests are the best source of data to get tire information from, and the good news is there have been two tests which compare both tires directly!
| Tire | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Continental SportContact 7 | two |
While it might look like the Continental SportContact 7 is better than the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 purely based on the higher number of test wins, tires are very complicated objects which means where one tire is better than the other can be more important in real world use.
Let's look at how the two tires compare across multiple tire test categories.
Key Strengths
- Class-leading wet performance across tests (wet braking/handling/circle all clearly ahead; e.g., 42.4 m vs 47.0 m wet braking in Auto Bild)
- Sharper, more confidence-inspiring handling balance and steering feedback near the limit (top subjective dry handling in AutoView)
- Consistently quicker dry handling (wins both tests: 86.46 s vs 86.98 s; 108.4 vs 106.1 km/h)
- More rounded overall package: wins both shared tests overall and dominates most categories
- Excellent value proposition: repeatedly noted as the cheapest option while remaining safely “decent” overall
- Very strong dry stopping capability (wins AutoView dry braking: 33.38 m)
- Competitive lateral dry grip potential (joint-best dry cornering speed in AutoView; close to SC7 in dry metrics)
- Straight-line aquaplaning edge in Auto Bild (88.3 vs 87.5 km/h) plus acceptable comfort for the money
Dry Braking
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Continental SportContact 7 was better during one dry braking tests. On average the Continental SportContact 7 stopped the vehicle in 1.57% less distance than the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72.
Best In Dry Braking: Continental SportContact 7
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling [s]
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental SportContact 7 was better during one dry handling [s] tests. On average the Continental SportContact 7 was 0.6% faster around a lap than the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72.
Best In Dry Handling [s]: Continental SportContact 7
See how the Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental SportContact 7 was better during one dry handling [km/h] tests. On average the Continental SportContact 7 was 2.12% faster around a lap than the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72.
Best In Dry Handling [Km/H]: Continental SportContact 7
See how the Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Dry Handling
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental SportContact 7 was better during one subj. dry handling tests. On average the Continental SportContact 7 scored 10% more points than the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72.
Best In Subj. Dry Handling: Continental SportContact 7
See how the Subj. Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Continental SportContact 7 was better during two wet braking tests. On average the Continental SportContact 7 stopped the vehicle in 7.64% less distance than the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72.
Best In Wet Braking: Continental SportContact 7
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental SportContact 7 was better during one wet handling [km/h] tests. On average the Continental SportContact 7 was 8.75% faster around a wet lap than the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72.
Best In Wet Handling [Km/H]: Continental SportContact 7
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Circle
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental SportContact 7 was better during one wet circle tests. On average the Continental SportContact 7 was 10% faster around a wet circle than the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72.
Best In Wet Circle: Continental SportContact 7
See how the Wet Circle winner was calculated >>
Straight Aqua
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 was better during one straight aqua tests. On average the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 floated at a 0.91% higher speed than the Continental SportContact 7.
Best In Straight Aqua: Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72
See how the Straight Aqua winner was calculated >>
Subj. Comfort
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Continental SportContact 7 was better during one subj. comfort tests. On average the Continental SportContact 7 scored 3.92% more points than the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72.
Best In Subj. Comfort: Continental SportContact 7
See how the Subj. Comfort winner was calculated >>
Noise
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Continental SportContact 7 was better during one noise tests. On average the Continental SportContact 7 measured 0.66% quieter than the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72.
Best In Noise: Continental SportContact 7
See how the Noise winner was calculated >>
Rolling Resistance
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Continental SportContact 7 was better during one rolling resistance tests. On average the Continental SportContact 7 had a 0.62% lower rolling resistance than the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72.
Best In Rolling Resistance: Continental SportContact 7
See how the Rolling Resistance winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Continental SportContact 7 Driver Reviews
Across 95 reviews, the Continental SportContact 7 is widely praised as a top-tier UUHP summer tire, with standout wet and dry grip, very strong braking and high confidence at/near the limit. Many drivers also report predictable handling and strong all-round road/track capability, often comparing it favorably to Michelin PS4S/PSS and other rivals. The most recurring drawback is fast wear/short mileage (especially on heavier or high-torque cars and with spirited/track use), with a secondary theme of higher noise and/or a harsher ride for some setups.
Based on 103 reviews with an average rating of 83%
Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 Driver Reviews
Drivers report the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 delivers very high grip and confidence in both wet and dry conditions, with strong steering response/feedback and a standout price-to-performance ratio versus premium competitors. Most reviews describe road noise as acceptable (sometimes slightly higher than rivals) and praise the tire's sporty, stiff sidewalls for precision. The main recurring downside is comfort/ride harshness from the stiff construction, and a minority of users report faster-than-expected tread wear compared with tires like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.
Based on 8 reviews with an average rating of 79%
Conclusion
The Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72's case is value and select dry performance. It actually wins dry braking in AutoView by a hair (33.38 m vs 33.5 m) and matches close-to-premium pace in some dry grip metrics, while being described as the cheapest tire in the Auto Bild field. The trade-off is that it's more “spiky” in steering response once you lean on it, and it can give away meaningful distance and speed in the wet compared with the Continental. Practical takeaway: if your priority is maximum performance breadth (especially rain confidence) and you'll exploit the tire's limits, buy the SportContact 7; if you want a competent fast-road tire at a lower price and can accept a step back in wet dynamics and steering polish, the PS72 is a sensible budget performance choice.
Key Differences
- Wet performance is the biggest separator: SC7 is dramatically stronger in wet braking and wet cornering/handling (e.g., 42.4 m vs 47.0 m wet braking; 78.9 vs 72.0 km/h wet handling).
- Handling precision and limit behaviour favor Continental: AutoView notes the Kumho's steering response moves too quickly after the limit, while SC7 remains controllable and communicative.
- Dry braking is mixed: Kumho edges SC7 in AutoView by 0.12 m, but SC7 wins clearly in Auto Bild by 1.2 m (34.2 m vs 35.4 m).
- Dry handling pace consistently favors SC7 in both tests (time and speed metrics), indicating a higher performance ceiling on track/spirited driving.
- Noise/comfort results aren't one-sided: Kumho is slightly quieter in AutoView (62.2 vs 62.7 dB) and marginally more comfortable there, but SC7 is quieter and more comfortable in Auto Bild (72.0 vs 73.4 dB; 8.7 vs 8.0).
- Efficiency/rolling resistance concerns lean against the Kumho in AutoView (worst on test), while Auto Bild shows them closer-with SC7 slightly better on RR (9.59 vs 9.65 kg/t) despite being described as a touch higher than best-in-class overall.
Overall Winner: Continental SportContact 7
Based on the tire test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Continental SportContact 7 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tire has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tire buying choice.Similar Comparisons
Looking for more tire comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tires:
Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 Top Comparisons
Footnote
This page has been developed using tire industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tires in the same test.
Why is this important? Tire testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tire test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tire tests performed on different days or at different locations.
As a result you will see other tests on Tire Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.
Lots of other websites do this sort of tire comparison, Tire Reviews doesn't.
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