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Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Ecsta HS51 vs Nexen N Blue ECO — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 6 + 0 road tests and 1,663 + 36 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta HS51 is ahead, 73–66

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Kumho Ecsta HS51
Tire AKumho

Ecsta HS51

Summer

Tests 75 · 6 tests Owners 69 · 1,663 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test (wet handling)

Nexen N Blue ECO
Tire BNexen

N Blue ECO

Summer

Tests – · none yet Owners 64 · 36 reviews

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 74

    Dry

    Ecsta HS51 +8
    66
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51N Blue ECO
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests76≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7166

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 70.5 = 74

    N Blue ECO: 60% × 66.9 (est.) + 40% × 65.6 = 66

    No road tests of dry for N Blue ECO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 76

    Wet

    Ecsta HS51 +7
    69
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51N Blue ECO
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests79≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7369

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 79 + 40% × 72.7 = 76

    N Blue ECO: 60% × 69.5 (est.) + 40% × 69.2 = 69

    No road tests of wet for N Blue ECO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 69

    Comfort

    Ecsta HS51 +3
    66
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51N Blue ECO
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6963

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 69.1 = 69

    N Blue ECO: 60% × 68.1 (est.) + 40% × 62.9 = 66

    No road tests of comfort for Ecsta HS51 or N Blue ECO. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 66

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51N Blue ECO
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests65–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)–

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 65.2 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 66

    No owner ratings of noise for Ecsta HS51. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  5. 70

    Treadwear

    Ecsta HS51 +10
    60
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51N Blue ECO
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests73≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online6556

    Ecsta HS51: 60% × 72.7 + 40% × 64.9 = 70

    N Blue ECO: 60% × 62.8 (est.) + 40% × 56.4 = 60

    No road tests of treadwear for N Blue ECO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  6. 68

    Handling (owners)

    Ecsta HS51 +2
    66
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS51N Blue ECO
    Reviews found online6866
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho Ecsta HS51Nexen N Blue ECO
Relative Score 73 66
Dry 74 66
Wet 76 69
Comfort 69 66
Noise 66 –
Treadwear 70 60
Handling (owners) 68 66

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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Ecsta HS51

N Blue ECO

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

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.

DisciplineCategoryEcsta HS51N Blue ECOΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #3/11 2021 Autonavigator Summer Tire Test R16 #15/16 2013 ACE Summer Touring Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Ecsta HS51

Pros

  • Impressive wet and dry weather traction
  • Excellent value for money compared to tier-one premium brands
  • Low road noise and enhanced ride comfort

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can cause a wobbly or loose feeling during aggressive cornering
  • Some users experienced faster-than-expected tread wear on the front axle
  • Occasional complaints regarding poor steering feedback and high-speed handling at the limit
All owner themes in the Ecsta HS51 review

Tire B N Blue ECO

Pros

  • Excellent value for money and budget-friendly purchase price
  • Strong grip and handling in both wet and dry conditions
  • Good ride comfort and relatively low road noise

Cons

  • Rapid or uneven tread wear reported by several users
  • Premature rubber cracking and perishing observed over time
  • Polarizing opinions on wet weather traction and braking distance
All owner themes in the N Blue ECO review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta HS51 B · Nexen N Blue ECO
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available2724
Rim diameters14″ – 18″13″ – 16″
Sizes in common66

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Ecsta HS51

Nexen N Blue ECO

Winner: Kumho Ecsta HS51 — better treadwear, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 70 vs 60 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 74 vs 66 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 76 vs 69 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Ecsta HS51 scores 69 vs 66 on comfort.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta HS51
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Tire B · Nexen N Blue ECO
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Ecsta HS51 or N Blue ECO?

Which is better in the wet, Ecsta HS51 or N Blue ECO?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 76 vs 69 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta HS51 or N Blue ECO?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 74 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Ecsta HS51 or N Blue ECO?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 69 vs 66 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ecsta HS51 or N Blue ECO?

Kumho Ecsta HS51, 70 vs 60 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