Toyo Proxes 1 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Ecsta HS52 vs Toyo Proxes 1 — 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 7 + 0 road tests and 2,387 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

Ecsta HS52 is ahead, 80–61

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Kumho Ecsta HS52
Tire AKumho

Ecsta HS52

Summer

± 4

Tests 83 · 7 tests Owners 75 · 2,387 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 21 in 2022 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test (dry braking)

“I have kuhmo ecsta hs52's on my renault megane during spring and summer and they are really good. No complaints at all. My milage did go up a little bit but that's it”

Toyo Proxes 1
Tire BToyo

Proxes 1

Summer

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 57 · 6 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 84

    Dry

    Ecsta HS52 +20
    64
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS52Proxes 1
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests86≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online8062

    Ecsta HS52: 60% × 86.4 + 40% × 80.1 = 84

    Proxes 1: 60% × 65.7 (est.) + 40% × 62.4 = 64

    No road tests of dry for Proxes 1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 84

    Wet

    Ecsta HS52 +22
    62
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS52Proxes 1
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests89≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7858

    Ecsta HS52: 60% × 89.2 + 40% × 77.5 = 84

    Proxes 1: 60% × 63.9 (est.) + 40% × 58.3 = 62

    No road tests of wet for Proxes 1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 67

    Comfort

    Ecsta HS52 +11
    56
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS52Proxes 1
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online6651

    Ecsta HS52: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 65.9 = 67

    Proxes 1: 40% × 65 (est.) + 60% × 50.7 = 56

    No road tests of comfort for Ecsta HS52. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Proxes 1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  4. 65

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS52Proxes 1
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests64–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    Ecsta HS52: 60% × 63.9 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 65

    No owner ratings of noise for Ecsta HS52. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  5. 76

    Treadwear

    Ecsta HS52 +18
    58
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS52Proxes 1
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests80≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online7052

    Ecsta HS52: 60% × 79.7 + 40% × 69.6 = 76

    Proxes 1: 60% × 61.4 (est.) + 40% × 52.3 = 58

    No road tests of treadwear for Proxes 1. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. 77

    Handling (owners)

    Ecsta HS52 +23
    54
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS52Proxes 1
    Reviews found online7754
  7. 43

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta HS52Proxes 1
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests43–
Scores at a glance
Kumho Ecsta HS52 vs Toyo Proxes 1: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryKumho Ecsta HS52Toyo Proxes 1
Relative Score 80 61
Dry 84 64
Wet 84 62
Comfort 67 56
Noise 65 –
Treadwear 76 58
Handling (owners) 77 54
Efficiency 43 –

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
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

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

Recomputed
Headline score
± 4

Ecsta HS52

± 8

Proxes 1

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

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Ecsta HS52

Pros

  • Excellent wet and dry weather traction
  • Low road noise and quiet operation
  • Smooth and comfortable ride quality

Cons

  • A few reports of accelerated or abnormal tread wear
  • Slightly sensitive to tire pressure regarding comfort
  • Occasional complaints of high-speed vibration or imbalance early on
All owner themes in the Ecsta HS52 review

Tire B Proxes 1

Pros

  • Exceptional dry and wet weather grip
  • Improved steering feedback and handling characteristics
  • Competitive price point

Cons

  • Extremely rapid tread wear, particularly under high-torque conditions
  • Poor rolling resistance
  • Uneven tread wear patterns, specifically premature shoulder degradation
All owner themes in the Proxes 1 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Kumho Ecsta HS52

Mixed

The Kumho Ecsta HS52 receives a polarized mix of reviews from the community, praised by many for its rigid sidewalls, strong dry grip, sharp steering responsiveness, and great value compared to premium alternatives. However, some users report disappointing wet weather performance, potential issues with aquaplaning resistance, and inconsistent test results across different sizes. Overall, it is viewed as a solid mid-range option, though experiences with wet traction and longevity vary significantly among drivers.

r/TyreReviews ·1 upvote ·2026-01-22

“Bad i have hs52 on my audi a3 8l quattro 1.8t i have no grip with rain.. Like cant corner fast it just goes straight... Dry its fine but wet forget it. My oncle has the same experience with kuhmo on his bmw 118 diesel he got some rims and they had pretty good threats kumho on it. He said all it wanted was to drift and spin out. He said a couple of times it did a 180 he said never again i said same don't trust my car with these tyres. Im gonna get some new rim 17" and Goodyear asymmetric 6. To replace my 16" stock rims with kumho... I have had bad tyres but never this bad. Like 1 ere prix were even better in my Mercedes even doh they became ovals.”

r/CarTalkUK ·1 upvote ·2025-01-11

“I have kuhmo ecsta hs52's on my renault megane during spring and summer and they are really good. No complaints at all. My milage did go up a little bit but that's it”

r/tires ·3 upvotes ·2025-09-23

“What’s up with these tyres? Kumho ectsa hs52 date code 3923, tyres are (UK) legal regards tread but I can’t imagine this damage is normal. Both front tyres have this, looks like the tread is tearing apart in multiple places. I did not fit these tyres but it was mot’d 3 months ago and has done 2k miles since. I’ve owned the car 11 months but only noticed this very recently. I am getting them replaced on Monday with little use before then but I’m curious how this has happened. Is it just a shit brand? Wear is even across the face so I don’t think it would be the alignment or anything to do with the car and the damage is random across the contact patch. It’s a Peugeot 508 2l diesel so quite a bit of weight on the nose. Fitting Bridgestone Turanza 6. Rear tyres are good, but a different brand (horizon horace 2122 date)”

Top themes
#Dry grip and handling#Wet weather performance#Sidewall stiffness#Price and value#Comparison with competitors#Fuel economy and weight#Tread wear and durability

Based on 17 community posts

Tire B

Toyo Proxes 1

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta HS52 B · Toyo Proxes 1
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available53—
Rim diameters14″ – 20″—
UTQG—240 AA A

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Ecsta HS52

Toyo Proxes 1

Winner: Kumho Ecsta HS52 — better handling, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Toyo Proxes 1 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores 77 vs 54 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores 84 vs 62 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores 84 vs 64 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores 76 vs 58 on treadwear.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta HS52
Tire B · Toyo Proxes 1

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Ecsta HS52 or Proxes 1?

Which is better in the wet, Ecsta HS52 or Proxes 1?

Kumho Ecsta HS52, 84 vs 62 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ecsta HS52 or Proxes 1?

Kumho Ecsta HS52, 84 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Ecsta HS52 or Proxes 1?

Kumho Ecsta HS52, 67 vs 56 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ecsta HS52 or Proxes 1?

Kumho Ecsta HS52, 76 vs 58 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