tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Michelin City Grip 2 vs Kumho Ecsta HS52 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

City Grip 2 leads, 79–77 Narrow edge

Check price on Amazon · City Grip 2 or Ecsta HS52 on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Tire BKumho

Ecsta HS52

Summer

Tests 82 · 7 tests Owners 71 · 2,352 reviews

“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”

Category by category

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

  1. 80

    Dry

    Ecsta HS52 +1
    81
    Why this score
    SourceCity Grip 2Ecsta HS52
    Professional tests (TWG score)–85
    Reviews found online8775
  2. 82

    Wet

    Level
    82
    Why this score
    SourceCity Grip 2Ecsta HS52
    Professional tests (TWG score)–88
    Reviews found online8672
  3. 74

    Comfort

    City Grip 2 +9
    65
    Why this score
    SourceCity Grip 2Ecsta HS52
    Reviews found online8060
  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    65
    Why this score
    SourceCity Grip 2Ecsta HS52
    Professional tests (TWG score)–64
  5. 71

    Treadwear

    Ecsta HS52 +2
    73
    Why this score
    SourceCity Grip 2Ecsta HS52
    Professional tests (TWG score)–78
    Reviews found online7566
  6. 86

    Handling

    City Grip 2 +11
    75
    Why this score
    SourceCity Grip 2Ecsta HS52
    Reviews found online8675
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin City Grip 2Kumho Ecsta HS52
Relative Score 79 77
Dry 80 81
Wet 82 82
Comfort 74 65
Noise – 65
Treadwear 71 73
Handling 86 75

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score

City Grip 2

Ecsta HS52

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 City Grip 2

Pros

  • Exceptional grip in both dry and wet conditions
  • Improved confidence and stability when cornering and leaning
  • Solid mileage and tread longevity

Cons

  • Slightly stiffer construction can reduce impact absorption or comfort on rough roads for certain riders
  • Transmits noticeable road feedback and creases
  • Requires a brief warm-up period of around 5 minutes to reach maximum stickiness
All owner themes in the City Grip 2 review

Tire B 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

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Michelin City Grip 2

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

Tire B

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/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)”
r/TyreReviews ·1 upvote ·2025-06-16

“Yup, noticed that on my car too, went from a dot 2023 225/45/r17 PS5 to 205/50/r17 Kumho ecsta hs52 and while i went down in width, speed went up about 5-7km/h during a tight hairpin i always frequent, i feel a lot more confident chucking it towards the apex and not fear understeer ( my car is FWD).”
r/Mazda323 ·6 upvotes ·2026-06-14

“Mini review of the Kumho Ecsta HS52 I was running some Hankook's on my GT before and the tire wall not stiff enough. Now I've mounted these Kumho Ecsta HS52's and I highly recommend them: The tire wall is nicely rigid and they grip great in the dry, took quite some intent to make them loose traction. Additionally, I've accidentally ran over a pretty big sharp looking rock at decent speed that aimed right in a tread groove (thinnest part) and the thing shrugged it off no problem. And all of this for a damn good price too! So if anyone's looking for good tires, now you know.”
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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin City Grip 2 B · Kumho Ecsta HS52
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typeMotorcyclePassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—53
Rim diameters—14″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin City Grip 2

Kumho Ecsta HS52

Winner: Michelin City Grip 2 — better handling and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin City Grip 2 scores 86 vs 75 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin City Grip 2 scores 74 vs 65 on comfort.

Tire A · Michelin City Grip 2
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta HS52
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

79

Narrow edge

City Grip 2

Amazon