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Head-to-head Updated

Yokohama Bluearth E51 vs Kumho Ecsta HS52 — Compared

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

Ecsta HS52 is ahead, 77–56

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Tire AYokohama

Bluearth E51

Summer Premium Touring tires

Tests – · none yet Owners 52 · 4 reviews

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. 55

    Dry

    Ecsta HS52 +26
    81
    Why this score
    SourceBluearth E51Ecsta HS52
    Professional tests (TWG score)–85
    Reviews found online4875
  2. 57

    Wet

    Ecsta HS52 +25
    82
    Why this score
    SourceBluearth E51Ecsta HS52
    Professional tests (TWG score)–88
    Reviews found online5372
  3. 54

    Comfort

    Ecsta HS52 +11
    65
    Why this score
    SourceBluearth E51Ecsta HS52
    Reviews found online3860
  4. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    65
    Why this score
    SourceBluearth E51Ecsta HS52
    Professional tests (TWG score)–64
  5. 64

    Treadwear

    Ecsta HS52 +9
    73
    Why this score
    SourceBluearth E51Ecsta HS52
    Professional tests (TWG score)–78
    Reviews found online6366
  6. 45

    Handling

    Ecsta HS52 +30
    75
    Why this score
    SourceBluearth E51Ecsta HS52
    Reviews found online4575
Scores at a glance
CategoryYokohama Bluearth E51Kumho Ecsta HS52
Relative Score 56 77
Dry 55 81
Wet 57 82
Comfort 54 65
Noise – 65
Treadwear 64 73
Handling 45 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.

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

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Recomputed
Headline score

Bluearth E51

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 Bluearth E51

Pros

  • Impressive tread longevity and durability
  • Stable handling in dry conditions
  • Adequate performance for standard commuting

Cons

  • Excessive road noise and cabin resonance
  • Harsh ride quality due to stiff sidewalls
  • Poor wet-weather grip and susceptibility to hydroplaning
All owner themes in the Bluearth E51 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

Yokohama Bluearth E51

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 · Yokohama Bluearth E51 B · Kumho Ecsta HS52
CategorySummer Premium Touring tiresSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available253
Rim diameters17″ – 18″14″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

Yokohama Bluearth E51

Kumho Ecsta HS52

Winner: Kumho Ecsta HS52 — better handling, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores 75 vs 45 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores 81 vs 55 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores 82 vs 57 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores 65 vs 54 on comfort.

Tire A · Yokohama Bluearth E51
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta HS52
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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.

77

Leads

Ecsta HS52

Amazon