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Summer tire Updated October 2026

Kumho Ecsta HS51 review

Relative score 60% tests + 40% owners

Owners 69 · 1,662 reviews analysed Road tests 75 · 13 tests

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The Kumho Ecsta HS51 receives generally positive feedback from users who appreciate its strong value proposition, reliable wet and dry grip, and comfortable, quiet ride. While the majority of drivers find its all-around performance comparable to more expensive premium brands, a minority report issues with rapid tread wear, soft sidewalls, and occasional handling instability at high speeds.

Kumho Ecsta HS51

Two scoring systems, side by side

Owner scores come from reviews found online; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.

How scores work
Relative score
0–100. Blends road tests (60%) and owner reviews (40%) category by category, the same way on every TireWheelGuide page. With only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from it, so the score stays closer to average. It needs at least one road test or five owner reviews.
Road tests
0–100 per score, from published tests, newer tests counting more. Each result is compared with every other tire in the same test, so a win against a strong field counts for more. The average tested tire gets 70, the best 100; with only one or two tests a tire stays nearer 70. The discipline rows show % of the best tire in that test.
Owner reviews
0–100 from the owner reviews we found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates and scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70. With only a few reviews a tire stays near the average.

By owner reviews

69/100

From 1,662 owner reviews analysed, scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70.

Would buy again 75%
Dry
Overall dry
70.5
Corner stability
67.5
Dry traction
69.5
Steering response
66
Wet
Overall wet
72.8
Wet traction
70.6
Comfort
Overall comfort
69.1
Treadwear
Overall treadwear
64.9
Handling
Overall handling
67.9

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By road tests

75/100

Scaled across every tested tire: the average gets 70, the best 100.

Dry
76
Wet
78.9
Noise
65.1
Treadwear
72.7
By discipline (% of best in test)
Dry Braking
43.1%
Dry Handling
43.1%
Subj. Dry Handling
56.3%
Wet Braking
50.6%
Wet Handling
50.6%
Straight Aquaplaning
90.6%
Curved Aquaplaning
81.3%
Side G-Force on Wet surface
81.3%
Inside Noise level
83.8%
Outside Noise
87.5%
Rolling Resistance
44.4%
Price
90%
Wear
87.5%

Kumho Ecsta HS51 specs & sizes

Prices vary by size, so each one links out separately.

SizeRetailer
165/55 R14 Amazon
205/60 R14 Amazon
195/45 R15 Amazon
205/50 R15 Amazon
205/55 R15 Amazon
205/60 R15 Amazon
225/60 R15 Amazon
195/50 R16 Amazon
195/55 R16 Amazon
205/50 R16 Amazon
205/55 R16 Amazon
205/60 R16 Amazon
205/65 R16 Amazon
215/40 R16 Amazon
215/45 R16 Amazon
215/60 R16 Amazon

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What owners like and dislike

Themes extracted from 1,662 owner reviews found online.

The Kumho Ecsta HS51 receives generally positive feedback from users who appreciate its strong value proposition, reliable wet and dry grip, and comfortable, quiet ride. While the majority of drivers find its all-around performance comparable to more expensive premium brands, a minority report issues with rapid tread wear, soft sidewalls, and occasional handling instability at high speeds.

Pros

  • Impressive wet and dry weather traction
  • Excellent value for money compared to tier-one premium brands
  • Low road noise and enhanced ride comfort
  • Even tread wear and respectable longevity for many drivers

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
  • A few reports of increased road noise or reduced fuel economy

Worth knowing

  • Drivers of heavier vehicles, such as a large Volvo and an Accord Tourer, noted reasonable durability and grip despite the vehicle weight, though front-wheel wear remained a common trend.
  • Users fitting the tire to smaller hatchbacks (like a Ford Fiesta) reported shorter front tire lifespans around 7,500 to 12,000 miles under normal commuting conditions.

Reviews from our readers

Drivers who have these tires on their car, in their own words. We check every review before it goes live.

No reviews from our readers yet

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13 published test appearances

Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.

2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer tire Test · 205/55 R16

1st of 20
Best: Wet Handling · 1st Weakest: Rolling Resistance · 20th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking5th of 20
Wet Handling1st of 20
Dry Braking3rd of 20
Dry Handling5th of 20
Rolling Resistance20th of 20
Straight Aqua2nd of 20
Noise15th of 20
Value3rd of 20
Wear3rd of 20
Total Cost of Ownership9th of 20

Source: Auto Bild

2021 ADAC Summer tire Test - 205/55 R16 · 205/55 R16

5th of 15
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wear4th of 15

Source: ADAC

2021 53 Summer tire Braking Test · 205/55 R16

3rd of 53
Best: Dry Braking · 3rd Weakest: Wet Braking · 6th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking6th of 53
Dry Braking3rd of 53

Source: Auto Bild

2021 Test World Large Summer Tire Test R16 · 205/55R16

12th of 14

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Test World

2021 Autonavigator Summer Tire Test R16 · 205/55R16

3rd of 11

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Autonavigator

2020 ADAC SUV Summer tire Test · 235/55 R17

10th of 12
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wear12th of 12

Source: ADAC

2020 TCS Summer Tire Test R17 · 235/55R17

10th of 10

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: TCS

2019 Auto Zeitung Summer tire Test · 235/45 R18

9th of 10
Best: Straight Aqua · 1st Weakest: Wet Braking · 9th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking9th of 10
Wet Handling9th of 10
Dry Braking9th of 10
Dry Handling8th of 10
Rolling Resistance9th of 10
Straight Aqua1st of 10
Noise5th of 10
Price2nd of 10

Source: Auto Zeitung

2018 ADAC Summer tire Test - 205/55 R16 · 205/55 R16

8th of 16

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ADAC

2017 Auto Express Summer tire Test · 205/55 R16

4th of 11

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Express

2017 Auto Bild Summer tire Test · 225/50 R17

20th of 20
Best: Wet Braking · 10th Weakest: Wet Handling · 20th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking10th of 20
Wet Handling20th of 20
Dry Braking19th of 20
Dry Handling20th of 20
Wear20th of 20

Source: Auto Bild

2017 Auto Bild Summer tire Shootout · 225/50 R17

13th of 43

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Bild

2016 Market Overview - Braking Test · 205/55 R16

17th of 50

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Kumho Ecsta HS51 compared

Compare any two
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Bridgestone Turanza T005VSKumho Ecsta HS51
Kumho Ecsta HS51VSToyo Proxes TR1
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Kumho Ecsta HS51VSToyo Proxes 1
Kumho Solus TA31VSKumho Ecsta HS51

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