Most owners rate the Kumho Ecsta HS52 highly, praising its strong dry grip and confident, direct dry handling, and many also feel it represents excellent value for money. Noise levels are often described as low and wet grip is generally considered reassuring, though a small minority report it can feel less secure in the wet at the limit. Longevity feedback is mixed: while many see good mileage, around one in seven owners mention uneven or abnormal wear and a similar share report faster-than-expected wear.
What owners mention most counted across 24 reviews
Great tires! I have been driving them now for 3rd season, dry grip feels great, not much experience on the wet grip but overall great tire considering its price range. I was kinda reserved about the Kumho brand, this is the first tire I have tried from Kumho and I would definitely buy them again. I got a new vehicle and these tire will be going to them also. The wear is also great. I was expecting to get worse with time but they still hold on and feel very responsible and adequate. They still have a lot of rubber left on them considering having driven 40k km on them.
I've owned this car for over a decade now, so I've had the opportunity to experience it on many sets of tires. It's not a daily driver and the car is used on weekends for spirited drives in the mountains, some long trips away and occasional track use.
I came across these after the owner of my local tire shop (who I know well) recommended them to me. I was a little skeptical at first, since I origninally wanted a set of Bridgestone’s, but he said these would do the same job for approx £200 less.
Straight away I was surprised by how different the car felt after the change. The steering felt more responsive, and the car felt more compliant over bumps. The handling is very predictable and compared to previous tires there's virtually no tire squeal, even if I really push. I've only driven with them a few times in the rain, but they feel perfectly fine and stable even in heavy downpours. I guess the big question for me is if I regret not buying the Bridgestone’s? And I'm happy to report that I don't. For my type of driving, they do everything I ask, and I've never found myself wishing I had more grip even on some spirited drives.
The negatives: Compared to the previous set of Yokohama’s I had on the car, there's not quite as much feel through the steering wheel. It's not a big problem for me, as my car has adjustable shocks, so a few more clicks of rebound and that feel comes back. But it's worth mentioning for those who are looking for a sportier tire. The only other negative I would mention is the looks. I feel a bit daft for saying that, as I've never really cared how my tires look on the car, but after coming from other brands, these look like economy tires by comparison. But this is hardly a big issue, just a small note. Overall, these tires are the best I've experienced on the car yet, which is high praise from me, so I would absolutely buy them again.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
Run away! After 2,100 km, abnormal wear on my front passenger tire on the outside and the tread.
I've never seen that in 27 years of driving with my other tires.
Which tires do you drive?
Researching the Kumho Ecsta HS52? Rate the tires you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
I bought these for my 2007 Lancia Ypsilon just after buying the car, so I cant compare to other tires on the same car. But this is a car without ESP and I could do crazy things with these tires without loosing any grip. Also I used them all winter, even in -3 C they grip like crazy. Very spirited driving in roundabouts and mountain roads, 150 kph in the highway etc, a lot of fun. BUT after 15k km the front ones are done, they look disgusting now. they formed one line/crack to the width of the tire in one spot, like you can see where they started the loop or something. Cheap fun but for short time.
I think the tests listed are spot on. What I was impressed with for a summer tire was the grip they had in the wet on an SUV. Never once did if sense them losing grip on wet roundabouts or anywhere else. They are a bit pricey though at almost $1000 fitted in Australia. Wearing wise, I’m in need of a new set of boots after 2yrs and 50k/klms.
So I will be comparing it to the last 2 sets of tires before the Kumhos. Toyo proxes cf2 & Nokian Line. So middle/ upper middle class tires.
First of all sound; l would say all 3 have a similar level of road sound, which is remarkably low. And that reminds me when l tried Kumho KU31 back in 2015 which was so hard & loud, so that’s a huge improvement for Kumho in that section.
Then comes the comfort, and l believe that the HS52 is midway between being too soft+ comfortable & too hard+tough. And that suits my driving on a combination of different roads and conditions.
Being in the summer, I haven’t tried the wet grip yet but the dry grip is decent and l feel safe driving the car near it’s limits.
It’s too early for me to comment on the longevity but l will update that later on.
Overall, l’m satisfied with my purchase and l believe that the HS52 is an excellent value for money amongst most competitors.
I put the tires on my small car size 175 65 14. What I got when I first touched the road was very good, different from the original Dunlop tires. that I was clear before The Kumho is quiet and can feel its grip on straight roads and curves. I definitely recommend it to all my friends.
I'm really happy about this tires. After changing my winter tires (Bridgestone), the difference is incredible.
Dry handling and brake : Super good tires, really impressed.
Wet handling and brake : Nothing to say, they are great.
Wear : Too soon to say something.
After reading a few reviews about the Kumho ECSTA HS52 and considering the affordable price for the 195/55 r16 tire size I decided to buy them. I was happilly surprised how well the car handled especially on braking in the dry and wet, very short distance to stop and very stable. Comfort was okay, not too hard over rough roads and potholes, but a bit noisy ,mostly at high speeds. Economy is good with relaxed driving I achieved around 39 mpg and with more aggressive it rose to about 30 mpg. Couldn't judge the aquaplaning because I didn't find myself facing such heavy rain and standing water. Wear is good almost no difference between the rear and front tires( front wheel drive car) and they still have a lot of tread left. For now my experience driving on the tires is good, I will continue to use them next season and will update after.
