Kumho Ecsta HS51 vs HS52 - Differences? Test Data [2024]

Fuel Efficiency

The US Department of Energy estimates that around 25% of the fuel consumption of a vehicle is attributable to the tyres. That's a lot, and it means that choosing fuel efficient tyres can save you quite a bit of money.

The Ecsta HS51 tyres rank a D on a scale of A to E in the official fuel efficiency tests carried out by the EU (they call these rolling resistance tests).

The Ecsta HS52 tyres get a grade of C.

Expect the lower grade tyre to consume an extra 0.0L/100km. This works out to $9 extra spent on petrol per year, based on a typical 12,000 km driven per year.

Here's a graph comparing the Ecsta HS51 and Ecsta HS52 tyres for fuel efficiency (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

Grip & Handling

We'll now take a look at how these tyres compare in terms of grip and handling.

A good measure of this is 'wet grip', which is an indication of how well the tyres will allow the vehicle to come to a stop in wet conditions.

The Ecsta HS51 tyres rank a B on a scale of A to E in the official fuel tests carried out by the EU.

The Ecsta HS52 tyres, on the other hand, get a grade of A.

Expect the lower graded tyres to require about an extra 2 metres to come to a complete stop when braking at 80km/h.

Here's a graph comparing the Ecsta HS51 and Ecsta HS52 tyres for wet grip (1 = Grade E, 5 = Grade A).

Noise

Another key factor to consider when choosing a tyre is road noise. Once you're over about 40 km/h, the dominant source of noise you hear is from the contact of your tyres on the road.

There is a surprisingly wide variation in the amount of noise each tyre makes.

The Ecsta HS51 tyres produce 69.7 dB of road noise, which corresponds to a rank of B on a scale of A to C in the standardised testing done by the EU.

On the other hand, the Ecsta HS52 tyres produce 71.5 dB of road noise, which means a grade of B.

As their noise grade is the same, don't expect many differences in terms of cabin noise.

Here's a visual representation of how the Ecsta HS51 and Ecsta HS52 tyres stack up for noise (1 = Grade C, 3 = Grade A).

Based on the results of a number of tyre benchmarks, the Ecsta HS51 scores 5 out of 5 for comfort and the Ecsta HS52 scores 5 out of 5.

The Ecsta HS51 tyres have a treadwear rating of 380, which means that they would last 3.8 times longer than a tyre with a rating of 100. There's no treadwear data available for the Ecsta HS51 tyres.

The Ecsta HS52 tyres have a traction grade of AA (on a scale of AA, A, B, C). There's no UTQG traction grading data available for the Ecsta HS51 tyres.

The Ecsta HS52 tyres have a temperature resistance grade of A (on a scale of A, B, C). There's no UTQG temperature resistance grading data available for the Ecsta HS51 tyres.

For fuel efficiency, Ecsta HS51 score a grade of D, which is below average. Ecsta HS52 end up with a grade of C, which is more or less average.

More important is the wet grip, which gives you an indication of their traction and handling. In this regard, Ecsta HS51 get a score of B, which is above average. Ecsta HS52 end up with a grade of A, which is outstanding.

More important is the wet grip, which gives you an indication of their traction and handling. In this regard, Ecsta HS51 get a score of B, which is about typical. Ecsta HS52 end up with a grade of B, which is about typical.