Auto Express magazine’s annual summer tyre test, now in its 25th year, is a respected measure of the best buys on the UK replacement tyre market. The latest assessment featured the products of 11 top tyre manufacturers, including Kumho, whose ECSTA HS52 won two of the 10 disciplines outright, and was one of only three entries to score 100 percent in two or more exercises.
The test was conducted using a Volkswagen Golf, shod with tyres of the ever-popular 205/55R16 size. The two disciplines in which the HS52 outstripped all rival entries were those of ‘dry handling’ and ‘wet circular track’. It also achieved in excess of 90 percent of the available marks for ‘wet braking’, ‘wet handling’, ‘straight aquaplaning’, ‘dry braking’ and ‘interior noise’.
A history of success
In 2021, Kumho bettered 52 rival tyre manufacturers to take outright victory in Auto Bild magazine’s summer tyre test with its ECSTA HS51 high-performance pattern. That winning product is still produced to service niche sizes and OE fitments, but has otherwise now largely been succeeded by ECSTA HS52. Featuring an innovative high-grip tread compound, asymmetric tread design and 3D interlocking sipes, HS52 offers superior braking on wet and dry surfaces, better wet grip, and increased mileage when compared to its predecessor. It is currently available in some 46 sizes to fit rim widths from 14 to 18 inches in diameter.
Another recent accolade
ECSTA HS52 is no newcomer to success in summer tyre tests, having received a ‘GOOD’ rating in the February 2023 one conducted by the highly-respected German motoring association ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club). The tyre beat 42 rival products to finish 8th overall out of 50.
