Kumho Tire’s best-selling tire Ecsta HS51 ranked No. 1 in the latest contest for summer tires, and gained an “Exemplary” rating by Auto Bild, the company said Wednesday.

Auto Bild, a renowned German publication, recently compared dry and wet braking performances of 53 summer tires sold in Europe.

There, Ecsta HS51, which is Kumho’s best-selling model in the European market, was awarded the first place, beating rivals such as Michelin, Continental and Bridgestone, Kumho Tire said.

“The Ecsta HS51 offers excellent grip on both wet and dry roads and its precise steering and short braking distances allow for the best driving behavior and stability of performance,” Auto Bild said.

The result of Auto Bild tests serve as a reliable evaluation of cars and related products, Kumho Tire explained.

In another test conducted by ADAC Motorwelt, a globally respected auto magazine, Kumho Tire’s Ecsta PS71 also ranked third out of all other candidates presented from 17 companies, Kumho Tire said.

Ecsta PS71, which is the flagship product of Kumho Tire’s sports tire lineup Ecsta, also got a “good” rating in the 17-inch ultra-high-performance tire category, which is the highest score given, Kumho Tire said.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)