Skip to content
Head-to-head Updated September 2026

Falken ZIEX CT50 vs Kumho Crugen HT51 — Compared (September 2026)

Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.

Tire A Falken

Falken ZIEX CT50

Summer Premium Touring tires

Falken ZIEX CT50 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
52/100
3 owner reviews
Dry
79
Wet
62
Snow
37
Comfort
58
Noise
–
Treadwear
63
Handling
70

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Kumho Crugen HT51 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
76/100
1 professional test
User signal (40%)
71/100
3 owner reviews
Dry
85
Wet
87
Snow
78
Comfort
83
Noise
87
Treadwear
73
Handling
77

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Kumho Crugen HT51 — better snow, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Read full

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made via links on this page.

Category breakdown

7 categories, side by side

Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.

Dry

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Crugen HT51 leads by 6
A — Falken ZIEX CT50
79
B — Kumho Crugen HT51
85
Why this score
SourceZIEX CT50Crugen HT51
Professional tests (TWG score) – 88
Tire Rack owners – 89
Tyre Reviews owners 77 80
SimpleTire owners – 97

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Crugen HT51 leads by 25
A — Falken ZIEX CT50
62
B — Kumho Crugen HT51
87
Why this score
SourceZIEX CT50Crugen HT51
Professional tests (TWG score) – 92
Tire Rack owners – 81
Tyre Reviews owners 60 80
SimpleTire owners – 94

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Crugen HT51 leads by 41
A — Falken ZIEX CT50
37
B — Kumho Crugen HT51
78
Why this score
SourceZIEX CT50Crugen HT51
Professional tests (TWG score) – 91
Tire Rack owners – 91
Tyre Reviews owners – 60
SimpleTire owners – 92

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Crugen HT51 leads by 25
A — Falken ZIEX CT50
58
B — Kumho Crugen HT51
83
Why this score
SourceZIEX CT50Crugen HT51
Professional tests (TWG score) – 94
Tire Rack owners – 83
Tyre Reviews owners 53 67
SimpleTire owners – 95

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100)
A — Falken ZIEX CT50
–
B — Kumho Crugen HT51
87
Why this score
SourceZIEX CT50Crugen HT51
Professional tests (TWG score) – 87
SimpleTire owners – 94

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Crugen HT51 leads by 10
A — Falken ZIEX CT50
63
B — Kumho Crugen HT51
73
Why this score
SourceZIEX CT50Crugen HT51
Tire Rack owners – 87
Tyre Reviews owners 65 73
SimpleTire owners – 95

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Crugen HT51 leads by 7
A — Falken ZIEX CT50
70
B — Kumho Crugen HT51
77
Why this score
SourceZIEX CT50Crugen HT51
Tyre Reviews owners 70 77

Scores at a glance

Falken ZIEX CT50 vs Kumho Crugen HT51: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryFalken ZIEX CT50Kumho Crugen HT51
Relative Score 62 80
Dry 79 85
Wet 62 87
Snow 37 78
Comfort 58 83
Noise – 87
Treadwear 63 73
Handling 70 77

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Personalize

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Falken ZIEX CT50

The Falken ZIEX CT50 receives mixed to negative feedback, primarily criticized for its excessive road noise and acoustic performance. While users acknowledge acceptable handling characteristics and reasonable tread longevity, the persistent noise issues significantly detract from the overall ownership experience.

Pros

  • Acceptable tread wear longevity
  • Competent handling performance
  • Reliable dry road stability

Cons

  • Excessive road noise and 'wooing' sounds on tarmac
  • Low treadwear rating (300) compared to aftermarket alternatives
  • Susceptibility to manufacturing defects such as slow leaks

Observations

  • Mazda CX-9 owners consistently report that the tire compromises the vehicle's intended quiet cabin experience.
  • Users note that the tire's performance and noise levels do not improve with consistent rotation or pressure adjustments.
Tire B Kumho Crugen HT51

The Kumho Crugen H/T51 is widely regarded as a high-value, versatile highway tire that offers impressive wet and dry traction comparable to premium competitors. While users appreciate its fuel efficiency and handling characteristics, long-term ownership experiences are polarized by reports of uneven tread wear and significant noise degradation over time.

Pros

  • Excellent wet and dry weather traction
  • High value-to-performance ratio compared to premium brands
  • Positive impact on fuel economy
  • Quiet highway performance during early stages of ownership

Cons

  • Significant increase in road noise as the tire ages
  • Premature or uneven shoulder wear
  • Limited capability in deep mud or severe winter conditions
  • Noise levels becoming intrusive between 45-55 mph

Observations

  • Users operating heavy-duty trucks like the Ram 1500 report stable handling and good wet-weather confidence.
  • Owners of SUVs like the 4Runner note that while the tire performs well for highway and light off-road use, it is susceptible to shoulder wear patterns.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Falken ZIEX CT50 B · Kumho Crugen HT51
CategorySummer Premium Touring tires—
Vehicle typePassenger Car / Crossover—
Sizes available—44
Rim diameters—15″ – 22″
Tread depth—12.5/32″
UTQG—720 A A
Treadwear warranty—70,000 mi
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—50 psi
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Falken

Kumho

Winner: Kumho Crugen HT51 — better snow, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Kumho Crugen HT51 scores 78 vs 37 on snow.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho Crugen HT51 scores 87 vs 62 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Crugen HT51 scores 83 vs 58 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Kumho Crugen HT51 scores 73 vs 63 on treadwear.

Tire A · Falken ZIEX CT50
Tire B · Kumho Crugen HT51

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.