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Head-to-head Updated

Dunlop Trailmax Meridian vs Hankook Kinergy 4S2 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Kinergy 4S2 leads, 70–68 Narrow edge

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Tire ADunlop

Trailmax Meridian

All Season All Terrain and Off Road tires

Tests – · none yet Owners 68 · 3 reviews

Tire BHankook

Kinergy 4S2

All Season

Tests 78 · 24 tests Owners 61 · 3,626 reviews

“Hankook's 3-peak all-season tire, also called all-weather, is finally available from TR, though it had been out awhile now, when it replaced the 4S (4s1?) that was sold in Canada, but not the US. Like all the other 3-peak all-seasons that they carry, TR classifies the 4S2 as grand touring all-season”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 70

    Dry

    Kinergy 4S2 +2
    72
    Why this score
    SourceTrailmax MeridianKinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–82
    Reviews found online7157
  2. 70

    Wet

    Kinergy 4S2 +8
    78
    Why this score
    SourceTrailmax MeridianKinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–85
    Reviews found online7067
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourceTrailmax MeridianKinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–79
    Reviews found online–63
  4. 69

    Comfort

    Kinergy 4S2 +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceTrailmax MeridianKinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–77
    Reviews found online7060
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceTrailmax MeridianKinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–67
  6. 63

    Treadwear

    Kinergy 4S2 +4
    67
    Why this score
    SourceTrailmax MeridianKinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–71
    Reviews found online6260
  7. 72

    Handling

    Trailmax Meridian +15
    57
    Why this score
    SourceTrailmax MeridianKinergy 4S2
    Reviews found online7257
Scores at a glance
CategoryDunlop Trailmax MeridianHankook Kinergy 4S2
Relative Score 68 70
Dry 70 72
Wet 70 78
Snow – 73
Comfort 69 70
Noise – 67
Treadwear 63 67
Handling 72 57

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

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.

Important
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Important
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Neutral
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
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Less important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Trailmax Meridian

Kinergy 4S2

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

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Trailmax Meridian

Pros

  • Excellent handling characteristics comparable to top-tier competitors
  • Strong performance on heavy adventure motorcycles
  • High level of rider confidence and reliability
All owner themes in the Trailmax Meridian review

Tire B Kinergy 4S2

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather grip, braking, and aquaplaning resistance
  • Strong performance and confidence in cold temperatures, light snow, and slush
  • High overall value for money compared to premium tier alternatives

Cons

  • Increased road noise and occasional highway 'whining' or howling between 120-140 km/h
  • Some reports of faster-than-expected tread wear or uneven inner tread deformation
  • Softer sidewalls can induce initial steering delay or a slight floating feel during aggressive cornering
All owner themes in the Kinergy 4S2 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Dunlop Trailmax Meridian

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Hankook Kinergy 4S2

Mixed

Community members frequently view the Hankook Kinergy 4S 2 as a solid, budget-friendly alternative to premium all-weather tires like the Michelin CrossClimate 2, highlighting its strong wet traction and good snow performance for the price. However, users report mixed experiences regarding tread longevity, with some noting rapid or uneven wear, as well as drawbacks such as highway humming noise, a stiff ride, and twitchy handling on ice.

teslamotorsclub.com ·3 upvotes ·2023-12-30

“I've been running the Hankook Kinergy 4S2 all seasons on my M3 for just over a year - great tyres, esp in the wet, although they take a few hundred miles to scrub in (a touch "slippery" until then, so care is needed pulling out of junctions, etc). They placed 2nd behing the CrossClimate 2s in the 2022 all-season tyre test on Tyre Reviews, and were considered better overall in milder, wet conditions (bulk of UK basically!), which is why I chose them over the CC2s. Only had the recent spell of wintry weather to check the snow/ice performance - no issues with snow, but felt twitchy on ice. Supply seems limited this year - only place I've seen them listed in M3 18" size is ATS Euromaster, whereas I could have also got them from Halfords & Kwikfit last year.”
r/KiaNiroEV ·2 upvotes ·2026-01-20

“New Tyres - Kia dealership recommend Hankook Kinergy 4S 2 H750 215/55R17 98W Just had my 40,000 service at my local Kia dealership for my ‘22 E Niro. I am going to get my tyres changed elsewhere to save a few £££’s but am just wondering if the Hankooks are a good tyre? I am looking at around £140-160 per tyre and wondering if this is a good tyre for the price or if anyone has better suggestion for similar price or cheaper?”
r/tires ·4 upvotes ·2025-03-18

“Hankook Worn out after 15k miles Took my car in for a standard tire rotation and was informed all 4 tires only had 4/32 of tread remaining left. I was shocked. I've only put about 15k miles on in the 2.5 years I've had the tires. I don't drive aggressively at all. Mix of city and highway. Anyways, I got about a 75% credit on the Hankook Kinergy 4s2 all weather tires and only paid about $70 out of pocket towards my new tires (plus $90 balancing and mounting fee)! I went with the Falken Aklimate that were about $150 a tire. Just wanted to share my story. Can the softer rubber in all weather tires cause them to wear out faster in the summer? Only other thing I can think of is my car was parked outside for 2 summers in a south facing parking lot so maybe the sun just baked them and cause the tread to wear faster? But I would think that would be more dry rot related than tread wear. Read more”
Top themes
#Affordable CrossClimate alternative#Wet weather traction#Snow and winter performance#Tread wear longevity#Cabin road noise#Ride stiffness and comfort

Based on 33 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Dunlop Trailmax Meridian B · Hankook Kinergy 4S2
CategoryAll Season All Terrain and Off Road tiresAll Season
Vehicle typeMotorcyclePassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—95
Rim diameters—14″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

Dunlop Trailmax Meridian

Hankook Kinergy 4S2

Winner: Hankook Kinergy 4S2 — better wet and treadwear. Pick the Dunlop Trailmax Meridian if handling matters most to you.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop Trailmax Meridian scores 72 vs 57 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 78 vs 70 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 67 vs 63 on treadwear.

Tire A · Dunlop Trailmax Meridian
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Hankook Kinergy 4S2
Check price on Amazon

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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

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

70

Narrow edge

Kinergy 4S2

Amazon