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Head-to-head Updated

Firestone RoadHawk vs Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 17 + 2 road tests and 644 + 1,592 owner reviews. How we score

Kinergy Eco 2 leads, 61–58 Narrow edge

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Firestone RoadHawk
Tire AFirestone

RoadHawk

Summer

± 6

Tests 70 · 17 tests Owners 40 · 644 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 15 in 2019 Summer and All Season Tyre Test (wet handling)

“Not sure if it is what you are looking for. I am Polish but I live in the USA. I am still following info from Poland but I am not buying tires there anymore. A magazine Motor tests tires. magazynauto.pl Firestone was included in their "accessibly priced" summer tires: Firestone Roadhawk. They lost to Uniroyal, Semperit, Dębica but were ahead of Kumho, Apollo, Tomket, Imperial and Double Coin. They were not included in their premium and middle priced test. German based Auto Bild (and its Polish version Auto Świat) did a test in 2019 and the same Roadhawk passed the elimination test (53 down to 20: wet and dry braking distances added together as #13) and finished #18 in detailed test. So Firestone is present in Poland and Europe as a cheaper brand from Bridgestone but how popular it is I do not know. Krzyś”

Hankook Kinergy Eco 2
Tire BHankook

Kinergy Eco 2

Summer

± 6

Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 50 · 1,592 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 15 in 2019 Summer and All Season Tyre Test (noise)

Category by category

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

  1. 68

    Dry

    RoadHawk +5
    63
    Why this score
    SourceRoadHawkKinergy Eco 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 16 / 2 tests8272
    Reviews found online4650
    Dry Braking (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–093%91%
    Dry Handling (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–098%94%

    RoadHawk: 60% × 82.1 + 40% × 46.4 = 68

    Kinergy Eco 2: 60% × 71.7 + 40% × 50.1 = 63

  2. 65

    Wet

    Kinergy Eco 2 +1
    66
    Why this score
    SourceRoadHawkKinergy Eco 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / 2 tests7775
    Reviews found online4854
    Wet Braking (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 0–287%95%
    Wet Handling (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–197%96%

    RoadHawk: 60% × 76.5 + 40% × 47.6 = 65

    Kinergy Eco 2: 60% × 74.9 + 40% × 53.6 = 66

  3. 51

    Comfort

    Kinergy Eco 2 +3
    54
    Why this score
    SourceRoadHawkKinergy Eco 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests67≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online4046

    RoadHawk: 40% × 67 + 60% × 39.6 = 51

    Kinergy Eco 2: 40% × 64.9 (est.) + 60% × 45.9 = 54

    No road tests of comfort for Kinergy Eco 2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  4. 45

    Noise

    Kinergy Eco 2 +27
    72
    Why this score
    SourceRoadHawkKinergy Eco 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 2 tests3075
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Noise (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 0–295%98%

    RoadHawk: 60% × 30.5 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 45

    Kinergy Eco 2: 60% × 74.9 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 72

    No owner ratings of noise for RoadHawk or Kinergy Eco 2. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  5. 50

    Treadwear

    Kinergy Eco 2 +5
    55
    Why this score
    SourceRoadHawkKinergy Eco 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests65≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online2947

    RoadHawk: 60% × 64.7 + 40% × 28.5 = 50

    Kinergy Eco 2: 60% × 59.5 (est.) + 40% × 47.3 = 55

    No road tests of treadwear for Kinergy Eco 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  6. 36

    Handling (owners)

    Kinergy Eco 2 +14
    50
    Why this score
    SourceRoadHawkKinergy Eco 2
    Reviews found online3650
  7. 72

    Efficiency

    Kinergy Eco 2 +3
    75
    Why this score
    SourceRoadHawkKinergy Eco 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / 1 tests7275
Scores at a glance
CategoryFirestone RoadHawkHankook Kinergy Eco 2
Relative Score 58 61
Dry 68 63
Wet 65 66
Comfort 51 54
Noise 45 72
Treadwear 50 55
Handling (owners) 36 50
Efficiency 72 75

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

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 6

RoadHawk

± 6

Kinergy Eco 2

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

In the overall rankings of 3 tests that ran both, Firestone RoadHawk finished ahead 1 times and Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 2 times.

DisciplineCategoryRoadHawkKinergy Eco 2ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 93% 91% +1.4 1–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2019 Summer and All Season Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Dry Handling Dry 98% 94% +4.3 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2019 Summer and All Season Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Wet Braking Wet 87% 95% −7.9 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2019 Summer and All Season Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Wet Handling Wet 97% 96% +0.8 1–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2019 Summer and All Season Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Noise Noise 95% 98% −2.3 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2019 Summer and All Season Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #5/16 #14/16 – 1–2 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2019 ADAC Summer Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A RoadHawk

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather performance, particularly in standing water and heavy rain
  • Strong dry grip and confident cornering for daily driving
  • Comfortable ride quality with good bump absorption

Cons

  • Accelerated and sometimes uneven tread wear, resulting in shorter-than-expected lifespan
  • Soft sidewalls that can cause a visual 'under-inflated' bulge and spongy cornering response
  • Limited steering feedback and precision during spirited driving
All owner themes in the RoadHawk review

Tire B Kinergy Eco 2

Pros

  • Reliable dry and wet road grip
  • Good value for the price point
  • Slow and even tread wear / long-lasting durability

Cons

  • Notable road noise reported by some users
  • Stiff ride quality that can amplify road bumps
  • Reduced performance and grip in wet or cold conditions as tread wears down
All owner themes in the Kinergy Eco 2 review

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Firestone RoadHawk

Mixed

Community discussions reflect mixed perspectives on the Firestone Roadhawk, noting reasonable reviews alongside concerns regarding tread wear. While some test results place it competitively among budget-friendly summer options, owners also discuss practical issues such as unusual noises, generational replacement difficulties, and overall value.

r/automobil ·2025-11-20

“sind diese Sommerreifen noch okay? Im August 2023 gekauft und circa 25 tausend km gefahren. Firestone Roadhawk, DOT 4922. Habe an meinem Opel Meriva beim Anfahren nach links, zB beim Ausparken oder beim Anfahren in einer engen Linkskurve von vorne rechts ein mehrmaliges Poltern gehört. Habe ein bisschen gegoogelt und von ausgeschlagenem Querlenker gelesen. Im Oktober 2022 hat das Auto einen neuen Vorderachsträger und neue Querlenker bekommen. Nun habe ich Winterräder montiert und das Poltern beim Anfahren nach links ist weg. Was kann das sein? Read more”
r/tires ·2026-04-22

“I cant for the life of me find a Firestone Roadhawk (gen1) 205/50 R17 93W XL anywhere in Europe. The problem is GEN 1 is over, and all they have is GEN 2, aka Roadhawk 2. And i have 3 perfectly good Roadhawk (GEN 1), and no tire to make a set. Some sellers even post pictures of GEN 1, but they actually send you GEN 2. Which im pretty sure have a different profile, and markings. Any ideas ?”
Top themes
#tread wear concerns#budget tire test results#replacement availability issues#generation differences#driving noise symptoms

Based on 5 community posts

Tire B

Hankook Kinergy Eco 2

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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone RoadHawk B · Hankook Kinergy Eco 2
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available11548
Rim diameters15″ – 21″13″ – 17″
Sizes in common1717

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone RoadHawk

Hankook Kinergy Eco 2

Narrow edge: Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 — better noise, handling and treadwear. Pick the Firestone RoadHawk if dry matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 scores 72 vs 45 on noise.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 scores 50 vs 36 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Firestone RoadHawk scores 68 vs 63 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 scores 55 vs 50 on treadwear.

Tire A · Firestone RoadHawk
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Tire B · Hankook Kinergy Eco 2
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RoadHawk or Kinergy Eco 2?

Which is better in the wet, RoadHawk or Kinergy Eco 2?

Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 66 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, RoadHawk or Kinergy Eco 2?

Firestone RoadHawk, 68 vs 63 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, RoadHawk or Kinergy Eco 2?

Hankook Kinergy Eco 2, 72 vs 45 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, RoadHawk or Kinergy Eco 2?

Hankook Kinergy Eco 2, 54 vs 51 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, RoadHawk or Kinergy Eco 2?

Hankook Kinergy Eco 2, 55 vs 50 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, RoadHawk or Kinergy Eco 2?

Hankook Kinergy Eco 2, 75 vs 72 on our efficiency score.

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.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

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