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Head-to-head Updated

Firestone Transforce AT2 vs Hankook Kinergy 4S2 — 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 0 + 27 road tests and 17 + 3,659 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Transforce AT2 70, Kinergy 4S2 71.

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Hankook Kinergy 4S2
Tire BHankook

Kinergy 4S2

All Season

± 4

Tests 78 · 27 tests Owners 60 · 3,659 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2026 ADAC All Season Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 (curved aquaplaning)

“Zimske gume - premium ili neka srednja klasa? Nakon 2 proklizavanja u skretanju ovaj vikend (po kiši) zaključila sam da je vrijeme da kupim nove gume. Otkako sam uzela auto (prosinac 2022.) imam jedne te iste cjelogodišnje gume, Hankook Kinergy 4S2, 225/45/R17. Prošlu zimu kad je bilo snijega jedva sam kući s posla išla koliko sam se klizala po ulici, kiša još nekako ali snijeg i led katastrofa. Ove godine je i na kiši počeo proklizavati. Auto je zadnji pogon, 115ks ništa specijalno. Ono što me zanima je koliko ima smisla uzeti neke premium gume obzirom da godišnje radim oko 15k kilometara, većinski po gradu (Slavonija), tu i tamo autoput do Zg, možda 2 puta godišnje Mađarska/Austrija/Slovenija. Vidim da svi hvale Continental Wintercontact TS870 ali poprilično su skupe pa imate li možda preporuku za nešto jeftinije, a kvalitetno? Više me zanima da su dobre za kišu jer snijega nema nešto specijalno i sve će biti bolje nego ove koje sad imam. Što se dimenzije tiče imam jedne alu felge pa bih onda uzela istu dimenziju čisto da se ne moram izut iz cipela zbog troškova s kupovanjem još i felgi. TLDR: Zimska guma, 225/45/R17, zadnji pogon, što kupiti? Read more”

Category by category

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

  1. 69

    Dry

    Kinergy 4S2 +3
    72
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 26 tests≈ 69 (est.)83
    Reviews found online6956

    Transforce AT2: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 69.4 = 69

    Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 82.9 + 40% × 56 = 72

    No road tests of dry for Transforce AT2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 72

    Wet

    Kinergy 4S2 +6
    78
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 26 tests≈ 71 (est.)87
    Reviews found online7265

    Transforce AT2: 60% × 71.3 (est.) + 40% × 71.8 = 72

    Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 86.8 + 40% × 64.9 = 78

    No road tests of wet for Transforce AT2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 72

    Snow

    Level
    72
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 21 tests≈ 71 (est.)79
    Reviews found online7361

    Transforce AT2: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 72

    Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 78.6 + 40% × 60.9 = 72

    No road tests of snow for Transforce AT2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 59

    Comfort

    Kinergy 4S2 +2
    61
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests≈ 66 (est.)72
    Reviews found online5454

    Transforce AT2: 40% × 65.8 (est.) + 60% × 54.3 = 59

    Kinergy 4S2: 40% × 71.6 + 60% × 54.4 = 61

    No road tests of comfort for Transforce AT2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 69

    Noise

    Transforce AT2 +5
    64
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 21 tests≈ 66 (est.)62
    Reviews found online74≈ 66 (est.)

    Transforce AT2: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 73.5 = 69

    Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 61.6 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 64

    No road tests of noise for Transforce AT2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    No owner ratings of noise for Kinergy 4S2. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 71

    Treadwear

    Transforce AT2 +4
    67
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 10 tests≈ 69 (est.)72
    Reviews found online7460

    Transforce AT2: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 74.2 = 71

    Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 72.5 + 40% × 59.7 = 67

    No road tests of treadwear for Transforce AT2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    56
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Kinergy 4S2
    Reviews found online–56
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    51
    Why this score
    SourceTransforce AT2Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 21 tests–51
Scores at a glance
CategoryFirestone Transforce AT2Hankook Kinergy 4S2
Relative Score 70 71
Dry 69 72
Wet 72 78
Snow 72 72
Comfort 59 61
Noise 69 64
Treadwear 71 67
Handling (owners) – 56
Efficiency – 51

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
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Neutral
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Less important
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Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Transforce AT2

± 4

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 Transforce AT2

Pros

  • Excellent value and competitive price point for a commercial line tire
  • Quiet on-road operation despite the deep, aggressive tread design
  • Reliable durability and high mileage potential based on long-term user history

Cons

  • Prone to highway wandering and tracking grooves or ridges in the road
  • Difficulty in achieving proper road balance, causing high-speed vibrations
  • Unstable or 'floaty' feel at highway speeds for specific heavy-duty applications
All owner themes in the Transforce AT2 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

Firestone Transforce AT2

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

Tire B

Hankook Kinergy 4S2

Mixed

The Hankook Kinergy 4S2 is widely regarded as a good-value 3PMSF all-weather tire, often recommended as a cheaper alternative to the Michelin CrossClimate 2 thanks to strong wet performance and good independent test results. Complaints include a stiff ride, highway road noise, fast or uneven tread wear, and weaker snow and ice grip for some owners. Several users noted that ice performance wasn't tested and that it suits milder, wet climates best.

r/tires ·2 upvotes ·2024-11-16

“We're able to get the Kinergy 4S2 from Discount Tires (America's Tires) for less than half the price of. the Cross Climate 2's. We plan to give them a try on a Nissan LEAF and Prius Prime. Hot take: Hit the "found a lower price" feature on the Discount Tire site and see what they offer you! We were very pleasantly surprised!”
subaruoutback.org ·3 upvotes ·2022-11-09

“I had the Kinergy 4s2 tires and they were not good. They wore unevenly, especially on the outsides of the fronts and handling was poor. When cornering the tire felt like the sidewall was folding under which would explain the increased wear on the outside tread block of the tires . The alignment was verified to be perfect. Go with the CC2 or anything Nokian . I ran some old Nokian WRG2s and was very impressed. Id imagine the latest versions are also very good.”
r/mercedes_benz ·8 upvotes ·2026-09-06

“Tire recommendations E-class Hi all, I've been enjoying my first E-class for a couple months now. The only thing that has been bothering me is the loud noise the tires make at about 130 kph. I've ruled everything out so I'm really certain it is just the tires. They are hankook kinergy 4s2 h750 all seasons, so a bit of noise is to be expected but these really make a loud humming noise at highway speeds. Does anyone have recommendation for quiet all season tires? They do need to have the 3pmsf certifaction. My sizes are front: 245/40 R19 & back: 275/35 R19. Read more”
Top themes
#Value vs CrossClimate 2#Wet traction#Snow and ice grip#Tread wear concerns#Ride comfort stiffness#Road noise#Tyre Reviews test results#EV and range use

Based on 34 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone Transforce AT2 B · Hankook Kinergy 4S2
CategoryAll-Terrain tireAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available1795
Rim diameters16″ – 20″14″ – 20″
Tread depth32/32″—
UTQG—500 A A
SidewallOutlined White Lettering—
Max pressure80 psi—
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone Transforce AT2

Hankook Kinergy 4S2

Too close to call: Firestone Transforce AT2 and Hankook Kinergy 4S2 are within 2 points overall. Firestone Transforce AT2 is stronger on noise and treadwear. Hankook Kinergy 4S2 is stronger on wet and dry. Firestone Transforce AT2 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 17 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 78 vs 72 on wet.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Firestone Transforce AT2 scores 69 vs 64 on noise.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Firestone Transforce AT2 scores 71 vs 67 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 72 vs 69 on dry.

Tire A · Firestone Transforce AT2
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Tire B · Hankook Kinergy 4S2
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Transforce AT2 or Kinergy 4S2?

Which is better in the wet, Transforce AT2 or Kinergy 4S2?

Hankook Kinergy 4S2, 78 vs 72 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Transforce AT2 or Kinergy 4S2?

Hankook Kinergy 4S2, 72 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Transforce AT2 or Kinergy 4S2?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 72 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, Transforce AT2 or Kinergy 4S2?

Firestone Transforce AT2, 69 vs 64 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Transforce AT2 or Kinergy 4S2?

Neither, by our numbers: 59 vs 61 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Transforce AT2 or Kinergy 4S2?

Firestone Transforce AT2, 71 vs 67 on our treadwear 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