Tests – · 1 test Owners 65 · 24 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Firestone WeatherGrip 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 1 + 24 road tests and 24 + 3,649 owner reviews. How we score
Kinergy 4S2 is ahead, 70–65
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Tests 79 · 24 tests Owners 60 · 3,649 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2026 ADAC All Season Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 (curved aquaplaning)
“Softer alternative to HANKOOK KINERGY 4S2? Searching for alternarive to HANKOOK KINERGY 4S2 Good day to you! I recently decided to move to all-season tires. After checking reviews, costs and availability I went for HANKOOK 4S2. But i find them VERY stiff and not comfortable at all. (245 40 18). Would you please recommend an alternative with a softer ride? I am in Europe. Cheers and thank you!”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
65
Dry
Kinergy 4S2 +772Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Kinergy 4S2 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 23 tests ≈ 66 (est.) 83 Reviews found online 64 57 WeatherGrip: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 63.5 = 65
Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 82.6 + 40% × 56.5 = 72
No road tests of dry for WeatherGrip. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
-
70
Wet
Kinergy 4S2 +878Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Kinergy 4S2 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 23 tests ≈ 70 (est.) 87 Reviews found online 70 64 WeatherGrip: 60% × 70.4 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 70
Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 86.6 + 40% × 64.3 = 78
No road tests of wet for WeatherGrip. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
75
Snow
WeatherGrip +372Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Kinergy 4S2 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 18 tests ≈ 73 (est.) 79 Reviews found online 77 61 WeatherGrip: 60% × 73.1 (est.) + 40% × 77 = 75
Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 79 + 40% × 61.3 = 72
No road tests of snow for WeatherGrip. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
-
65
Comfort
WeatherGrip +164Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Kinergy 4S2 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests ≈ 68 (est.) 77 Reviews found online 62 55 WeatherGrip: 40% × 67.9 (est.) + 60% × 62.4 = 65
Kinergy 4S2: 40% × 76.6 + 60% × 54.9 = 64
No road tests of comfort for WeatherGrip. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
68
Noise
WeatherGrip +266Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Kinergy 4S2 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 18 tests ≈ 67 (est.) 66 Reviews found online 69 ≈ 67 (est.) WeatherGrip: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 69.1 = 68
Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 65.6 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 66
No road tests of noise for WeatherGrip. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
No owner ratings of noise for Kinergy 4S2. 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.
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55
Treadwear
Kinergy 4S2 +1267Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Kinergy 4S2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 9 tests 55 71 Reviews found online 54 59 WeatherGrip: 60% × 55.2 + 40% × 53.7 = 55
Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 71.5 + 40% × 59.4 = 67
-
62
Handling (owners)
WeatherGrip +656Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Kinergy 4S2 Reviews found online 62 56 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison54Why this score
Source WeatherGrip Kinergy 4S2 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 18 tests – 54
Scores at a glance
| Category | Firestone WeatherGrip | Hankook Kinergy 4S2 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 65 | 70 |
| Dry | 65 | 72 |
| Wet | 70 | 78 |
| Snow | 75 | 72 |
| Comfort | 65 | 64 |
| Noise | 68 | 66 |
| Treadwear | 55 | 67 |
| Handling (owners) | 62 | 56 |
| Efficiency | – | 54 |
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.
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Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
65
/ 100
WeatherGrip
70
/ 100
Kinergy 4S2
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
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.
| Discipline | Category | WeatherGrip | Kinergy 4S2 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #8/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | #5/16 2026 ADAC All Season Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 | – | Different tests |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A WeatherGrip
Pros
- Outstanding snow and winter weather traction
- Confident wet weather and rain grip
- Smooth and comfortable ride quality
Cons
- Faster tread wear due to the softer rubber compound
- Noticeable drop in fuel economy (MPG)
- Subpar dry pavement performance compared to dedicated summer or standard all-season tires
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
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Firestone WeatherGrip
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
Hankook Kinergy 4S2
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.
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/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!”
r/croautomobili
·22 upvotes ·2025-10-29
“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”
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 · Firestone WeatherGrip | B · Hankook Kinergy 4S2 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Weather | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 49 | 95 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 19″ | 14″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 640 A A | — |
| Treadwear warranty | 65,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 44 psi | — |
| Sizes in common | 32 | 32 |
Which one should you actually buy?
65
/ 100
Firestone WeatherGrip
70
/ 100
Hankook Kinergy 4S2
Winner: Hankook Kinergy 4S2 — better treadwear, wet and dry. Pick the Firestone WeatherGrip if handling and snow matter most to you.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 67 vs 55 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 78 vs 70 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 72 vs 65 on dry.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Firestone WeatherGrip scores 62 vs 56 on handling.
Tire A · Firestone WeatherGrip
Tire B · Hankook Kinergy 4S2
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WeatherGrip or Kinergy 4S2?
Which is better in the wet, WeatherGrip or Kinergy 4S2?
Hankook Kinergy 4S2, 78 vs 70 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, WeatherGrip or Kinergy 4S2?
Hankook Kinergy 4S2, 72 vs 65 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, WeatherGrip or Kinergy 4S2?
Firestone WeatherGrip, 75 vs 72 on our snow score.
Which is quieter, WeatherGrip or Kinergy 4S2?
Neither, by our numbers: 68 vs 66 on the noise score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, WeatherGrip or Kinergy 4S2?
Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 64 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, WeatherGrip or Kinergy 4S2?
Hankook Kinergy 4S2, 67 vs 55 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