Head-to-head Updated

Goodyear Ultragrip Ice vs Hankook Kinergy 4S2 — Compared

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

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Tire AGoodyear

Ultragrip Ice

High Performance Winter tire

Tests – · none yet Owners 55 · 1 review

Tire BHankook

Kinergy 4S2

All Season

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

“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!”

Category by category

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

  1. –

    Dry

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceUltragrip IceKinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–82
    Reviews found online–57
  2. –

    Wet

    No comparison
    78
    Why this score
    SourceUltragrip IceKinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–85
    Reviews found online–67
  3. –

    Snow

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

    Comfort

    No comparison
    70
    Why this score
    SourceUltragrip IceKinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–77
    Reviews found online–60
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceUltragrip IceKinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–67
  6. –

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceUltragrip IceKinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–71
    Reviews found online–60
  7. –

    Handling

    No comparison
    57
    Why this score
    SourceUltragrip IceKinergy 4S2
    Reviews found online–57
Scores at a glance
Goodyear Ultragrip Ice vs Hankook Kinergy 4S2: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryGoodyear Ultragrip IceHankook Kinergy 4S2
Relative Score – 70
Dry – 72
Wet – 78
Snow – 73
Comfort – 70
Noise – 67
Treadwear – 67
Handling – 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.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Ultragrip Ice

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 Ultragrip Ice

Pros

  • Reliable traction and handling in deep snow
  • Effective winter-specific compound design

Cons

  • Poor acceleration performance on ice
  • Potential for structural defects such as sidewall splitting
  • Inadequate customer service and support accessibility
All owner themes in the Ultragrip Ice 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

Goodyear Ultragrip Ice

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.

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”

bobistheoilguy.com ·2021-03-02

“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”

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.”

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 · Goodyear Ultragrip Ice B · Hankook Kinergy 4S2
CategoryHigh Performance Winter tireAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—95
Rim diameters—14″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

Goodyear Ultragrip Ice

Hankook Kinergy 4S2

Only Hankook Kinergy 4S2 has enough test and review data for a Relative Score, so there is no head-to-head winner yet.

Tire A · Goodyear Ultragrip Ice
Tire B · Hankook Kinergy 4S2

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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.