Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 49 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Hankook K425 Kinergy Eco vs Michelin Primacy 3 — 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 + 2 road tests and 49 + 196 owner reviews. How we score
Primacy 3 leads, 70–67 Narrow edge
Add your size for an exact match
/R
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 66 · 196 reviews
Best test result: #3 of 20 in 2017 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test (wear)
“I have just put a new set of Michelin Primacy 3 T0 Acoustics on and they have been faultless. Lots of grip, very quiet etc. They were also good last year in the snow and were from blackcircles for about £240 a tyre.”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
67
Dry
Primacy 3 +572Why this score
Source K425 Kinergy Eco Primacy 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 67 (est.) 74 Reviews found online 66 70 K425 Kinergy Eco: 60% × 67.2 (est.) + 40% × 66.2 = 67
Primacy 3: 60% × 74.3 + 40% × 69.5 = 72
No road tests of dry for K425 Kinergy Eco. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
-
70
Wet
Primacy 3 +272Why this score
Source K425 Kinergy Eco Primacy 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 70 (est.) 72 Reviews found online 70 72 K425 Kinergy Eco: 60% × 70.1 (est.) + 40% × 69.5 = 70
Primacy 3: 60% × 71.9 + 40% × 71.8 = 72
No road tests of wet for K425 Kinergy Eco. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
66
Comfort
Primacy 3 +268Why this score
Source K425 Kinergy Eco Primacy 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 68 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 64 67 K425 Kinergy Eco: 40% × 67.8 (est.) + 60% × 64 = 66
Primacy 3: 40% × 68.5 (est.) + 60% × 67.3 = 68
No road tests of comfort for K425 Kinergy Eco. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.21).
No road tests of comfort for Primacy 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.21).
-
63
Treadwear
Primacy 3 +467Why this score
Source K425 Kinergy Eco Primacy 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 64 (est.) 73 Reviews found online 60 57 K425 Kinergy Eco: 60% × 64.2 (est.) + 40% × 60.1 = 63
Primacy 3: 60% × 73.1 + 40% × 57 = 67
No road tests of treadwear for K425 Kinergy Eco. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
-
65
Handling (owners)
Primacy 3 +368Why this score
Source K425 Kinergy Eco Primacy 3 Reviews found online 65 68
Scores at a glance
| Category | Hankook K425 Kinergy Eco | Michelin Primacy 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 67 | 70 |
| Dry | 67 | 72 |
| Wet | 70 | 72 |
| Comfort | 66 | 68 |
| Treadwear | 63 | 67 |
| Handling (owners) | 65 | 68 |
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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
67
/ 100
K425 Kinergy Eco
70
/ 100
Primacy 3
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 1 tests that ran both, Hankook K425 Kinergy Eco finished ahead 0 times and Michelin Primacy 3 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | K425 Kinergy Eco | Primacy 3 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #16/19 | #1/19 | – | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2015 European Tyre Test 205/55 R16 · 205/55 R16 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A K425 Kinergy Eco
Pros
- Exceptional tread life and durability
- Strong value proposition compared to premium brands
- Reliable and stable handling in dry conditions
Cons
- Inconsistent or poor wet-weather traction
- High levels of cabin noise, particularly on coarse asphalt
- Stiff, rigid ride quality
Tire B Primacy 3
Pros
- Exceptional ride comfort and low noise levels
- Strong dry grip and confident handling
- Smooth, refined high-speed stability and cruising capability
Cons
- Higher than average purchase price
- Faster-than-expected tread wear reported by many users
- Mixed feedback on wet weather performance, with some noting a lack of grip in standing water or snow
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Hankook K425 Kinergy Eco
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
Michelin Primacy 3
Community members generally view the Michelin Primacy 3 as a quiet, smooth, and capable grand touring tire, with several users highlighting the run-flat (ZP) version as superior in comfort to competing run-flats. However, some drivers report fast tread wear, a harsh ride compared to standard non-run-flat alternatives, and note that the model is older and increasingly replaced by newer generations like the Primacy 4.
f30.bimmerpost.com
“The Primacy3 ZP were installed today. Of course, they need a break-in period, but from some highway and city traffic, I'm already sold that these are the best replacement run-flat tires for our 18" size. The car now glides where it previously "sandpapered" its way down the road with the original harsh and noisy Pirellis. Bumps feel far more isolated. The reviews for DriveGuard have been mediocre, not great. These are far better to my senses. The 225/50-18 size is hard to find. Tire Rack carries the Primacy3 ZP, but not in that size. Another tire store in my area confused them with the non-runflat which Michelin has named the same...just Primacy3. Then, realized they couldn't get the ZP version. Very odd wholesale distribution pattern. Discount Tire was able to order them. First day, but very, very pleased. EDIT: My wife even noticed and she never notices anything about cars. She said the car felt smoother to her as a passenger!”
bobistheoilguy.com
·1 upvote ·2021-06-22
“As Slacktide said Primacy 3 is a grand touring summer tire that has been replaced by the Primacy 4 (some three years ago). It's been quite popular in Europe and tire availability/choice in NA/Europe differ greatly. I'd still recommend both Primacy 3 & 4 if you're looking for a smooth riding summer tire. The Pilot Sport 2 (PS2) has been a great ultra high performance tire some 15 years ago and I had these at that time, but it has been replaced by the PS3, PS4 and the even sportier Pilot SuperSport (PSS) and PS4S. If you want something more performance than the Primacy, I'd consider the PS4. I'm currently running the PS4 on my 911 (205 & 245 16 without Porsche spec) and the PSS both on my Cooper (205/45 R17 BMW/Mini spec) and my GTI (225/40 R18 HN spec). So some kind of a 'Michelin fan' too.”
r/BMWi3
·7 upvotes ·2022-04-22
“So I have decided there is no way I am paying for the Bridgestone Ecopias at over £200 a tyre, and as such, I have come across the Michelin Primacy 3 on Costco, which I can get fitted for approx £93 a tyre (I only need two on the rear) They seem to have good reviews. My actual tyre size for my i3S should be 195/50 R20, but getting 195/55 R20 instead should only add up to another inch or so in height, so I'm reckoning I should be okay. What are people's thoughts?”
Top themes
#Run-flat ride quality#Tread wear and longevity#Touring comfort and low noise#Model obsolescence and replacements#OE fitment and regional availability#Price and size compatibility
Based on 23 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Hankook K425 Kinergy Eco | B · Michelin Primacy 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 27 | 42 |
| Rim diameters | 13″ – 16″ | 15″ – 20″ |
| UTQG | 220 - 400 A A | 240 A A |
| Sizes in common | 6 | 6 |
Which one should you actually buy?
67
/ 100
Hankook K425 Kinergy Eco
70
/ 100
Michelin Primacy 3
Narrow edge: Michelin Primacy 3 — better dry and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Primacy 3 scores 72 vs 67 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Primacy 3 scores 67 vs 63 on treadwear.
Tire A · Hankook K425 Kinergy Eco
Tire B · Michelin Primacy 3
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
K425 Kinergy Eco or Primacy 3?
Which is better in the wet, K425 Kinergy Eco or Primacy 3?
Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 72 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, K425 Kinergy Eco or Primacy 3?
Michelin Primacy 3, 72 vs 67 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, K425 Kinergy Eco or Primacy 3?
Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 68 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, K425 Kinergy Eco or Primacy 3?
Michelin Primacy 3, 67 vs 63 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