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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Kinergy 4S vs Kumho Ecsta AST KU25 — 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 3 + 0 road tests and 13 + 21 owner reviews. How we score

Kinergy 4S is ahead, 68–57

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Hankook Kinergy 4S
Tire AHankook

Kinergy 4S

All Season

± 8

Tests 67 · 3 tests Owners 68 · 13 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 11 in 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

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 4S +8
    61
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta AST KU25
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests70≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online6957

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 69.7 + 40% × 68.5 = 69

    Ecsta AST KU25: 60% × 63.3 (est.) + 40% × 56.6 = 61

    No road tests of dry for Ecsta AST KU25. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 73

    Wet

    Kinergy 4S +14
    59
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta AST KU25
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests74≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online7155

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 74.1 + 40% × 71.1 = 73

    Ecsta AST KU25: 60% × 61.9 (est.) + 40% × 54.8 = 59

    No road tests of wet for Ecsta AST KU25. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 70

    Snow

    Kinergy 4S +23
    47
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta AST KU25
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests66≈ 57 (est.)
    Reviews found online7634

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 66.2 + 40% × 76 = 70

    Ecsta AST KU25: 60% × 56.8 (est.) + 40% × 33.5 = 47

    No road tests of snow for Ecsta AST KU25. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 67

    Comfort

    Kinergy 4S +15
    52
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta AST KU25
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online6744

    Kinergy 4S: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 66.5 = 67

    Ecsta AST KU25: 40% × 64.5 (est.) + 60% × 43.9 = 52

    No road tests of comfort for Kinergy 4S or Ecsta AST KU25. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 60

    Noise

    Ecsta AST KU25 +2
    62
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta AST KU25
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests56≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)55

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 56.2 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 60

    Ecsta AST KU25: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 54.9 = 62

    No owner ratings of noise for Kinergy 4S. 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.

    No road tests of noise for Ecsta AST KU25. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 62

    Treadwear

    Kinergy 4S +1
    61
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta AST KU25
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests62≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online6258

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 62.4 + 40% × 61.9 = 62

    Ecsta AST KU25: 60% × 63.3 (est.) + 40% × 58 = 61

    No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta AST KU25. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 64

    Handling (owners)

    Kinergy 4S +12
    52
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta AST KU25
    Reviews found online6452
  8. 67

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SEcsta AST KU25
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests67–
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Kinergy 4SKumho Ecsta AST KU25
Relative Score 68 57
Dry 69 61
Wet 73 59
Snow 70 47
Comfort 67 52
Noise 60 62
Treadwear 62 61
Handling (owners) 64 52
Efficiency 67 –

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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
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

Kinergy 4S

± 8

Ecsta AST KU25

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 Kinergy 4S

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and stability in wet and torrential rain conditions
  • Strong performance in snow and slush, often cited as a viable alternative to dedicated winter tires
  • High value-for-money proposition compared to premium competitors

Cons

  • Reports of premature tread wear and shorter-than-expected service life
  • Inconsistent dry-road handling and feedback compared to dedicated summer tires
  • Occasional reports of poor traction on greasy or specific wet road surfaces
All owner themes in the Kinergy 4S review

Tire B Ecsta AST KU25

Pros

  • Attractive, budget-friendly price point
  • Impressive treadwear and longevity, particularly noted on alternative fitments like trikes
  • Good dry grip and handling once warmed up

Cons

  • Unpredictable and poor wet-weather traction
  • Excessive road noise
  • Abrupt loss of grip at the absolute limit rather than a gradual slip
All owner themes in the Ecsta AST KU25 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Kinergy 4S B · Kumho Ecsta AST KU25
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available67—
Rim diameters13″ – 18″—
Tread depth—10/32″
UTQG—400 A A
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Kinergy 4S

Kumho Ecsta AST KU25

Winner: Hankook Kinergy 4S — better snow, comfort and wet. Where the Kumho Ecsta AST KU25 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 70 vs 47 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 67 vs 52 on comfort.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 73 vs 59 on wet.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 64 vs 52 on handling.

Tire A · Hankook Kinergy 4S
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Tire B · Kumho Ecsta AST KU25
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Kinergy 4S or Ecsta AST KU25?

Which is better in the wet, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta AST KU25?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 73 vs 59 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta AST KU25?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 69 vs 61 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta AST KU25?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 70 vs 47 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta AST KU25?

Neither, by our numbers: 60 vs 62 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta AST KU25?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 67 vs 52 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Kinergy 4S or Ecsta AST KU25?

Neither, by our numbers: 62 vs 61 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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