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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Kinergy 4S vs Kumho Solus TA31 — 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 14 + 79 owner reviews. How we score

Kinergy 4S is ahead, 68–59

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Hankook Kinergy 4S
Tire AHankook

Kinergy 4S

All Season

± 8

Tests 68 · 3 tests Owners 68 · 14 reviews

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

Kumho Solus TA31
Tire BKumho

Solus TA31

All Season

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 55 · 79 reviews

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 +10
    59
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SSolus TA31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests70≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online6754

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 69.7 + 40% × 67.2 = 69

    Solus TA31: 60% × 62.2 (est.) + 40% × 53.9 = 59

    No road tests of dry for Solus TA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 73

    Wet

    Kinergy 4S +11
    62
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SSolus TA31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests74≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7159

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 74.1 + 40% × 71 = 73

    Solus TA31: 60% × 64.1 (est.) + 40% × 58.6 = 62

    No road tests of wet for Solus TA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 70

    Snow

    Kinergy 4S +14
    56
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SSolus TA31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests66≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online7747

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 66.1 + 40% × 76.6 = 70

    Solus TA31: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 46.6 = 56

    No road tests of snow for Solus TA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 67

    Comfort

    Kinergy 4S +6
    61
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SSolus TA31
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6658

    Kinergy 4S: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 66 = 67

    Solus TA31: 40% × 66.4 (est.) + 60% × 57.5 = 61

    No road tests of comfort for Kinergy 4S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Solus TA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 60

    Noise

    Solus TA31 +4
    64
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SSolus TA31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests56≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)61

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 56.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 60

    Solus TA31: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 60.9 = 64

    No owner ratings of noise for Kinergy 4S. 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.

    No road tests of noise for Solus TA31. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 63

    Treadwear

    Kinergy 4S +4
    59
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SSolus TA31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests63≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online6354

    Kinergy 4S: 60% × 62.8 + 40% × 62.9 = 63

    Solus TA31: 60% × 62 (est.) + 40% × 54.1 = 59

    No road tests of treadwear for Solus TA31. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 64

    Handling (owners)

    Kinergy 4S +10
    54
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SSolus TA31
    Reviews found online6454
  8. 67

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4SSolus TA31
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests67–
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Kinergy 4SKumho Solus TA31
Relative Score 68 59
Dry 69 59
Wet 73 62
Snow 70 56
Comfort 67 61
Noise 60 64
Treadwear 63 59
Handling (owners) 64 54
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

± 7

Solus TA31

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 Solus TA31

Pros

  • Exceptional value and budget-friendly pricing
  • Very low road noise and a comfortable, smooth ride
  • Good dry and wet traction for everyday commuting

Cons

  • Poor performance in snow and ice conditions
  • Soft sidewalls leading to reduced high-speed stability and less sharp handling
  • Inconsistent tread wear reported by some users, leading to premature replacement
All owner themes in the Solus TA31 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Kinergy 4S B · Kumho Solus TA31
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available6722
Rim diameters13″ – 18″15″ – 20″
Tread depth—9.5/32″
UTQG500 - 600 A A500 A A
Treadwear warranty—60,000 mi
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—44 psi
Sizes in common1818

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Kinergy 4S

Kumho Solus TA31

Winner: Hankook Kinergy 4S — better snow, wet and dry. Pick the Kumho Solus TA31 if noise matters most to you.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 70 vs 56 on snow.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 73 vs 62 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 69 vs 59 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 64 vs 54 on handling.

Tire A · Hankook Kinergy 4S
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Tire B · Kumho Solus TA31
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Kinergy 4S or Solus TA31?

Which is better in the wet, Kinergy 4S or Solus TA31?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 73 vs 62 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Kinergy 4S or Solus TA31?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 69 vs 59 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Kinergy 4S or Solus TA31?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 70 vs 56 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Kinergy 4S or Solus TA31?

Kumho Solus TA31, 64 vs 60 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Kinergy 4S or Solus TA31?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 67 vs 61 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Kinergy 4S or Solus TA31?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 63 vs 59 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