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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 vs Hankook Optimo 4S — 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 27 + 0 road tests and 3,659 + 32 owner reviews. How we score

Optimo 4S leads, 75–71 Narrow edge

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Hankook Kinergy 4S2
Tire AHankook

Kinergy 4S2

All Season

± 4

Tests 78 · 27 tests Owners 60 · 3,659 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2026 ADAC All Season Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 (curved aquaplaning)

“New Tyres - Kia dealership recommend Hankook Kinergy 4S 2 H750 215/55R17 98W Just had my 40,000 service at my local Kia dealership for my ‘22 E Niro. I am going to get my tyres changed elsewhere to save a few £££’s but am just wondering if the Hankooks are a good tyre? I am looking at around £140-160 per tyre and wondering if this is a good tyre for the price or if anyone has better suggestion for similar price or cheaper?”

Hankook Optimo 4S
Tire BHankook

Optimo 4S

All Season

± 8

Tests – · none yet Owners 76 · 32 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 72

    Dry

    Optimo 4S +2
    74
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4S2Optimo 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 26 / – tests83≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online5677

    Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 82.9 + 40% × 56 = 72

    Optimo 4S: 60% × 71.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    No road tests of dry for Optimo 4S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 78

    Wet

    Optimo 4S +1
    79
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4S2Optimo 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 26 / – tests87≈ 77 (est.)
    Reviews found online6582

    Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 86.8 + 40% × 64.9 = 78

    Optimo 4S: 60% × 76.8 (est.) + 40% × 81.9 = 79

    No road tests of wet for Optimo 4S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 72

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4S2Optimo 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 21 / – tests79–
    Reviews found online61–

    Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 78.6 + 40% × 60.9 = 72

  4. 61

    Comfort

    Optimo 4S +14
    75
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4S2Optimo 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests72≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online5478

    Kinergy 4S2: 40% × 71.5 + 60% × 54.3 = 61

    Optimo 4S: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 78.1 = 75

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

  5. 63

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4S2Optimo 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 21 / – tests62–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 61.6 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 63

    No owner ratings of noise for Kinergy 4S2. 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.

  6. 67

    Treadwear

    Optimo 4S +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4S2Optimo 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 10 / – tests72≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6070

    Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 72.5 + 40% × 59.6 = 67

    Optimo 4S: 60% × 67.9 (est.) + 40% × 70.4 = 69

    No road tests of treadwear for Optimo 4S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 56

    Handling (owners)

    Optimo 4S +19
    75
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4S2Optimo 4S
    Reviews found online5675
  8. 51

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceKinergy 4S2Optimo 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 21 / – tests51–
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Kinergy 4S2Hankook Optimo 4S
Relative Score 71 75
Dry 72 74
Wet 78 79
Snow 72 –
Comfort 61 75
Noise 63 –
Treadwear 67 69
Handling (owners) 56 75
Efficiency 51 –

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

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

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
± 4

Kinergy 4S2

± 8

Optimo 4S

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.

DisciplineCategoryKinergy 4S2Optimo 4SΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #7/9 2026 AMS All Season Tyre Test - 195/55 R16 #7/7 2016 ADAC All Season Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A 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

Tire B Optimo 4S

Pros

  • Excellent traction and confidence in snow and icy conditions
  • Strong performance in wet weather and standing water
  • High levels of ride comfort and low road noise

Cons

  • Dry road handling can feel slightly compromised compared to dedicated summer tires
  • Some reports of increased noise levels when the tires are brand new
  • Occasional reports of uneven tread wear or balancing issues
All owner themes in the Optimo 4S review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Hankook Kinergy 4S2

Mixed

The Hankook Kinergy 4S2 is widely regarded as a good-value 3PMSF all-weather tire, often recommended as a cheaper alternative to the Michelin CrossClimate 2 thanks to strong wet performance and good independent test results. Complaints include a stiff ride, highway road noise, fast or uneven tread wear, and weaker snow and ice grip for some owners. Several users noted that ice performance wasn't tested and that it suits milder, wet climates best.

r/mercedes_benz ·8 upvotes ·2026-09-06

“Tire recommendations E-class Hi all, I've been enjoying my first E-class for a couple months now. The only thing that has been bothering me is the loud noise the tires make at about 130 kph. I've ruled everything out so I'm really certain it is just the tires. They are hankook kinergy 4s2 h750 all seasons, so a bit of noise is to be expected but these really make a loud humming noise at highway speeds. Does anyone have recommendation for quiet all season tires? They do need to have the 3pmsf certifaction. My sizes are front: 245/40 R19 & back: 275/35 R19. 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”
r/tires ·4 upvotes ·2025-03-18

“Hankook Worn out after 15k miles Took my car in for a standard tire rotation and was informed all 4 tires only had 4/32 of tread remaining left. I was shocked. I've only put about 15k miles on in the 2.5 years I've had the tires. I don't drive aggressively at all. Mix of city and highway. Anyways, I got about a 75% credit on the Hankook Kinergy 4s2 all weather tires and only paid about $70 out of pocket towards my new tires (plus $90 balancing and mounting fee)! I went with the Falken Aklimate that were about $150 a tire. Just wanted to share my story. Can the softer rubber in all weather tires cause them to wear out faster in the summer? Only other thing I can think of is my car was parked outside for 2 summers in a south facing parking lot so maybe the sun just baked them and cause the tread to wear faster? But I would think that would be more dry rot related than tread wear. Read more”
Top themes
#Value vs CrossClimate 2#Wet traction#Snow and ice grip#Tread wear concerns#Ride comfort stiffness#Road noise#Tyre Reviews test results#EV and range use

Based on 34 community posts

Tire B

Hankook Optimo 4S

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Kinergy 4S2 B · Hankook Optimo 4S
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available9535
Rim diameters14″ – 20″13″ – 17″
UTQG500 A A520 - 600 A A
Sizes in common2828

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Kinergy 4S2

Hankook Optimo 4S

Narrow edge: Hankook Optimo 4S — better handling and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Optimo 4S scores 75 vs 56 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Optimo 4S scores 75 vs 61 on comfort.

Tire A · Hankook Kinergy 4S2
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Tire B · Hankook Optimo 4S
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Kinergy 4S2 or Optimo 4S?

Which is better in the wet, Kinergy 4S2 or Optimo 4S?

Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 79 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Kinergy 4S2 or Optimo 4S?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 74 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Kinergy 4S2 or Optimo 4S?

Hankook Optimo 4S, 75 vs 61 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Kinergy 4S2 or Optimo 4S?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 69 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