Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 24 + 1 road tests and 3,636 + 22 owner reviews. How we score
Ventus ST leads, 74–71 Narrow edge
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Tests 78 · 24 tests Owners 61 · 3,636 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2026 ADAC All Season Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 (curved aquaplaning)
“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”
Tests 72 · 1 test Owners 78 · 22 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 8 in 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test (dry braking)
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Kinergy 4S2 | Ventus ST |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / 1 tests | 82 | 71 |
| Reviews found online | 58 | 78 |
Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 82.2 + 40% × 57.5 = 72
Ventus ST: 60% × 70.6 + 40% × 78.4 = 74
| Source | Kinergy 4S2 | Ventus ST |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / 1 tests | 85 | 75 |
| Reviews found online | 67 | 78 |
Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 85.5 + 40% × 66.7 = 78
Ventus ST: 60% × 74.5 + 40% × 77.6 = 76
| Source | Kinergy 4S2 | Ventus ST |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 18 / – tests | 79 | – |
| Reviews found online | 63 | – |
Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 78.6 + 40% × 62.6 = 72
| Source | Kinergy 4S2 | Ventus ST |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests | 77 | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 76 |
Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 76.5 + 40% × 60.2 = 70
Ventus ST: 60% × 70.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.4 = 73
No road tests of comfort for Ventus ST. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Kinergy 4S2 | Ventus ST |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 18 / 1 tests | 66 | 69 |
| Reviews found online | ≈ 67 (est.) | ≈ 67 (est.) |
Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 65.6 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 66
Ventus ST: 60% × 69 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 68
No owner ratings of noise for Kinergy 4S2 or Ventus ST. 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.
| Source | Kinergy 4S2 | Ventus ST |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests | 71 | ≈ 69 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 77 |
Kinergy 4S2: 60% × 71.2 + 40% × 60.4 = 67
Ventus ST: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 77.2 = 72
No road tests of treadwear for Ventus ST. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
| Source | Kinergy 4S2 | Ventus ST |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 57 | 79 |
| Category | Hankook Kinergy 4S2 | Hankook Ventus ST |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 71 | 74 |
| Dry | 72 | 74 |
| Wet | 78 | 76 |
| Snow | 72 | – |
| Comfort | 70 | 73 |
| Noise | 66 | 68 |
| Treadwear | 67 | 72 |
| Handling (owners) | 57 | 79 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Kinergy 4S2
Ventus ST
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
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.
| Discipline | Category | Kinergy 4S2 | Ventus ST | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 94% #7/16 · 2026 ADAC All Season Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 | 95% #2/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 100% #1/9 · 2025 Auto Bild All Season Camper Van Tyre Test | 98% #5/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 97% #3/16 · 2026 ADAC All Season Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 | 98% #2/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 89% #12/16 · 2026 ADAC All Season Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 | 99% #3/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 98% #7/9 · 2025 Auto Bild All Season Camper Van Tyre Test | 98% #3/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Noise | Noise | 96% #14/16 · 2026 ADAC All Season Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 | 97% #5/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Price | Cost | 74% #3/12 · 2024 Minivan / SUV All Season Tyre Test | 58% #6/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 86% #8/9 · 2026 Die Reifentester All Season Tyre Test - 225/40 R18 | 81% #8/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #5/16 2026 ADAC All Season Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 | #2/8 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
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.
“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.”
“Hankook Kinergy 4S2 vs Continental AllSeasonContact 2 For the past 3 years I have been using the Hankook Kinergy 4S2 195/55R15 and I am super happy with them, but a little over 50,000km in it is time to get new shoes this winter. I have driven in snow and they felt quite ok. Now I am looking to either get them again since I enjoyed them, or try the Continental AllSeasonContact 2 - but they only come in 185/55R15. I have read that narrower tires are better in the snow - most of the driving I do is on maintained roads but we do go into the mountains for a few weekends through winter usuallly. First of all, are the Continental a big step up from the Hankooks, like-for-like? Secondly, would the width difference be a significant factor in snow performance gain or dry/wet performance loss? And if it is better to have the narrower tire, would the Hankook in 185/55R15 be still a reasonable move from my current 195/55? Price-wise: Continental AllSeasonContact 2 185/55 R15 - 100Eur Hankook Kinergy 4S2 185/55 R15 - 79Eur Hankook Kinergy 4S2 195/55 R15 - 84Eur Cheers :) Read more”
“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”
Based on 33 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Hankook Kinergy 4S2 | B · Hankook Ventus ST |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 95 | 10 |
| Rim diameters | 14″ – 20″ | 17″ – 22″ |
| Sizes in common | 0 | 0 |
Hankook Kinergy 4S2
Hankook Ventus ST
Narrow edge: Hankook Ventus ST — better handling, treadwear and comfort. Where the Hankook Kinergy 4S2 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.
Hankook Ventus ST scores 79 vs 57 on handling.
Hankook Ventus ST scores 72 vs 67 on treadwear.
Hankook Ventus ST scores 73 vs 70 on comfort.
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Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 76 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 74 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 68 on the noise score, within 3 points.
Hankook Ventus ST, 73 vs 70 on our comfort score.
Hankook Ventus ST, 72 vs 67 on our treadwear score.
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
