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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Optimo H426 vs Hankook Kinergy 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 0 + 3 road tests and 24 + 13 owner reviews. How we score

Kinergy 4S is ahead, 68–50

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Hankook Optimo H426
Tire AHankook

Optimo H426

All Season

± 7

Tests – · none yet Owners 41 · 24 reviews

Hankook Kinergy 4S
Tire BHankook

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. 51

    Dry

    Kinergy 4S +18
    69
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H426Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 57 (est.)70
    Reviews found online4269

    Optimo H426: 60% × 57.3 (est.) + 40% × 42.4 = 51

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

    No road tests of dry for Optimo H426. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 54

    Wet

    Kinergy 4S +19
    73
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H426Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 58 (est.)74
    Reviews found online4971

    Optimo H426: 60% × 58.5 (est.) + 40% × 48.5 = 54

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

    No road tests of wet for Optimo H426. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 49

    Snow

    Kinergy 4S +21
    70
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H426Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 58 (est.)66
    Reviews found online3576

    Optimo H426: 60% × 57.5 (est.) + 40% × 35.3 = 49

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

    No road tests of snow for Optimo H426. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 44

    Comfort

    Kinergy 4S +23
    67
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H426Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online3167

    Optimo H426: 40% × 62.2 (est.) + 60% × 31.3 = 44

    Kinergy 4S: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 66.5 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for Optimo H426 or Kinergy 4S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 60

    Noise

    Level
    60
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H426Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 67 (est.)56
    Reviews found online51≈ 67 (est.)

    Optimo H426: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 51.2 = 60

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

    No road tests of noise for Optimo H426. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    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.

  6. 47

    Treadwear

    Kinergy 4S +15
    62
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H426Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 55 (est.)62
    Reviews found online3562

    Optimo H426: 60% × 55.3 (est.) + 40% × 35.1 = 47

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

    No road tests of treadwear for Optimo H426. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 36

    Handling (owners)

    Kinergy 4S +28
    64
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H426Kinergy 4S
    Reviews found online3664
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H426Kinergy 4S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests–67
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Optimo H426Hankook Kinergy 4S
Relative Score 50 68
Dry 51 69
Wet 54 73
Snow 49 70
Comfort 44 67
Noise 60 60
Treadwear 47 62
Handling (owners) 36 64
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
± 7

Optimo H426

± 8

Kinergy 4S

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 Optimo H426

Pros

  • Reliable dry and wet traction in moderate weather
  • Comfortable and smooth initial ride quality
  • Confident handling and cornering capabilities

Cons

  • Accelerated tread wear in the latter half of the tire's life span
  • Subpar performance and loss of grip in cold temperatures or snow
  • Increased road noise as the tires age
All owner themes in the Optimo H426 review

Tire B 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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Optimo H426 B · Hankook Kinergy 4S
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available1167
Rim diameters15″ – 20″13″ – 18″
Tread depth10/32″—
UTQG440 A A—
Treadwear warranty60,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure44 psi—
Sizes in common77

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Optimo H426

Hankook Kinergy 4S

Winner: Hankook Kinergy 4S — better handling, comfort and snow. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 64 vs 36 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 67 vs 44 on comfort.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 70 vs 49 on snow.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Kinergy 4S scores 73 vs 54 on wet.

Tire A · Hankook Optimo H426
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Tire B · Hankook Kinergy 4S
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Optimo H426 or Kinergy 4S?

Which is better in the wet, Optimo H426 or Kinergy 4S?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 73 vs 54 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Optimo H426 or Kinergy 4S?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 69 vs 51 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Optimo H426 or Kinergy 4S?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 70 vs 49 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Optimo H426 or Kinergy 4S?

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

Which is more comfortable, Optimo H426 or Kinergy 4S?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 67 vs 44 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Optimo H426 or Kinergy 4S?

Hankook Kinergy 4S, 62 vs 47 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