Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Ecsta PA31 vs Hankook Kinergy 4S2 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Kinergy 4S2 is ahead, 70–61

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Tire AKumho

Ecsta PA31

All Season Ultra High Performance tires

Tests – · none yet Owners 57 · 23 reviews

Tire BHankook

Kinergy 4S2

All Season

Tests 78 · 24 tests Owners 61 · 3,612 reviews

“Softer alternative to HANKOOK KINERGY 4S2? Searching for alternarive to HANKOOK KINERGY 4S2 Good day to you! I recently decided to move to all-season tires. After checking reviews, costs and availability I went for HANKOOK 4S2. But i find them VERY stiff and not comfortable at all. (245 40 18). Would you please recommend an alternative with a softer ride? I am in Europe. Cheers and thank you!”

Category by category

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

  1. 61

    Dry

    Kinergy 4S2 +11
    72
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–82
    Reviews found online5757
  2. 66

    Wet

    Kinergy 4S2 +12
    78
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–85
    Reviews found online6467
  3. 59

    Snow

    Kinergy 4S2 +13
    72
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–79
    Reviews found online5263
  4. 62

    Comfort

    Kinergy 4S2 +8
    70
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–77
    Reviews found online5461
  5. 66

    Noise

    Level
    66
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–66
    Reviews found online65–
  6. 59

    Treadwear

    Kinergy 4S2 +8
    67
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–71
    Reviews found online5560
  7. 53

    Handling

    Kinergy 4S2 +4
    57
    Why this score
    SourceEcsta PA31Kinergy 4S2
    Reviews found online5357
Scores at a glance
Kumho Ecsta PA31 vs Hankook Kinergy 4S2: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryKumho Ecsta PA31Hankook Kinergy 4S2
Relative Score 61 70
Dry 61 72
Wet 66 78
Snow 59 72
Comfort 62 70
Noise 66 66
Treadwear 59 67
Handling 53 57

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Ecsta PA31

Kinergy 4S2

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Ecsta PA31

Pros

  • Affordable price and high overall value
  • Smooth and quiet ride quality
  • Strong wet-weather grip and confidence

Cons

  • Tendency to develop temporary flat spots when parked for a few days
  • Occasional durability issues such as sidewall bubbles reported by some users
  • Not intended for high-performance track use or extreme grip
All owner themes in the Ecsta PA31 review

Tire B 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

What real owners are saying

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

Tire A

Kumho Ecsta PA31

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

Tire B

Hankook Kinergy 4S2

Positive

The Hankook Kinergy 4S2 is widely regarded by the community as an excellent, value-oriented all-weather (3PMSF) tire that punches above its weight, often compared favorably to premium alternatives like the Michelin CrossClimate 2 at a significantly lower price point. Users frequently praise its strong wet traction, balanced performance in mild-to-moderate winter conditions, and top ratings in independent tests, though some drivers report concerns regarding highway noise, a stiffer ride quality, or shorter-than-expected tread life depending on the vehicle and driving habits.

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”

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”

r/KiaNiroEV ·2 upvotes ·2026-01-20

“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?”

Top themes
#Price and Value#Wet and Winter Traction#Noise Levels#Ride Comfort and Stiffness#Tread Wear and Longevity#Comparison to Michelin CrossClimate 2

Based on 26 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Ecsta PA31 B · Hankook Kinergy 4S2
CategoryAll Season Ultra High Performance tiresAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available795
Rim diameters15″ – 18″14″ – 20″
Tread depth11/32″—
UTQG500 A A—
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure50 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Ecsta PA31

Hankook Kinergy 4S2

Winner: Hankook Kinergy 4S2 — better snow, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 72 vs 59 on snow.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 78 vs 66 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 72 vs 61 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 70 vs 62 on comfort.

Tire A · Kumho Ecsta PA31
Tire B · Hankook Kinergy 4S2

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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

70

Leads

Kinergy 4S2

Amazon