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Hankook Optimo H428 vs Hankook Kinergy 4S2 — Compared

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

Kinergy 4S2 is ahead, 69–39

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Tire BHankook

Kinergy 4S2

All Season

Tests 77 · 24 tests Owners 61 · 3,600 reviews

“Zimske gume - premium ili neka srednja klasa? Nakon 2 proklizavanja u skretanju ovaj vikend (po kiši) zaključila sam da je vrijeme da kupim nove gume. Otkako sam uzela auto (prosinac 2022.) imam jedne te iste cjelogodišnje gume, Hankook Kinergy 4S2, 225/45/R17. Prošlu zimu kad je bilo snijega jedva sam kući s posla išla koliko sam se klizala po ulici, kiša još nekako ali snijeg i led katastrofa. Ove godine je i na kiši počeo proklizavati. Auto je zadnji pogon, 115ks ništa specijalno. Ono što me zanima je koliko ima smisla uzeti neke premium gume obzirom da godišnje radim oko 15k kilometara, većinski po gradu (Slavonija), tu i tamo autoput do Zg, možda 2 puta godišnje Mađarska/Austrija/Slovenija. Vidim da svi hvale Continental Wintercontact TS870 ali poprilično su skupe pa imate li možda preporuku za nešto jeftinije, a kvalitetno? Više me zanima da su dobre za kišu jer snijega nema nešto specijalno i sve će biti bolje nego ove koje sad imam. Što se dimenzije tiče imam jedne alu felge pa bih onda uzela istu dimenziju čisto da se ne moram izut iz cipela zbog troškova s kupovanjem još i felgi. TLDR: Zimska guma, 225/45/R17, zadnji pogon, što kupiti? Read more”

Category by category

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

  1. 38

    Dry

    Kinergy 4S2 +34
    72
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H428Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–82
    Reviews found online2158
  2. 34

    Wet

    Kinergy 4S2 +41
    75
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H428Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–81
    Reviews found online2266
  3. 40

    Snow

    Kinergy 4S2 +32
    72
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H428Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–78
    Reviews found online2163
  4. 45

    Comfort

    Kinergy 4S2 +24
    69
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H428Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–75
    Reviews found online2161
  5. 49

    Noise

    Kinergy 4S2 +19
    68
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H428Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–68
    Reviews found online27–
  6. 48

    Treadwear

    Kinergy 4S2 +19
    67
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H428Kinergy 4S2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–71
    Reviews found online3661
  7. 23

    Handling

    Kinergy 4S2 +35
    58
    Why this score
    SourceOptimo H428Kinergy 4S2
    Reviews found online2358
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Optimo H428Hankook Kinergy 4S2
Relative Score 39 69
Dry 38 72
Wet 34 75
Snow 40 72
Comfort 45 69
Noise 49 68
Treadwear 48 67
Handling 23 58

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

Optimo H428

Kinergy 4S2

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Optimo H428

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

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

Hankook Optimo H428

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/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/TyreReviews ·4 upvotes ·2024-04-14

“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!”
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
#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 · Hankook Optimo H428 B · Hankook Kinergy 4S2
Category—All Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Tread depth9.5/32″—
UTQG500 A A—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure44 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Optimo H428

Hankook Kinergy 4S2

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

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 75 vs 34 on wet.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 58 vs 23 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 72 vs 38 on dry.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Hankook Kinergy 4S2 scores 72 vs 40 on snow.

Tire A · Hankook Optimo H428
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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.

69

Leads

Kinergy 4S2

Amazon