Hankook Kinergy 4S2 - All-Season Tyre Test 2023
Hankook was third in dry handling, working well in direction changes
- Score: 99%
- Rating: =5th
- Price: £104.59
Hankook came up short in its bid to complete an unprecedented hat-trick of successive wins in this test. The different test conditions – ‘warmer’ snow testing, plus colder wet and dry assessments – or perhaps changes to the Kinergy 4S2 itself may be at the root of this result, because we saw little evidence of the tyre that took four wins and only finished off the podium twice last time out.
The Hankook ended up sixth in Sweden, some two per cent behind the Michelin that it ran so close in Finland last year. The balance was good on snow, with enough rear movement to rotate the car, and decent traction on lock through turns. It finished around a second behind the winning Kleber, but was further away from the best in braking and traction.
In the wet it was more like the Hankook of 2022, completing the podium, if a step behind the top two. It fared well in deep-water aquaplaning and was no slouch in the shallower assessments, finishing on the podium in handling and wet circle. It was good to drive too: the grip was decent, with a stable, usable balance, although it lacked the Goodyear’s liveliness.
That gap to the Goodyear was there in the dry too, where Hankook was in a closely matched group. The front gave up a bit earlier, but it was good in the direction change. While other results have changed, fuel consumption remains a concern.
We say:
No third win for Hankook, which just couldn’t match its previous performances, particularly when the temperatures drop and snow is on the ground.
Blackcircles.com says:
Feedback on this tyre often focuses its performance on snow, good fuel economy and value for money. It has received an overall score of 4.4/5 from more than 1,000 reviews.
| Hankook Kinergy 4S2 | Score | Place |
| Snow braking | 95.6% | =7th |
| Snow traction | 94.9% | 7th |
| Snow handling | 98.3% | 5th |
| Straight aquaplaning | 99.4% | 3rd |
| Curved aquaplaning | 99.1% | 2nd |
| Wet braking | 92.6% | 5th |
| Wet handling | 99.3% | 2nd |
| Wet circle | 99.1% | 3rd |
| Dry braking | 93.9% | 4th |
| Dry handling | 99.4% | =3rd |
| Rolling resistance | 87.8% | 8th |
| Cabing noise | 98.5% | 6th |
