Owners generally rate the Hankook Kinergy 4S2 as a strong all-weather all-rounder, with most praise focused on dependable wet and dry grip (mentioned by around half of reviewers) and reassuring snow traction. Longevity is often reported as good, and a notable minority also highlight the comfortable ride and strong value for money. The most consistent drawback is road noise, raised by over a third of owners, while a smaller group report higher fuel consumption/rolling resistance.
What owners mention most counted across 66 reviews
I bought the Kinergy 4S2 as a winter tyre, in central europe we have usually mild winters with mostly wet and slush, so a wet focused all-season seemed like a good idea, and the 4S2 had a good price in my stupid size.
TL;DR: It was, I’m 95% satisfied with the performance
Dry: Well, it’s an all season on a sporty car, and i didn’t drive it in the summer heat, so not much to talk about. The grip is good, it doesn’t soften up too much in highway drive in ~15C (the warmest it seen), the handling isn’t too fun, but communicative. The comfort is good (way better than the OE PZ4 ofc), but it is quite loud @70/140kph (some sort of resonance, it was bad in the first 500km, then got better). It’s slightly better than a full winter, and that was my goal.
Wet: My point with the tire choice was to handle cold (below 5C) wet, and it nailed it. It has absolutely no grip issues in cold wet, even in the usual salted up/slushy 0C winter roads, or deeper water, it feel just like driving in a summer rain. This comes with the compromise, that the wet grip doesn’t get better with warmer (10-15C) temps, it was weird at first, but i guess that’s a design choice, and i like it.
Snow: Now, that we finally got proper winter, i can say that in fresh or slightly packed snow, these feel just like real winter tires, the grip is good, the balance was perfect (even playful). However, as we move from fresh snow to more packed/icy snow or full ice, the grip dropped drastically (it does with any tyre, but less with full winters). It was ok-ish for just getting from A to B, but you really felt the lack of sipes.
Wear/fuel use: I didn’t drive too much on them yet, but they seem to handle the agressive suspension/LSD/torque of the I20N well, there is no significant wear (the OE Pirellis died way quicker lol). The fuel use is hard to tell, it dropped a bit vs PZ4s, but i think the new PS5 set going up in spring well be even better.
As conclusion, i love the tires, if i drove in the mountains i’d need real winters, but currently they perfectly fit my sporty-ish mild winter tire needs (CC3S wasn’t yet on the market, and tbh I’m slightly concerned about the low starting tread depth of them). So, defo buy again, or maybe try something else for curiosity, oor 4S3? :D
That was my first experience with all seasons tires and it was a surprisingly good one. They have lasted 3 years (from November 2022 to December 2025) and only 36.000 km because I had to replace them when they still had 5mm of tread depth as they've suddenly started to loose their great grip on wet surface in low temperature this winter (this was very strange). Beside that they have been amazing tires during these 3 years (with an engaged driving style). I've had just very few days of very light snow so difficult to judge them on that criteria. I have now just ordered the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 as I wanted to try something new. See you in 3 years for the next review :)
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
I have had them on my car for over 3.5 years, we have driven them in snowy mountains, in the Central European summer heat, in the city and also on the German motorway at 240 km/h. They may not be the best tyres for winter and certainly not for driving on the Nürburgring, but for everyday use they are perfect. I chose them because of their good parameters on both dry and wet surfaces, which is a priority for me, since I drive on snow at most once a year. Another advantage was the price, they were €30+ cheaper than Continental and €50+ cheaper than Michelin CrossClimate 2. The tyres currently have almost 42 thousand kilometres on them and I will use them for at least another year.
Which tyres do you drive?
Researching the Hankook Kinergy 4S2? Rate the tyres you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
I just have bought these tyres for the 4rd time (each time a full set). I used these now on 4 different cars of I still own 3. I had them on a Ford S-Max and they were the best of all seasons I ever put on them. The compromis I been looking for when you drive normal but also like a nice level of safety in case things go south. The other three cars I still own. A Mitsu Colt on which the tyre felt like a fish in the water from the first day on. Finally some decent steering and grip. That set is now 4 years old, and axle swamp has happened just last year. I have to admit with the tyre half worn (still +4mm) on the rear axl, things have gotten a little less grippy. If any, the wet is likely the least of his qualities but still within safe acceptable range.On my Kodiaq it's a wonderful tyre as well, even more silent than on the smaller car. The grip is about the same though it feels here even stronger on dry, and perhaps a tiny bit less on snow. Likely that has something to do with the car weight, and perhaps the tyre dimensions. And now I got got them on our Ford C-max, and hopefully they last as long as the Michelin Cross Climate plus they replace. The only thing that surprised me was the difference in price. I have all rather normal wheels on my cars, but strangely enough the size on the Cmax was the most expensive tire. While my Kodiaq is a larger size, the tyre came cheaper.
Although a good All-Season (EU) tire, I'd prefer more cold wet performance and especially - longevity. In a climate, where transition period from cold to Summer and back happens in waves of heat and cold, it forces you to keep snow-certified tires on for longer, thus exposing them to temperatures above +25 occasionally. Either this, or other factors didn't help with the longevity of the tires. 16K km (10K mi) during three Winter seasons. Having to cope with a RWD EV demand, rears get more beating, but not that much more than fronts, so overall wear is pretty even - just too intensive. That's the main reason I'm switching from Hankook Kinergy 4S2 to Nokian SeasonProof 2. Plus I wish for a bit more wet performance.
Lifetime: used for 56.000 km and remaining tread depth was about 3mm
Grip on dry and wet: no problem in general, on 186 HP and harder acceleration from standstill the tyre slips a bit. In the wet same. On normal driving no problems on dry, on heavy rain.
Grip on snow: drove in heavy snowing with the road complete covered by snow and I was able to drive with 50..60 kmh. Climbed steper road covered by a bit of snow with no problem. Maneuvering in parkings where snow was about 5 cm or more with no problem.
I use these tires on two vehicles, a Hyundai i30n and a Mazda cx3. The Hyundai has 225/40 18s, which were supposed to replace the pure winter tires in the winter, as winter tires aren't fun to drive on this car. This actually worked quite well; the tires are sporty to drive, don't smear, wear is okay, and snow grip is acceptable. The difference to pure winter tires on snow is that the all-season tire loses grip quite suddenly, while the winter tire clearly announces this. I still wouldn't buy the tire for this car because it's incredibly loud. Louder than the previously installed winter tire, also from Hankook. The same tire in 215/60 16s on the Mazda in all-season use behaves completely differently. I would briefly note that the difference between the two vehicles is not insignificant: the Mazda is significantly lighter, has less than half the horsepower, and is driven "normally." In both summer and winter, the tire performs discreetly well on the Mazda, is comfortable, and quiet. While inferior to a pure winter tire on snow, it offers excellent handling and good feedback. Mileage and fuel consumption are also very good. For this size and for small, light cars, I would definitely recommend it. On the Mazda, the tire has covered approximately 40,000 km in two years and still has 4 mm of tread remaining on the drive axle (not replaced). On the Hyundai, the tire was used for approximately 15,000 km in two winters and still has approximately 5 mm of tread remaining (replaced).
I have crossed over 35k kms and very much mixed driving style (mostly in country roads and motorways). Good pick for all season tyre and also value for money. After 20k kms, this tire resembles more like a summer tire and has less confident in wet braking (cold conditions). Handling is moderate and not a standout among competitors ! Be prepared for sudden braking as this might steer your car either to the left or right. I would recommend this tire only if are not an enthusiastic driver and one who looks for comfort and better value. Worn out tires have over 50% drop in fuel efficiency and Performance.
Excellent all round tire for an exceptionally low price compared to the more famous brands, definitely pick this one when the price difference is significant, I would definitely buy it again for my Honda Jazz Hybrid! 75000 km and they still had some life left in them, no relevant drop in wet and dry performance experienced throughout the life. Surprisingly resistant also to high temperatures. I drove between Switzerland, Germany and Italy, very well balanced behaviour and under different conditions such as autobahn speeds at full load, twisty roads under heavy rain, foggy winter highways and city streets.
Personally, I drive All-season tires (premium car), 90% of the highways in Slovakia, MR, AT + Italy, etc. I live in southern Slovakia, but I also drive north. My annual mileage is 20-35,000km.
I changed seasonal tires regardless of the tread after 3 years. All-season tires after 2 years and of course I balance them regularly.
Today it is no longer a "cat and dog" situation, because production technology is advancing. It is important to buy premium tires and drive wisely and not rely only on rubber ;)
They are all-season tires primarily for winter and primarily for summer (according to the % of the mixture). Personally, I choose the best rated rain tires. Hankook are premium tires and hold firmly in heavy rain on the highway. I have not tried them on snow and ice. They are noisy and rumble at a certain speed. I have currently driven 40,000km on them. They lasted me 1 year. They won't have enough tread for winter.
