Test victory for the Hankook all-season SUV tires Kinergy 4S 2X at Auto Bild Allrad

- Hankook Tire Kinergy 4S 2X to be announced as a test winner by Europe’s renowned car magazine
- Kinergy 4S 2X praised as the one tire that keeps you safe in all-weather conditions
- The test result underlines Hankook’s long investment in R&D and leadership in the field

Neu-Isenburg, Germany, September 15, 2021 – The Hankook Kinergy 4S 2 all-season passenger car tire gained top rankings in 2020 in four different tests by independent European automotive magazines, and this year the SUV version follows suit; soon to be named test winner in Auto Bild Allrad's major tire test. With more than 20 years of expertise developing all-weather treads, this result makes the tire manufacturer one of the global pioneers in this field. The all-wheel-drive version of Europe's highest-circulation car magazine praises the test winner with “convincing driving characteristics in all weather conditions” and calls it “exemplary” (Auto Bild Allrad 10/2021).

The number of SUVs on the road are still on the rise, just like the all-season tire, which has already reached a market share of 20 percent according to Auto Bild Allrad. Hankook Tire invested in research and development at an early stage and the Kinergy 4S 2 all-weather tread for passenger cars and Kinergy 4S 2X for SUVs are excellent alternatives for all those who want to avoid the need to change their tires every year. Safety is an important feature when it comes to all-weather tires. The editors of the German car magazine Auto Bild Allrad declared the Hankook Kinergy 4S 2X this year’s winner of their all-season tire test: “It really does exist, the One Tire that keeps you safe in all-weather conditions’’. The editorial team concluded that the Hankook test winner is an exemplary compromise (10/2021).

“We are delighted that the Kinergy 4S 2 and the SUV version, the Kinergy 4S 2X, convinced the judges across the board in independent tests by European trade media. The properties of the tire speak for themselves: The V-shaped tread pattern and the state-of-the-art tread compound which is made from natural oils, offers stable, secure wet and dry handling, precise steering and high aquaplaning resistance," confirms Bonhee Ku, Senior Vice President and CTO of Hankook Tire.

Global leading tire company Hankook Tire has developed the Kinergy 4S 2 and 4S 2X all-season tires for various weather and temperature conditions, especially for drivers conscious of quality and cost, who want performance and safety without the six-monthly tire change. The profile offers an attractive alternative for ensuring year-round mobility in compliance with the law and is particularly efficient in the increasingly unpredictable weather conditions in Europe. Thanks to the snowflake marking (3PMSF), which has been mandatory for winter tires in Europe since January 2018, the tire can also be driven all year round in countries with situational or static winter tire requirements.

As an all-weather tire, the Kinergy 4S 2 is extremely versatile, combining specific summer and winter characteristics of a tire, without temperature-related drops in performance. It offers high reliability in wet, dry and snowy conditions, which is made possible by the directional tread. The V-shaped interlocking tread blocks ensure sufficient driving stability even in the cold season. They are complemented by extra-wide, two-stage main drainage grooves, allowing water to be optimally drained to the sides even in heavy rain. The drainage system prevents aquaplaning and is also able to drain slush from the tread more effectively than before. These properties are supported by the tread compound, which is made of a high-density silica-polymer composite, this ensures a very good wet grip thanks to a proportion of natural oils and resins.