Firestone All-Season vs Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires

Firestone, the iconic American tire manufacturer, is known for its reliable range of tires that spans across different categories like all-season, winter, UHP summer, UHP all-season, all-weather, all-terrain, rugged-terrain, mud-terrain, and commercial van. The manufacturer, with its legacy of over a century, caters to the needs of passenger cars, light trucks, farm applications, commercial vehicles, and OTRs. It is now a part of Bridgestone and utilizes cutting-edge innovations derived from its parent manufacturer.

Coming from Firestone, the All-Season is the brand’s highly capable all-season tire tire picked as the first choice for the comparison here. It is built and designed for great year-round performance in dry, wet, and light snow conditions and sports advanced features and technologies.

The iconic South Korean tire manufacturer, Hankook, is another great tire manufacturer that has been offering some capable models since the 1940s. The tire manufacturer is known for its advanced tire engineering and value-offering tires suitable for use on passenger cars, light trucks, CUVs, SUVs, commercial vehicles, trailers, and EVs. The variety of tires offered by Hankook includes all-season, winter, UHP summer, all-terrain, all-weather, UHP all-season, mud-terrain, commercial van, and performance.

Featuring Hankook’s impeccable engineering and features, the Kinergy GT (H436) is another great choice picked as the second tire for comparison. This all-season tire is also optimized for year-round service, and comes with plenty of features and technologies to enhance the driving experience in dry, wet, and light snow conditions.

If you wish to buy a reliable set of all-season tires, this All-Season vs Kinergy GT (H436) tires comparison will help in selecting the perfect choice as per your driving preferences and needs. The use of our proprietary tire rating system, SimpleScore, will additionally allow you to determine each tire’s ability overall, as well as in areas like traction, handling, and longevity on a scale of 0-10. So, read on!

Firestone All-Season tires

The Firestone All-Season is a dependable all-season tire suitable for use on sedans, coupes, minivans, and CUVs. This touring all-season tire is optimized for increased ride comfort, quieter rides, and superior dry performance. The use of advanced technologies and features ensures sharper handling, solid year-round traction, and improved tread life. It additionally comes with a higher tread life warranty, assuring a great ownership experience.

Overall, the All-Season scores an overall SimpleScore of 8.4, thanks to its longer tread life, commendable traction, and crisp handling response.

Get Firestone All-Season tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires

The Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) is also a reliable touring all-season tire that’s built for use on sedans, coupes, CUVs, and SUVs. The tire is optimized for increased traction year-round, better ride comfort, and better control and handling in dry, wet, and light snow weather. It offers a longer tread life and is also backed by solid warranty coverage. It is also M+S (Mud and Snow) rated for use on roads covered with light snow or mud.

The Kinergy GT (H436) scores an overall SimpleScore 8.6, attested by its excellent long-lasting service, great handling, and strong traction performance.

Get Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

Firestone All-Season vs Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires on traction

Let’s compare both tires on the traction front in this section and find out which one is better when it comes to maintaining road grip throughout the year.

Starting with the All-Season from Firestone, it is rated an 8.4 SimpleScore in traction, which means it has the ability to maintain solid grip and consistent surefootedness in dry, wet, and light snow conditions. There are deep sipes on the tread that ensure improved grip and traction in wet and snowy conditions, while the four circumferential grooves and lateral groove improve water channeling to keep the contact patch clean. This resists hydroplaning and also promotes increased traction performance. The sharper tread blocks additionally contribute to better dry traction, while the optimized rubber compound adapts to varying conditions for a consistent grip.

On the other hand, the Kinergy GT (H436) is also rated an 8.4 SimpleScore in traction, giving tough competition to the Firestone tire. Its all-season compound and optimized tread pattern help in maintaining traction throughout the year. There are wider circumferential and lateral grooves to prevent aquaplaning and offer solid traction and grip in wet and light snow conditions. Likewise, the lateral groove design and equalized chamfer sipes improve snow performance.

Both tires are found to be equally good in the traction area, resulting in a tie!

ADVANTAGE: Tie

Firestone All-Season vs Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires on handling

Handling relates to attributes like steering response, braking performance, cornering, ride control, and stability; therefore, in this section, let’s find out which tire excels and offers better overall controllability year-round.

With a great 8.4 SimpleScore, the All-Season from Firestone assures dependable handling in varying conditions. Thanks to its advanced engineering, the tire offers better control and handling in dry, wet, and light snow conditions. There are deep sipes across the tread that provide extra control in snow and ensure improved braking performance in wet and snowy conditions. The ribs and solid shoulder blocks of this tire offer greater control while taking turns, and the wider footprint maintains impressive stability while driving on the highways. Additionally, the All-Season’s rubber compound and tread pattern are both engineered to reduce road vibrations, boost ride comfort, and keep the tread noise levels low.

Comparatively, the Kinergy GT (H436) scores an 8.6 SimpleScore in handling, assuring an improved ride control and sharper steering command. The wide lateral grooves prevent hydroplaning to offer outstanding braking and hydroplaning resistance, while the optimum block stiffness and center rib provide durability for better steering command and braking. Thanks to the sidewall stiffness and increased contact area, the Kinergy GT (H436) maintains consistent stability and improves steering response. The use of vibration control technology and optimized tread pitch sequencing contributes to comfortable rides by keeping vibrations and tread noise levels in control.

In handling, it is the Kinergy GT (H436) that offers better controllability and steering response, leaving the All-Season behind by a very small margin.

ADVANTAGE: Hankook Kinergy GT (H436)

Firestone All-Season vs Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires on longevity

Let’s now analyze how both tires fare in the longevity area and which one has the ability to serve longer and control the wear rate.

The All-Season is rated 8.7 SimpleScore in longevity and also comes covered with an up to 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. This confirms that the tire is engineered for longer service and has the ability to control the wear rate. The flat contact patch, along with a durable rubber compound and reinforced inner construction, also promotes longevity by keeping the tire in shape and maintaining even and longer wear.

On the other hand, the Kinergy GT (H436) surprises with an excellent 9.0 SimpleScore in longevity, assuring a long-lasting performance. This tire is also backed by a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty for all its sizes, offering a better return on investment to the drivers. The optimized tread block stiffness enhances durability and improves mileage. Additionally, the pattern design and flat contact patch evenly distribute driving pressures for longer wear.

No doubt, the All-Season is great on the long-lasting front, but the Kinergy GT (H436) is way better and offers an extended service.

ADVANTAGE: Hankook Kinergy GT (H436)

When to use each

As both the All-Season and the Kinergy GT (H436) are all-season tires, they can be used year-round in dry, wet, and light snow conditions. The touring ability makes them perfect for long-lasting highway use. It is to be noted that these tires are not Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) certified and therefore, do not use them in moderate to severe winter conditions. Additionally, use them only on paved roads and highways and not for off-road driving purposes.

As far as the rim sizes are concerned, the All-Season is available in 15- to 20-inch options, while the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) is offered in 15- to 19-inch choices.

Which one should you choose?

Based on the overall SimpleScore, the Kinergy GT (H436) is better than the All-Season (8.6 vs 8.4). However, both tires have their own unique abilities and features, and therefore, you must consider the one that better aligns with your driving needs and budget.

As far as prices are concerned, the All-Season is offered at a starting price of at least $104 per tire, while the Kinergy GT (H436) is offered at an initial price of at least $94 per tire. This means you get a set of four All-Season tires at a starting price of at least $416, while a set of four Kinergy GT (H436) tires will cost you at least $376.

Looking at SimpleScore, you should choose the Firestone All-Season if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Subaru Crosstrek, Toyota 4Runner, Ford Escape, or GMC Acadia.
• Need tires with equally good traction (8.4 vs 8.4).
• Need tires backed by an up to 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
• Are comfortable paying more to buy reliable tires from the iconic American tire manufacturer.

On the other hand, you should consider the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Chevrolet Trailblazer, Honda CR-V, or Ford Escape.
• Want a set of tires that’s better in handling (8.6 vs 8.4).
• Want a set of tires that’s better in longevity (9.0 vs 8.7).
• Want a set of tires that’s covered by a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty across all sizes.
• Want a tire that’s better overall and is available at a comparatively more reasonable price.
• Want tires available in the 14- to 20-inch rim sizes.

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.