Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) vs Goodyear Assurance All-Season tires

Founded in 1941, the South Korean tire manufacturer, Hankook, is among the most dependable tire manufacturers in the world. It has built a global reputation through its high-quality tires that balance advanced innovations with great value. Hankook is also committed to making sustainable tires and utilizes advanced tire technologies to cater to the needs of daily commuters and luxury performance enthusiasts.

Goodyear, on the other hand, is the iconic American tire manufacturer that has been ruling the tire industry since 1898. It stands as one of the world's largest and most recognized tire manufacturers, and its tires are known for their computer-tuned designs and state-of-the-art technology. The country-born tire giant focuses on providing ride comfort, excellent performance, and long-lasting durability through its extensive range of product lines.

In this comparative analysis, we have picked the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) and the Goodyear Assurance All-Season tires to help tire buyers choose the best option as per their driving needs and preferences. The Kinergy GT (H436) is represented by the manufacturer as a high-performance touring all-season tire, optimized to offer quieter and more comfortable rides along with dependable year-round traction. The Goodyear Assurance All-Season is positioned as a more practical, value-oriented tire suitable for families seeking consistent performance and durability year-round.

If you need a reliable set of touring all-season tires, this Kinergy GT (H436) vs Assurance All-Season tires comparison will help you assess the better option based on our in-house tire rating system, SimpleScore, which helps in determining each tire’s ability overall, along with their abilities in areas like traction, handling, and longevity.

Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires

First, let’s talk a bit about the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436). This dependable touring all-season tire is suitable for use on sedans, coupes, CUVs, and SUVs. It is optimized for solid year-round traction, enhanced ride comfort, improved ride control, and confident steering response in dry, wet, and light winter conditions. The tire also offers an extended service life and comes with a generous tread life warranty. Additionally, the Kinergy GT (H436) is also M+S (Mud and Snow) approved for enhanced grip and performance on paved roads covered with light snow or mud.

Overall, the Kinergy GT (H436) is rated an overall 8.6 SimpleScore, thanks to its excellent tread life, responsive handling, and solid traction performance.

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

Goodyear Assurance All-Season tires

The Goodyear Assurance All-Season has been on the market since 2014 and is a versatile choice for drivers seeking year-round performing tires for passenger cars, sedans, CUVs, SUVs, and minivans. It sports a symmetric tread pattern and utilizes an advanced all-season compound to maintain solid grip and traction in rain, shine, and light snow conditions. It is good at hydroplaning resistance and is also optimized for quieter, more refined highway rides.

Overall, the Goodyear Assurance All-Season earns an 8.7 SimpleScore, reflecting its solid traction, great longevity, and decent handling.

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

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

Now, let’s take a look at more details of these tires, starting with traction, to understand which is better when it comes to maintaining surefootedness in dry, wet, and light winter weather.

Starting with the Kinergy GT (H436), its SimpleScore rating in traction stands at 8.4 on a scale of 10, which assures impressive grip and traction in dry, wet, and light snow conditions. The tire utilizes an advanced all-season rubber compound and an innovative pattern design to boost traction and grip year-round. Likewise, the presence of wide circumferential and lateral grooves prevents the risk of hydroplaning and improves traction on wet and light snowy roads. To tackle mild snow conditions, the tire also features equalized chamfer sipes that provide added grip.

In competition, the Assurance All-Season is rated an 8.6 SimpleScore in traction, assuring slightly better traction and grip year-round. The tire’s tread pattern, featuring multiple biting edges in the form of grooves and sipes, improves grip in dry, wet, and snowy conditions. The wide circumferential grooves force water out of the contact patch, maintaining exceptional contact with the road. The all-season rubber compound also nicely adapts to road conditions to offer a better surface grip.

In traction, we see that the older Goodyear tire dominates the relatively newer Hankook tire, offering solid year-round driving.

ADVANTAGE: Goodyear Assurance All-Season

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

Handling analysis is necessary to understand which of the two tires is better when it comes to ride control, stability, steering response, braking, and cornering year-round. To mention, one of the two tires marginally won the handling battle.

Commencing with the Kinergy GT (H436), the handling rating stands at 8.6, which confirms better controllability and steering response. The lateral grooves are wide enough to restrict hydroplaning and offer solid braking performance, while the tread block stiffness and center rib provide adequate durability for seamless steering response. There are sipes in shape for better braking performance, and likewise, the sidewalls are also stiff enough to provide durability for better steering command.

Contrarily, the Assurance All-Season earns a satisfactory 8.7 SimpleScore in handling, marginally better than its peer. The Goodyear tire is engineered with large, stable shoulder blocks for confident cornering and stability in dry and wet conditions. The continuous center rib helps in consistent straight-line stability and a crisp steering response. Additionally, the reinforced shoulders reduce "tread squirm" for more predictable handling while cornering.

While both tires are great on the handling front, the Assurance All-Season earns a higher rating for its superior controllability and steering precision and comes out as a winner.

ADVANTAGE: Goodyear Assurance All-Season

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

Longevity analysis helps you identify the tire that offers better treadwear resistance and longer service. So, let’s compare the two options and find the better one.

Starting with the Kinergy GT (H436), the tire scores an excellent 9.0 rating in longevity. The rating confirms the South Korean tire giant’s brilliance in making tires that resist wear. The Kinergy GT (H436) comes with an excellent 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, further confirming the tire’s long-lasting service. Thanks to the solid tread block stiffness, the tire stands durable and wear-resistant to cover more miles. Additionally, the innovative tread pattern, along with a flat contact patch, ensures even distribution of driving pressures for optimized wear and extended service life.

The Assurance All-Season, on the other hand, earns an 8.7 SimpleScore in longevity, giving some competition to the Hankook tire. This tire is covered by a generous 65,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, additionally confirming that it may last for miles. Its footprint is optimized to put more rubber in contact with the road, distributing wear rate evenly, and enhancing weight distribution for consistent wear. The inner casing and overall build quality of this Goodyear tire are robust enough to assist in long-lasting service.

While both tires are exceptional in terms of longevity, the Hankook tire takes the lead by a higher score in this area.

ADVANTAGE: Hankook Kinergy GT (H436)

When to use each

The Kinergy GT (H436) and the Assurance All-Season are both touring all-season tires suitable for year-round use in dry, wet, and light winter weather on paved surfaces. Consider them if you want tires with decent performance on highways or city roads, and longevity is one of your priorities alongside overall performance. That being said, these tires are not Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) approved, and therefore, they should not be considered for driving in moderate to severe winter weather. Likewise, don’t consider them for use in off-road conditions.

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

Which one should you choose?

Based on overall SimpleScore, the Assurance All-Season is slightly better than the Kinergy GT (H436) (8.7 vs 8.6). However, it is to be noted that they both are unique in their own ways, and your selection should be based on your driving needs and budget.

Talking about prices, the Kinergy GT (H436) is available at an initial price of at least $101 per tire, while the Assurance All-Season is available at a starting price of at least $111 per tire. This means you get a set of four Kinergy GT (H436) tires at a starting price of at least $404, while a set of four Assurance All-Season tires will cost you at least $444.

Looking at SimpleScore, you should choose the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Toyota Camry, or Ford Escape.
• Want a tire that’s better in longevity (9.0 vs 8.7).
• Want a tire that’s backed by a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
• Are looking for a slightly more affordable touring all-season tire with decent performance.

On the other hand, you should choose the Assurance All-Season if you:

• Drive vehicles like the Nissan Altima, Kia Optima, or Chevrolet Cruze.
• Want a tire that’s better in traction (8.6 vs 8.4).
• Want a tire that’s better in handling (8.7 vs 8.6).
• Need a tire with low tread noise.
• Are comfortable paying more to buy an overall better tire.
• Want a tire that’s slightly better in mild snow conditions.

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.