Hankook Kinergy PT Review
Designed primarily for passenger cars, the Hankook Kinergy PT is suitable for numerous crossovers and small SUVs, offering impressive value where it does.
PROS
- Extremely long life
- Ride quality and low noise
- Decent handling
CONS
- Not available for larger crossovers/SUVs
- Winter grip is just ok
This all-season touring tire is designed primarily for a quiet ride and long tread life and it certainly delivers on that promise. With an expected tread life of 90,000 miles it’s impressively long. Plus, owners overwhelmingly rate the tire highly and there are very few complaints about premature tire wear, meaning Hankook really delivers on this promise.
While it may not be obvious right away, the Kinergy PT makes use of an asymmetric tread pattern, with different tread block designs on the inside and the outside of the tire. Specifically it’s engineered with stiffer outside tread blocks with fewer divisions, to maximize grip and limit flex in the tread. To further enhance handling the tread blocks are joined together closer to the base of the tire to limit flex.
All of these more mechanical attributes are to amplify the tire’s performance capabilities, as the inherently long-life-focused tread compound favors tire life over performance. The compound itself features high levels of carbon black to give it that long life as well as low rolling resistance to help your car save on fuel.
Interestingly, the tread design was also optimized to better distribute vehicle weight across the tire during cornering, acceleration and deceleration, helping to minimize wear and prolong life.
Wet weather performance is quite good with wide circumferential grooves to easily evacuate high volumes of water, while additional siping on the inside of the tire help further channel water away from the contact patch.
Winter grip is decent, but not great. This is true of all all-season tires though, so we can’t knock the Kinergy PT particularly for this.
Is the Hankook Kinergy PT Any Good?
Overall, we’re highly impressed with this tire. It absolutely delivers on its promise of long life and it performs highly in all other areas that mater. About the only down side of this tire is that it’s not available for a wider selection of crossovers. For the most part, it’s really only an option on sub-compact and a very few compact crossovers.
Add in the price factor, with Hankook always being competitive on that front, and you have an amazing value for years to come.
Hankook Kinergy PT Price
Pricing for the Hankook Kinergy GT ranges from around $75 per tire to just over $200 depending on the size and fitment specifications.
Hankook Kinergy PT Warranty
Hankook backs the Kinergy PT is an amazingly long 90,000 mile tread life warranty.
A road hazard warranty is included on all Kinergy tires. This includes free replacement in the first 2/32-inch of tread wear if a tire is damaged in a road hazard incident. If a tire can be repaired, however, then it is not covered.
The brand’s standard limited warranty also applies. If a tire is deemed defective in the first 2/32-inch of tread wear or first year of ownership (whichever comes first) it will be replaced free of charge. After that point and up until the six year mark Hankook will replace defective tires on a pro-rated basis.
Hankook Kinergy PT Sizes
14-inch Sizes
185/65/R14
15-inch Sizes
205/65/R15
195/65/R15
185/60/R15
195/60/R15
215/60/R15
205/70/R15
215/70/R15
235/75/R15
235/70/R15
225/70/R15
205/60/R15
16-inch Sizes
205/55/R16
205/60/R16
225/60/R16
215/60/R16
215/65/R16
205/65/R16
225/65/R16
235/65/R16
235/60/R16
17-inch Sizes
215/60/R17
215/65/R17
225/55/R17
235/60/R17
225/65/R17
225/60/R17
18-inch Sizes
215/55/R18
225/55/R18
225/50/R18
19-inch Sizes
245/45/R19
Hankook Kinergy PT vs ST
While quite similar in many respects there are some critical differences between the Hankook Kinergy PT tire and the Kinergy ST. Notably, the PT is a more premium offering and is also designed to last significantly longer, with a 90,000 mile tread life warranty versus 70,000 miles on the ST.
The PT makes use of a harder tread compound that’s naturally less “sticky,” however, it makes up for any performance loss thanks to a larger contact patch, with more actual rubber hitting the road (particularly on the tire’s outward tread section).
As the names indicate, ST stands for Standard Touring, while PT standards for Premium Touring. In addition to longer tread life, PT models also get a more premium price.