Hankook Kinergy ST Review

A car tire made for coupes and sedans, the Hankook Kinergy ST has fitment sizes available for some smaller crossovers. It offers an option that’s fuel-efficient, has long life and comes with improved performance in inclement weather. And all of this at a very affordable price.

PROS

  • Improved wet grip
  • Great price
  • Fuel efficient
  • Excellent price

CONS

  • Limited sizes
  • Tread life could be longer

   

Like all Kinergy tires from Hankook, the ST model is designed to offer improved fuel economy by reducing rolling resistance. They are also designed to deliver long life, and while versions like the Kinergy PT get up to 90,000 miles, the ST’s tread life warranty is lower at 70,000 miles.

The reason for this is that the tire makes some compromises in order to offer improved performance in wet weather and light snow. (We still wouldn’t recommend it for winter though).

Specific improvements can be found on the center tread rib, which features small notches at the end of the sipes. This provides extra grip in wet and snowy conditions. Similarly, the tread blocks on either side of the center rib feature larger divisions. These help expel water at a higher rate, for improve grip in the wet. Plus, in the winter they pack with snow, helping the tire function similarly to a winter tire, using the snow to provide traction against itself.

With the tread compound geared more towards long life than performance, Hankook engineered in elements to help improve overall handling. This includes tie-bars between the tread blocks to enable the tread to hold up better during hard cornering.

Beyond all this, special attention was made with the siping to ensure the tire is incredibly quiet.

IS THE HANKOOK KINERGY ST ANY GOOD?

The Kinergy ST offers notable improvements in wet and snowy weather compared to the other models in the lineup, but at the expense of tread life. Now 70,000 miles is still impressive and the price is very attractive, so this tire does represent a solid overall value, it just doesn’t have any one stand-out feature to help sell you on it.

Hankook Kinergy ST Price

Pricing for the Kinergy ST starts at an extremely affordable $60 per tire. That’s due to the fact that sizes start at a teeny tiny 13-inch diameter. Pricing goes up to around $120 per tire for a 17-inch fitment.

   

Hankook Kinergy ST Warranty

Hankook backs the Kinergy ST with a 70,000 mile tread life warranty.

In addition there’s a 30 day money back guarantee, plus a road hazard warranty that covers the first 2/32-inch of tread wear.

The brand’s standard limited warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship. Defects discovered in a tire during the first year or first 2/32-inch of tread life (whichever comes first) will be replaced free of charge. After that point and up until six years from the date of purchase, Hankook will replace defective tires on a pro-rated basis.

Hankook Kinergy ST Sizes

13-inch sizes
175/70/R13

14-inch sizes
185/65/R14
185/75/R14
175/65/R14
175/70/R14
195/75/R14
195/70/R14
185/60/R14
185/70/R14
205/75/R14
195/60/R14
215/75/R14
205/70/R14
215/70/R14
225/70/R14

15-inch sizes
185/65/R15
185/60/R15
195/60/R15
195/65/R15
205/75/R15
205/65/R15
205/70/R15
205/60/R15
215/75/R15
215/65/R15
225/75/R15
235/75/R15
215/70/R15
225/70/R15
235/70/R15
255/60/R15

16-inch sizes
205/55/R16
215/60/R16
205/60/R16
215/65/R16
205/65/R16
225/60/R16
215/70/R16
235/65/R16
225/70/R16
235/60/R16

17-inch sizes
215/60/R17
215/65/R17
215/55/R17
225/50/R17
225/65/R17
225/60/R17
215/50/R17
235/65/R17

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do Hankook Kinergy ST tires last?

Based on the factory tread life warranty you should expect a set of Kinergy ST tires to last approximately 70,000 miles. This assumes you don’t abuse them, you do maintain proper tire inflation, and you follow routine tire rotation procedures.

Hankook Kinergy ST vs PT

Both the Kinergy ST and PT are classified as standard touring tires, meaning they are all-season tires built for cars and crossovers and are designed to suit the needs of most drivers. This is compared to grand touring tires, which fulfill the same all-season criteria but deliver improved handling performance and often improved comfort too.

The ST actually does a better job than the PT at being a true all-season. The reason for this is that the PT makes compromises in tread grip and design in order to reach a very impressive 90,000 mile tread life warranty.

The ST’s less lofty 70,000 mile warranty (very much the norm in this category) does, however, come with superior wet grip. And as far as we’re concerned, it’s hard to be a great all-season tire without great traction in the rain.