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Last updated 12/24/2024 - Originally published 12/24/2024
Written by SimpleTire
Pirelli and Hankook are well-known tire brands, yet they differ in history, performance, and specialty areas. Pirelli is an Italian brand with a nearly 150-year history, whereas Hankook is a South Korean brand founded in 1941. While Pirelli tires are known for handling and are a popular choice for sporty and high-performance vehicles, Hankook tires are noted for longevity and quiet ride.
An all-season tire, the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus is designed for coupes, sedans, CUVs, and minivans, and offers drivers excellent year-round performance plus 85,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
Designed for sedans, coupes, SUVs, and CUVs, the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) is an all-season tire that offers drivers great year-round performance and excellent longevity with a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty.
Performance-wise, Pirelli provides excellent performance throughout the year, while Hankook also offers superb longevity. We will compare the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus and the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) using SimpleScore to help you determine which is the best tire.
Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus tires
The Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus is Pirelli's standard touring all-season tire designed for coupe, sedan, and minivan drivers. Its silica-rich tread compound reduces rolling resistance while increasing dry, wet, and light winter weather traction. The symmetric tread pattern comprises a continuous center rib and independent tread and shoulder blocks with variable angle grooves designed to increase steering response and traction in adverse weather. While the strengthened shoulders enhance handling stability and even treadwear, generous siping density on the center rib and lateral tread blocks create extra biting edges for improved grip on slippery surfaces. Overall, it combines ride comfort and fuel efficiency with a long life.
The Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus has an excellent SimpleScore (9.3) thanks to its exceptional longevity, outstanding handling, and superb traction.
Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires
The Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) is designed to give a quiet and comfortable driving experience while maintaining traction in all weather conditions, even in light snow. The all-season rubber compound has a rigid center rib that improves traction for acceleration and braking performance. The high-grip silica tread compound provides wet traction, while large lateral notches and four circumferential grooves remove water from beneath the contact patch, increasing hydroplaning resistance. Multiple tread sipes have chamfered edges to increase contact area on slick terrain, ensuring reliable all-season traction. The Kinergy GT has two wide steel belts with full-width nylon reinforcement (in most sizes) for better handling, longevity, and high-speed stability.
On average, the Hankook Kinergy GT(H436) has a great SimpleScore (8.6) thanks to its excellent longevity, sharp handling, and impressive traction.
Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus vs Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires on traction
All-season tires are designed to offer enough traction on a variety of surfaces and across different weather conditions. Drivers who would rather use the same tires throughout the year will find them a great substitute. Here is a comparison of the traction scores of the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus and the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436).
The large grooves on the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus channel water out of the tread, reducing the chance of hydroplaning on wet roads and giving it an exceptional traction score of 9.4. Additionally, it has thick siping that digs into the road for better traction all year round.
On the flip side, the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) sports a great traction score of 8.3 thanks to an equalized chamfer sipe, rigid center rib, and an optimized lateral groove design that offers great grip in dry, wet, and light winter weather conditions.
When it comes to traction, the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus outperforms the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) (9.4 vs 8.3).
ADVANTAGE: Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus
Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus vs Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires on handling
All-season tires provide dependable handling and traction in a variety of environments, including dry roads, wet weather, and light to moderate snow. What are the handling ratings of the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus and the Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter? Let’s see.
The Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus features a notched center rib that boosts handling and steering performance. This results in an excellent handling score of 9.1.
On the flip side, the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) sports a great handling score of 8.6 thanks to its wide contact area which enhances confident steering responses and stability.
When it comes to handling, the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus has a superior score than the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) (9.1 vs 8.6).
ADVANTAGE: Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus
Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus vs Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires on longevity
A good all-season tire can last three to five years, or 55,000 to 85,000 miles, though there is no surefire way to predict how long a particular tire will endure. Let's compare the Pirelli P4 Perist AS Plus and Hankook Kinergy GT (H436)'s longevity ratings.
The Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus gets an impressive longevity score of 9.6 thanks to its excellent design. The P4 Persist AS Plus has stronger shoulders that provide stability, decent mileage, equal treadwear, and fuel efficiency, and it is backed by an 85,000 mile limited manufacturer warranty. It also features a cutting-edge rubber formulation that improves longer tread life and less uneven wear.
Likewise, the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) also boasts an excellent longevity score of 9.1. Backed by a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, the Kinergy GT(H436) features stiff tread blocks that add strength and durability, leading to a longer tread life.
When it comes to longevity, the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus outlasts the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) (9.6 vs 9.1).
ADVANTAGE: Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus
When to use each
All-season tires offer dry, wet, and light winter weather conditions thanks to their rubber compound. All-season tires, such as the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus and the Hankook Kinergy GT(H436), are suitable for different weather conditions, including wet, dry, warm, and cold. They are designed to be a more practical alternative to rotating between summer and winter tires, which are better suited for specific climatic condition. Although not suitable for extreme winter weather, they are an acceptable choice for drivers in temperate regions with occasional snowfall or freezing temperatures.
Which one should you choose?
Which of these all-season tires is best suited for your vehicle? According to SimpleScore the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus outperforms the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) (9.3 vs 8.6) thanks to the Pirelli’s outstanding longevity, handling, and traction scores. However, the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) also has an excellent longevity score (9.1).
Comparing the prices of the 205/55R16 tire size, the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus costs around $106 per tire, and four such tires cost $424, while the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) costs around $128 per tire, and four such tires cost $512 (a difference of $88).
Based on SimpleScore, you should choose the Pirelli P4 Persist AS Plus if you:
- Drive a 5-seater luxury sedan like the Audi A6, a mid-size luxury sports sedan like the Acura TLX, or a sporty, middle-class vehicle BMW 3-series
- Want better traction (9.5 vs 8.3) and handling (9.1 vs 8.6)
- Prefer a long-lasting tire (9.6 vs 9.1)
- Want a better mileage warranty (85,000 vs 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty)
- Need an affordable all-season tire from Pirelli with excellent performance
On the other hand, you should go for the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) if you:
- Drive a subcompact executive car like the Audi A3, a compact car Chevrolet Cruze, or a compact luxury sedan Buick Verano
- Are ready to pay a little extra for a long-lasting all-season tire from Hankook
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, and our agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.