Comparison: Kumho Solus HA31 vs. Hankook Kinergy 4S2 H750 (2026)

Wet-weather braking is actually the one place where the raw test numbers narrow: in the same Autobild test, the Solus HA31 stopped from wet-braking speed in 49.5m against 50.8m for the Kinergy 4S2 H750 — a rare result in the Kumho's favour, based on this single measured comparison. But that one data point sits at odds with the wider performance picture, where Hankook's wet score of 80.2 comfortably beats Kumho's 69.1, and the wet-braking scores (83.9 vs 67) and aquaplaning scores (85.2 vs 65.5) both favour the Kinergy 4S2 H750 by a large margin. Given only one shared braking test exists, it's safer to lean on the broader, more consistent scoring pattern than on that single measurement.

Aquaplaning resistance is where Hankook's own positioning is most directly confirmed by the data — the brand describes the Kinergy 4S2 H750 as excelling at preventing longitudinal aquaplaning, and the detail scores back that up with an aquaplaning-longitudinal figure of 84.5 and a cross-aquaplaning figure of 85.9, both strong results. Testers have repeatedly flagged the tyre's shortest-in-class wet braking distances and very good wet handling, though it's worth noting that more recent tests (Autobild 2025, ADAC 2024) have flagged the wet side as a relative weak point compared with the tyre's own class-leading dry and snow performance — a case of the Kinergy 4S2 H750 being excellent everywhere but slightly less dominant in the wet than elsewhere in its own repertoire.

The Solus HA31's wet-handling scores sit well below Hankook's across the board, and one owner review specifically praised it in "curve and wind" conditions and general stability, suggesting it's a composed, unthreatening tyre in changeable weather even if it isn't a class leader. In practice, that means the Kinergy 4S2 H750 gives a driver a bigger safety margin when heavy rain hits — shorter stopping distances in aggregate, stronger resistance to aquaplaning, and handling that testers consistently rate as more secure — while the Solus HA31 remains adequate rather than impressive.

In the one Autobild braking test where both tyres were measured on 225/45 R17, the Kinergy 4S2 H750 stopped in 42.0m against 43.8m for the Solus HA31 — a 1.8m gap. That's not a dramatic margin on its own, but it lines up with the much wider difference in the broader dry performance scores: Hankook's overall dry score of 85.6 dwarfs Kumho's 56, and the dry-braking scores tell the same story (83.3 vs 59). Hankook's objective dry-handling detail score of 99 is about as close to a perfect mark as these tests produce, and testers have specifically praised the Kinergy 4S2 H750's crisp, precise turn-in and its confident behaviour at speed — one Autobild review called its snow ability impressive precisely because its dry manners were already so composed as a baseline.

The reason for the gap is structural rather than incidental. The Kinergy 4S2 H750 is tuned to deliver what Hankook itself frames as strong all-round grip with a genuine performance edge, and that shows in how directly the steering responds and how settled the tyre feels when pushed into a corner — traits multiple tests single out as "best dry handling" and "short dry braking distance" in their category. The Solus HA31's construction, by contrast, prioritises comfort and a softer, more forgiving ride, and that comes at the cost of ultimate dry precision — its 56/100 dry score sits closer to the middle of the pack than to the sharp end.

For a driver who spends most of their time on dry tarmac and wants confident turn-in, predictable limits and short stopping distances, the Kinergy 4S2 H750 is simply the more capable tool. The Solus HA31 isn't unsafe on dry roads, but it's clearly not the tyre's strong suit, and drivers pushing it will find the margins thinner than what the Hankook offers.

Snow is a genuinely strong suit for both tyres relative to their other disciplines, but the Kinergy 4S2 H750 is still clearly ahead: its snow score of 81.6 beats the Solus HA31's 66.8, and the detail scores show why — a snow-braking average of 85.2 and snow-handling average of 85 are excellent figures for a tyre that isn't a dedicated winter product. Autobild's testers have called it a "Winterprofi" with convincing behaviour on both snow and ice, short braking distances, and crisp turn-in even in wintry conditions — an unusually complete package for an all-season tyre.

The Solus HA31 shouldn't be written off here, though. Its snow score of 66.8 is actually its strongest performance category relative to its own dry and wet scores, and real owners back this up enthusiastically — one driver of a Nissan Altima coupe said they "cannot believe the snow and ice traction" compared with a previous all-season tyre, while another owner specifically praised its snow and wet performance alongside its stability in crosswinds. That suggests the Solus HA31 was deliberately tuned to prioritise winter security over outright dry sharpness, a sensible trade-off for a budget-oriented all-season tyre aimed at drivers who see real winter weather but don't want a dedicated winter set.

The practical takeaway: if snow and ice are a genuine year-round concern and you also want strong dry and wet manners, the Kinergy 4S2 H750 delivers all three at once, which is a rare combination. If budget is tighter and snow is your main worry rather than dry precision, the Solus HA31 is a perfectly reasonable choice for that specific priority — but it makes clear compromises everywhere else to get there.

Comfort is closer between these two than most other categories, but Hankook still edges it — 87.5 against 81 for the Kinergy 4S2 H750 and Solus HA31 respectively — and the difference is most obvious in cabin quietness, where Hankook's noise score of 92.2 is a clear step up from Kumho's 81. That's backed by tester comments describing the Kinergy 4S2 H750 as offering "ausgewogener Komfort" (balanced comfort) alongside its more performance-oriented traits, a combination that's genuinely difficult to engineer well. The Solus HA31 isn't a harsh or unpleasant tyre by any means — its comfort score of 81 is still respectable — but it simply doesn't match the refinement Hankook has achieved.

Running costs tell a more complicated story, and it's here that the Solus HA31 claws back some ground. Kumho's mileage score of 77 comfortably beats Hankook's 59.2, and that gap is corroborated by testers: Autobild and ADAC reviews of the Kinergy 4S2 H750 repeatedly flag "durchschnittliche Laufleistung und Wirtschaftlichkeit" (average mileage and economy) as one of its few genuine weak points, and Hankook's own key-weaknesses note confirms average mileage and fuel economy as the trade-off for its performance focus. Rolling resistance scores are closer (79.7 for Hankook vs 71 for Kumho) and the EU fuel labels reflect that nuance — Hankook's range sits mostly at C with some E, while Kumho's splits between D and C — so the Kinergy 4S2 H750 isn't necessarily the thirstier tyre in absolute terms, but its tread is predicted to wear faster.

Put those threads together and the value equation becomes genuinely interesting rather than one-sided. The Kinergy 4S2 H750 is the better tyre in almost every performance metric and the quieter, more composed ride, but you're likely to replace it sooner given its more modest mileage score — a real cost over the tyre's lifetime, not just a number on a spec sheet. Owner data supports Hankook's overall quality, with a 9.8/10 average across Heureka reviews, though that sample is small. The Solus HA31's user reviews are far more mixed (48/100 average across 10 reviews on Tyre Reviews), suggesting real-world satisfaction doesn't match its more flattering comfort and mileage scores as consistently as Hankook's reviews match its own strong results.