Hankook Kinergy ST H735 Review: A standard touring all-season tire

The Hankook Kinergy ST H735 is primed and ready for 2019! This tire was revealed in 2018 and replaces the Hankook Optimo H727 in the touring category. In some markets, you can still get the Hankook Optimo H727. But if you have a newer car, why place your bets on an older variant when you can get a new and better tire for almost the same price!

The Hankook Kinergy ST H735 is a standard touring all-season tire. It is designed and engineered to offer good year-round traction in changing weather conditions. The primary attributes of this tire are superb comfort, longer wear, and better fuel economy. The secondary attributes are better grip and handling, lower road noise, and stronger braking.

From that alone, it is easy to discern the Hankook Kinergy ST H735 is ideal for compacts, small sedans, and sports coupes. However, it is not designed to offer advanced levels of traction and grip for sporty driving. 

Is the Hankook Kinergy ST better than the Optimo H727?

New models will always be better than the old ones. The Hankook Kinergy ST tackled the shortcomings of the Optimo H727 head-on. And while the Optimo H727 offered good grip in the dry, it’s not as good in the wet. And even though it grips dry tarmac fairly well, it fell short in terms of high-speed handling and stability.

In this regard, the Hankook Kinergy ST benefits from several innovations to enhance traction and grip in all-season driving. The Kinergy ST is constructed using an advanced silica-enhanced compound. This not only improves performance in varying temperatures and weather conditions, but it also lowers the rolling resistance to offer better fuel economy and lesser road noise. 

Is it good for light snow or ice?

Yes, the Hankook Kinergy ST is a better performer in cold weather or snowy roads. However, particular emphasis should be focused on the word ‘light.’ Anything with more than an inch or two of snow will cause the tire to hunt for grip. It also struggles in the braking department over slippery, icy roads. If you live in places with harsh winters and heavy snowfalls, you are better off with a proper set of winter tires.

What are the features of the Hankook Kinergy ST H735?

Everything about the Hankook Kinergy ST H735 is optimized to be better than the previous Optimo H727. The tire benefits from a strong jointless bead wire and parallel carcass line for a stiffer sidewall. The silica-enhanced compound offers improved abrasion resistance without compromising the all-season traction and grip of the tire. 

The Hankook Kinergy ST H735 is equipped with four circumferential grooves. The optimized block stiffness of the tire helps to improve handling and stability. The treads feature optimized traction grooves with wider lateral grooves. This feature enables the tire to bite or grip the surface while enhancing wet braking.

The treads are also equipped with variable-angle sipes with extended kerf lengths to further enhance traction and stability on wet and snowy roads. The tire also comes with blocks on the tie bars to offer better handling, stronger braking, and better high-speed stability. 

Does it feel like a sporty tire in the dry?

In some ways, the Hankook Kinergy ST H735 feels like a sporty tire on dry roads. This is due to better handling and more accurate steering. But it is hard to reach the limits of adhesion unless you really coax the tires to lose traction. However, if you have a fast sports car or sports sedan, this tire can get easily overwhelmed by abrupt steering inputs and heavy throttle pressure as you exit the corner.

Suffice to say the Hankook Kinergy ST H735 is far from being a high-performance tire. But as long as you stay below the speed limit, this tire will offer relentless traction on dry tarmac.

How does it perform in wet pavement?

It’s the same story in the wet. The Hankook Kinergy GT will serve dollops of grip on wet highways, but only if you’re gentle with the steering and throttle inputs. But if we’re talking about accurate and stable handling at silly speeds, you’re better off with a set of high-performance rubber.

Is it comfortable and quiet?

The Hankook Kinergy ST is a smooth and silent performer. It excels in straight-line highway driving and stop-and-go traffic. The tire is not easily upset by rough roads or harsh pavement. It even handles potholes like a champ!

However, tire roar is still evident at the upper reaches of the speed limit, but not by much. For all intents and purposes, the Kinergy ST is quieter at speed than the old Optimo H727. 

How about tire wear?

This is the biggest advantage of the Hankook Kinergy ST. Touring tires are known for comfort and longer wear, and the same holds true for this tire. In fact, Hankook is confident enough to offer the Kinergy ST H735 with an impressive 70,000-mile treadwear warranty. This is saying a lot about the brilliant wear characteristics of the Kinergy ST.

Should I buy the Hankook Kinergy ST H735?

I can see no reason why you shouldn’t. Besides offering higher levels of comfort and longer wear, the Hankook Kinergy ST H735 is also one of the most affordable tires in Hankook’s lineup. And even though the previous Hankook Optimo H727 may have a lower price tag, you get more features and benefits from the Kinergy ST. 

But if you want higher levels of grip and a sportier style, you should focus your sights on the Hankook Optimo H426 or the Ventus V2 Concept 2. Both tires offer more aggressive styling and a sportier driving feel than the Kinergy ST.