Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 vs Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires

For most drivers of sedans, coupes, minivans, crossovers, and SUVs, all-season tires are the best all-around option for a lot of reasons. All-season tires are like the Swiss Army Knife or multi-tool of the tire world; they’re an easy solution for year-round driving, with reliable traction in every kind of weather but heavy snow, capable handling, a controlled ride with low noise, light and quick steering feel with solid road manners, and a generous treadwear warranty. That’s why all-season tires take up the biggest part of the tire market year in and year out as the most popular category of tires.

When it comes to premium all-season touring tires for crossovers and SUVs, there are so many tires to choose from that it can be overwhelming. In this head-to-head review, we’re going to take a closer look at the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 and Hankook Kinergy GT (H436), each of which are solid values, and strong performers in their own right. These are tires that have their own sets of similarities and contrasts as well as their own strengths and weaknesses, and we’re going to take a more detailed look at that in this tire comparison review.

In the course of this product comparison, you’ll see us make frequent reference to SimpleScore numbers – if you’re not familiar with that, SimpleScore is a rating system that the SimpleTire team developed for tires. We take into account technical details, manufacturer info, specs, customer reviews, and other data points to determine a numerical value of 1-10 for the categories of traction, longevity, and handling for each tire, as well as an overall average SimpleScore for each. It’s a quick and handy way to get an idea of a tire’s capability and performance in those respects.

For the Pirelli All Season Plus 3 and Hankook Kinergy GT (H436), the SimpleScore numbers break down thusly::

Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3:

• Traction: 9.5
• Handling: 9.3
• Longevity: 9.5
• Overall average SimpleScore: 9.3

Hankook Kinergy GT (H436):

• Traction: 8.4
• Handling: 8.5
• Longevity: 9.0
• Overall average SimpleScore: 8.6

As you can see, there are some pretty notable disparities in SimpleScore numbers between the Hankook and the Pirelli. SimpleScore might be a pretty handy resource, but it’s also a 30,000 foot view that doesn’t give you a comprehensive, detailed idea of what to expect with a tire. Let’s go in and get a closer look with this comparison review of the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 and the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436):

Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 tires

Pirelli is a company that’s focused on innovation and next-gen design when it comes to features and benefits with its all-season tires. The P7 All-Season Plus 3 is designed for a quiet and refined ride quality along with consistent traction even in light winter conditions.

Its functionalized polymer tread compound is designed for excellent wear properties and enhanced wet-weather grip, and its asymmetric tread pattern gives it an edge in traction in wet or dry conditions, along with superb handling properties.

One notable innovation is a void space in the tread pattern that’s kept to a minimum for best rubber-to-road contact. Larger, sequence-tuned tread blocks neutralize certain frequencies and overtones for a quiet ride while simultaneously improving dry-weather handling on wet pavement, the P7 All-Season Plus 3’s system of channels and tread grooves are equally distributed and work in unison to resist any tendency to hydroplane by rerouting water from the tire’s contact patch

Winter traction gets a boost with full-depth and 3D sipes in vertical, horizontal, and zigzag patterns, multiplying the tread’s surface area with hundreds of extra biting edges for consistent traction in snow, slush, and rain. Internal construction details include twin steel belts, a 2-ply polyester casing, and two polyamide cap plies that are part of the P7 All-Season Plus 3’s design. Pirelli backs the P7 All-Season Plus 3 with a 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. SimpleTire’s pricing on the Pirelli P7 All-Season Plus 3 starts at $157.64 per tire.

Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires

Next up we’ve got a great tire from Hankook, the Kinergy GT (H436). Here at the SimpleTire team, we’ve had a pretty good impression from just about everything in the Hankook lineup for some time now, and the Kinergy ST (H436) is no exception. The Kinergy ST (H436) is engineered for long, even wear, with a next-generation tread formulation and truly durable internal construction for great wear properties and high-speed stability. Hankook covers the Kinergy ST (H436) with a 70,000-mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty. Cornering and steering response are enhanced with tie bars that enhance the tread’s rigidity by linking groove structures and tread blocks together to resist the G-forces and inertia of cornering. A solid center rib gives the Hankook steering response that’s immediate and sharp along with stable and secure straight-line road manners on the highway. Year-round grip comes from a dense network of chamfered sipes that multiply traction with hundreds of biting edges that slice through water and slush, as well as wide circumferential grooves and chamfered groove edges that channel standing water away and through the tire’s contact patch to resist hydroplaning. The Kinergy ST (H436)’s tread pattern is also randomized and computer-tuned to help keep road noise low for a quiet and comfortable ride. SimpleTire’s price on the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) starts at $78.98 per tire.

Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 vs Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires on traction

When it comes to traction, there’s a pretty big disparity between these two tires, with the Pirelli registering a SimpleScore of 9.5 s 8.4 for the Hankook. First let’s remember that neither tire is really designed for winter traction, and neither the Hankook nor the Pirelli have the 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake certification for severe winter service. In lighter snow or rain, though, the densely-packed sipe design of the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 helps to multiply the tread’s surface area for reliable grip (fun fact: sipes were developed by a man named John Sipe, who worked either in a slaughterhouse or as a deckhand and discovered that he could get better footing by cutting slits into the soles of his rubber boots with a razor blade). The groove and sipe setup of the Pirelli has a definite advantage over the Hankook, and our decision goes to:

ADVANTAGE: Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3

Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 vs Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires on handling

When you think about it, handling is always going to be a function of traction, at least to some extent. If you can’t get a good grip when you enter a turn, you’re going to end up with understeer or oversteer and a potential loss of control (or at least jittery and squirrely handling properties). That’s why it’s no surprise that there’s a spread between SimpleScores here when it comes to handling as well, with the Pirelli coming in at a SimpleScore of 9.3 vs 8.5 for the Hankook. The Pirelli’s reinforced shoulder blocks and internal construction also give it the rigidity it needs to resist tread squirm and deformation, keeping the tread planted firmly on the road going into a curve or corner. That along with its tread design, tread compound, and sipe pattern make all the difference when it comes to cornering ability, road manners, and driver feedback. Our decision:

ADVANTAGE: Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3

Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 vs Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires on longevity

Things are a lot tighter when it comes to SimpleScore rankings for the longevity category, with the Pirelli showing a SimpleScore of 9.5 vs 9.0 for the Hankook. That’s a little odd and a bit of an anomaly, since both tires have identical limited manufacturer’s tread life warranties of 70,000 miles. When we see that kind of disparity between SimpleScores when everything else is pretty similar as far as technical details, it’s usually because of something noted in customer reviews. That said, a 9,0 for the Hankook is still pretty respectable by any measure, but our decision is:

ADVANTAGE: Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3

When to use each

What do you really need out of a set of tires for your minivan, crossover, or SUV? If you go off-road with a 4WD-equipped vehicle, these probably aren’t the tires for you. If you need to deal with several inches of snow and rough winter weather, or if you like the sporty pushing-the-envelope performance of a UHP tire, these tires won’t deliver what you’re looking for. If, on the other hand, your needs generally include long interstate road trips, daily commutes, and errands with long wear, a quiet and refined ride, capable handling, and solid road manners as your priorities, the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 and Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) would both be great choices. They’re both a good representation of what a modern all-season tire should deliver, and they’re both tires whose design and engineering are centered around the weight, power, torque, center of gravity, and overall handling and braking properties of today’s SUVs and crossovers.

Which one should you choose?

When it comes down to this question, there are a couple of big considerations to take into account. Yes, the Pirelli does outperform the Hankook pretty soundly in all the pertinent SimpleScore categories. There’s a considerable spread between SimpleScore numbers when it comes to handling, traction, and longevity (although both tires have identical mileage warranties). That doesn’t mean that the Hankook is a bad choice or is drastically inferior, though; there’s plenty to like with this tire as well, and it’s loaded with innovations and excellent design features to make it a great value. And speaking of value, let’s compare prices: $157.64 per tire for the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3 vs $78.98 per tire for the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436). That’s right, the Pirelli is nearly twice as expensive as the Hankook right on the front end. That’s the kind of price spread that puts a different light on a lot of things, so we’d just phrase it this way: if you can afford the Pirelli P7 All Season Plus 3, that could make an excellent choice for you. If, on the other hand, you’ve got a vehicle that’s 10 or 12 years old and you don’t want to break the bank to put a set of all-season tires on it, the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) could be a great option too. Here at the SimpleTire team, we’re confident you won’t be making a mistake either way.

Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help, and our helpful agents will be more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.