Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) vs Yokohama Avid Ascend LX tires

Hankook is a South Korean tire manufacturer that has made consistent progress in the global tire market since 1941. Admired for its commitment to innovation and high-quality engineering, Hankook has consistently delivered tires that balance performance with value, catering to everything from daily commutes to high-performance driving. With Japanese roots, Yokohama was established in 1917.

Yokohama has, over the recent years, utilized highly advanced technologies and rubber compounds to offer tires that are adaptable to the driving needs of US tire buyers. With a strong heritage in motorsports, the tire manufacturer brings a performance-oriented edge to its passenger tire lineup, alongside focusing on sustainability and mileage.

The Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) is an all-season touring tire engineered to offer a quiet and comfortable driving experience year-round. On the other hand, the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX is also a similar all-season tire made for exceptional longevity and a smooth ride across dry, wet, and light winter weather. Both tires are often commonly considered by the drivers, and therefore, finding the best out of the two becomes very challenging.

If you want to own a reliable set of all-season tires, this Kinergy GT (H436) vs Avid Ascend LX tires comparison will help you decide the better option out of the two based on your driving style, preferences, and budget. Here, we will use our proprietary tire rating system, SimpleScore, to determine each tire’s overall ability, along with their capability in areas like traction, handling, and longevity on a scale of 0-10. Read on!

Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires

The Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) is a dependable touring all-season tire made for use on sedans, CUVs, coupes, and SUVs. It is engineered for solid year-round traction, enhanced ride comfort, and improved ride control and steering response in dry, wet, and light winter conditions. Hankook has designed the tire for extended service life, and there is also a generous tread life warranty. Additionally, the Kinergy GT (H436) is also M+S (Mud and Snow) approved, offering drivers a commanding grip on paved roads covered with light snow or mud.

Overall, the Kinergy GT (H436) earns a great 8.6 SimpleScore thanks to its superior tread life, responsive handling, and solid traction performance.

Get Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

Yokohama Avid Ascend LX tires

The Yokohama Avid Ascend LX is a high-quality touring all-season tire designed for use on passenger cars, SUVs, CUVs, and minivans. It is engineered to offer a quiet, comfortable ride and an incredibly long tread life. The tire features Yokohama's L-2 compound, which provides strong all-season grip while resisting wear. Additionally, its optimized contact patch and multi-pitch tread design ensure that the ride remains silent and stable throughout the tire's service life.

Overall, the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX achieves an outstanding 9.0 SimpleScore, accredited by its near-perfect longevity, sharper handling, and reliable traction.

Get Yokohama Avid Ascend LX tires at the best deals for your vehicle here

Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) vs Yokohama Avid Ascend LX tires on traction

Now, with the overviews of both tires covered, let’s get into more details of these all-season tires, commencing with the comparative analysis of traction.

The Kinergy GT (H436) is rated at 8.4 SimpleScore in traction, offering impressive grip and traction in dry, wet, and light winter weather. This tire utilizes an advanced all-season rubber compound and an innovative tread pattern to improve traction and grip throughout the year. Its wide circumferential and lateral grooves reduce the risk of hydroplaning and improve traction performance on wet and light snow conditions. The lateral grooves and equalized chamfer sipes additionally increase grip in mild winter conditions.

On the contrary, the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX is rated a solid 8.6 SimpleScore in traction, ensuring reliable grip throughout the seasons. It utilizes a special L-2 compound and a dense network of sipes to bite into the road surface during wet or light snow conditions. The four wide circumferential grooves work efficiently to evacuate water, reducing the risk of hydroplaning and maintaining ride control.

While both tires offer great performance, the Yokohama tire edges out its peer with a slightly higher rating for more consistent surface grip.

ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Avid Ascend LX

Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) vs Yokohama Avid Ascend LX tires on handling

Let us now find out which of the two tires is better in handling, ensuring better ride control, stability, steering response, braking, and cornering throughout the year.

The Kinergy GT (H436) is rated an 8.6 SimpleScore in handling to return a better control and steering response. The lateral grooves are wide enough to restrict hydroplaning and improve braking. Thanks to the tread block stiffness and center rib durability, seamless steering response is maintained in all seasons, and the sipes maintain tire shape for better braking performance. Similarly, the sidewalls of the tire are also tough enough to maintain solid durability for better steering command.

The Yokohama Avid Ascend LX keeps the competition tight with an 8.7 SimpleScore in handling. Its advanced design features a solid center rib that provides a stable on-center feel and responsive steering. The shoulder blocks are reinforced to provide better stability during cornering, and the optimized footprint ensures that the tire maintains consistent contact with the road for confident braking and lane changes.

In this section too, the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX takes a narrow lead, offering a slightly sharper response year-round.

ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Avid Ascend LX

Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) vs Yokohama Avid Ascend LX tires on longevity

Long-lasting ability of the tire is highly important for a majority of tire buyers as it corresponds directly to the value they get from their tires. Here, in the longevity section, we will find out the better tire when it comes to controlling wear life and covering more miles.

Starting with the Kinergy GT (H436), the tire earns an excellent 9.0 rating in longevity. It also comes with an excellent 70,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty, offering outstanding wear life. Its tread block stiffness improves durability, allowing you to get more miles from the set of these tires. Additionally, the advanced tread pattern, along with a flat contact patch, helps in even pressure distribution for extended service life.

Comparatively, the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX stuns with its outstanding 9.7 SimpleScore rating in longevity, assuring long-lasting service. The backing of a massive 85,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty is another key highlight that expresses the brand’s trust in the excellent wearability of these tires. Its special polymer compound and optimized footprint are specifically tuned to resist uneven wear over thousands of miles.

Both tires showcase excellence in longevity, but the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX earns the win with one of the highest longevity scores in its category.

ADVANTAGE: Yokohama Avid Ascend LX

When to use each

The Kinergy GT (H436) and the Avid Ascend LX are both all-season tires, and they both are suited for year-round use in dry, wet, and light winter weather on paved surfaces. They both offer decent performance on the highways and come with long-lasting tread life. That being said, these tires are not Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) certified, and therefore, they should not be used in moderate to severe winter weather.

The Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) is available in 15- to 19-inch rim options, while the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX is offered in 15- to 18-inch sizes.

Which one should you choose?

Looking at the overall SimpleScore, the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX is better than the Kinergy GT (H436) (9.0 vs 8.6). However, it is to be noted that both tires have their own unique abilities, and your choice should be based on your driving preferences, needs, and budget.

Talking about prices, the Kinergy GT (H436) is available at an initial price of at least $97 per tire, while the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX is offered at a starting price of at least $125 per tire. This means you get a set of four Kinergy GT (H436) tires at a starting price of at least $388, while a set of four Yokohama Avid Ascend LX tires will cost you at least $500.

Based on SimpleScore, you should choose the Hankook Kinergy GT (H436) if you:

Drive vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Toyota Camry, or Hyundai Elantra. Want a tire that provides a great balance of performance and a 70,000 mile warranty. Are looking for a slightly more affordable entry point into the touring tire segment. Want a tire that is M+S rated for that extra bit of confidence in light mud and snow.

On the other hand, you should choose the Yokohama Avid Ascend LX if you:

Drive vehicles like the Subaru Outback, Honda Civic, or Nissan Altima. Need a tire that’s better in longevity and comes with an 85,000 mile warranty. Prioritize a whisper-quiet ride and long-term stability. Are comfortable paying a bit more for a tire that will likely last significantly longer.

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