The Korean tire manufacturer presents its new tires for the European winter in Finland
First tests on winter tires from Hankook Tires
The fast-growing company from South Korea already established a strategic alliance with the French tire manufacturer Michelin in 2003. Since then, Hankook has also been producing and selling tires under the name of the manufacturer from France. With more than 22.000 employees in over 180 countries around the world, Hankook now sells tires. 3.000 of the employees alone produce around 19 million tires a year for cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles. The company counts numerous automobile manufacturers as business partners and supplies them with its tires as original equipment manufacturers. These include BMW, Volkswagen, Ford, General Motors, Volvo, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia and since 2013 also Mercedes Benz.
Like every year just before the IAA or Paris Motor Show fairs, Hankook Tire invites a select group of international journalists to tranquil Ivalo / Finland near the Russian border to test the brand's latest tires for the upcoming winter. The 1941-based South Korean company, which since 2011 is also the sole supplier of the DTM, is presenting six new models for all weather conditions on the European continent.
The company is flying to Finland from Frankfurt / Main with a tank stop in Stockholm. Arrived in Finland, the country serves all clichés, only one thing is missing: the snow. No problem, Hankook Tire has also taken care of that. In the Test World Oy, if necessary 365 days a year have snow and ice for any tests. In two halls, we will experience both an 150-meter-long corridor on which traction and braking behavior on snow and ice will be tested, as well as an 1000-meter-long circuit on which snow handling at different temperatures can be tested.
On the second day of the event, the time has come. We can drive both to the proving grounds and on public roads to the nearby Russian border with Europe. In advance, Felix Kinzer, Director Corporate Communications Europe / CIS of Hankook Tire Europe GmbH, invites us to a small theory lesson. The new products include an all-weather tire, a winter tire for conventional vehicles and SUVs and a winter tire for compact and mid-range cars. Especially for Scandinavia and Russia, a tire for snow or ice and a tire for the special weather conditions in these regions are added.
The Kinergy 4S all-weather tire, which is already in its fourth generation at the Korean tire manufacturer, has been given a new structure. With its 3D slats, it combines the safety required in summer, especially on dry roads, with the wet and very slippery road conditions that prevail in winter. Suitable for all vehicles, Hankook will offer these tires in sizes from 14 to 18 inches. Audi has secured the Kinergy 4S as original equipment in size 225/50 R 17 98 V for the new Audi TT.
For the first time in the Hankook range, the winter tire is i * cept evo2 not only for conventional vehicles, but also specifically for SUVs available. Designed for winter conditions in central and western Europe, the power and braking values for snow-covered roads have been further increased and minimized. Of course, this also applies to the very popular SUVs, which are pushing more and more into the market.
At winter i * cept RS2 Hankook provides a winter tire, which finds its use on smaller city cars, compact and mid-range vehicles as well as station wagons and mini-vans. The i * cept RS is designed2 for rather moderate winter weather conditions. The tire produced in the Hungarian plant is available in inch sizes 14 - 17.
For the Scandinavian and Russian regions, the Korean tire manufacturer produces and sells the winter tires i * Cept iZ2 and i * Pike RS. There, where the winters are even harder, it is allowed to drive a kind of spike. On ice occupied lanes this is also necessary. High grip is required here and both tires guarantee this to the highest degree.
We were able to adequately test the properties of all tires introduced by Felix Kinzer both on the Test World Oy test site and on public roads. At minus 11 degrees Celsius in the halls of the test area near Ivalo, not only were the grip behaviors of all tires at the highest level. The braking characteristics of the products exceeded all expectations. That's how winter can come.
Hankook Kinergy 4S all-weather tires:
Sizes: all common sizes, inches: 14 - 18, track width: 155 - 255 mm, speed index: T (up to 190 km / h), H (up to 210 km / h) and V (up to 240 km / h)
Hankook Winter i * cept evo2:
Sizes: all common sizes, inches: 16 - 20, track width: 195 - 275 mm, speed index: H (up to 210 km / h), V (up to 240 km / h) and W (up to 270 km / h)
Hankook Winter i * cept evo2 SUV:
Sizes: all common sizes, inches: 16 - 21, track width: 215 - 295 mm, speed index: T (up to 190 km / h) to V (up to 240 km / h)
Hankook Winter i * cept RS2:
Sizes: all common sizes, inches: 14 - 17, track width: 165 - 225 mm, speed index: T (up to 190 km / h) and H (up to 210 km / h)
Hankook Winter i * Cept iZ2:
Sizes: all common sizes, inches: not specified, gauge: not specified, speed index: not specified
Hankook Winter i * Pike RS:
Sizes: all common sizes, inches: not specified, gauge: not specified, speed index: not specified
Photos in the article: Stefan Beckmann Cover photo: Stefan Beckmann