The Hankook Optimo 4S is an all-season tire with generally favorable owner reports of wet and snow grip, low noise and comfort. Tests repeatedly praise aquaplaning resistance and balanced handling, but later wet-grip results are less convincing and braking performance varies.
Aquaplaning resistance is a recurring strength of the Hankook Optimo 4S, supported by both owner comments and repeated test praise. Owners also generally like snow traction, noise and comfort: 28 of 30 reviews are positive, averaging 81.8%. Earlier tests describe secure snow and dry handling, with third-place finishes in Auto Bild's 2011 and 2012 all-season comparisons. Those results support its everyday versatility, although the test record becomes less favorable in later comparisons.
Wet grip is the main unusual disagreement. Thirteen owner comments are favorable without a recurring complaint, yet Auto Zeitung 2014 criticised wet grip, long stops and understeer, and ADAC 2016 placed it last of seven with very weak wet performance. The latter also found weak dry grip, contrasting with earlier dry-handling praise. Braking and efficiency verdicts vary too, while a small minority of owners describes limits in demanding snow conditions or dry-road responses. Longer-use accounts include satisfactory wear, but most do not state their stage and no typical lifespan is established. Its aquaplaning and everyday usability have clearer support than consistently strong wet braking or sharp responses.
The quick answer
Owners say83%from 32 owner reviews93% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesGood aquaplaning resistanceGenerally good snow tractionInconsistent wet-road gripUndersteer near the limitSummarised from the tests and owner reviews
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tire - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated January 2025.
Across 32 owner ratings the Hankook Optimo 4S averages 83%. Owners rate Comfort highest at 8.8 out of 10 and Wear lowest at 7.8. 15 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 97% of owners score it 70% or better.
What is the Hankook Optimo 4S's EU tire label rating?
Across its range, the Hankook Optimo 4S most commonly carries EU label ratings of C for fuel efficiency, C for wet grip and 72 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Hankook Optimo 4S?
Owners rate the Hankook Optimo 4S 8.8 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 30 reviews.
How well do the Hankook Optimo 4S wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Hankook Optimo 4S 7.8 out of 10 for wear across 30 reviews. 15 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 10,000 miles.
Would owners buy the Hankook Optimo 4S again?
93% of owners say they would buy the Hankook Optimo 4S again, based on the 30 owner reviews that answered the question. 57% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
More questions about the Hankook Optimo 4S(4)
What do owners say about the Hankook Optimo 4S's snow traction?
Of the 30 owner reviews analyzed for the Hankook Optimo 4S, 14 mention snow traction: 12 praise it (strong snow traction) and 2 criticise it (weak snow traction). One owner wrote: "As for Snow- excellent in deep snow, ice, as in ski lift car parks". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Hankook Optimo 4S's road noise?
Of the 30 owner reviews analyzed for the Hankook Optimo 4S, 13 mention road noise: 11 praise it (quiet) and 2 criticise it (noisy). One owner wrote: "It is quiet - comfortable and stable". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Hankook Optimo 4S's tread life?
Of the 30 owner reviews analyzed for the Hankook Optimo 4S, 13 mention tread life: 10 praise it (long-lasting) and 3 criticise it (wears quickly). One owner wrote: "over 34000 miles on them so have ordered another set to be fitted!". Read those reviews
What sizes does the Hankook Optimo 4S come in?
The Hankook Optimo 4S is available in 38 sizes, ranging from 165-225/50-80 R13-17.
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Wet grip is the clearest shared strength of the Hankook Optimo 4S, with 13 favorable comments, alongside generally positive snow traction and low noise. The 30 reviews from 28 owners average 81.8%, with 28 positive scores, one neutral and one negative. Comfort and resistance to aquaplaning are also liked, while a small minority finds dry-road responses less convincing than a summer tire. Snow praise outweighs criticism, but two accounts describe limitations in deeper or more demanding winter conditions. Longer-use reports include satisfactory wear, yet most reviews do not state their stage, and the repeat-owner accounts do not establish a general ageing pattern.
What owners mention most counted across 30 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 32 ratings
Owner score83%
Comfort88%
Dry Grip86%
Wet Grip86%
Road Feedback79%
Handling78%
Wear78%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 86%
“My 2000MY 93 3D runs really nicely on these tires, the quiet road noise is particularly good. BUT... I run lower pressures 28psi instead of 33psi, the 50% profile is harsh at 33psi. No wear issues at all running 28psi...”
“Living in north Wales with a very varied weather system with lots of rain, mud on roads and snow, a & b rds combined with lanes. The combined with cost and storage space I cannot really justify a set of summer wheels...”
“Just about to replace a set of these after 40,000 miles spanning 3 winters. Remaining tread is around 2.0 mm so still good for another couple of thousand miles, but with winter just around the corner it makes sense to...”
My 2000MY 93 3D runs really nicely on these tires, the quiet road noise is particularly good. BUT... I run lower pressures 28psi instead of 33psi, the 50% profile is harsh at 33psi. No wear issues at all running 28psi. Next set I will go for a higher profile, 55 or 60 to cope with the roughish roads around here.
Member
Mazda
225/45 R17
A Combination of Roads
Average
I do not know why I have had several of these tires wear in extraordinary ways. I take my winters off and put my alloy rims and tires on and immediately have problems.i had wheel alignments, rim checks, even bought to other rims and still they wear mostly on the one edge, can be in board or out. Can only figure they are bad quality tires. Never had this issue with other tires in 50 years
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
Absolutely brilliant tire! Have them on a Peugeot 308 hdi & over 34000 miles on them so have ordered another set to be fitted! The only thing is when new they sound a bit grippy ?
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I live in BC, Canada...and I only used all seasons tires ever since, but this time of winter I decided to have all weather tires on my 2003 Toyota Corolla, driving my daughters everyday to school on an uphill and downhill snowy and icy roads...The Hankook Optimo 4S 185/65R15 gave me more confidence and safe driving. The tires deliver and I'm satisfied, went back at Canadian Tires to buy another 4 sets of tires for Honda Odessey but their is no size available 235/65R17 hopefully Hankook Tires Co. will make one?
Replaced OEM Hankook on GM with 4S. Was hesitant at first with 4 seasons due to wear ability. So far the response on ice and snow has been impressive/ Will have to see hoe long the last. Drive 200k daily on highway.
Great tires, selected because I drive all year round and must get to work, even in winter. I also drive to the Alps in both summer and winter. No problems at all with handling, comfort or noise, good in dry and very good in standing water and wet. As for Snow- excellent in deep snow, ice, as in ski lift car parks. Never needed , or felt the need for chains. Max depth of snow 20cm . And this is with tires with 11000 miles on them. - Also great value.
79%
Member
BMW
225/55 R16
28,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Easy Going
After years of company cars I bought a mint '02 E39 520 SE and ran it as my full time car, including a raft of motorway and urban miles.
I needed to be able to get around during winter so I thought about getting some winter tires to swap to, but our summers and winters in the UK midlands are so variable I'd never know when to make the swap. After researching I decided to give these Hankook optima 4S tires a go.
Compared to the P6 cinturatos they replaced I was immediately taken with the improved wet performance, but also a bit of extra noise. I fitted them in Autumn, so I really only noticed the benefits when the first frosts arrived. The Hankooks were unaffected by even heavy frosts and dustings of snow, with grip being workable in general use. The extra confidence these tires gave in icy conditions was excellent compared to the P6s.
The tires did not magically turn my car into a Land Rover, but they certainly made the car much safer in poor conditions, while not compromising normal dry, warm driving too much. They never felt like "bad tires" in the summer.
They had done 28k miles when my car was written off by a clumsy lotty driver. They still had more than 2.5 mm on them.
Recommended for drivers who want to keep moving all winter without the dry compromise of winter tires.
I just bought some for my new e39 with 17 inch wheels on them.
I constantly keep all-season tires on the back axle - so I drove these Optimo's on the back axle through summers and winters. That saves our budget, having total of 6 tires instead of 8. That also means I can't rightfully score progressiveness or road feedback, which are more applicable on the front... It doesn't give me unwanted skids on the back side, since the car is short and the cornering style is calm.
Other than developing an unsolvable problem with rear right tire which deflates about 1 bar/week, I am completely satisfied with them. The problem was tackled 3-4 times by different tire fitting shops (servicemen), but with little change. Run for 55000 km's in all conditions - from -20 deg.C to +40 deg.C (yes, that is the weather amplitude in Serbia). Had to give lower wearing score because of the problem. Plan to replace them next week with my old set of winter Hankooks (which really fine), to wear them for few mm more - this should be the last season for them, too.
Very good tire, despite my problem with one of the two.
This review is for the 97 V XL version of the tire.
Positive Points
* Excellent aquaplane resistance & wet grip performance
* Good snow performance, but only based on approx. 5 days snow driving
* Increased confidence in low temp conditions
* Good levels of comfort
* Great stability at speed and under braking. No tramlining etc
* Retain pressures well
* Good general grip, but see below...
Negative Points
* Dry road performance is as expected, compromised. However, this is by a greater margin than the reviews suggested. I would take the 90% suggested performance of a summer tire and reduce it to 70%. The tires *do* grip, but feel soft underfoot and don't inspire confidence. My Mondeo feels like my old Citroen C5 now!
* Wear doesn't seem great, but that may just be me. 10,000 miles in, and I can only see another 5,000 on the fronts. Rears are fine, and I can see them lasting another 10-15,000
Summary -
You really can tell this is a premium tire, when comparing how it performs to even a good mid range tire. I'm sure they played a big part in me being able to avoid the idiot who pulled out right in front of me the other week. The tire gives a good feeling of safety & stability in all weather conditions. Driving on water logged motorways, for instance, is handled without drama.
My only concern is the soft feeling of the tire in the dry, and the impact this has on cornering feel & confidence. In all other respects, this is a truly excellent tire, and if spirited driving is not your thing, I would whole heartedly recommend this tire. I know a Mondeo is hardly a sports car, it did have sharper handling on well worn Michelins!
Given that we don't have many snow days, I probably won't buy these again and get a premium summer tire instead. But I could be tempted back if that doesn't go well...
Just about to replace a set of these after 40,000 miles spanning 3 winters.
Remaining tread is around 2.0 mm so still good for another couple of thousand miles, but with winter just around the corner it makes sense to replace now while they're still available.
A little noisy when new, but the noise reduced after a while.
They were great in the winter, ploughing through snow with ease. Even left behind a 4x4 which couldn't gain transaction in fresh, deep snow.
Absolutely no complaints whatsoever, excellent regardless of the weather conditions and with excellent lifetime.
after years off Expensive Michelin Primacy 3 with start 6.5 mm? this is a excellent Tire, and the complete fam switched over on all seasons from Hankook.
I purchased these tires in October 2013. While I've only put 4200 Kms on them and mostly in snow (I am in Montreal,
Canada), I've been extremely pleased with them. As winter tires are mandatory here, I didn't want to go through the hassle of purchasing both all season and winters. The Optimo 4S is the only certified all weather tire here so I thought I'd give them a shot. So far so good. They handle extremely well in all weather conditions including deep snow and ice.
