Hankook: the Aqua Pine compound and two different winter lines
Aqua Pine - natural resin in a winter compound
Hankook's winter tyre compound has a name of its own. Aqua Pine is a compound based on resins of natural origin. In pure silica compounds a shorter braking distance on wet tarmac usually also means less mileage, and the manufacturer states that Aqua Pine reduces this trade-off; Hankook describes it under that name in the announcement of the new generation Winter i*cept RS3.
The tread follows the same idea. The 3D sipes arranged in an inverted V and the V-shaped grooves drain water and slush at the moment when the road is neither dry nor icy. In Latvia the road is like that for most of the winter. Every Hankook winter and all-season tyre in our range has both M+S and the 3PMSF alpine symbol - tyre markings are explained separately.
From Ventus to i*Pike
The three Ventus lines are not quality grades but three different tyres. Ventus evo (K137) is a sports tyre that Hankook announced on 29 November 2024, and the earlier "S1" is no longer part of its name. The previous generation UHP tyre Ventus S1 evo3 (K127) still comes as original equipment as well; in our range some of its sizes carry the Audi AO, BMW star or Mercedes-Benz MO marking. The comfort and touring tyre is Ventus Prime 4 (K135), and the all-season choice is Kinergy 4S2 (H750) with the SUV version 4S2 X (H750A).
The winter tyre lines divide as follows:
- Winter i*cept RS3 (W462) - for a European winter, for compact cars and compact SUVs; there are also a few HRS RunFlat sizes.
- Winter i*cept evo3 and evo4 - for more powerful and heavier cars, for larger rims; the X and SUV versions for SUVs.
- Winter i*cept iZ3 (W636) and iZ3 X (W636A) - the non-studded line intended for Northern and Eastern Europe, announced on 30 October 2024.
- Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) and RS2 X (W429A) - the studded line; in our range the tyres are available in one and the same sizes both with factory fitted studs and without studs.
- iON - for electric cars, including the studded iON Nordic ice.
Sizes in our range run from R13 to R23, including C marked commercial vehicle sizes and RunFlat sizes. All winter tyres can be viewed in one place.
| Model | Season | Studs | Diameters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinergy 4 Season 2 (H750) | all-season | - | R14-R20 |
| Ventus S1 evo3 (K127) | summer | - | R17-R22 |
| Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) | winter | some sizes | R13-R20 |
| Winter i*cept evo3 (W330) | winter | non-studded | R15-R22 |
| Winter i*cept evo3 SUV (W330A) | winter | non-studded | R17-R22 |
| Winter i*cept RS3 (W462) | winter | non-studded | R14-R17 |
| Ventus EVO (K137) | summer | - | R17-R22 |
| Winter i*Pike RS2 X (W429A) | winter | some sizes | R15-R21 |
| Ventus Evo SUV (K137A) | summer | - | R17-R23 |
| Ventus Prime 4 (K135) | summer | - | R16-R20 |
iZ3 on tarmac, RS3 on snow and a wet road
In the 2025 test by the Finnish Tekniikan Maailma and UTAC (205/55 R16, VW Golf, 14 tyres) the Winter i*cept iZ3 was fifth among the non-studded tyres. On tarmac it was among the best: dry braking 31.3 m, the third shortest result in the whole test and only 0.5 m behind the best result of the test (30.8 m), and a wet handling lap of 40.0 s, the second fastest time. In snow the differences were slight: 50.4 m against 49.5 m for the best tyre. On ice it trailed all the others - braking from 50 km/h took 53.5 m, 21.2 m more than for the studded Bridgestone Blizzak Spike 3 (32.3 m), and acceleration from 5 to 20 km/h took 7.6 s against the best 4.6 s. Part of the difference comes from the studs, but among the non-studded tyres the iZ3 was last as well.
In Germany the other winter line won. In the Auto Bild 2025 test (215/55 R17, 12 tyres) the Winter i*cept RS3 98V shared first place with a score of 1.2 "sehr gut": snow braking 22.9 m from 50 km/h, wet braking 43.8 m from 100 km/h, aquaplaning 83.3 km/h; the only criticism was higher rolling resistance. A year earlier, in the 205/55 R16 test, the RS3 W462 91H was sixth of 20 finalists with a score of 2.0. The testers pointed to a longer wet braking distance, but also to a shared best snow braking result (29.1 m from 50 km/h), good resistance to aquaplaning and outstanding mileage, for which the tyre received the "Eco-Meister" award.
Who Hankook suits best
Hankook suits the driver who in winter drives mainly on cleared tarmac and for whom high mileage matters. For a compact car the more logical choice is Winter i*cept RS3, for a more powerful or heavier car - evo3 or evo4, and for an SUV their X and SUV versions. If the route regularly includes icy country roads, our range has the same brand's studded Winter i*Pike RS2 and RS2 X for that. For an electric car there is the iON line, for summer Ventus, and for one set for the whole year - Kinergy 4S2. On when to change to winter tyres there is a separate article, and the requirements are set by the CSDD: winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 1 March with a minimum tread depth of 4 mm, studded tyres are permitted from 1 October to 1 May, and since 1 October 2024 a winter tyre needs the 3PMSF marking, which every Hankook winter tyre in our range has.