Hankook vs. Kumho vs. Cooper: Who Races Ahead?

Are you looking for the differences between Hankook, Kumho, and Cooper? Are you wondering whether they are good brands? The good news is that you will have a great choice no matter which one you choose. With each feature, one of these three tire brands will deliver excellently.

The question is: which brand makes the best tires out of the three that races ahead of the competition? In this article, we will provide you with a detailed comparison between Hankook, Kumho, and Cooper and help you to find out the best brand among the three.

Hankook vs. Kumho vs. Cooper: Comparison Table

Comparing these three brands helps you get a broad view of the tire which performs the best in specific categories. The following information in the article is based on this comparison table:

HANKOOKKUMHO COOPER
OriginSouth Korea South Korea America
PriceMore expensive than the others Cheaper than HankookCheapest
PerformanceHigh-performance tires for dry road conditionsGreat winter performance tires Good performance all-season tires
DurabilityHigher durability for most road conditionsDecent durability for for most road conditionsSome complaints about tread life
Tire VarietyMany different varieties of tiresMany different varieties of tiresMany different varieties of tires
Warranty and Customer serviceStrong customer service and warranty available with 50,000 up to 90,000 milesStandard 45,000 to 55,000-mile treadwear warrantyWarranty for treadwear from 45,000 to 80,000 miles
ankook Kinergy ST H735 All- Season Radial Tire
Hankook Kinergy ST H735 All-Season Radial
Kumho Solus TA11 All-Season
Kumho Solus TA11
All-Season
Cooper Discoverer STT Pro 
All-Season
Cooper Discoverer STT Pro
All-Season

Hankook vs. Kumho vs. Cooper: Detailed Analysis

Understanding the detailed specs of each brand is crucial for analyzing the best attributes of Hankook, Kumho, and Cooper tires. As you can see in the comparison table, these brands have a lot in common. On the other hand, there are enough differences that make a detailed analysis necessary for choosing the best brand suitable for your demand. 

Who Makes Hankook, Kumho, and Cooper Tires?

Hankook and Kumho originate from the country of South Korea and get built from years of research. Accordingly, South Korean tires make the top ten list on many different review websites and generally get seen as quality tires. Comparably, Cooper tires are made in America and are a popular brand around the globe. Consequently, there may be brand loyalty when it comes to purchasing Cooper tires, especially for American buyers.

Price

Hankook tires generally produce high-quality tires at a lower price compared to other industry-leading brands. The average sedan tire from Hankook costs approximately $83. Whereas Cooper tires with similar quality ratings usually cost about $10 less than Hankook. Kumho sedan tires are the same price as Cooper tires at around $73. However, on average, Cooper tires are the cheapest. 

Performance

The performance of the tires depends on the model of tire that you purchase. For instance, Kumho’s tires are of better quality for their upper-end winter because of more meticulously designed tread. On the other hand, Cooper tires tend to have good performance across the board for all tire models in all seasons. Meanwhile, Hankook outperforms both Cooper and Kumho with all tires in dry road conditions

Durability

There have been some concerns about the treadwear on Cooper tires. The rubber seems to deteriorate more quickly than other brands. The rubber on Kumho tires is also not the greatest for durability, especially in their sedan and lower-end models. Only Hankook has a durable track record for treadwear and lasts a bit longer than both Cooper and Kumho. 

Tire Variety

Hankook, Kumho, and Cooper offers a variety of tire types. Check the table below for more details:

HANKOOKKUMHOCOOPER
Passenger Car TiresPassenger Car TiresPassenger Tires
SUV TiresSUV/Crossover Tires
SUV/Crossover Tires
Light Truck TiresLight Truck TiresLight Truck Tires
Performance Tires+ High Performance Tires
+ Ultra High Performance Tires
Ultra high-performance Tires
Winter TiresAll-Terrain TiresAll-terrain Tires
Summer TiresAll-Season TiresAll-season Tires
Commercial Tires

Warranty And Customer Service

Hankook is known for its excellent customer service. Their treadwear warranty is better than the other two, and their tires get designed with a focus on safety technology. They also have damage and wear guarantees on their tires that Cooper and Kumho don’t have. Conversely, Cooper’s warranty is just about the same for all of their tires, which is up to 55,000 miles for most tire models. Kumho offers slightly better warrant on tires of up to 80,000 miles treadwear coverage for some of their upper-end models. 


Hankook vs. Kumho vs. Cooper: Who Races Ahead?

ankook Kinergy ST H735 All- Season Radial Tire
Hankook Kinergy ST H735 All-Season Radial
Kumho Solus TA11 All-Season
Kumho Solus TA11
All-Season
Cooper Discoverer STT Pro 
All-Season
Cooper Discoverer STT Pro
All-Season

When comparing these three brands between Hankook, Cooper, and Kumho, it is evident that Hankook is the one that races ahead of the competition for many of the categories. The winning title is thanks to its excellent customer service, a focus on safety and research, and some of the best durability and performance. Hankook is an excellent all-around tire brand and is worth the slight increase in cost compared to the other two. It also serves as a track tire for LeMans, which lends it some prestigious credibility to anyone who purchases and uses them. 

However, if you are on tight budget, Cooper should be your choice. Also, this brand is also a reasonable option if I want your tires made in America because Cooper is an genuine American brand.

Or if you are looking to buy quality winter tires with increased efficiency, then you can’t go wrong with Kumho.

Read more: Sumitomo vs. Michelin vs. Toyo: Which Tire Brand Wins This Face-off?

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