Hankook Weatherflex GT review tests all-weather tire performance

During the waning weeks of 2024, Hankook Tire invited Tire Review to Joliet, Illinois, just outside Chicago, to experience the Weatherflex GT. It's the company's newest all-weather tire offering. For this Hankook Weatherflex GT review, we took to the track at the Autobahn Country Club, taking several laps with professional racing instructors offering guidance.

Key Specifications of the Hankook Weatherflex GT All-Weather Tire

Before diving into performance, let’s review Hankook's Weatherflex GT specifications. The Weatherflex GT comes in 37 sizes, from 15 to 22 inches. Hankook backs it with a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty. It also has the three-peak mountain snowflake designation for handling snow and ice. Hankook says it designed the tread pattern to deliver excellent winter performance. High-density sipes in the grooves enhance traction in snow. The sipes in the center and shoulder blocks helps to improve performance on snowy roads. Wide lateral grooves channel water away efficiently, reducing hydroplaning.

Wet Weather Performance and Hydroplaning Mitigation

The zig-zagged grooves improve cornering grip by engaging the road at various angles. This design ensures drivers maintain control. The tire's “3D GripKontrol Sipes” minimize block deformation. Better block stiffness leads to improved handling in wet and dry conditions, and we had the opportunity to experience this for ourselves on the track. Wide lateral grooves channel water away efficiently, reducing hydroplaning. This keeps the driver in control during rainy conditions.

Comfort Features Built Into the Hankook Weatherflex GT

To test the Weatherflex GT on the track, I drove two vehicles equipped with these tires: a 2025 Honda Accord and a 2025 Honda Pilot. The weather varied greatly during the test. A sunny, mild day turned overcast, windy, and drizzly. These conditions were perfect for testing this tire. The quiet ride stood out while reviewing this tire. Hankook says its engineers prioritized reducing road noise using strategically positioned tread blocks. The company optimized the block arrangement to minimize vibrations. Poorly positioned tread blocks generate unpleasant sounds, similar to clashing musical notes. Hankook harmonized these “notes” by varying block sizes and aligning them properly. This creates a quieter, more comfortable ride. The tire's “3D GripKontrol Sipes” minimize block deformation.

Introducing the Hankook Weatherflex GT to the Lineup

Hankook organizes its tires into families. These include the Kinergy, Ventus, and iON lines. The Weatherflex GT introduces a new family line. Tire Review spoke with Rob Nasca, Hankook’s Product and Marketing Training Manager, about the decision to introduce a new line. He explained the vision for the Weatherflex GT. "Consumers are looking at the market as a whole, and we've noticed that the snow accumulations actually decreased," Nasca said. "It's still getting cold out there in the wintertime, but there isn't as much snow. So, we've [responded] by having an all-weather tire that's going to be like an all-season, but have that three-peak mountain snowflake symbol. It's also going to be more cost-saving, because now the consumer doesn't have to buy a summer and a winter tire."

Asymmetrical Tread Design

There is one key feature of the Weatherflex GT that deserves extra attention: Its asymmetrical tread pattern. This design differs from the tread pattern of the Kinergy 4S2 – another all-weather tire in Hankook's line-up. The asymmetrical pattern allows rotation between the driver’s and passenger’s sides. This prevents irregular wear. Rotating directional tires similarly could cause performance issues. Hankook says its engineers prioritized reducing road noise using strategically positioned tread blocks.

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Hunter Engineering Company: www.hunter.com