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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 790 vs Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 5 road tests and 5 + 5 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 790 is ahead, 74–67

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Hankook Winter i*pike RS2
Tire BHankook

Winter i*pike RS2

Winter

± 6

Tests 66 · 5 tests Owners 73 · 5 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 71

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 790 +15
    56
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Winter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 70 (est.)49
    Reviews found online7366

    WinterContact TS 790: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 71

    Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 49.2 + 40% × 65.9 = 56

    No road tests of dry for WinterContact TS 790. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 78

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 790 +5
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Winter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 76 (est.)71
    Reviews found online8176

    WinterContact TS 790: 60% × 76.4 (est.) + 40% × 81.1 = 78

    Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 71 + 40% × 75.6 = 73

    No road tests of wet for WinterContact TS 790. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Winter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests–76
    Reviews found online–77

    Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 75.9 + 40% × 76.5 = 76

  4. 72

    Comfort

    Level
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Winter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 70 (est.)79
    Reviews found online7368

    WinterContact TS 790: 40% × 69.5 (est.) + 60% × 72.9 = 72

    Winter i*pike RS2: 40% × 79.2 + 60% × 67.5 = 72

    No road tests of comfort for WinterContact TS 790. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    59
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Winter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–55
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 54.6 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 59

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter i*pike RS2. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 72

    Treadwear

    Level
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Winter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7675

    WinterContact TS 790: 60% × 69.8 (est.) + 40% × 75.8 = 72

    Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 69.5 (est.) + 40% × 74.8 = 72

    No road tests of treadwear for WinterContact TS 790. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for Winter i*pike RS2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 77

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 790 +5
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Winter i*pike RS2
    Reviews found online7772
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Winter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests–73
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 790Hankook Winter i*pike RS2
Relative Score 74 67
Dry 71 56
Wet 78 73
Snow – 76
Comfort 72 72
Noise – 59
Treadwear 72 72
Handling (owners) 77 72
Efficiency – 73

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

WinterContact TS 790

± 6

Winter i*pike RS2

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A WinterContact TS 790

Pros

  • Exceptional tread longevity and durability
  • Strong grip and stability in wet conditions
  • High level of ride comfort

Cons

  • Limited performance in heavy or deep snow conditions
  • Not optimized for severe winter climates
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 790 review

Tire B Winter i*pike RS2

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and braking on snow and ice
  • Strong side grip and predictable cornering limits
  • High durability with secure stud retention over multiple years

Cons

  • Poor steering feedback on dry tarmac
  • Noticeable understeer in dry road conditions
All owner themes in the Winter i*pike RS2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 790 B · Hankook Winter i*pike RS2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 790

Hankook Winter i*pike RS2

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 790 — better dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Continental WinterContact TS 790 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 71 vs 56 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 78 vs 73 on wet.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 790
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Tire B · Hankook Winter i*pike RS2
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WinterContact TS 790 or Winter i*pike RS2?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 790 or Winter i*pike RS2?

Continental WinterContact TS 790, 78 vs 73 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 790 or Winter i*pike RS2?

Continental WinterContact TS 790, 71 vs 56 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 790 or Winter i*pike RS2?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 72 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 790 or Winter i*pike RS2?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 72 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology