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Hankook Icebear W440 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Falken EuroWinter HS449 vs Hankook Icebear W440 — 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 + 0 road tests and 42 + 5 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: EuroWinter HS449 71, Icebear W440 72.

Check price on Amazon · EuroWinter HS449 Check price on Amazon · Icebear W440
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Hankook Icebear W440
Tire BHankook

Icebear W440

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 73 · 5 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 68

    Dry

    Icebear W440 +2
    70
    Why this score
    SourceEuroWinter HS449Icebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6872

    EuroWinter HS449: 60% × 68.2 (est.) + 40% × 68.4 = 68

    Icebear W440: 60% × 69.6 (est.) + 40% × 71.7 = 70

    No road tests of dry for EuroWinter HS449. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for Icebear W440. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 78

    Wet

    EuroWinter HS449 +2
    76
    Why this score
    SourceEuroWinter HS449Icebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 76 (est.)≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8178

    EuroWinter HS449: 60% × 76.2 (est.) + 40% × 80.6 = 78

    Icebear W440: 60% × 74.5 (est.) + 40% × 77.5 = 76

    No road tests of wet for EuroWinter HS449. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for Icebear W440. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 71

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEuroWinter HS449Icebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)–
    Reviews found online72–

    EuroWinter HS449: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 71.8 = 71

    No road tests of snow for EuroWinter HS449. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 71

    Comfort

    Icebear W440 +1
    72
    Why this score
    SourceEuroWinter HS449Icebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7173

    EuroWinter HS449: 40% × 69.5 (est.) + 60% × 71.3 = 71

    Icebear W440: 40% × 69.9 (est.) + 60% × 73.1 = 72

    No road tests of comfort for EuroWinter HS449 or Icebear W440. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 61

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceEuroWinter HS449Icebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online52–

    EuroWinter HS449: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 52.3 = 61

    No road tests of noise for EuroWinter HS449. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 66

    Treadwear

    Icebear W440 +2
    68
    Why this score
    SourceEuroWinter HS449Icebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6570

    EuroWinter HS449: 60% × 65.8 (est.) + 40% × 65.2 = 66

    Icebear W440: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 68

    No road tests of treadwear for EuroWinter HS449. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

    No road tests of treadwear for Icebear W440. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 72

    Handling (owners)

    Level
    72
    Why this score
    SourceEuroWinter HS449Icebear W440
    Reviews found online7272
Scores at a glance
CategoryFalken EuroWinter HS449Hankook Icebear W440
Relative Score 71 72
Dry 68 70
Wet 78 76
Snow 71 –
Comfort 71 72
Noise 61 –
Treadwear 66 68
Handling (owners) 72 72

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
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

EuroWinter HS449

± 8

Icebear W440

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 EuroWinter HS449

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow, slush, and ice
  • Strong value for money compared to premium brand winter tires
  • Reliable and safe performance on wet and rainy roads with good hydroplaning resistance

Cons

  • Faster tread wear or a softer rubber compound noted by some users
  • Slightly reduced fuel economy or rolling resistance penalty
  • Occasional reports of decreased grip or wheel spin on steep inclines and packed ice for certain 2WD setups
All owner themes in the EuroWinter HS449 review

Tire B Icebear W440

Pros

  • Excellent traction and confidence on snow and ice
  • High value-for-money proposition compared to premium brands
  • Noticeable performance improvement for rear-wheel-drive vehicles

Cons

  • Noticeable 'slippery' sensation during the initial 100-mile break-in period
  • Performance is strictly categorized as a budget-friendly option rather than a top-tier premium performer
  • Mixed feedback on overall refinement compared to more expensive alternatives
All owner themes in the Icebear W440 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Falken EuroWinter HS449 B · Hankook Icebear W440
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available6—
Rim diameters16″ – 19″—
Tread depth11/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure44 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Falken EuroWinter HS449

Hankook Icebear W440

Too close to call: Falken EuroWinter HS449 and Hankook Icebear W440 are within 2 points overall. Hankook Icebear W440 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Tire A · Falken EuroWinter HS449
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Hankook Icebear W440
Check price on Amazon

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EuroWinter HS449 or Icebear W440?

Which is better in the wet, EuroWinter HS449 or Icebear W440?

Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 76 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, EuroWinter HS449 or Icebear W440?

Neither, by our numbers: 68 vs 70 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, EuroWinter HS449 or Icebear W440?

Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 72 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, EuroWinter HS449 or Icebear W440?

Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 68 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