tirewheelguide

Nexen WinGuard looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Firestone Winterforce 2 vs Nexen WinGuard — 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 28 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

WinGuard leads, 65–61 Narrow edge

Check price on Amazon · WinGuard or Winterforce 2 on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Firestone Winterforce 2
Tire AFirestone

Winterforce 2

Winter Premium Touring tires

± 8

Tests – · none yet Owners 56 · 28 reviews

Nexen WinGuard
Tire BNexen

WinGuard

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 64 · 6 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 50

    Dry

    WinGuard +10
    60
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce 2WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 57 (est.)≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online4156

    Winterforce 2: 60% × 56.8 (est.) + 40% × 40.8 = 50

    WinGuard: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 55.8 = 60

    No road tests of dry for Winterforce 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

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

  2. 65

    Wet

    Winterforce 2 +1
    64
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce 2WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6362

    Winterforce 2: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 62.7 = 65

    WinGuard: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 61.9 = 64

    No road tests of wet for Winterforce 2. 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 WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 74

    Snow

    Level
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce 2WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7776

    Winterforce 2: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 74

    WinGuard: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 75.7 = 74

    No road tests of snow for Winterforce 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    No road tests of snow for WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 51

    Comfort

    WinGuard +11
    62
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce 2WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online4359

    Winterforce 2: 40% × 63.5 (est.) + 60% × 43.1 = 51

    WinGuard: 40% × 66.8 (est.) + 60% × 59.3 = 62

    No road tests of comfort for Winterforce 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

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

  5. 58

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce 2WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online46–

    Winterforce 2: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 46 = 58

    No road tests of noise for Winterforce 2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 59

    Treadwear

    WinGuard +6
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce 2WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online5465

    Winterforce 2: 60% × 62 (est.) + 40% × 54.1 = 59

    WinGuard: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for Winterforce 2. 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 WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 49

    Handling (owners)

    WinGuard +8
    57
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce 2WinGuard
    Reviews found online4957
Scores at a glance
CategoryFirestone Winterforce 2Nexen WinGuard
Relative Score 61 65
Dry 50 60
Wet 65 64
Snow 74 74
Comfort 51 62
Noise 58 –
Treadwear 59 65
Handling (owners) 49 57

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
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

Winterforce 2

± 8

WinGuard

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

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryWinterforce 2WinGuardΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #16/15 2022 Consumer Reports Winter Tires #26/50 2013 Winter Tyre Overview - Braking – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Winterforce 2

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and capability in deep snow
  • Highly competitive price point
  • Reliable performance for daily winter commuting

Cons

  • Increased road noise compared to all-season tires
  • Noticeable 'mushy' or soft handling feedback on dry pavement
  • Limited performance on ice without studs
All owner themes in the Winterforce 2 review

Tire B WinGuard

Pros

  • Strong traction and handling in snow-covered conditions
  • Noticeable improvement in grip over summer tires in cold weather
  • Confidence-inspiring braking performance on mountain passes

Cons

  • Mediocre performance on ice
  • Poor dry-weather handling when temperatures exceed 10°C
  • Occasional difficulty with uphill starts in deep snow
All owner themes in the WinGuard review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone Winterforce 2 B · Nexen WinGuard
CategoryWinter Premium Touring tiresWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available31—
Rim diameters14″ – 18″—
Tread depth12/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure44 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone Winterforce 2

Nexen WinGuard

Narrow edge: Nexen WinGuard — better comfort, dry and handling. Where the Firestone Winterforce 2 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Nexen WinGuard rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Nexen WinGuard scores 62 vs 51 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Nexen WinGuard scores 60 vs 50 on dry.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Nexen WinGuard scores 57 vs 49 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Nexen WinGuard scores 65 vs 59 on treadwear.

Tire A · Firestone Winterforce 2
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Nexen WinGuard
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Winterforce 2 or WinGuard?

Which is better in the wet, Winterforce 2 or WinGuard?

Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 64 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winterforce 2 or WinGuard?

Nexen WinGuard, 60 vs 50 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Winterforce 2 or WinGuard?

Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 74 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Winterforce 2 or WinGuard?

Nexen WinGuard, 62 vs 51 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Winterforce 2 or WinGuard?

Nexen WinGuard, 65 vs 59 on our treadwear score.

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