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Head-to-head Updated

Firestone Winterforce LT vs Hankook Winter i cept evo2 — 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 16 + 28 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Winterforce LT and Winter i cept evo2 are level at 68.

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Hankook Winter i cept evo2
Tire BHankook

Winter i cept evo2

Winter

± 7

Tests 67 · 5 tests Owners 71 · 28 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2017 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test (snow braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 64

    Dry

    Winter i cept evo2 +3
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce LTWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 65 (est.)65
    Reviews found online6171

    Winterforce LT: 60% × 65.1 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 64

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 64.8 + 40% × 70.8 = 67

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

  2. 72

    Wet

    Winterforce LT +1
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce LTWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 72 (est.)70
    Reviews found online7273

    Winterforce LT: 60% × 71.6 (est.) + 40% × 72.3 = 72

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 73.4 = 71

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

  3. 75

    Snow

    Winterforce LT +5
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce LTWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 73 (est.)72
    Reviews found online7866

    Winterforce LT: 60% × 73 (est.) + 40% × 78.3 = 75

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 72 + 40% × 66.1 = 70

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

  4. 61

    Comfort

    Winter i cept evo2 +9
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce LTWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online5771

    Winterforce LT: 40% × 66.4 (est.) + 60% × 57.2 = 61

    Winter i cept evo2: 40% × 69 (est.) + 60% × 70.6 = 70

    No road tests of comfort for Winterforce LT. 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 Winter i cept evo2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 62

    Noise

    Winterforce LT +7
    55
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce LTWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 66 (est.)47
    Reviews found online56≈ 66 (est.)

    Winterforce LT: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 56.4 = 62

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 47.4 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 55

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

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter i cept evo2. 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. 61

    Treadwear

    Winter i cept evo2 +9
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce LTWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 63 (est.)67
    Reviews found online5773

    Winterforce LT: 60% × 63 (est.) + 40% × 56.8 = 61

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 67.3 + 40% × 72.8 = 70

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

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce LTWinter i cept evo2
    Reviews found online–73
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    59
    Why this score
    SourceWinterforce LTWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–59
Scores at a glance
CategoryFirestone Winterforce LTHankook Winter i cept evo2
Relative Score 68 68
Dry 64 67
Wet 72 71
Snow 75 70
Comfort 61 70
Noise 62 55
Treadwear 61 70
Handling (owners) – 73
Efficiency – 59

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
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Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

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

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

Winterforce LT

± 7

Winter i cept evo2

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 Winterforce LT

Pros

  • Excellent traction in snow, slush and mixed snow/ice conditions, including breaking trail through unplowed roads
  • Strong ice grip, even without studs
  • Good value for the money, with several reviewers calling it the best winter tire for the price

Cons

  • Noticeable road noise on dry pavement, according to one reviewer
  • Dry-road and non-winter characteristics are a lower priority, with one commercial user explicitly disregarding noise and other conditions
  • Not the cheapest option, according to one reviewer
All owner themes in the Winterforce LT review

Tire B Winter i cept evo2

Pros

  • Impressive grip and traction on snow and ice
  • High level of ride comfort and low noise levels
  • Good value for money compared to higher-priced premium alternatives

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls or goofy feel on dry roads, particularly in warmer winter temperatures
  • Performance and grip degrade significantly as the tire ages over multiple seasons
  • Can struggle to put down high torque/power on rear-wheel-drive vehicles
All owner themes in the Winter i cept evo2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone Winterforce LT B · Hankook Winter i cept evo2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available1579
Rim diameters16″ – 20″15″ – 22″
Tread depth16/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure80 psi—
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone Winterforce LT

Hankook Winter i cept evo2

Too close to call: Firestone Winterforce LT and Hankook Winter i cept evo2 are within 2 points overall. Firestone Winterforce LT is stronger on noise and snow. Hankook Winter i cept evo2 is stronger on comfort, treadwear and dry. Firestone Winterforce LT rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 16 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Winter i cept evo2 scores 70 vs 61 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Hankook Winter i cept evo2 scores 70 vs 61 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Firestone Winterforce LT scores 62 vs 55 on noise.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Firestone Winterforce LT scores 75 vs 70 on snow.

Tire A · Firestone Winterforce LT
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Tire B · Hankook Winter i cept evo2
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Winterforce LT or Winter i cept evo2?

Which is better in the wet, Winterforce LT or Winter i cept evo2?

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

Which grips better on dry roads, Winterforce LT or Winter i cept evo2?

Hankook Winter i cept evo2, 67 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Winterforce LT or Winter i cept evo2?

Firestone Winterforce LT, 75 vs 70 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Winterforce LT or Winter i cept evo2?

Firestone Winterforce LT, 62 vs 55 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Winterforce LT or Winter i cept evo2?

Hankook Winter i cept evo2, 70 vs 61 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Winterforce LT or Winter i cept evo2?

Hankook Winter i cept evo2, 70 vs 61 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