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Head-to-head Updated

Firestone Winterhawk 4 vs Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51 — 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 20 + 1 road tests and 6 + 0 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Winterhawk 4 68, WinterCraft Ice Wi51 69.

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Firestone Winterhawk 4
Tire AFirestone

Winterhawk 4

Winter

± 4

Tests 68 · 20 tests Owners 60 · 6 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2023 ADAC 16 Inch Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)

Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51
Tire BKumho

WinterCraft Ice Wi51

Winter

± 10Provisional

Tests 69 · 1 test Owners – · none yet

Best test result: #7 of 16 in 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test (wet braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 49

    Dry

    WinterCraft Ice Wi51 +21
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterhawk 4WinterCraft Ice Wi51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / 1 tests4570
    Reviews found online56≈ 69 (est.)

    Winterhawk 4: 60% × 45.2 + 40% × 55.7 = 49

    WinterCraft Ice Wi51: 60% × 70.5 + 40% × 69 (est.) = 70

    No owner ratings of dry for WinterCraft Ice Wi51. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 79

    Wet

    Winterhawk 4 +9
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterhawk 4WinterCraft Ice Wi51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / 1 tests9070
    Reviews found online63≈ 70 (est.)

    Winterhawk 4: 60% × 89.7 + 40% × 62.7 = 79

    WinterCraft Ice Wi51: 60% × 69.6 + 40% × 70.1 (est.) = 70

    No owner ratings of wet for WinterCraft Ice Wi51. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 73

    Snow

    Winterhawk 4 +7
    66
    Why this score
    SourceWinterhawk 4WinterCraft Ice Wi51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 20 / 1 tests8065
    Reviews found online62≈ 69 (est.)

    Winterhawk 4: 60% × 80.3 + 40% × 62.4 = 73

    WinterCraft Ice Wi51: 60% × 64.6 + 40% × 68.6 (est.) = 66

    No owner ratings of snow for WinterCraft Ice Wi51. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 59

    Comfort

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterhawk 4WinterCraft Ice Wi51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests59–
    Reviews found online59–

    Winterhawk 4: 40% × 59 + 60% × 58.7 = 59

  5. 76

    Noise

    Winterhawk 4 +6
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterhawk 4WinterCraft Ice Wi51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / 1 tests8272
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)

    Winterhawk 4: 60% × 82.1 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 76

    WinterCraft Ice Wi51: 60% × 72 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 70

    No owner ratings of noise for Winterhawk 4 or WinterCraft Ice Wi51. 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. 58

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterhawk 4WinterCraft Ice Wi51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests57–
    Reviews found online60–

    Winterhawk 4: 60% × 56.5 + 40% × 60.4 = 58

  7. 52

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterhawk 4WinterCraft Ice Wi51
    Reviews found online52–
  8. 72

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterhawk 4WinterCraft Ice Wi51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / – tests72–
Scores at a glance
CategoryFirestone Winterhawk 4Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51
Relative Score 68 69
Dry 49 70
Wet 79 70
Snow 73 66
Comfort 59 –
Noise 76 70
Treadwear 58 –
Handling (owners) 52 –
Efficiency 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
Less 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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

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

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
± 4

Winterhawk 4

± 10

WinterCraft Ice Wi51

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinterhawk 4WinterCraft Ice Wi51ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 92% #15/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 93% #10/16 · 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 82% #19/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 86% #7/16 · 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 94% #16/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 94% #13/16 · 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Ice Braking Snow 94% #6/31 · 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test 75% #13/16 · 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 99% #7/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 97% #12/16 · 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 97% #10/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 98% #10/16 · 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 97% #9/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 97% #15/16 · 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Price Cost 60% #3/10 · 2023 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test 75% #4/16 · 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall #16/20 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test #12/16 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Winterhawk 4

Pros

  • Competitive pricing offering great value compared to premium brands
  • Good traction and performance in rain and snow conditions
  • Comfortable and exceptionally quiet ride quality

Cons

  • Steering feel can be relatively numb compared to ultra-high-performance summer tires
  • Potential quality control issues or manufacturing defects leading to difficult wheel balancing and vibration at high speeds
  • Mixed performance potential compared to top-tier premium winter alternatives
All owner themes in the Winterhawk 4 review

Tire B WinterCraft Ice Wi51

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Firestone Winterhawk 4 B · Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / Crossover—
Sizes available7651
Rim diameters14″ – 20″14″ – 20″
Sizes in common4040

Which one should you actually buy?

Firestone Winterhawk 4

Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51

Too close to call: Firestone Winterhawk 4 and Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51 are within 2 points overall. Firestone Winterhawk 4 is stronger on wet, snow and noise. Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51 is stronger on dry. Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51 rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 0 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51 scores 70 vs 49 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Firestone Winterhawk 4 scores 79 vs 70 on wet.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Firestone Winterhawk 4 scores 73 vs 66 on snow.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Firestone Winterhawk 4 scores 76 vs 70 on noise.

Tire A · Firestone Winterhawk 4
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Tire B · Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51
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Winterhawk 4 or WinterCraft Ice Wi51?

Which is better in the wet, Winterhawk 4 or WinterCraft Ice Wi51?

Firestone Winterhawk 4, 79 vs 70 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winterhawk 4 or WinterCraft Ice Wi51?

Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi51, 70 vs 49 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Winterhawk 4 or WinterCraft Ice Wi51?

Firestone Winterhawk 4, 73 vs 66 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Winterhawk 4 or WinterCraft Ice Wi51?

Firestone Winterhawk 4, 76 vs 70 on our noise 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