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Head-to-head Updated

General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Falken EuroWinter HS449 — 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 1 + 0 road tests and 31 + 42 owner reviews. How we score

EuroWinter HS449 is ahead, 71–66

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Category by category

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

  1. 51

    Dry

    EuroWinter HS449 +17
    68
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12EuroWinter HS449
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests48≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online5668

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 47.8 + 40% × 55.6 = 51

    EuroWinter HS449: 60% × 68.2 (est.) + 40% × 68.3 = 68

    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).

  2. 69

    Wet

    EuroWinter HS449 +9
    78
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12EuroWinter HS449
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests65≈ 76 (est.)
    Reviews found online7581

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 65.2 + 40% × 75 = 69

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

    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).

  3. 77

    Snow

    Altimax Arctic 12 +6
    71
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12EuroWinter HS449
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests74≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online8172

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 74 + 40% × 81.1 = 77

    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. 65

    Comfort

    EuroWinter HS449 +6
    71
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12EuroWinter HS449
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests68≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6471

    Altimax Arctic 12: 40% × 68.5 + 60% × 63.5 = 65

    EuroWinter HS449: 40% × 69.5 (est.) + 60% × 71.2 = 71

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

  5. 69

    Noise

    Altimax Arctic 12 +8
    61
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12EuroWinter HS449
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6452

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 72.5 + 40% × 63.5 = 69

    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. 70

    Treadwear

    Altimax Arctic 12 +4
    66
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12EuroWinter HS449
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7365

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 72.9 = 70

    EuroWinter HS449: 60% × 65.8 (est.) + 40% × 65.3 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for Altimax Arctic 12. 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 EuroWinter HS449. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 67

    Handling (owners)

    EuroWinter HS449 +5
    72
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12EuroWinter HS449
    Reviews found online6772
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax Arctic 12Falken EuroWinter HS449
Relative Score 66 71
Dry 51 68
Wet 69 78
Snow 77 71
Comfort 65 71
Noise 69 61
Treadwear 70 66
Handling (owners) 67 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
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Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Altimax Arctic 12

± 7

EuroWinter HS449

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.

In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, General Altimax Arctic 12 finished ahead 1 times and Falken EuroWinter HS449 0 times.

DisciplineCategoryAltimax Arctic 12EuroWinter HS449ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #7/17 #9/17 – 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2020 Consumer Reports North America Winter Tyre Test · 215/60 R16

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Altimax Arctic 12

Pros

  • Outstanding grip and traction in heavy snow, slush, and ice
  • Excellent value and affordable price point compared to premium winter tires
  • Impressive tread life and long-term durability across multiple winter seasons

Cons

  • Noticeable road noise, which can increase as the tires wear
  • Slightly soft, squishy, or vague handling characteristics on dry pavement
  • Higher rolling resistance resulting in a minor decrease in fuel economy
All owner themes in the Altimax Arctic 12 review

Tire B 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

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Arctic 12 B · Falken EuroWinter HS449
CategoryPremium Touring Winter tireWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available386
Rim diameters15″ – 19″16″ – 19″
Tread depth12/32″11/32″
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Max pressure51 psi44 psi
Sizes in common33

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Arctic 12

Falken EuroWinter HS449

Winner: Falken EuroWinter HS449 — better dry, wet and comfort. Pick the General Altimax Arctic 12 if noise, snow and treadwear matter most to you.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Falken EuroWinter HS449 scores 68 vs 51 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Falken EuroWinter HS449 scores 78 vs 69 on wet.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 69 vs 61 on noise.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 77 vs 71 on snow.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic 12
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Tire B · Falken EuroWinter HS449
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Altimax Arctic 12 or EuroWinter HS449?

Which is better in the wet, Altimax Arctic 12 or EuroWinter HS449?

Falken EuroWinter HS449, 78 vs 69 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Arctic 12 or EuroWinter HS449?

Falken EuroWinter HS449, 68 vs 51 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Arctic 12 or EuroWinter HS449?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 77 vs 71 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Altimax Arctic 12 or EuroWinter HS449?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 69 vs 61 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Arctic 12 or EuroWinter HS449?

Falken EuroWinter HS449, 71 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Arctic 12 or EuroWinter HS449?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 70 vs 66 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