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Head-to-head Updated

General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Firestone Winterforce 2 UV — 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 + 17 owner reviews. How we score

Winterforce 2 UV leads, 68–66 Narrow edge

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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

    Winterforce 2 UV +15
    66
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winterforce 2 UV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests48≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online5664

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

    Winterforce 2 UV: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 64.4 = 66

    No road tests of dry for Winterforce 2 UV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 69

    Wet

    Winterforce 2 UV +2
    71
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winterforce 2 UV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests65≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7571

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

    Winterforce 2 UV: 60% × 70.7 (est.) + 40% × 70.7 = 71

    No road tests of wet for Winterforce 2 UV. 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 +4
    73
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winterforce 2 UV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests74≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8174

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

    Winterforce 2 UV: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 73.6 = 73

    No road tests of snow for Winterforce 2 UV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Altimax Arctic 12 +3
    62
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winterforce 2 UV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests68≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6458

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

    Winterforce 2 UV: 40% × 67.1 (est.) + 60% × 58 = 62

    No road tests of comfort for Winterforce 2 UV. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 69

    Noise

    Altimax Arctic 12 +7
    62
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winterforce 2 UV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6455

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

    Winterforce 2 UV: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 54.6 = 62

    No road tests of noise for Winterforce 2 UV. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Altimax Arctic 12 +8
    62
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winterforce 2 UV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7359

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

    Winterforce 2 UV: 60% × 63.5 (est.) + 40% × 58.7 = 62

    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 Winterforce 2 UV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 67

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winterforce 2 UV
    Reviews found online67–
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax Arctic 12Firestone Winterforce 2 UV
Relative Score 66 68
Dry 51 66
Wet 69 71
Snow 77 73
Comfort 65 62
Noise 69 62
Treadwear 70 62
Handling (owners) 67 –

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
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.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Altimax Arctic 12

± 8

Winterforce 2 UV

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.

DisciplineCategoryAltimax Arctic 12Winterforce 2 UVΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #9/10 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test #8/8 2022 Consumer Reports Winter/Snow Truck/SUV Tires – Different tests

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 Winterforce 2 UV

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Arctic 12 B · Firestone Winterforce 2 UV
CategoryPremium Touring Winter tireWinter tire
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available3830
Rim diameters15″ – 19″15″ – 18″
Tread depth12/32″12/32″
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Max pressure51 psi44 psi
Sizes in common88

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Arctic 12

Firestone Winterforce 2 UV

Narrow edge: Firestone Winterforce 2 UV — better dry. Pick the General Altimax Arctic 12 if treadwear, noise and snow matter most to you. Firestone Winterforce 2 UV rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 17 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Firestone Winterforce 2 UV scores 66 vs 51 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 70 vs 62 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 69 vs 62 on noise.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 77 vs 73 on snow.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic 12
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Tire B · Firestone Winterforce 2 UV
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Altimax Arctic 12 or Winterforce 2 UV?

Which is better in the wet, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winterforce 2 UV?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 71 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winterforce 2 UV?

Firestone Winterforce 2 UV, 66 vs 51 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winterforce 2 UV?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 77 vs 73 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winterforce 2 UV?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 69 vs 62 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winterforce 2 UV?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 65 vs 62 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winterforce 2 UV?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 70 vs 62 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