tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 — 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 + 7 road tests and 33 + 51 owner reviews. How we score

Winter i*cept RS2 is ahead, 76–66

Check price on Amazon · Winter i*cept RS2 or Altimax Arctic 12 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.

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2
Tire BHankook

Winter i*cept RS2

Winter

± 5

Tests 78 · 7 tests Owners 74 · 51 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (wet handling)

Category by category

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

  1. 49

    Dry

    Winter i*cept RS2 +25
    74
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 5 tests4775
    Reviews found online5372

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 47.2 + 40% × 52.9 = 49

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 75.2 + 40% × 72 = 74

  2. 68

    Wet

    Winter i*cept RS2 +17
    85
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 7 tests6689
    Reviews found online7278

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 65.9 + 40% × 72.3 = 68

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 89.4 + 40% × 78.4 = 85

  3. 76

    Snow

    Winter i*cept RS2 +1
    77
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 7 tests7481
    Reviews found online8072

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 74 + 40% × 79.8 = 76

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 80.6 + 40% × 71.6 = 77

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Winter i*cept RS2 +5
    70
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests6974
    Reviews found online6267

    Altimax Arctic 12: 40% × 68.8 + 60% × 62 = 65

    Winter i*cept RS2: 40% × 74.4 + 60% × 66.6 = 70

  5. 69

    Noise

    Altimax Arctic 12 +9
    60
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 4 tests7256
    Reviews found online63≈ 66 (est.)

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 72.4 + 40% × 62.9 = 69

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 56.2 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 60

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter i*cept RS2. 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. 71

    Treadwear

    Winter i*cept RS2 +4
    75
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 69 (est.)75
    Reviews found online7475

    Altimax Arctic 12: 60% × 69.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.9 = 71

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 74.6 + 40% × 74.9 = 75

    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 0.36).

  7. 65

    Handling (owners)

    Winter i*cept RS2 +8
    73
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter i*cept RS2
    Reviews found online6573
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    42
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter i*cept RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests–42
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax Arctic 12Hankook Winter i*cept RS2
Relative Score 66 76
Dry 49 74
Wet 68 85
Snow 76 77
Comfort 65 70
Noise 69 60
Treadwear 71 75
Handling (owners) 65 73
Efficiency – 42

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
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
± 7

Altimax Arctic 12

± 5

Winter i*cept RS2

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 12Winter i*cept RS2ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 81% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 98% #3/20 · 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 76% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 96% #2/49 · 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 75% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 97% #7/35 · 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 90% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/20 · 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling (tester's mark) Snow 58% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 60% #7/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Comfort (tester's mark) Comfort 94% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 90% #4/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #9/10 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test #3/49 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview – 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 Winter i*cept RS2

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and handling on wet and dry roads
  • Impressive resistance to aquaplaning in heavy rain or standing water
  • Strong value for money with a competitive price point

Cons

  • Higher than average road noise, especially at highway speeds
  • Firm, stiff sidewalls leading to a less comfortable or harsh ride
  • Subpar performance and unpredictable grip on ice and black ice
All owner themes in the Winter i*cept RS2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Arctic 12 B · Hankook Winter i*cept RS2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available3837
Rim diameters15″ – 19″13″ – 17″
Tread depth12/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—
Sizes in common88

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Arctic 12

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2

Winner: Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 — better dry, wet and handling. Pick the General Altimax Arctic 12 if noise matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 scores 74 vs 49 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 scores 85 vs 68 on wet.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 69 vs 60 on noise.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 scores 73 vs 65 on handling.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic 12
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Hankook Winter i*cept RS2
Check price on Amazon

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

Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Which is better in the wet, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2, 85 vs 68 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2, 74 vs 49 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 77 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter i*cept RS2?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 69 vs 60 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2, 70 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter i*cept RS2?

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2, 75 vs 71 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