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Head-to-head Updated

General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Kumho Winter Craft WP51 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Too close to call: Altimax Arctic 12 and Winter Craft WP51 are level at 67.

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Tire AGeneral

Altimax Arctic 12

Premium Touring Winter tire

Tests 63 · 1 test Owners 70 · 31 reviews

Best test result: #6 of 15 in 2022 Consumer Reports Winter Tires (overall ranking)

Tire BKumho

Winter Craft WP51

Winter

Tests 66 · 3 tests Owners 68 · 15 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 8 in 2017 AC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 (ice traction)

Category by category

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

  1. 51

    Dry

    Winter Craft WP51 +11
    62
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score)4662
    Reviews found online5863
    Dry Braking (% of best)81%94%
  2. 69

    Wet

    Altimax Arctic 12 +1
    68
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score)6567
    Reviews found online7569
    Wet Braking (% of best)76%85%
  3. 76

    Snow

    Altimax Arctic 12 +7
    69
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score)7467
    Reviews found online7973
    Snow Braking (% of best)75%92%
    Snow Handling (% of best)90%97%
  4. 68

    Comfort

    Winter Craft WP51 +2
    70
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score)68–
    Reviews found online6770
  5. 69

    Noise

    Winter Craft WP51 +2
    71
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score)7274
    Reviews found online65–
  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Altimax Arctic 12 +4
    66
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Reviews found online7267
  7. 69

    Handling

    Altimax Arctic 12 +4
    65
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Reviews found online6965
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax Arctic 12Kumho Winter Craft WP51
Relative Score 67 67
Dry 51 62
Wet 69 68
Snow 76 69
Comfort 68 70
Noise 69 71
Treadwear 70 66
Handling 69 65

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
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Important
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Less important
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Altimax Arctic 12

Winter Craft WP51

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51ΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 81% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 94% #4/8 · 2017 AC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 −12.9 Different tests
Ice Braking Ice 84% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 89% #4/8 · 2017 AC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 −5.1 Different tests
Ice Traction Ice 91% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 92% #3/8 · 2017 AC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 −1.3 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 67% #6/15 · 2022 Consumer Reports Winter Tires 6% #16/16 · 2021 ADAC 15 Inch Winter Tyre Test +60.4 Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 75% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 92% #29/35 · 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview −17.0 Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 90% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 97% #5/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test −7.4 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 76% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 85% #32/49 · 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview −8.9 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 Craft WP51

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and reliability in deep snow and slush
  • High price-to-performance ratio compared to premium brands
  • Solid durability and tread life for the price point

Cons

  • Noticeable increase in road noise
  • Mediocre wet-weather braking and traction
  • Lack of steering feedback and stability on dry pavement
All owner themes in the Winter Craft WP51 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Arctic 12 B · Kumho Winter Craft WP51
CategoryPremium Touring Winter tireWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available384
Rim diameters15″ – 19″13″ – 15″
Tread depth12/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Arctic 12

Kumho Winter Craft WP51

Too close to call: General Altimax Arctic 12 and Kumho Winter Craft WP51 are within 2 points overall. General Altimax Arctic 12 is stronger on snow, treadwear and handling. Kumho Winter Craft WP51 is stronger on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Winter Craft WP51 scores 62 vs 51 on dry.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 76 vs 69 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 70 vs 66 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 69 vs 65 on handling.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic 12
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Kumho Winter Craft WP51
Check price on Amazon

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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

67

Too close to call

Altimax Arctic 12

Amazon