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Head-to-head Updated

General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Kumho Winter Craft WP51 — 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 + 3 road tests and 33 + 15 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Altimax Arctic 12 66, Winter Craft WP51 67.

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Kumho Winter Craft WP51
Tire BKumho

Winter Craft WP51

Winter

± 8

Tests 65 · 3 tests Owners 69 · 15 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 11 in 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test (noise)

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 Craft WP51 +13
    62
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests4761
    Reviews found online5364

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 60% × 60.7 + 40% × 64.1 = 62

  2. 68

    Wet

    Level
    68
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 3 tests6666
    Reviews found online7270

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 60% × 66.4 + 40% × 69.9 = 68

  3. 76

    Snow

    Altimax Arctic 12 +6
    70
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 3 tests7467
    Reviews found online8074

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 60% × 66.7 + 40% × 74.1 = 70

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Winter Craft WP51 +5
    70
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests69≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online6270

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 40% × 68.9 (est.) + 60% × 70.1 = 70

    No road tests of comfort for Winter Craft WP51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 69

    Noise

    Level
    69
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests7271
    Reviews found online63≈ 66 (est.)

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 60% × 70.9 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 69

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter Craft WP51. 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

    Altimax Arctic 12 +4
    67
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7468

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 60% × 67 (est.) + 40% × 67.9 = 67

    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).

    No road tests of treadwear for Winter Craft WP51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 65

    Handling (owners)

    Winter Craft WP51 +1
    66
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Reviews found online6566
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    55
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests–55
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax Arctic 12Kumho Winter Craft WP51
Relative Score 66 67
Dry 49 62
Wet 68 68
Snow 76 70
Comfort 65 70
Noise 69 69
Treadwear 71 67
Handling (owners) 65 66
Efficiency – 55

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

± 8

Winter Craft WP51

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 Craft WP51ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 81% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 91% #11/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test – 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 – Different tests
Ice Braking Snow 84% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 89% #4/8 · 2017 AC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 – Different tests
Ice Traction Snow 91% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test 92% #3/8 · 2017 AC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 – 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 – 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 – 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 #16/16 2021 ADAC Winter Tire Test R15 – 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
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available384
Rim diameters15″ – 19″13″ – 15″
Tread depth12/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—
Sizes in common00

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 and treadwear. Kumho Winter Craft WP51 is stronger on dry and comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho Winter Craft WP51 scores 62 vs 49 on dry.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 76 vs 70 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Kumho Winter Craft WP51 scores 70 vs 65 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 71 vs 67 on treadwear.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic 12
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Tire B · Kumho Winter Craft WP51
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Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter Craft WP51?

Which is better in the wet, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter Craft WP51?

Neither, by our numbers: 68 vs 68 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter Craft WP51?

Kumho Winter Craft WP51, 62 vs 49 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter Craft WP51?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 76 vs 70 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter Craft WP51?

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

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter Craft WP51?

Kumho Winter Craft WP51, 70 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Arctic 12 or Winter Craft WP51?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 71 vs 67 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