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Nexen WinGuard looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Nexen WinGuard — 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 33 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Altimax Arctic 12 and WinGuard are level at 65.

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Nexen WinGuard
Tire BNexen

WinGuard

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 64 · 6 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 49

    Dry

    WinGuard +11
    60
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests47≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online5356

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

    WinGuard: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 55.8 = 60

    No road tests of dry for WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 68

    Wet

    Altimax Arctic 12 +4
    64
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests66≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7262

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

    WinGuard: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 61.9 = 64

    No road tests of wet for WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 76

    Snow

    Altimax Arctic 12 +2
    74
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests74≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8076

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

    WinGuard: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 75.7 = 74

    No road tests of snow for WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 65

    Comfort

    Altimax Arctic 12 +3
    62
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests69≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6259

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

    WinGuard: 40% × 66.8 (est.) + 60% × 59.3 = 62

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

  5. 69

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests72–
    Reviews found online63–

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

  6. 71

    Treadwear

    Altimax Arctic 12 +6
    65
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7465

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

    WinGuard: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 65

    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 WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 65

    Handling (owners)

    Altimax Arctic 12 +8
    57
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinGuard
    Reviews found online6557
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax Arctic 12Nexen WinGuard
Relative Score 65 65
Dry 49 60
Wet 68 64
Snow 76 74
Comfort 65 62
Noise 69 –
Treadwear 71 65
Handling (owners) 65 57

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

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Altimax Arctic 12

± 8

WinGuard

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 12WinGuardΔHead-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 #26/50 2013 Winter Tyre Overview - Braking – 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 WinGuard

Pros

  • Strong traction and handling in snow-covered conditions
  • Noticeable improvement in grip over summer tires in cold weather
  • Confidence-inspiring braking performance on mountain passes

Cons

  • Mediocre performance on ice
  • Poor dry-weather handling when temperatures exceed 10°C
  • Occasional difficulty with uphill starts in deep snow
All owner themes in the WinGuard review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Arctic 12 B · Nexen WinGuard
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available38—
Rim diameters15″ – 19″—
Tread depth12/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Arctic 12

Nexen WinGuard

Too close to call: General Altimax Arctic 12 and Nexen WinGuard are within 2 points overall. General Altimax Arctic 12 is stronger on handling, treadwear and wet. Nexen WinGuard is stronger on dry. Nexen WinGuard rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Nexen WinGuard scores 60 vs 49 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 65 vs 57 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 71 vs 65 on treadwear.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 68 vs 64 on wet.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic 12
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Tire B · Nexen WinGuard
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Altimax Arctic 12 or WinGuard?

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

General Altimax Arctic 12, 68 vs 64 on our wet score.

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

Nexen WinGuard, 60 vs 49 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Arctic 12 or WinGuard?

Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 74 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Arctic 12 or WinGuard?

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

Which lasts longer, Altimax Arctic 12 or WinGuard?

General Altimax Arctic 12, 71 vs 65 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