tirewheelguide

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 vs Nexen WinGuard — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 0 + 0 road tests and 32 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

WinGuard is ahead, 65–58

Check price on Amazon · WinGuard or Altimax Arctic 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.

Nexen WinGuard
Tire BNexen

WinGuard

Winter

Provisional

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. 57

    Dry

    WinGuard +2
    59
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticWinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online5154

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 60.8 (est.) + 40% × 50.5 = 57

    WinGuard: 60% × 62.2 (est.) + 40% × 53.9 = 59

    No road tests of dry for Altimax Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

    No road tests of dry for WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 62

    Wet

    WinGuard +2
    64
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticWinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online6062

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 64.2 (est.) + 40% × 59.8 = 62

    WinGuard: 60% × 65.2 (est.) + 40% × 61.5 = 64

    No road tests of wet for Altimax Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

    No road tests of wet for WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 59

    Snow

    WinGuard +16
    75
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticWinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online5278

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 63.8 (est.) + 40% × 51.6 = 59

    WinGuard: 60% × 72.7 (est.) + 40% × 78.3 = 75

    No road tests of snow for Altimax Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

    No road tests of snow for WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

  4. 60

    Comfort

    WinGuard +5
    65
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticWinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online5161

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 66 (est.) + 40% × 50.8 = 60

    WinGuard: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 61 = 65

    No road tests of comfort for Altimax Arctic or WinGuard. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 62

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticWinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online54–

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 54.1 = 62

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

  6. 57

    Treadwear

    WinGuard +8
    65
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticWinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online5065

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 60.8 (est.) + 40% × 50.1 = 57

    WinGuard: 60% × 65.5 (est.) + 40% × 65.1 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for Altimax Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

    No road tests of treadwear for WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 49

    Handling (owners)

    WinGuard +8
    57
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax ArcticWinGuard
    Reviews found online4957
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax ArcticNexen WinGuard
Relative Score 58 65
Dry 57 59
Wet 62 64
Snow 59 75
Comfort 60 65
Noise 62 –
Treadwear 57 65
Handling (owners) 49 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

Altimax Arctic

WinGuard

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Altimax Arctic

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow, slush, and ice
  • High value and affordable price point compared to premium competitors
  • Reliable wet and dry handling during cold weather months

Cons

  • Handling and responsiveness drop off compared to dedicated summer or all-season tires
  • Some users report accelerated wear once the tire reaches 50% tread life
  • Minor tendencies toward understeer during hard cornering
All owner themes in the Altimax Arctic 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 B · Nexen WinGuard
CategoryWinter Touring tiresWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Arctic

Nexen WinGuard

Winner: Nexen WinGuard — better snow, treadwear and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score. Nexen WinGuard rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Nexen WinGuard scores 75 vs 59 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Nexen WinGuard scores 65 vs 57 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Nexen WinGuard scores 57 vs 49 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Nexen WinGuard scores 65 vs 60 on comfort.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Nexen WinGuard
Check price on Amazon

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

Altimax Arctic or WinGuard?

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

Neither, by our numbers: 62 vs 64 on the wet score, within 3 points.

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

Neither, by our numbers: 57 vs 59 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Arctic or WinGuard?

Nexen WinGuard, 75 vs 59 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Arctic or WinGuard?

Nexen WinGuard, 65 vs 60 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Arctic or WinGuard?

Nexen WinGuard, 65 vs 57 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