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Head-to-head Updated

General Grabber Arctic vs Hankook Winter i*pike 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 0 + 5 road tests and 18 + 5 owner reviews. How we score

Grabber Arctic leads, 71–68 Narrow edge

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Hankook Winter i*pike RS2
Tire BHankook

Winter i*pike RS2

Winter

± 6

Tests 66 · 5 tests Owners 73 · 5 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)

Category by category

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

  1. 66

    Dry

    Grabber Arctic +10
    56
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber ArcticWinter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 67 (est.)49
    Reviews found online6566

    Grabber Arctic: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 64.6 = 66

    Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 49.2 + 40% × 65.9 = 56

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

  2. 74

    Wet

    Grabber Arctic +1
    73
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber ArcticWinter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 73 (est.)71
    Reviews found online7576

    Grabber Arctic: 60% × 72.9 (est.) + 40% × 74.8 = 74

    Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 71 + 40% × 75.7 = 73

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

  3. 77

    Snow

    Grabber Arctic +1
    76
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber ArcticWinter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 74 (est.)76
    Reviews found online8276

    Grabber Arctic: 60% × 74 (est.) + 40% × 81.6 = 77

    Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 75.9 + 40% × 76.4 = 76

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

  4. 68

    Comfort

    Winter i*pike RS2 +4
    72
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber ArcticWinter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 68 (est.)79
    Reviews found online6768

    Grabber Arctic: 40% × 68.3 (est.) + 60% × 67.1 = 68

    Winter i*pike RS2: 40% × 79.3 + 60% × 67.6 = 72

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

  5. 66

    Noise

    Grabber Arctic +7
    59
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber ArcticWinter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 66 (est.)55
    Reviews found online65≈ 66 (est.)

    Grabber Arctic: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 66

    Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 54.7 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 59

    No road tests of noise for Grabber Arctic. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter i*pike 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. 70

    Treadwear

    Winter i*pike RS2 +2
    72
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber ArcticWinter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7275

    Grabber Arctic: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 71.6 = 70

    Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 69.5 (est.) + 40% × 74.9 = 72

    No road tests of treadwear for Grabber Arctic. 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 i*pike RS2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber ArcticWinter i*pike RS2
    Reviews found online–72
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourceGrabber ArcticWinter i*pike RS2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests–73
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Grabber ArcticHankook Winter i*pike RS2
Relative Score 71 68
Dry 66 56
Wet 74 73
Snow 77 76
Comfort 68 72
Noise 66 59
Treadwear 70 72
Handling (owners) – 72
Efficiency – 73

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

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

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

Grabber Arctic

± 6

Winter i*pike 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.

DisciplineCategoryGrabber ArcticWinter i*pike RS2ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #4/8 2022 Consumer Reports Winter/Snow Truck/SUV Tires #6/8 2023 Studded Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Grabber Arctic

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and handling in snow and slush
  • Great value and affordable price point compared to premium competitors
  • Reliable cold-weather performance on wet and icy surfaces

Cons

  • Moderate road noise when studded or on dry/slightly wet pavement
  • Average performance on hard-packed ice unless studded
  • Directional/rotational tread pattern may limit tire rotation options for some drivers
All owner themes in the Grabber Arctic review

Tire B Winter i*pike RS2

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and braking on snow and ice
  • Strong side grip and predictable cornering limits
  • High durability with secure stud retention over multiple years

Cons

  • Poor steering feedback on dry tarmac
  • Noticeable understeer in dry road conditions
All owner themes in the Winter i*pike RS2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Grabber Arctic B · Hankook Winter i*pike RS2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available8—
Rim diameters16″ – 20″—
Tread depth12/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

General Grabber Arctic

Hankook Winter i*pike RS2

Narrow edge: General Grabber Arctic — better dry and noise. Pick the Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 if comfort matters most to you. General Grabber Arctic rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 18 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

General Grabber Arctic scores 66 vs 56 on dry.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

General Grabber Arctic scores 66 vs 59 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 scores 72 vs 68 on comfort.

Tire A · General Grabber Arctic
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Tire B · Hankook Winter i*pike RS2
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Grabber Arctic or Winter i*pike RS2?

Which is better in the wet, Grabber Arctic or Winter i*pike RS2?

Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 73 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Grabber Arctic or Winter i*pike RS2?

General Grabber Arctic, 66 vs 56 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Grabber Arctic or Winter i*pike RS2?

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

Which is quieter, Grabber Arctic or Winter i*pike RS2?

General Grabber Arctic, 66 vs 59 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Grabber Arctic or Winter i*pike RS2?

Hankook Winter i*pike RS2, 72 vs 68 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Grabber Arctic or Winter i*pike RS2?

Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 72 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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