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Hankook Icebear W440 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Icebear W440 vs Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV — 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 + 6 road tests and 5 + 15 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Alpin 5 SUV is ahead, 78–72

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Hankook Icebear W440
Tire AHankook

Icebear W440

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 73 · 5 reviews

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Alpin 5 SUV

Winter

± 5

Tests 84 · 6 tests Owners 78 · 15 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2024 AS SUV Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 70

    Dry

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV +8
    78
    Why this score
    SourceIcebear W440Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 70 (est.)76
    Reviews found online7281

    Icebear W440: 60% × 69.6 (est.) + 40% × 71.7 = 70

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 60% × 76 + 40% × 80.5 = 78

    No road tests of dry for Icebear W440. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 76

    Wet

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV +6
    82
    Why this score
    SourceIcebear W440Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 74 (est.)82
    Reviews found online7882

    Icebear W440: 60% × 74.5 (est.) + 40% × 77.5 = 76

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 60% × 81.8 + 40% × 82.2 = 82

    No road tests of wet for Icebear W440. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    83
    Why this score
    SourceIcebear W440Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests–88
    Reviews found online–75

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 60% × 88.5 + 40% × 75 = 83

  4. 72

    Comfort

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV +3
    75
    Why this score
    SourceIcebear W440Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7377

    Icebear W440: 40% × 69.9 (est.) + 60% × 73.1 = 72

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 40% × 70.6 (est.) + 60% × 77.2 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for Icebear W440 or Pilot Alpin 5 SUV. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    86
    Why this score
    SourceIcebear W440Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests–98
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 60% × 98.2 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 86

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Alpin 5 SUV. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 68

    Treadwear

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV +4
    72
    Why this score
    SourceIcebear W440Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7075

    Icebear W440: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 68

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 75.1 = 72

    No road tests of treadwear for Icebear W440. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Alpin 5 SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 72

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Alpin 5 SUV +7
    79
    Why this score
    SourceIcebear W440Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
    Reviews found online7279
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    63
    Why this score
    SourceIcebear W440Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests–63
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Icebear W440Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
Relative Score 72 78
Dry 70 78
Wet 76 82
Snow – 83
Comfort 72 75
Noise – 86
Treadwear 68 72
Handling (owners) 72 79
Efficiency – 63

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

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

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
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
± 8

Icebear W440

± 5

Pilot Alpin 5 SUV

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 Icebear W440

Pros

  • Excellent traction and confidence on snow and ice
  • High value-for-money proposition compared to premium brands
  • Noticeable performance improvement for rear-wheel-drive vehicles

Cons

  • Noticeable 'slippery' sensation during the initial 100-mile break-in period
  • Performance is strictly categorized as a budget-friendly option rather than a top-tier premium performer
  • Mixed feedback on overall refinement compared to more expensive alternatives
All owner themes in the Icebear W440 review

Tire B Pilot Alpin 5 SUV

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and handling on wet and slushy roads
  • High tread life and durability over long distances
  • Excellent dry road comfort and low noise levels

Cons

  • Abrupt loss of grip when reaching the limit on hard-packed snow
  • Higher price point compared to some competitors
  • Performance can feel less predictable than dedicated Nordic winter tires in extreme ice/snow conditions
All owner themes in the Pilot Alpin 5 SUV review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Icebear W440 B · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available—71
Rim diameters—17″ – 23″

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Icebear W440

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV

Winner: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV — better dry, handling and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Hankook Icebear W440 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV scores 78 vs 70 on dry.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV scores 79 vs 72 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV scores 82 vs 76 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV scores 72 vs 68 on treadwear.

Tire A · Hankook Icebear W440
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV
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Icebear W440 or Pilot Alpin 5 SUV?

Which is better in the wet, Icebear W440 or Pilot Alpin 5 SUV?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV, 82 vs 76 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Icebear W440 or Pilot Alpin 5 SUV?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV, 78 vs 70 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Icebear W440 or Pilot Alpin 5 SUV?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV, 75 vs 72 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Icebear W440 or Pilot Alpin 5 SUV?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 SUV, 72 vs 68 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