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Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 vs Nexen Winguard Ice+ WH43 — 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 7 + 2 road tests and 50 + 1 owner reviews. How we score

Winter i*cept RS2 is ahead, 76–62

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Hankook Winter i*cept RS2
Tire AHankook

Winter i*cept RS2

Winter

± 5

Tests 78 · 7 tests Owners 74 · 50 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (wet handling)

Nexen Winguard Ice+ WH43
Tire BNexen

Winguard Ice+ WH43

Winter

± 8

Tests 61 · 2 tests Owners 63 · 1 review

Best test result: #9 of 20 in 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test (noise (tester's mark))

Category by category

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

  1. 74

    Dry

    Winter i*cept RS2 +16
    58
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept RS2Winguard Ice+ WH43
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 2 tests7554
    Reviews found online7363

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 75.2 + 40% × 72.5 = 74

    Winguard Ice+ WH43: 60% × 54.2 + 40% × 63.2 = 58

  2. 85

    Wet

    Winter i*cept RS2 +26
    59
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept RS2Winguard Ice+ WH43
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / 2 tests9056
    Reviews found online7964

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 89.8 + 40% × 78.5 = 85

    Winguard Ice+ WH43: 60% × 56 + 40% × 64 = 59

  3. 77

    Snow

    Winter i*cept RS2 +11
    66
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept RS2Winguard Ice+ WH43
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / 2 tests8167
    Reviews found online7163

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 80.6 + 40% × 71.4 = 77

    Winguard Ice+ WH43: 60% × 67 + 40% × 63.4 = 66

  4. 71

    Comfort

    Winter i*cept RS2 +7
    64
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept RS2Winguard Ice+ WH43
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests75≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6862

    Winter i*cept RS2: 40% × 75.2 + 60% × 67.8 = 71

    Winguard Ice+ WH43: 40% × 67.7 (est.) + 60% × 61.5 = 64

    No road tests of comfort for Winguard Ice+ WH43. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 60

    Noise

    Winguard Ice+ WH43 +12
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept RS2Winguard Ice+ WH43
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 2 tests5676
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 56.4 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 60

    Winguard Ice+ WH43: 60% × 76.2 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 72

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter i*cept RS2 or Winguard Ice+ WH43. 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. 75

    Treadwear

    Winter i*cept RS2 +10
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept RS2Winguard Ice+ WH43
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests74≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online7664

    Winter i*cept RS2: 60% × 74.5 + 40% × 75.7 = 75

    Winguard Ice+ WH43: 60% × 65.4 (est.) + 40% × 64 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for Winguard Ice+ WH43. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 74

    Handling (owners)

    Winter i*cept RS2 +12
    62
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept RS2Winguard Ice+ WH43
    Reviews found online7462
  8. 42

    Efficiency

    Winguard Ice+ WH43 +26
    68
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept RS2Winguard Ice+ WH43
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 1 tests4268
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Winter i*cept RS2Nexen Winguard Ice+ WH43
Relative Score 76 62
Dry 74 58
Wet 85 59
Snow 77 66
Comfort 71 64
Noise 60 72
Treadwear 75 65
Handling (owners) 74 62
Efficiency 42 68

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
Recomputed
Headline score
± 5

Winter i*cept RS2

± 8

Winguard Ice+ WH43

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinter i*cept RS2Winguard Ice+ WH43ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 98% #3/20 · 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 93% #17/20 · 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Dry Handling (tester's mark) Dry 80% #3/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test 40% #7/8 · 2020 Vi Bilagare Nordic Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 100% #1/20 · 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 86% #5/8 · 2020 Vi Bilagare Nordic Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 96% #2/49 · 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview 76% #18/20 · 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 100% #1/20 · 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 96% #18/20 · 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 97% #7/35 · 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview 97% #15/20 · 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 100% #1/20 · 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 97% #17/20 · 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 97% #8/20 · 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 97% #15/20 · 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 77% #18/20 · 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 95% #7/8 · 2020 Vi Bilagare Nordic Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Price Cost 84% #11/20 · 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 69% #2/8 · 2020 Vi Bilagare Nordic Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall #3/49 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview #17/20 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Winter i*cept RS2

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and handling on wet and dry roads
  • Impressive resistance to aquaplaning in heavy rain or standing water
  • Strong value for money with a competitive price point

Cons

  • Higher than average road noise, especially at highway speeds
  • Firm, stiff sidewalls leading to a less comfortable or harsh ride
  • Subpar performance and unpredictable grip on ice and black ice
All owner themes in the Winter i*cept RS2 review

Tire B Winguard Ice+ WH43

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 B · Nexen Winguard Ice+ WH43
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available37—
Rim diameters13″ – 17″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2

Nexen Winguard Ice+ WH43

Winner: Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 — better wet, dry and handling. Pick the Nexen Winguard Ice+ WH43 if efficiency and noise matter most to you.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 scores 85 vs 59 on wet.

Pick tire B You want lower fuel or energy use

Nexen Winguard Ice+ WH43 scores 68 vs 42 on efficiency.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 scores 74 vs 58 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2 scores 74 vs 62 on handling.

Tire A · Hankook Winter i*cept RS2
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Tire B · Nexen Winguard Ice+ WH43
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Winter i*cept RS2 or Winguard Ice+ WH43?

Which is better in the wet, Winter i*cept RS2 or Winguard Ice+ WH43?

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2, 85 vs 59 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winter i*cept RS2 or Winguard Ice+ WH43?

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2, 74 vs 58 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Winter i*cept RS2 or Winguard Ice+ WH43?

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2, 77 vs 66 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Winter i*cept RS2 or Winguard Ice+ WH43?

Nexen Winguard Ice+ WH43, 72 vs 60 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Winter i*cept RS2 or Winguard Ice+ WH43?

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2, 71 vs 64 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Winter i*cept RS2 or Winguard Ice+ WH43?

Hankook Winter i*cept RS2, 75 vs 65 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, Winter i*cept RS2 or Winguard Ice+ WH43?

Nexen Winguard Ice+ WH43, 68 vs 42 on our efficiency 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