Tests 66 · 5 tests Owners 73 · 5 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)
Nexen WinGuard looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 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 5 + 0 road tests and 5 + 6 owner reviews. How we score
Winter i*pike RS2 leads, 69–65 Narrow edge
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Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
56
Dry
WinGuard +460Why this score
Source Winter i*pike RS2 WinGuard Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests 49 ≈ 63 (est.) Reviews found online 66 56 Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 49.2 + 40% × 65.9 = 56
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).
-
73
Wet
Winter i*pike RS2 +964Why this score
Source Winter i*pike RS2 WinGuard Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests 71 ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 76 62 Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 71 + 40% × 75.7 = 73
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).
-
76
Snow
Winter i*pike RS2 +274Why this score
Source Winter i*pike RS2 WinGuard Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests 76 ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 76 76 Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 75.9 + 40% × 76.4 = 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).
-
72
Comfort
Winter i*pike RS2 +1062Why this score
Source Winter i*pike RS2 WinGuard Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 79 ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 68 59 Winter i*pike RS2: 40% × 79.3 + 60% × 67.6 = 72
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).
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59
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Winter i*pike RS2 WinGuard Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests 55 – Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) – Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 54.7 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 59
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.
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72
Treadwear
Winter i*pike RS2 +765Why this score
Source Winter i*pike RS2 WinGuard Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 70 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 75 65 Winter i*pike RS2: 60% × 69.5 (est.) + 40% × 74.9 = 72
WinGuard: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 65
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).
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).
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72
Handling (owners)
Winter i*pike RS2 +1557Why this score
Source Winter i*pike RS2 WinGuard Reviews found online 72 57 -
73
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source Winter i*pike RS2 WinGuard Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests 73 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 | Nexen WinGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 69 | 65 |
| Dry | 56 | 60 |
| Wet | 73 | 64 |
| Snow | 76 | 74 |
| Comfort | 72 | 62 |
| Noise | 59 | – |
| Treadwear | 72 | 65 |
| Handling (owners) | 72 | 57 |
| 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
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
69
/ 100
Winter i*pike RS2
65
/ 100
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.
| Discipline | Category | Winter i*pike RS2 | WinGuard | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #6/8 2023 Studded 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 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
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
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 | B · Nexen WinGuard |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
Which one should you actually buy?
69
/ 100
Hankook Winter i*pike RS2
65
/ 100
Nexen WinGuard
Narrow edge: Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 — better handling, comfort and wet. Pick the Nexen WinGuard if dry matters most to you. Nexen WinGuard rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 scores 72 vs 57 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 scores 72 vs 62 on comfort.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 scores 73 vs 64 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 scores 72 vs 65 on treadwear.
Tire A · Hankook Winter i*pike RS2
Tire B · Nexen WinGuard
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Winter i*pike RS2 or WinGuard?
Which is better in the wet, Winter i*pike RS2 or WinGuard?
Hankook Winter i*pike RS2, 73 vs 64 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Winter i*pike RS2 or WinGuard?
Nexen WinGuard, 60 vs 56 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Winter i*pike RS2 or WinGuard?
Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 74 on the snow score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, Winter i*pike RS2 or WinGuard?
Hankook Winter i*pike RS2, 72 vs 62 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Winter i*pike RS2 or WinGuard?
Hankook Winter i*pike RS2, 72 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