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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) vs Michelin X-Ice Snow 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 1 + 2 road tests and 5 + 4 owner reviews. How we score

X-Ice Snow SUV is ahead, 72–56

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Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)
Tire AHankook

Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)

Winter tire

± 8Provisional

Tests 69 · 1 test Owners 42 · 5 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 19 in 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 (ice traction)

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV
Tire BMichelin

X-Ice Snow SUV

Winter

± 6

Tests 68 · 2 tests Owners 76 · 4 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 ViBilagare Nordic SUV Winter Tyre Test (snow traction)

Category by category

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

  1. 54

    Dry

    X-Ice Snow SUV +18
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*Pike RS2 (W429)X-Ice Snow SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests6570
    Reviews found online3974

    Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 64.8 + 40% × 38.5 = 54

    X-Ice Snow SUV: 60% × 70.3 + 40% × 73.7 = 72

  2. 57

    Wet

    X-Ice Snow SUV +10
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*Pike RS2 (W429)X-Ice Snow SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests6557
    Reviews found online4480

    Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 64.9 + 40% × 44.3 = 57

    X-Ice Snow SUV: 60% × 57.5 + 40% × 80.3 = 67

  3. 66

    Snow

    X-Ice Snow SUV +10
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*Pike RS2 (W429)X-Ice Snow SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests7873
    Reviews found online4881

    Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 78 + 40% × 48.2 = 66

    X-Ice Snow SUV: 60% × 73.2 + 40% × 80.6 = 76

  4. 44

    Comfort

    X-Ice Snow SUV +30
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*Pike RS2 (W429)X-Ice Snow SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 61 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online3277

    Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 40% × 61.2 (est.) + 60% × 31.8 = 44

    X-Ice Snow SUV: 40% × 70.4 (est.) + 60% × 76.9 = 74

    No road tests of comfort for Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429). The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for X-Ice Snow SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 49

    Noise

    X-Ice Snow SUV +23
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*Pike RS2 (W429)X-Ice Snow SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests6277
    Reviews found online29≈ 66 (est.)

    Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 62.1 + 40% × 29 = 49

    X-Ice Snow SUV: 60% × 76.6 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 72

    No owner ratings of noise for X-Ice Snow SUV. 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. 52

    Treadwear

    X-Ice Snow SUV +18
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*Pike RS2 (W429)X-Ice Snow SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 58 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online4472

    Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 58.3 (est.) + 40% × 43.5 = 52

    X-Ice Snow SUV: 60% × 68.6 (est.) + 40% × 72.2 = 70

    No road tests of treadwear for Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429). 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 X-Ice Snow SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*Pike RS2 (W429)X-Ice Snow SUV
    Reviews found online–73
  8. 74

    Efficiency

    Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) +1
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*Pike RS2 (W429)X-Ice Snow SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests7473
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV
Relative Score 56 72
Dry 54 72
Wet 57 67
Snow 66 76
Comfort 44 74
Noise 49 72
Treadwear 52 70
Handling (owners) – 73
Efficiency 74 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
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)

± 6

X-Ice Snow SUV

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinter i*Pike RS2 (W429)X-Ice Snow SUVΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 70% #12/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 93% #7/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Dry Handling (tester's mark) Dry 80% #3/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 60% #5/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 70% #9/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 88% #5/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 70% #7/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 96% #5/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Ice Handling Snow 90% #3/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 96% #4/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Ice Traction Snow 100% #1/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 99% #3/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 100% #1/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 99% #5/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 90% #2/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 99% #3/8 · 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 90% #5/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 96% #4/8 · 2022 ViBilagare Nordic SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #6/10 2025 UTAC Ivalo Studded Winter Tire Test R16 #5/8 2025 Friction Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B X-Ice Snow SUV

Pros

  • Outstanding traction on snow and ice
  • Remarkably low road noise for a winter tire
  • Excellent ride comfort

Cons

  • Unsuitable for year-round use due to soft compound in warm temperatures
  • Reduced handling precision compared to dedicated summer tires
All owner themes in the X-Ice Snow SUV review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) B · Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV
CategoryWinter tireWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available3690
Rim diameters13″ – 18″16″ – 22″
Tread depth11/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV

Winner: Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV — better comfort, noise and dry. Where the Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV scores 74 vs 44 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV scores 72 vs 49 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV scores 72 vs 54 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV scores 70 vs 52 on treadwear.

Tire A · Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)
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Tire B · Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV
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Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or X-Ice Snow SUV?

Which is better in the wet, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or X-Ice Snow SUV?

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV, 67 vs 57 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or X-Ice Snow SUV?

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV, 72 vs 54 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or X-Ice Snow SUV?

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV, 76 vs 66 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or X-Ice Snow SUV?

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV, 72 vs 49 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or X-Ice Snow SUV?

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV, 74 vs 44 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or X-Ice Snow SUV?

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV, 70 vs 52 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or X-Ice Snow SUV?

Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 73 on the efficiency 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