Tests 69 · 1 test Owners 43 · 5 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 19 in 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 (ice traction)
Head-to-head
Updated
Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) vs Nordman North 9 — 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 + 1 road tests and 5 + 1 owner reviews. How we score
North 9 is ahead, 67–57
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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.
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55
Dry
North 9 +1065Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) North 9 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 65 64 Reviews found online 39 67 Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 64.8 + 40% × 39.2 = 55
North 9: 60% × 63.7 + 40% × 66.5 = 65
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57
Wet
North 9 +1269Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) North 9 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 65 66 Reviews found online 45 72 Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 64.5 + 40% × 44.8 = 57
North 9: 60% × 66.3 + 40% × 71.9 = 69
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67
Snow
North 9 +572Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) North 9 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 78 72 Reviews found online 49 71 Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 49.1 = 67
North 9: 60% × 71.8 + 40% × 71.3 = 72
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45
Comfort
North 9 +2065Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) North 9 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 62 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 33 63 Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 40% × 62.4 (est.) + 60% × 32.6 = 45
North 9: 40% × 68 (est.) + 60% × 63.1 = 65
No road tests of comfort for Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or North 9. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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49
Noise
North 9 +1261Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) North 9 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 62 57 Reviews found online 30 ≈ 67 (est.) Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 62.1 + 40% × 30.2 = 49
North 9: 60% × 56.6 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 61
No owner ratings of noise for North 9. 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.
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52
Treadwear
North 9 +1264Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) North 9 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 58 (est.) ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 43 63 Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 58.2 (est.) + 40% × 43.3 = 52
North 9: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 62.6 = 64
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 0.35).
No road tests of treadwear for North 9. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
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–
Handling (owners)
No comparison67Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) North 9 Reviews found online – 67 -
74
Efficiency
North 9 +175Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) North 9 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests 74 75
Scores at a glance
| Category | Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) | Nordman North 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 57 | 67 |
| Dry | 55 | 65 |
| Wet | 57 | 69 |
| Snow | 67 | 72 |
| Comfort | 45 | 65 |
| Noise | 49 | 61 |
| Treadwear | 52 | 64 |
| Handling (owners) | – | 67 |
| Efficiency | 74 | 75 |
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
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Important
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Less important
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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
57
/ 100
Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)
67
/ 100
North 9
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 (W429) | North 9 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 80% #3/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 60% #6/8 · 2024 Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 70% #7/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 97% #7/8 · 2024 Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Ice Handling | Snow | 90% #3/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 94% #7/8 · 2024 Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Ice Traction | Snow | 100% #1/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 83% #3/8 · 2024 Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Snow Handling | Snow | 100% #1/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 98% #6/8 · 2024 Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Snow Traction | Snow | 90% #2/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 94% #6/8 · 2024 Studded 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 | #6/8 2024 Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) | B · Nordman North 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter tire | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | — |
| Sizes available | 36 | 1 |
| Rim diameters | 13″ – 18″ | 18″ |
| Tread depth | 11.3/32″ | 12 - 13/32″ |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | 51 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
57
/ 100
Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)
67
/ 100
Nordman North 9
Winner: Nordman North 9 — better comfort, wet and noise. It leads or ties in every category we score. Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Nordman North 9 rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Nordman North 9 scores 65 vs 45 on comfort.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Nordman North 9 scores 69 vs 57 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want a quieter cabin
Nordman North 9 scores 61 vs 49 on noise.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Nordman North 9 scores 64 vs 52 on treadwear.
Tire A · Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)
Tire B · Nordman North 9
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Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or North 9?
Which is better in the wet, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or North 9?
Nordman North 9, 69 vs 57 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or North 9?
Nordman North 9, 65 vs 55 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or North 9?
Nordman North 9, 72 vs 67 on our snow score.
Which is quieter, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or North 9?
Nordman North 9, 61 vs 49 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or North 9?
Nordman North 9, 65 vs 45 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or North 9?
Nordman North 9, 64 vs 52 on our treadwear score.
Which rolls more easily, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or North 9?
Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 75 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