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 Pirelli Ice Zero 2 — 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 + 6 road tests and 5 + 3 owner reviews. How we score
Ice Zero 2 is ahead, 68–57
Add your size for an exact match
/R
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests 78 · 6 tests Owners 57 · 3 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2021 Studless and Studded 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.
-
55
Dry
Ice Zero 2 +1772Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) Ice Zero 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 4 tests 65 82 Reviews found online 39 57 Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 64.8 + 40% × 39.2 = 55
Ice Zero 2: 60% × 81.8 + 40% × 57.2 = 72
-
57
Wet
Ice Zero 2 +1673Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) Ice Zero 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 5 tests 65 81 Reviews found online 45 61 Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 64.5 + 40% × 44.8 = 57
Ice Zero 2: 60% × 80.9 + 40% × 61.1 = 73
-
67
Snow
Ice Zero 2 +471Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) Ice Zero 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 4 tests 78 76 Reviews found online 49 63 Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 49.1 = 67
Ice Zero 2: 60% × 75.5 + 40% × 63.3 = 71
-
45
Comfort
Ice Zero 2 +1358Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) Ice Zero 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests ≈ 62 (est.) 72 Reviews found online 33 50 Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 40% × 62.4 (est.) + 60% × 32.6 = 45
Ice Zero 2: 40% × 71.6 + 60% × 49.7 = 58
No road tests of comfort for Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429). The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
49
Noise
Ice Zero 2 +1766Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) Ice Zero 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 4 tests 62 65 Reviews found online 30 ≈ 67 (est.) Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 62.1 + 40% × 30.2 = 49
Ice Zero 2: 60% × 64.9 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 66
No owner ratings of noise for Ice Zero 2. 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.
-
52
Treadwear
Ice Zero 2 +456Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) Ice Zero 2 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 58 (est.) ≈ 60 (est.) Reviews found online 43 49 Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429): 60% × 58.2 (est.) + 40% × 43.3 = 52
Ice Zero 2: 60% × 60.2 (est.) + 40% × 49.1 = 56
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 Ice Zero 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
-
–
Handling (owners)
No comparison54Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) Ice Zero 2 Reviews found online – 54 -
74
Efficiency
Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) +470Why this score
Source Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) Ice Zero 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 3 tests 74 70
Scores at a glance
| Category | Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) | Pirelli Ice Zero 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 57 | 68 |
| Dry | 55 | 72 |
| Wet | 57 | 73 |
| Snow | 67 | 71 |
| Comfort | 45 | 58 |
| Noise | 49 | 66 |
| Treadwear | 52 | 56 |
| Handling (owners) | – | 54 |
| Efficiency | 74 | 70 |
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
57
/ 100
Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)
68
/ 100
Ice Zero 2
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.
In the overall rankings of 4 tests that ran both, Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) finished ahead 3 times and Pirelli Ice Zero 2 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) | Ice Zero 2 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 70% #12/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 97% #9/14 · 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 80% #3/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 100% #2/8 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 70% #9/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 100% #8/14 · 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 70% #7/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 100% #1/8 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) | Wet | 70% #5/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 70% #12/18 · 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Ice Braking | Snow | 90% #3/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 78% #13/14 · 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Ice Handling | Snow | 90% #3/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 92% #7/8 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Ice Traction | Snow | 100% #1/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 68% #4/8 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 80% #8/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 99% #9/14 · 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Snow Handling | Snow | 100% #1/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 97% #5/8 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Snow Traction | Snow | 90% #2/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 99% #2/8 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Studded Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #6/10 | #7/10 | – | 3–1 in 4 shared tests Newest: 2025 UTAC Ivalo Studded Winter Tire Test R16 · 205/55R16 |
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 Ice Zero 2
Pros
- Very good traction and performance on snow
- Reasonably quiet for a studded winter tire
- Adequate performance on wet and salty roads
Cons
- Dangerous slipping on ice at low speeds in cold climates
- Strong, intrusive howling noise at speeds above 95 km/h
- Poor overall handling compared to competing studded winter tires like the Nokian Hakkapeliitta
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) | B · Pirelli Ice Zero 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter tire | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 36 | — |
| Rim diameters | 13″ – 18″ | — |
| Tread depth | 11.3/32″ | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 51 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
57
/ 100
Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)
68
/ 100
Pirelli Ice Zero 2
Winner: Pirelli Ice Zero 2 — better dry, noise and wet. Pick the Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) if efficiency matters most to you. 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 grip on dry roads
Pirelli Ice Zero 2 scores 72 vs 55 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want a quieter cabin
Pirelli Ice Zero 2 scores 66 vs 49 on noise.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Pirelli Ice Zero 2 scores 73 vs 57 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Pirelli Ice Zero 2 scores 58 vs 45 on comfort.
Tire A · Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429)
Tire B · Pirelli Ice Zero 2
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or Ice Zero 2?
Which is better in the wet, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or Ice Zero 2?
Pirelli Ice Zero 2, 73 vs 57 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or Ice Zero 2?
Pirelli Ice Zero 2, 72 vs 55 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or Ice Zero 2?
Pirelli Ice Zero 2, 71 vs 67 on our snow score.
Which is quieter, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or Ice Zero 2?
Pirelli Ice Zero 2, 66 vs 49 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or Ice Zero 2?
Pirelli Ice Zero 2, 58 vs 45 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or Ice Zero 2?
Pirelli Ice Zero 2, 56 vs 52 on our treadwear score.
Which rolls more easily, Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429) or Ice Zero 2?
Hankook Winter i*Pike RS2 (W429), 74 vs 70 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