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Head-to-head Updated

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus vs Yokohama iceGUARD iG65 — 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 2 + 1 road tests and 5 + 3 owner reviews. How we score

WinterCraft WP52 plus is ahead, 78–61

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Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus
Tire AKumho

WinterCraft WP52 plus

Winter

Tests 76 · 2 tests Owners 78 · 5 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 (wear)

Yokohama iceGUARD iG65
Tire BYokohama

iceGUARD iG65

Winter

Provisional

Tests 71 · 1 test Owners 52 · 3 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 8 in 2018 Vi 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.

  1. 79

    Dry

    WinterCraft WP52 plus +16
    63
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP52 plusiceGUARD iG65
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 1 tests7769
    Reviews found online8153

    WinterCraft WP52 plus: 60% × 77.2 + 40% × 80.5 = 79

    iceGUARD iG65: 60% × 69.1 + 40% × 53.3 = 63

  2. 85

    Wet

    WinterCraft WP52 plus +22
    63
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP52 plusiceGUARD iG65
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 1 tests8672
    Reviews found online8450

    WinterCraft WP52 plus: 60% × 86.1 + 40% × 83.9 = 85

    iceGUARD iG65: 60% × 71.7 + 40% × 50.4 = 63

  3. 77

    Snow

    WinterCraft WP52 plus +16
    61
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP52 plusiceGUARD iG65
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 1 tests7771
    Reviews found online7847

    WinterCraft WP52 plus: 60% × 76.9 + 40% × 77.9 = 77

    iceGUARD iG65: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 47.4 = 61

  4. 68

    Comfort

    WinterCraft WP52 plus +10
    58
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP52 plusiceGUARD iG65
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests55≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7753

    WinterCraft WP52 plus: 40% × 54.8 + 60% × 77.1 = 68

    iceGUARD iG65: 40% × 66.2 (est.) + 60% × 53 = 58

    No road tests of comfort for iceGUARD iG65. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 62

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP52 plusiceGUARD iG65
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests59–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)–

    WinterCraft WP52 plus: 60% × 58.8 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 62

    No owner ratings of noise for WinterCraft WP52 plus. 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. 72

    Treadwear

    WinterCraft WP52 plus +11
    61
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP52 plusiceGUARD iG65
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests74≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online6958

    WinterCraft WP52 plus: 60% × 74.4 + 40% × 69 = 72

    iceGUARD iG65: 60% × 63.3 (est.) + 40% × 58 = 61

    No road tests of treadwear for iceGUARD iG65. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 80

    Handling (owners)

    WinterCraft WP52 plus +30
    50
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP52 plusiceGUARD iG65
    Reviews found online8050
  8. 63

    Efficiency

    iceGUARD iG65 +8
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP52 plusiceGUARD iG65
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 1 tests6371
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho WinterCraft WP52 plusYokohama iceGUARD iG65
Relative Score 78 61
Dry 79 63
Wet 85 63
Snow 77 61
Comfort 68 58
Noise 62 –
Treadwear 72 61
Handling (owners) 80 50
Efficiency 63 71

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
Recomputed
Headline score

WinterCraft WP52 plus

iceGUARD iG65

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinterCraft WP52 plusiceGUARD iG65ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 99% #2/16 · 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 98% #6/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 95% #2/16 · 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 98% #4/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Ice Braking Snow 90% #11/16 · 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 87% #6/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 98% #5/16 · 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 100% #3/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 100% #4/20 · 2025 Autobild Winter Tyre Test 96% #6/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 97% #4/16 · 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 96% #3/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 89% #9/20 · 2025 Autobild Winter Tyre Test 98% #3/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #12/16 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 #1/6 2025 Autoreview Studded Winter Tire Test R16 – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A WinterCraft WP52 plus

Pros

  • Exceptional value and price-to-performance ratio compared to premium competitors
  • Impressive wet grip, with multiple users highlighting Class A wet rating performance
  • High level of ride comfort and compliance, noticeably better than factory run-flats

Cons

  • Limited long-term durability data available from current reviews
  • High demand or regional availability compared to mainstream domestic brands
All owner themes in the WinterCraft WP52 plus review

Tire B iceGUARD iG65

Pros

  • Reliable traction and grip on icy road surfaces
  • Effective clearing of slush and snow from tread patterns
  • Predictable handling in severe winter conditions compared to budget-tier tires

Cons

  • Mediocre to poor performance on dry, cold pavement
  • Limited grip in deep snow conditions
  • Noticeable compromise in handling characteristics when compared to premium European winter tire segments
All owner themes in the iceGUARD iG65 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus B · Yokohama iceGUARD iG65
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle type—Passenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus

Yokohama iceGUARD iG65

Winner: Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus — better handling, wet and dry. Pick the Yokohama iceGUARD iG65 if efficiency matters most to you. Yokohama iceGUARD iG65 rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 3 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus scores 80 vs 50 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus scores 85 vs 63 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus scores 79 vs 63 on dry.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus scores 77 vs 61 on snow.

Tire A · Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus
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Tire B · Yokohama iceGUARD iG65
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WinterCraft WP52 plus or iceGUARD iG65?

Which is better in the wet, WinterCraft WP52 plus or iceGUARD iG65?

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus, 85 vs 63 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterCraft WP52 plus or iceGUARD iG65?

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus, 79 vs 63 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterCraft WP52 plus or iceGUARD iG65?

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus, 77 vs 61 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterCraft WP52 plus or iceGUARD iG65?

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus, 68 vs 58 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterCraft WP52 plus or iceGUARD iG65?

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus, 72 vs 61 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, WinterCraft WP52 plus or iceGUARD iG65?

Yokohama iceGUARD iG65, 71 vs 63 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