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Nexen WinGuard looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Kumho WinterCraft WP72 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 0 + 0 road tests and 28 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

WinterCraft WP72 is ahead, 70–65

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Nexen WinGuard
Tire BNexen

WinGuard

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 64 · 6 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 65

    Dry

    WinterCraft WP72 +5
    60
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP72WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online6356

    WinterCraft WP72: 60% × 66 (est.) + 40% × 63.3 = 65

    WinGuard: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 55.8 = 60

    No road tests of dry for WinterCraft WP72. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

    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).

  2. 74

    Wet

    WinterCraft WP72 +10
    64
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP72WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 73 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7662

    WinterCraft WP72: 60% × 73.3 (est.) + 40% × 75.5 = 74

    WinGuard: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 61.9 = 64

    No road tests of wet for WinterCraft WP72. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    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).

  3. 73

    Snow

    WinGuard +1
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP72WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7676

    WinterCraft WP72: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 75.5 = 73

    WinGuard: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 75.7 = 74

    No road tests of snow for WinterCraft WP72. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

    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).

  4. 66

    Comfort

    WinterCraft WP72 +4
    62
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP72WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6559

    WinterCraft WP72: 40% × 67.9 (est.) + 60% × 65 = 66

    WinGuard: 40% × 66.8 (est.) + 60% × 59.3 = 62

    No road tests of comfort for WinterCraft WP72. 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 WinGuard. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 66

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP72WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)–
    Reviews found online64–

    WinterCraft WP72: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.4 = 66

    No road tests of noise for WinterCraft WP72. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    WinterCraft WP72 +5
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP72WinGuard
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7365

    WinterCraft WP72: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.7 = 70

    WinGuard: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for WinterCraft WP72. 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).

  7. 66

    Handling (owners)

    WinterCraft WP72 +9
    57
    Why this score
    SourceWinterCraft WP72WinGuard
    Reviews found online6657
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho WinterCraft WP72Nexen WinGuard
Relative Score 70 65
Dry 65 60
Wet 74 64
Snow 73 74
Comfort 66 62
Noise 66 –
Treadwear 70 65
Handling (owners) 66 57

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
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

WinterCraft WP72

± 8

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinterCraft WP72WinGuardΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/2 2025 AutoView Winter Tire Test R19 #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 WinterCraft WP72

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in snow, slush, and deep snow conditions
  • Great value and budget-friendly pricing compared to tier-one premium brands
  • Surprisingly low noise levels and high comfort for a winter tire

Cons

  • Some users reported vague high-speed handling or a 'jelly' sidewall feel at speeds over 50-60 mph
  • A few mentions of increased noise compared to standard all-season tires
  • Potential for flat-spotting due to nylon cord construction, making balancing difficult for some
All owner themes in the WinterCraft WP72 review

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
All owner themes in the WinGuard review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho WinterCraft WP72 B · Nexen WinGuard
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available25—
Rim diameters18″ – 21″—
Tread depth11/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho WinterCraft WP72

Nexen WinGuard

Winner: Kumho WinterCraft WP72 — better wet, handling and dry. Where the Nexen WinGuard is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Nexen WinGuard rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Kumho WinterCraft WP72 scores 74 vs 64 on wet.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Kumho WinterCraft WP72 scores 66 vs 57 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Kumho WinterCraft WP72 scores 65 vs 60 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Kumho WinterCraft WP72 scores 70 vs 65 on treadwear.

Tire A · Kumho WinterCraft WP72
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Tire B · Nexen WinGuard
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WinterCraft WP72 or WinGuard?

Which is better in the wet, WinterCraft WP72 or WinGuard?

Kumho WinterCraft WP72, 74 vs 64 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterCraft WP72 or WinGuard?

Kumho WinterCraft WP72, 65 vs 60 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterCraft WP72 or WinGuard?

Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 74 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, WinterCraft WP72 or WinGuard?

Kumho WinterCraft WP72, 66 vs 62 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterCraft WP72 or WinGuard?

Kumho WinterCraft WP72, 70 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