Head-to-head Updated

Maxxis Arctic Trekker WP-05 vs Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

WinGuard Sport 2 leads, 72–68 Narrow edge

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Tests 68 · 2 tests Owners – · none yet

Best test result: #3 of 10 in 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test (dry handling)

Tire BNexen

WinGuard Sport 2

Winter

Tests 73 · 9 tests Owners 70 · 61 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 11 in 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test (noise)

Category by category

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

  1. 69

    Dry

    WinGuard Sport 2 +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceArctic Trekker WP-05WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)7071
    Reviews found online–68
    Dry Braking (% of best)95%95%
    Dry Handling (% of best)99%99%
  2. 66

    Wet

    WinGuard Sport 2 +8
    74
    Why this score
    SourceArctic Trekker WP-05WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)6673
    Reviews found online–75
    Wet Braking (% of best)85%88%
    Wet Handling (% of best)94%95%
  3. 69

    Snow

    WinGuard Sport 2 +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceArctic Trekker WP-05WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)6971
    Reviews found online–69
    Snow Braking (% of best)92%97%
    Snow Handling (% of best)97%96%
  4. –

    Comfort

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceArctic Trekker WP-05WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–65
    Reviews found online–71
  5. 69

    Noise

    WinGuard Sport 2 +14
    83
    Why this score
    SourceArctic Trekker WP-05WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)7097
    Reviews found online–62
  6. –

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceArctic Trekker WP-05WinGuard Sport 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–74
    Reviews found online–69
  7. –

    Handling

    No comparison
    68
    Why this score
    SourceArctic Trekker WP-05WinGuard Sport 2
    Reviews found online–68
Scores at a glance
Maxxis Arctic Trekker WP-05 vs Nexen WinGuard Sport 2: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryMaxxis Arctic Trekker WP-05Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
Relative Score 68 72
Dry 69 70
Wet 66 74
Snow 69 70
Comfort – 67
Noise 69 83
Treadwear – 72
Handling – 68

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
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Important
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Important
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Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Recomputed
Headline score

Arctic Trekker WP-05

WinGuard Sport 2

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryArctic Trekker WP-05WinGuard Sport 2ΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 95% #8/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test 95% #8/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test +0.3 Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 99% #3/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test 99% #5/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test +0.6 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 82% #10/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test 80% #20/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test +2.1 Different tests
Noise Other 99% #4/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test 99% #2/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test −0.9 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 10% #10/11 · 2019 Auto Zeitung Winter Tire Test R17 4% #23/48 · 2020 Winter Tyre Market Overview - 52 Tyre Braking Test +5.7 Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 92% #10/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test 97% #13/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test −5.1 Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 97% #9/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test 96% #8/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test +0.4 Different tests
Straight Aqua Straight 94% #4/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test 92% #16/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test +2.7 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 85% #28/44 · 2019 Winter Tyre Test Market Overview 88% #19/44 · 2019 Winter Tyre Test Market Overview −3.1 Same test
Wet Handling Wet 94% #9/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test 95% #9/10 · 2018 Autobild UHP Winter Tyre Test −0.8 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Arctic Trekker WP-05

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B WinGuard Sport 2

Pros

  • Excellent value and affordable price point compared to premium winter tires
  • Low noise levels and high comfort, often rivaling all-season or summer tires
  • Strong grip and stability on cold dry and wet pavement

Cons

  • Subpar performance on hard-packed ice and deep snow compared to dedicated heavy-duty winter tires
  • Soft sidewalls can lead to slightly vague handling or a 'rolly' feeling in hard cornering
  • Reports of higher rolling resistance resulting in a minor drop in fuel economy
All owner themes in the WinGuard Sport 2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Maxxis Arctic Trekker WP-05 B · Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—80
Rim diameters—15″ – 20″
Tread depth—10.5/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Maxxis Arctic Trekker WP-05

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2

Winner: Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 — better noise and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 scores 83 vs 69 on noise.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 scores 74 vs 66 on wet.

Tire A · Maxxis Arctic Trekker WP-05
Tire B · Nexen WinGuard Sport 2

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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

72

Narrow edge

WinGuard Sport 2

Amazon