Tests 70 · 5 tests Owners 70 · 82 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 10 in 2017 Mid Range Tyre Test (dry braking)
Toyo NanoEnergy R38 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Nexen N Blue HD+ vs Toyo NanoEnergy R38 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 5 + 0 road tests and 82 + 8 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: N Blue HD+ 71, NanoEnergy R38 70.
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Tests – · none yet Owners 70 · 8 reviews
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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72
Dry
N Blue HD+ +171Why this score
Source N Blue HD+ NanoEnergy R38 Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests 73 ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 70 72 N Blue HD+: 60% × 73.4 + 40% × 69.6 = 72
NanoEnergy R38: 60% × 69.5 (est.) + 40% × 72.2 = 71
No road tests of dry for NanoEnergy R38. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).
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73
Wet
N Blue HD+ +172Why this score
Source N Blue HD+ NanoEnergy R38 Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests 73 ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 73 73 N Blue HD+: 60% × 72.9 + 40% × 72.7 = 73
NanoEnergy R38: 60% × 71.7 (est.) + 40% × 73.2 = 72
No road tests of wet for NanoEnergy R38. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).
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71
Comfort
N Blue HD+ +269Why this score
Source N Blue HD+ NanoEnergy R38 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 70 ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 71 69 N Blue HD+: 60% × 70 + 40% × 71.3 = 71
NanoEnergy R38: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 69.1 = 69
No road tests of comfort for NanoEnergy R38. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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67
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source N Blue HD+ NanoEnergy R38 Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests 67 – Reviews found online ≈ 67 (est.) – N Blue HD+: 60% × 66.6 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 67
No owner ratings of noise for N Blue HD+. 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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65
Treadwear
Level65Why this score
Source N Blue HD+ NanoEnergy R38 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 64 ≈ 65 (est.) Reviews found online 67 65 N Blue HD+: 60% × 64.5 + 40% × 66.6 = 65
NanoEnergy R38: 60% × 65.3 (est.) + 40% × 64.6 = 65
No road tests of treadwear for NanoEnergy R38. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).
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70
Handling (owners)
NanoEnergy R38 +171Why this score
Source N Blue HD+ NanoEnergy R38 Reviews found online 70 71
Scores at a glance
| Category | Nexen N Blue HD+ | Toyo NanoEnergy R38 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 71 | 70 |
| Dry | 72 | 71 |
| Wet | 73 | 72 |
| Comfort | 71 | 69 |
| Noise | 67 | – |
| Treadwear | 65 | 65 |
| Handling (owners) | 70 | 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
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
71
/ 100
N Blue HD+
70
/ 100
NanoEnergy R38
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A N Blue HD+
Pros
- Excellent value for money compared to premium brands
- High level of ride comfort and very low road noise
- Reliable and stable grip in both dry and wet conditions for normal driving
Cons
- Accelerated tread wear reported by some users
- Vague handling and loss of predictability when pushed hard or cornered aggressively
- Occasional reports of shoulder cracking or ruptures
Tire B NanoEnergy R38
Pros
- Reliable wet and dry grip with predictable handling limits
- Good value for money compared to premium brand alternatives
- Solid longevity and mileage, with respectable tread wear reported
Cons
- Slightly increased road noise reported by some users
- Limited size or availability challenges noted by consumers wanting replacements
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Nexen N Blue HD+ | B · Toyo NanoEnergy R38 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
Which one should you actually buy?
71
/ 100
Nexen N Blue HD+
70
/ 100
Toyo NanoEnergy R38
Too close to call: Nexen N Blue HD+ and Toyo NanoEnergy R38 are within 2 points overall. Toyo NanoEnergy R38 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 8 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Tire A · Nexen N Blue HD+
Tire B · Toyo NanoEnergy R38
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N Blue HD+ or NanoEnergy R38?
Which is better in the wet, N Blue HD+ or NanoEnergy R38?
Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 72 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, N Blue HD+ or NanoEnergy R38?
Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 71 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, N Blue HD+ or NanoEnergy R38?
Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 69 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, N Blue HD+ or NanoEnergy R38?
Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 65 on the treadwear 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