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Head-to-head Updated

Nexen N'Fera SUR4G vs Sumitomo Encounter AT — 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 + 0 road tests and 6 + 26 owner reviews. How we score

Encounter AT is ahead, 71–62

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Nexen N'Fera SUR4G
Tire ANexen

N'Fera SUR4G

Summer

± 7Provisional

Tests 68 · 1 test Owners 56 · 6 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 63

    Dry

    Encounter AT +9
    72
    Why this score
    SourceN'Fera SUR4GEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests61≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online6774

    N'Fera SUR4G: 60% × 60.6 + 40% × 67 = 63

    Encounter AT: 60% × 70.6 (est.) + 40% × 74.4 = 72

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

  2. 70

    Wet

    Encounter AT +5
    75
    Why this score
    SourceN'Fera SUR4GEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests75≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online6477

    N'Fera SUR4G: 60% × 74.9 + 40% × 63.5 = 70

    Encounter AT: 60% × 74 (est.) + 40% × 76.8 = 75

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

  3. 60

    Snow

    Encounter AT +8
    68
    Why this score
    SourceN'Fera SUR4GEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 65 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online5366

    N'Fera SUR4G: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 52.9 = 60

    Encounter AT: 60% × 69 (est.) + 40% × 65.6 = 68

    No road tests of snow for N'Fera SUR4G. 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 Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 54

    Comfort

    Encounter AT +13
    67
    Why this score
    SourceN'Fera SUR4GEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online4766

    N'Fera SUR4G: 40% × 64.3 (est.) + 60% × 47 = 54

    Encounter AT: 40% × 68 (est.) + 60% × 65.6 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for N'Fera SUR4G. 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 Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 65

    Noise

    Encounter AT +2
    67
    Why this score
    SourceN'Fera SUR4GEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6368

    N'Fera SUR4G: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 62.7 = 65

    Encounter AT: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 67.9 = 67

    No road tests of noise for N'Fera SUR4G or Encounter AT. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 48

    Treadwear

    Encounter AT +18
    66
    Why this score
    SourceN'Fera SUR4GEncounter AT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 56 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online3666

    N'Fera SUR4G: 60% × 55.6 (est.) + 40% × 36.4 = 48

    Encounter AT: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.1 = 66

    No road tests of treadwear for N'Fera SUR4G. 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 Encounter AT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 63

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceN'Fera SUR4GEncounter AT
    Reviews found online63–
Scores at a glance
CategoryNexen N'Fera SUR4GSumitomo Encounter AT
Relative Score 62 71
Dry 63 72
Wet 70 75
Snow 60 68
Comfort 54 67
Noise 65 67
Treadwear 48 66
Handling (owners) 63 –

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
Neutral
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.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

N'Fera SUR4G

± 8

Encounter AT

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'Fera SUR4G

Pros

  • Insane level of grip on both dry and wet surfaces
  • Exceptional performance in unexpected rain conditions during track events
  • Competitive pricing compared to alternatives like the RS4

Cons

  • Rapid tread wear and short overall tire lifespan
  • Requires careful driving speeds in heavy rain after a certain threshold
All owner themes in the N'Fera SUR4G review

Tire B Encounter AT

Pros

  • Smooth and exceptionally quiet on-road ride
  • Great value and attractive price point
  • Aggressive, appealing sidewall and tread design

Cons

  • Polarizing winter and snow performance despite the 3PMSF rating
  • Inadequate mud-clearing ability in heavy or sloppy conditions
  • Occasional balancing difficulties reported by some users
All owner themes in the Encounter AT review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Nexen N'Fera SUR4G B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
CategorySummerAll-Terrain tire
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available115
Rim diameters20″16″ – 20″
Tread depth8/32″13/32″
UTQG200 A A660 A B
Treadwear warranty—60,000 mi
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Max pressure51 psi51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Nexen N'Fera SUR4G

Sumitomo Encounter AT

Winner: Sumitomo Encounter AT — better treadwear, comfort and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Nexen N'Fera SUR4G rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 66 vs 48 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 67 vs 54 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 72 vs 63 on dry.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Sumitomo Encounter AT scores 68 vs 60 on snow.

Tire A · Nexen N'Fera SUR4G
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Tire B · Sumitomo Encounter AT
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N'Fera SUR4G or Encounter AT?

Which is better in the wet, N'Fera SUR4G or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 75 vs 70 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, N'Fera SUR4G or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 72 vs 63 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, N'Fera SUR4G or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 68 vs 60 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, N'Fera SUR4G or Encounter AT?

Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 67 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, N'Fera SUR4G or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 67 vs 54 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, N'Fera SUR4G or Encounter AT?

Sumitomo Encounter AT, 66 vs 48 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