Tests 73 · 9 tests Owners 70 · 61 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 11 in 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test (noise)
Head-to-head
Updated
Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 vs Maxxis Arctic Trekker WP-05 — 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)
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
70
Dry
WinGuard Sport 2 +169Why this score
Source WinGuard Sport 2 Arctic Trekker WP-05 Professional tests (TWG score) 71 70 Reviews found online 68 – Dry Braking (% of best) 95% 95% Dry Handling (% of best) 99% 99% -
74
Wet
WinGuard Sport 2 +866Why this score
Source WinGuard Sport 2 Arctic Trekker WP-05 Professional tests (TWG score) 73 66 Reviews found online 75 – Wet Braking (% of best) 88% 85% Wet Handling (% of best) 95% 94% -
70
Snow
WinGuard Sport 2 +169Why this score
Source WinGuard Sport 2 Arctic Trekker WP-05 Professional tests (TWG score) 71 69 Reviews found online 69 – Snow Braking (% of best) 97% 92% Snow Handling (% of best) 96% 97% -
67
Comfort
No comparison–Why this score
Source WinGuard Sport 2 Arctic Trekker WP-05 Professional tests (TWG score) 65 – Reviews found online 71 – -
83
Noise
WinGuard Sport 2 +1469Why this score
Source WinGuard Sport 2 Arctic Trekker WP-05 Professional tests (TWG score) 97 70 Reviews found online 62 – -
72
Treadwear
No comparison–Why this score
Source WinGuard Sport 2 Arctic Trekker WP-05 Professional tests (TWG score) 74 – Reviews found online 69 – -
68
Handling
No comparison–Why this score
Source WinGuard Sport 2 Arctic Trekker WP-05 Reviews found online 68 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 | Maxxis Arctic Trekker WP-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 72 | 68 |
| Dry | 70 | 69 |
| Wet | 74 | 66 |
| Snow | 70 | 69 |
| Comfort | 67 | – |
| Noise | 83 | 69 |
| 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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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
72
/ 100
WinGuard Sport 2
68
/ 100
Arctic Trekker WP-05
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.
| Discipline | Category | WinGuard Sport 2 | Arctic Trekker WP-05 | Δ | Both? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 95% #8/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test | 95% #8/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test | −0.3 | Different tests |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 99% #5/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | 99% #3/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test | −0.6 | Different tests |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 80% #20/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | 82% #10/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test | −2.1 | Different tests |
| Noise | Other | 99% #2/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test | 99% #4/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test | +0.9 | Different tests |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | 4% #23/48 · 2020 Winter Tyre Market Overview - 52 Tyre Braking Test | 10% #10/11 · 2019 Auto Zeitung Winter Tire Test R17 | −5.7 | Different tests |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 97% #13/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test | 92% #10/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test | +5.1 | Different tests |
| Snow Handling | Snow | 96% #8/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test | 97% #9/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test | −0.4 | Different tests |
| Straight Aqua | Straight | 92% #16/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | 94% #4/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test | −2.7 | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 88% #19/44 · 2019 Winter Tyre Test Market Overview | 85% #28/44 · 2019 Winter Tyre Test Market Overview | +3.1 | Same test |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 95% #9/10 · 2018 Autobild UHP Winter Tyre Test | 94% #9/10 · 2017 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test | +0.8 | Different tests |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A 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
Tire B Arctic Trekker WP-05
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 | B · Maxxis Arctic Trekker WP-05 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger 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?
72
/ 100
Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
68
/ 100
Maxxis Arctic Trekker WP-05
Winner: Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 — better noise and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
You want a quieter cabin
Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 scores 83 vs 69 on noise.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 scores 74 vs 66 on wet.
Tire A · Nexen WinGuard Sport 2
Tire B · Maxxis Arctic Trekker WP-05
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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.