tirewheelguide

Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP vs Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v — 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 2 + 0 road tests and 14 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Observe GSi-6 HP 71, iceGUARD iG51v 70.

Check price on Amazon · Observe GSi-6 HP Check price on Amazon · iceGUARD iG51v
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP
Tire AToyo

Observe GSi-6 HP

Winter

± 7

Tests 69 · 2 tests Owners 73 · 14 reviews

Best test result: #5 of 20 in 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v
Tire BYokohama

iceGUARD iG51v

Premium Touring Winter tire

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 68 · 11 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 75

    Dry

    Observe GSi-6 HP +5
    70
    Why this score
    SourceObserve GSi-6 HPiceGUARD iG51v
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7771

    Observe GSi-6 HP: 60% × 73 + 40% × 76.9 = 75

    iceGUARD iG51v: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 71.2 = 70

    No road tests of dry for iceGUARD iG51v. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 75

    Wet

    iceGUARD iG51v +2
    77
    Why this score
    SourceObserve GSi-6 HPiceGUARD iG51v
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests71≈ 76 (est.)
    Reviews found online8180

    Observe GSi-6 HP: 60% × 71.5 + 40% × 80.7 = 75

    iceGUARD iG51v: 60% × 75.6 (est.) + 40% × 79.6 = 77

    No road tests of wet for iceGUARD iG51v. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 66

    Snow

    iceGUARD iG51v +8
    74
    Why this score
    SourceObserve GSi-6 HPiceGUARD iG51v
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests60≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7576

    Observe GSi-6 HP: 60% × 59.5 + 40% × 74.7 = 66

    iceGUARD iG51v: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 75.8 = 74

    No road tests of snow for iceGUARD iG51v. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 75

    Comfort

    Observe GSi-6 HP +6
    69
    Why this score
    SourceObserve GSi-6 HPiceGUARD iG51v
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests77≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7469

    Observe GSi-6 HP: 40% × 76.6 + 60% × 73.8 = 75

    iceGUARD iG51v: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 68.8 = 69

    No road tests of comfort for iceGUARD iG51v. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 69

    Noise

    Observe GSi-6 HP +6
    63
    Why this score
    SourceObserve GSi-6 HPiceGUARD iG51v
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests72≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)57

    Observe GSi-6 HP: 60% × 71.6 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 69

    iceGUARD iG51v: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 57.4 = 63

    No owner ratings of noise for Observe GSi-6 HP. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

    No road tests of noise for iceGUARD iG51v. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 62

    Treadwear

    Observe GSi-6 HP +6
    56
    Why this score
    SourceObserve GSi-6 HPiceGUARD iG51v
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online5949

    Observe GSi-6 HP: 60% × 63.7 (est.) + 40% × 58.5 = 62

    iceGUARD iG51v: 60% × 60.3 (est.) + 40% × 49 = 56

    No road tests of treadwear for Observe GSi-6 HP. 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 iceGUARD iG51v. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 75

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceObserve GSi-6 HPiceGUARD iG51v
    Reviews found online75–
  8. 66

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceObserve GSi-6 HPiceGUARD iG51v
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests66–
Scores at a glance
CategoryToyo Observe GSi-6 HPYokohama iceGUARD iG51v
Relative Score 71 70
Dry 75 70
Wet 75 77
Snow 66 74
Comfort 75 69
Noise 69 63
Treadwear 62 56
Handling (owners) 75 –
Efficiency 66 –

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
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.

Not 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

Observe GSi-6 HP

± 8

iceGUARD iG51v

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 Observe GSi-6 HP

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and stability in snow and slush
  • Impressive wet-weather performance and hydroplaning resistance
  • Remarkably quiet ride quality for a winter tire

Cons

  • Inconsistent tread life reports, with some users experiencing premature wear
  • Occasional reports of structural failure or tread separation
  • Slightly vague steering feel at lower speeds
All owner themes in the Observe GSi-6 HP review

Tire B iceGUARD iG51v

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP B · Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v
CategoryWinterPremium Touring Winter tire
Vehicle type—SUV and 4x4
Sizes available392
Rim diameters16″ – 21″18″
Tread depth11 - 12/32″13/32″
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure50 - 51 psi51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP

Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v

Too close to call: Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP and Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v are within 2 points overall. Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP is stronger on comfort, noise and treadwear. Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v is stronger on snow. Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v scores 74 vs 66 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP scores 75 vs 69 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP scores 69 vs 63 on noise.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP scores 62 vs 56 on treadwear.

Tire A · Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Observe GSi-6 HP or iceGUARD iG51v?

Which is better in the wet, Observe GSi-6 HP or iceGUARD iG51v?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 77 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Observe GSi-6 HP or iceGUARD iG51v?

Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP, 75 vs 70 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Observe GSi-6 HP or iceGUARD iG51v?

Yokohama iceGUARD iG51v, 74 vs 66 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Observe GSi-6 HP or iceGUARD iG51v?

Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP, 69 vs 63 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Observe GSi-6 HP or iceGUARD iG51v?

Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP, 75 vs 69 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Observe GSi-6 HP or iceGUARD iG51v?

Toyo Observe GSi-6 HP, 62 vs 56 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