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Winter tire Updated October 2026

Firestone Winterhawk 3 review

± 8

Relative score 60% tests + 40% owners

Better than 26% of the winter tires we score.

Owners 57 · 8 reviews analysed Road tests 68 · 4 tests

How scores work
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Firestone Winterhawk 3 has a Relative Score of 63 out of 100 among winter tires. In 20 road tests with an overall ranking it finished first 0 times and in the top three 3 times. Testers rate it best for snow (71) and weakest for efficiency (62). 8 owner reviews rate it 57 out of 100. 66% would buy it again.

Projected tread life in 2 wear tests: about 40,000 km (25,000 miles) on average, newest 2018.

Firestone is Bridgestone's mid-range brand, made in Hungary, Italy and Spain.

Owners rate it 11 points lower than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.

Firestone Winterhawk 3

Two scoring systems, side by side

Owner scores come from reviews found online; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.

How scores work
Relative score
0–100. Blends road tests (60%) and owner reviews (40%) category by category, the same way on every TireWheelGuide page. With only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from it, so the score stays closer to average. It needs at least one road test or five owner reviews.
Road tests
0–100 per score, from published tests, newer tests counting more. Each result is compared with every other tire in the same test, so a win against a strong field counts for more. The average tested tire gets 70, the best 100; with only one or two tests a tire stays nearer 70. The discipline rows show % of the best tire in that test.
Owner reviews
0–100 from the owner reviews we found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates and scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70. With only a few reviews a tire stays near the average.

Full methodology

By owner reviews

57/100

From 8 owner reviews analysed, scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70.

Would buy again 66%
Dry
Overall dry
57
Wet
Overall wet
60
Snow & ice
Overall snow & ice
55
Comfort
Overall comfort
56
Treadwear
Overall treadwear
59
Handling
Overall handling
56

Own these tires? Write a review →

By road tests

68/100

Scaled across every tested tire: the average gets 70, the best 100.

Dry
66
Wet
64
Snow
71
Noise
67
Treadwear
70
Efficiency
62
By discipline (% of best in test)
Dry Braking
94%
Dry Handling
94%
Subj. Dry Handling
94%
Wet Braking
53%
Wet Handling
54%
Straight Aquaplaning
54%
Curved Aquaplaning
54%
Side G-Force on Wet surface
54%
Snow Braking
62%
Snow Handling
62%
Snow Traction
62%
Ice Braking
90%
Ice Handling
90%
Inside Noise level
83%
Outside Noise
92%
Rolling Resistance
89%
Wear
90%

What owners like and dislike

Themes extracted from 8 owner reviews found online.

The Firestone Winterhawk 3 is generally perceived as a budget-friendly, average-performing winter tire that prioritizes comfort and longevity over high-performance handling. While some users appreciate its quiet ride and reliability in moderate conditions, others report significant shortcomings in wet weather and snow traction, leading to a polarized user experience.

Pros

  • High levels of ride comfort and low noise
  • Good longevity and tread wear resistance
  • Affordable price point
  • Satisfactory performance in dry conditions

Cons

  • Inconsistent or poor grip on snow and ice
  • Unreliable wet weather performance and braking
  • Pronounced understeering tendencies
  • Lack of steering feedback and road connection

Worth knowing

  • Users with smaller tire sizes, such as 155/65 R14, reported noticeable understeering and poor snow/ice performance.
  • Performance feedback appears highly subjective, with some users finding the tire adequate for steady, non-aggressive driving while others find it lacking for more demanding vehicle dynamics.

20 published test appearances (4 in the score)

Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.

2020 Winter tire Market Overview - 52 tire Braking Test · 245/45 R18

32nd of 48
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking32nd of 48

Source: Auto Bild

2020 Wybór Kierowców Winter Tire Test R16 · 205/55R16

8th of 8

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Wybór Kierowców

2019 Winter tire Test Market Overview · 225/45 R17

24th of 47
Best: Snow Braking · 21st Weakest: Wet Braking · 29th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking29th of 47
Snow Braking21st of 47

Source: Auto Bild

2018 Auto Bild Winter tire Test · 195/65 R15

19th of 20
Best: Wear · 8th Weakest: Wet Braking · 20th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking20th of 20
Wet Handling20th of 20
Dry Braking16th of 20
Dry Handling15th of 20
Snow Braking10th of 20
Snow Handling10th of 20
Rolling Resistance15th of 20
Straight Aquaplaning15th of 20
Noise13th of 20
Value3rd of 20
Price3rd of 20
Wear8th of 20
Total Cost of Ownership10th of 20

Source: Auto Bild

2018 ADAC Winter tire Test - 175/65 R14 · 175/65 R14

3rd of 12

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ADAC

2018 51 Winter tire Shootout · 195/65 R15

19th of 52

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

2017 50 Winter tire Shoot Out · 225/50 R17

18th of 45

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

2017 Auto Bild Winter tire Test · 225/50 R17

19th of 20
Best: Noise · 5th Weakest: Rolling Resistance · 19th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking18th of 20
Wet Handling13th of 20
Dry Braking6th of 20
Dry Handling14th of 20
Snow Braking10th of 20
Snow Handling17th of 20
Rolling Resistance19th of 20
Straight Aquaplaning15th of 20
Noise5th of 20
Value12th of 20
Wear14th of 20
Total Cost of Ownership14th of 20

Source: Auto Bild

2017 ADAC Winter tire Test - 195/65 R15 · 195/65 R15

10th of 16

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ADAC

2017 ADAC Winter Tire Test R16 · 195/65R16

9th of 10

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ADAC

2016 Winter tire Market Overview · 205/55 R16

24th of 43

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

2016 ADAC Winter tire Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15

14th of 15

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ADAC

2016 ADAC Winter tire Test - 225/45 R17 · 225/45 R17

3rd of 13

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ADAC

2015 Auto Bild Top 18 Winter tire Test · 185/60 R15

14th of 18

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Bild

2015 ADAC Winter tire Test - 165/70 R14 · 165/70 R14

12th of 16

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ADAC

2015 ADAC Winter tire Test - 205/55 R16 · 205/55 R16

8th of 19

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ADAC

2015 Winter tire Market Overview · 185/60R15

16th of 51

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

2014 ADAC Winter tire Test - 175/65 R14 · 175/65 R14

4th of 14

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ADAC

2013 ADAC Winter tire Test - 185/60 R15 · 185/60 R15

3rd of 17

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ADAC

2013 ACE Winter tire Test · 185/60 R15

4th of 9

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ACE

Firestone Winterhawk 3 specs & sizes

Prices vary by size, so each one links out separately.

Specifications
EU label: wet gripC in 90% of sizes
EU label: energyD in 84% of sizes
EU label: external noise71–72 dB
SizeRetailer
175/70 R13 Amazon
155/65 R14 Amazon
165/65 R14 Amazon
165/70 R14 Amazon
175/65 R14 Amazon
175/70 R14 Amazon
185/60 R14 Amazon
185/65 R14 Amazon
165/65 R15 Amazon
175/65 R15 Amazon
185/55 R15 Amazon
185/60 R15 Amazon
185/65 R15 Amazon
195/50 R15 Amazon
195/55 R15 Amazon
195/60 R15 Amazon

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Reviews from our readers

Drivers who have these tires on their car, in their own words. We check every review before it goes live.

No reviews from our readers yet

Driving on the Firestone Winterhawk 3? Tell other drivers how it grips, rides and wears.

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Firestone Winterhawk 3 compared

Firestone Winterhawk 3VSHankook Winter i*cept RS2
Continental WinterContact TS 870 PVSFirestone Winterhawk 3
Firestone Winterhawk 3VSGoodyear UltraGrip 9+
Firestone Winterhawk 3VSPirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90VSFirestone Winterhawk 3
BFGoodrich g-Force Winter 2VSFirestone Winterhawk 3
Firestone Winterhawk 3VSHankook Winter i*cept RS2
Continental 4x4 WinterContactVSFirestone Winterhawk 3
Firestone Winterhawk 3VSGoodyear Ultra Grip Performance Gen-1
Dunlop Winter Response 2VSFirestone Winterhawk 3

Other tires to consider

Ranked by our Relative score, weighed against how many reviews and tests stand behind it.

Top rated winter tires

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