Firestone Winterhawk 4 review
Relative score 60% tests + 40% owners
Owners 60 · 6 reviews analysed Road tests 69 · 19 tests
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The Firestone Winterhawk 4 is generally well-received as a cost-effective mid-range winter tire that offers reliable performance in rain and snow, comparable comfort, and low road noise. While most users praise its value and short braking distances, isolated quality control issues regarding balancing and structural defects have been reported.
Owners rate it 8.9 points lower than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.
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.
By owner reviews
60/100From 6 owner reviews analysed, scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70.
By road tests
69/100Scaled across every tested tire: the average gets 70, the best 100.
Firestone Winterhawk 4 specs & sizes
Prices vary by size, so each one links out separately.
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What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 6 owner reviews found online.
The Firestone Winterhawk 4 is generally well-received as a cost-effective mid-range winter tire that offers reliable performance in rain and snow, comparable comfort, and low road noise. While most users praise its value and short braking distances, isolated quality control issues regarding balancing and structural defects have been reported.
Pros
- Competitive pricing offering great value compared to premium brands
- Good traction and performance in rain and snow conditions
- Comfortable and exceptionally quiet ride quality
- Fairly short braking distances across varying winter weather
Cons
- Steering feel can be relatively numb compared to ultra-high-performance summer tires
- Potential quality control issues or manufacturing defects leading to difficult wheel balancing and vibration at high speeds
- Mixed performance potential compared to top-tier premium winter alternatives
Worth knowing
- Users switching from ultra-high-performance summer tires (such as Continental SportContact 7) noticed a significantly more numb steering response.
Reviews from our readers
Drivers who have these tires on their car, in their own words. We check every review before it goes live.
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19 published test appearances
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
2025 Autobild Winter tire Test · 225/40 R18
16th of 20
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 8th of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 10th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 19th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 20th of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 9th of 20 | |
| Snow Traction | 3rd of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 11th of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 5th of 20 | |
| Straight Aqua | 10th of 20 | |
| Subj. Comfort | 14th of 20 | |
| Noise | 12th of 20 | |
| Value | 8th of 20 | |
| Wear | 14th of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 4th of 20 |
Source: Auto Bild
2025 Winter tire Braking Test - 52 Sets! · 225/40 R18
7th of 51
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 8th of 51 | |
| Snow Braking | 12th of 51 |
Source: Auto Bild
2025 ADAC Winter tire Test · 225/40 R18
18th of 31
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 9th of 31 | |
| Wet Circle | 24th of 31 | |
| Dry Braking | 28th of 31 | |
| Snow Braking | 8th of 31 | |
| Snow Traction | 7th of 31 | |
| Ice Braking | 6th of 31 | |
| Straight Aqua | 12th of 31 | |
| Noise | 21st of 31 | |
| Wear | 23rd of 31 | |
| Fuel Consumption | 12th of 31 | |
| Abrasion | 23rd of 31 | |
| Wet Braking - Concrete | 11th of 31 |
Source: ADAC
2024 Auto Bild Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
18th of 20
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Handling | 16th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 19th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 20th of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 20th of 20 | |
| Snow Traction | 19th of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 14th of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 8th of 20 | |
| Straight Aqua | 3rd of 20 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 8th of 20 | |
| Noise | 6th of 20 | |
| Value | 8th of 20 | |
| Wear | 18th of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 7th of 20 |
Source: Auto Bild
2024 ADAC 17 inch Winter tire Test · 215/55 R17
10th of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 16 | |
| Dry Braking | 16th of 16 | |
| Snow Braking | 8th of 16 | |
| Snow Traction | 8th of 16 | |
| Ice Braking | 5th of 16 | |
| Straight Aqua | 3rd of 16 | |
| Wear | 14th of 16 | |
| Abrasion | 15th of 16 | |
| Wet Braking - Concrete | 6th of 16 |
Source: ADAC
2024 Winter 55 tire Braking Test · 205/55 R16
10th of 55
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 3rd of 55 | |
| Snow Braking | 25th of 55 |
Source: Auto Bild
2023 Auto Bild SUV Winter tire Test · 225/60 R18
9th of 10
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 8th of 10 | |
| Wet Handling | 9th of 10 | |
| Wet Circle | 7th of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 10th of 10 | |
| Dry Handling | 10th of 10 | |
| Snow Braking | 2nd of 10 | |
| Snow Traction | 3rd of 10 | |
| Snow Handling | 1st of 10 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 9th of 10 | |
| Straight Aqua | 2nd of 10 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 2nd of 10 | |
| Noise | 2nd of 10 | |
| Price | 3rd of 10 | |
| Snow Slalom | 1st of 10 |
Source: Auto Bild Allrad
2023 Auto Bild Winter tire Test · 225/45 R18
20th of 20
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 3rd of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 7th of 20 | |
| Wet Circle | 6th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 17th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 20th of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 18th of 20 | |
| Snow Traction | 8th of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 14th of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 17th of 20 | |
| Straight Aqua | 9th of 20 | |
| Noise | 7th of 20 | |
| Value | 9th of 20 | |
| Wear | 10th of 20 | |
| Snow Slalom | 8th of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 11th of 20 |
Source: Auto Bild
2023 ADAC 16 Inch tire Test · 205/60 R16
7th of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 16 | |
| Dry Braking | 15th of 16 | |
| Snow Braking | 12th of 16 | |
| Snow Traction | 12th of 16 | |
| Ice Braking | 9th of 16 | |
| Straight Aqua | 1st of 16 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 1st of 16 | |
| Noise | 3rd of 16 | |
| Wear | 15th of 16 | |
| Fuel Consumption | 11th of 16 | |
| Abrasion | 15th of 16 | |
| Wet Braking - Concrete | 2nd of 16 |
Source: ADAC
2023 Winter tire Test 54 Set Braking Test · 225/45 R18
6th of 54
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 54 | |
| Snow Braking | 19th of 54 |
Source: Auto Bild
2022 Auto Bild Winter tire Test · 215/55 R17
16th of 20
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 12th of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 8th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 19th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 17th of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 16th of 20 | |
| Snow Traction | 8th of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 4th of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 9th of 20 | |
| Straight Aqua | 8th of 20 | |
| Noise | 7th of 20 | |
| Value | 2nd of 20 | |
| Price | 4th of 20 | |
| Wear | 3rd of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 2nd of 20 |
Source: Auto Bild
2022 Auto Bild SUV Winter tire Test · 225/45 R19
6th of 10
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 6th of 10 | |
| Wet Handling | 4th of 10 | |
| Wet Circle | 5th of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 8th of 10 | |
| Dry Handling | 4th of 10 | |
| Snow Braking | 3rd of 10 | |
| Snow Traction | 4th of 10 | |
| Snow Handling | 2nd of 10 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 7th of 10 | |
| Straight Aqua | 3rd of 10 | |
| Noise | 2nd of 10 | |
| Price | 3rd of 10 |
Source: Auto Bild Allrad
2022 Winter tire Market Overview · 215/55 R17
14th of 56
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 14th of 56 | |
| Snow Braking | 17th of 56 |
Source: Auto Bild
2022 ADAC Winter tire Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15
9th of 15
Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.
Source: ADAC
2022 AMS Winter tire Test · 245/45 R19
5th of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 5th of 8 | |
| Wet Handling | 6th of 8 | |
| Dry Braking | 7th of 8 | |
| Dry Handling | 5th of 8 | |
| Snow Braking | 1st of 8 | |
| Snow Traction | 4th of 8 | |
| Snow Handling | 3rd of 8 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 5th of 8 | |
| Straight Aqua | 6th of 8 | |
| Noise | 4th of 8 | |
| Price | 1st of 8 |
Source: Auto Motor und Sport
2021 AZ SUV Winter tire Test · 235/55 R18
5th of 10
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 6th of 10 | |
| Wet Handling | 6th of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 10th of 10 | |
| Dry Handling | 9th of 10 | |
| Snow Braking | 6th of 10 | |
| Snow Traction | 4th of 10 | |
| Snow Handling | 3rd of 10 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 6th of 10 | |
| Straight Aqua | 2nd of 10 | |
| Noise | 2nd of 10 | |
| Price | 3rd of 10 |
Source: Auto Zeitung
2021 Auto Bild Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
10th of 20
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 6th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 19th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 17th of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 12th of 20 | |
| Snow Traction | 4th of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 6th of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 5th of 20 | |
| Straight Aqua | 6th of 20 | |
| Noise | 5th of 20 | |
| Value | 4th of 20 | |
| Price | 8th of 20 | |
| Wear | 10th of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 5th of 20 |
Source: Auto Bild
2021 ADAC 17 Inch Winter tire Test · 225/50 R17
12th of 18
Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.
Source: ADAC
2021 Winter tire Market Overview · 205/55 R16
5th of 49
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 49 | |
| Snow Braking | 12th of 49 |
Source: Auto Bild
Firestone Winterhawk 4 compared
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