Winter tire Updated October 2026

Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 review

Name: Hankook Winter i*pike RS2
Brand: Hankook

Relative score 60% tests + 40% owners

Owners 76 · 5 reviews analysed Road tests 66 · 5 tests

How scores work

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The Hankook Winter i pike RS2 is widely praised by users as an exceptional value-focused winter tire that delivers impressive grip and predictable handling on snow and ice. Reviewers consistently highlight its reliability in harsh Nordic conditions, strong stud retention over multiple seasons, and surprising comfort during normal day-to-day driving.

Owners rate it 10.2 points higher 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

76/100

From 5 owner reviews analysed, scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70.

Would buy again 96%

Dry

Overall dry

73.6

Corner stability

80.7

Dry traction

80.7

Steering response

80.7

Wet

Overall wet

78.4

Wet traction

78.6

Snow & ice

Overall snow & ice

76.9

Comfort

Overall comfort

75.1

Treadwear

Overall treadwear

74.8

Handling

Overall handling

78.9

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By road tests

66/100

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

Dry

49.4

Wet

70.9

Snow

75.7

Comfort

80.6

Noise

55.4

By discipline (% of best in test)

Dry Braking

37.8%

Subj. Dry Handling

71.7%

Wet Braking

49.1%

Subj. Wet Handling

61.9%

Wet Handling

64.6%

Straight Aquaplaning

100%

Snow Braking

56.8%

Snow Handling

51.2%

Subj. Snow Handling

66.7%

Snow Traction

47.3%

Ice Braking

50.6%

Ice Handling

51.2%

Subj. Ice Handling

85.7%

Ice Traction

63.1%

Inside Noise level

23.8%

Rolling Resistance

71.4%

What owners like and dislike

Themes extracted from 5 owner reviews found online.

Pros

Exceptional traction and braking on snow and ice
Strong side grip and predictable cornering limits
High durability with secure stud retention over multiple years
Surprising ride comfort and low noise levels for a winter tire
Excellent overall value compared to tier-one competitors

Cons

Poor steering feedback on dry tarmac
Noticeable understeer in dry road conditions

Worth knowing

Long-term reviewers across multiple winter seasons note that the rubber compound remains malleable and soft over years of use.
Users handling high-powered vehicles (e.g., 250 horsepower) report confident handling and stability.

5 published test appearances

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

2023 Studded tire Test · 225/45 R17

6th of 8

Best: Rolling Resistance · 2nd Weakest: Snow Traction · 8th

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Handling	5th of 8
Snow Traction	8th of 8
Snow Handling	6th of 8
Ice Handling	6th of 8
Rolling Resistance	2nd of 8
Straight Aqua	3rd of 8
Subj. Dry Handling	6th of 8
Subj. Comfort	2nd of 8
Noise	3rd of 8
Ice Traction	4th of 8

Source: Vi Bilägare

2021 Studless and Studded Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16

13th of 16

Best: Snow Braking · 2nd Weakest: Dry Braking · 16th

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Braking	11th of 16
Wet Handling	3rd of 16
Dry Braking	16th of 16
Snow Braking	2nd of 16
Snow Traction	8th of 16
Snow Handling	14th of 16
Ice Braking	5th of 16
Ice Handling	4th of 16
Ice Traction	7th of 16
Subj. Noise	14th of 16
Price	5th of 16

2020 Studded Winter tire Test · 205/60 R16

4th of 8

Best: Fuel Consumption · 2nd Weakest: Snow Traction · 6th

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Handling	5th of 8
Snow Traction	6th of 8
Snow Handling	4th of 8
Ice Handling	4th of 8
Straight Aqua	4th of 8
Subj. Dry Handling	4th of 8
Ice Traction	3rd of 8
Subj. Noise	3rd of 8
Fuel Consumption	2nd of 8

Source: Vi Bilägare

2020 Nordic and Studded Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16

7th of 20

Best: Wet Braking · 4th Weakest: Subj. Noise · 17th

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Braking	4th of 20
Wet Handling	9th of 20
Dry Braking	14th of 20
Snow Braking	7th of 20
Snow Traction	10th of 20
Snow Handling	11th of 20
Ice Braking	6th of 20
Ice Handling	11th of 20
Ice Traction	6th of 20
Subj. Noise	17th of 20

2019 Studded Winter tire Test · 225/50 R17

5th of 8

Best: Straight Aqua · 1st Weakest: Wet Braking · 8th

Discipline	Placement	Field position
Wet Braking	8th of 8
Wet Handling	4th of 8
Dry Braking	6th of 8
Snow Braking	6th of 8
Snow Traction	6th of 8
Snow Handling	5th of 8
Ice Braking	7th of 8
Ice Handling	5th of 8
Straight Aqua	1st of 8
Subj. Dry Handling	5th of 8
Ice Traction	5th of 8