73
/ 100
Objective (60%)
71/100
3 professional tests
User signal (40%)
68/100
8 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated September 2026
Firestone Winterhawk 3 vs Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV — Compared (September 2026)
Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.
VS
87
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
88/100
29 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV — better wet, comfort and snow. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Read full
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Category breakdown
7 categories, side by side
Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.
Dry
Score (0–100)
Winguard Sport 2 SUV leads by 11
Why this score
| Source | Winterhawk 3 | Winguard Sport 2 SUV |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 83 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 78 | 85 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Winguard Sport 2 SUV leads by 26
Why this score
| Source | Winterhawk 3 | Winguard Sport 2 SUV |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 62 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 69 | 83 |
Snow
Score (0–100)
Winguard Sport 2 SUV leads by 15
Why this score
| Source | Winterhawk 3 | Winguard Sport 2 SUV |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 83 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 60 | 88 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Winguard Sport 2 SUV leads by 19
Why this score
| Source | Winterhawk 3 | Winguard Sport 2 SUV |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 73 | 90 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Winguard Sport 2 SUV leads by 7
Why this score
| Source | Winterhawk 3 | Winguard Sport 2 SUV |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 78 | – |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Winguard Sport 2 SUV leads by 11
Why this score
| Source | Winterhawk 3 | Winguard Sport 2 SUV |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 75 | 75 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Winguard Sport 2 SUV leads by 7
Why this score
| Source | Winterhawk 3 | Winguard Sport 2 SUV |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 68 | 75 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Firestone Winterhawk 3 | Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 73 | 87 |
| Dry | 81 | 92 |
| Wet | 65 | 91 |
| Snow | 74 | 89 |
| Comfort | 73 | 92 |
| Noise | 78 | 85 |
| Treadwear | 75 | 86 |
| Handling | 68 | 75 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
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Recomputed
Headline score
73
/ 100
Tire A
87
/ 100
Tire B
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
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
Observations
- 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.
The Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV is widely regarded as a high-value winter tire that offers a compelling balance of comfort, wet-weather performance, and snow traction. While most users praise its quiet ride and affordability compared to premium competitors, a small subset of users reports inconsistent traction in severe winter conditions.
Pros
- Excellent price-to-performance ratio
- Superior ride comfort and low road noise
- Strong traction in wet and slushy conditions
- Reliable performance in light to moderate snow
- Good tread longevity for a winter-compound tire
Cons
- Handling can feel 'soft' or less precise during spirited cornering
- Performance may decline as the tire ages over several seasons
- Polarizing traction results in extreme ice or deep snow for some users
- Potential for uneven tread wear reported by some owners
Observations
- BMW owners (550i, 128, X5) frequently report the tire as a comfortable, quieter alternative to premium brands like Blizzaks.
- Performance-oriented vehicles (WRX, Lancer Ralliart) note the tire provides significant improvements over summer tires in cold climates, though some find the sidewall too soft for aggressive driving.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Firestone Winterhawk 3 | B · Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter Touring tires | Winter Ultra High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
73
/ 100
Firestone
87
/ 100
Nexen
Winner: Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV — better wet, comfort and snow. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV scores 91 vs 65 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV scores 92 vs 73 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV scores 89 vs 74 on snow.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV scores 92 vs 81 on dry.
Tire A · Firestone Winterhawk 3
Tire B · Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV
More comparisons
Also compared with
Firestone Winterhawk 3 also compared with
Nexen Winguard Sport 2 SUV also compared with
How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.