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Head-to-head Updated May 2026

Hankook Icebear W440 vs Toyo NanoEnergy 2 — Compared (May 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.

Tire A Hankook

Hankook Icebear W440

Winter Touring tires

Hankook Icebear W440 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
83/100
5 owner reviews
Dry
82
Wet
86
Comfort
88
Treadwear
82
Handling
78

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Toyo

Toyo NanoEnergy 2

Summer Premium Touring tires

Toyo NanoEnergy 2 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
60/100
5 owner reviews
Dry
68
Wet
44
Comfort
64
Treadwear
68
Handling
60

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Hankook Icebear W440 — better wet, comfort and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
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Category breakdown

5 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

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Icebear W440 leads by 14
A — Hankook Icebear W440
82
B — Toyo NanoEnergy 2
68
Why this score
SourceIcebear W440NanoEnergy 2
Tyre Reviews owners 82 68

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Icebear W440 leads by 42
A — Hankook Icebear W440
86
B — Toyo NanoEnergy 2
44
Why this score
SourceIcebear W440NanoEnergy 2
Tyre Reviews owners 86 44

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Icebear W440 leads by 24
A — Hankook Icebear W440
88
B — Toyo NanoEnergy 2
64
Why this score
SourceIcebear W440NanoEnergy 2
Tyre Reviews owners 88 64

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Icebear W440 leads by 14
A — Hankook Icebear W440
82
B — Toyo NanoEnergy 2
68
Why this score
SourceIcebear W440NanoEnergy 2
Tyre Reviews owners 82 68

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Icebear W440 leads by 18
A — Hankook Icebear W440
78
B — Toyo NanoEnergy 2
60
Why this score
SourceIcebear W440NanoEnergy 2
Tyre Reviews owners 78 60

Scores at a glance

Hankook Icebear W440 vs Toyo NanoEnergy 2: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryHankook Icebear W440Toyo NanoEnergy 2
Relative Score 83 60
Dry 82 68
Wet 86 44
Comfort 88 64
Treadwear 82 68
Handling 78 60

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.

Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Hankook Icebear W440

The Hankook Icebear W440 is widely regarded as a high-value winter tire that offers impressive performance in snow and ice at a competitive price point. While some users note a necessary break-in period where the tires feel initially slippery, the consensus highlights a significant improvement in traction for rear-wheel-drive vehicles in challenging winter conditions.

Pros

  • Excellent traction and confidence on snow and ice
  • High value-for-money proposition compared to premium brands
  • Noticeable performance improvement for rear-wheel-drive vehicles
  • Reliable grip on ungritted and steep winter roads

Cons

  • Noticeable 'slippery' sensation during the initial 100-mile break-in period
  • Performance is strictly categorized as a budget-friendly option rather than a top-tier premium performer
  • Mixed feedback on overall refinement compared to more expensive alternatives

Observations

  • Users driving rear-wheel-drive platforms, such as the BMW 5 Series and Mazda Eunos, reported a transformative improvement in winter handling.
  • The tire is noted for providing sufficient dry and wet grip once the initial break-in phase is complete.
Tire B Toyo NanoEnergy 2

The Toyo NanoEnergy 2 receives highly polarized feedback, with users generally divided between those who appreciate its comfort and those who find its wet-weather performance dangerously inadequate. While some drivers report satisfactory dry-road handling and ride quality, a significant portion of the user base highlights poor traction and premature ABS intervention in wet conditions.

Pros

  • High level of ride comfort
  • Satisfactory dry-road grip for casual driving
  • Low noise levels
  • Good tread wear longevity

Cons

  • Poor wet-weather traction and braking performance
  • Tendency to squeal during cornering
  • Inconsistent handling compared to premium factory-fitted alternatives
  • Lack of driver confidence in adverse conditions

Observations

  • Users suggest the tire is best suited for small passenger cars rather than vehicles requiring high-performance handling.
  • Owners of compact hatchbacks, such as the Fiat Stilo, reported significant dissatisfaction with the tire's grip levels compared to original equipment tires.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Icebear W440 B · Toyo NanoEnergy 2
CategoryWinter Touring tiresSummer Premium Touring tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook

Toyo

Winner: Hankook Icebear W440 — better wet, comfort and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Icebear W440 scores 86 vs 44 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Icebear W440 scores 88 vs 64 on comfort.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Icebear W440 scores 78 vs 60 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Icebear W440 scores 82 vs 68 on dry.

Tire A · Hankook Icebear W440
Tire B · Toyo NanoEnergy 2

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.