78
/ 100
Objective (60%)
73/100
2 professional tests
User signal (40%)
78/100
15 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated September 2026
Kumho Winter Craft WP51 vs Riken Snow — 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
76
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
77/100
7 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Kumho Winter Craft WP51 — better comfort and dry. Pick the Riken Snow if snow and treadwear matter most to you.
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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)
Winter Craft WP51 leads by 8
Why this score
| Source | Winter Craft WP51 | Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 94 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 77 | 79 |
Wet
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | Winter Craft WP51 | Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 74 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 74 | 74 |
Snow
Score (0–100)
Snow leads by 6
Why this score
| Source | Winter Craft WP51 | Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 68 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 90 | 83 |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
Winter Craft WP51 leads by 17
Why this score
| Source | Winter Craft WP51 | Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 84 | 67 |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | Winter Craft WP51 | Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 100 | – |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Snow leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | Winter Craft WP51 | Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 79 | 83 |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Winter Craft WP51 leads by 2
Why this score
| Source | Winter Craft WP51 | Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 71 | 69 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Kumho Winter Craft WP51 | Riken Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 78 | 76 |
| Dry | 87 | 79 |
| Wet | 74 | 74 |
| Snow | 77 | 83 |
| Comfort | 84 | 67 |
| Noise | 100 | – |
| Treadwear | 79 | 83 |
| Handling | 71 | 69 |
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
78
/ 100
Tire A
76
/ 100
Tire B
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
The Kumho Winter Craft WP51 is widely regarded as a high-value winter tire that excels in deep snow and icy conditions, often outperforming more expensive competitors in severe weather. While users consistently praise its winter traction and affordability, some report compromises in dry-road handling, wet-weather braking, and increased cabin noise.
Pros
- Exceptional traction and reliability in deep snow and slush
- High price-to-performance ratio compared to premium brands
- Solid durability and tread life for the price point
- Effective performance on icy surfaces
Cons
- Noticeable increase in road noise
- Mediocre wet-weather braking and traction
- Lack of steering feedback and stability on dry pavement
- Potential for tread block squirm during steering inputs
Observations
- Drivers of smaller, lighter vehicles (e.g., Yaris, Mazda 3) report high satisfaction with snow climbing capabilities.
- Owners of heavier or higher-performance vehicles (e.g., Audi A4/A6, Mercedes E220D) noted concerns regarding wet-weather traction and handling precision.
- Some users observed a 15-20% increase in fuel consumption, likely due to the tire's aggressive winter tread compound.
The Riken Snow is widely regarded as a high-value winter tire that punches above its weight class, offering impressive traction in snow and ice. While it is a budget-friendly option, users consistently praise its reliability and performance, noting that it remains a competent choice for both city driving and challenging winter conditions.
Pros
- Exceptional traction and reliability in deep snow, ice, and mud.
- Excellent value for money compared to premium-tier competitors.
- Surprisingly quiet road noise levels for a winter-specific tread pattern.
- Solid dry road handling and grip characteristics.
Cons
- Noticeable reduction in wet braking performance during spirited driving.
- Tendency for ABS intervention under harder braking conditions on wet surfaces.
- Positioned as a budget-tier product, which may lack the ultimate refinement of top-tier brands.
Observations
- Users report strong performance on lighter passenger vehicles like the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Fiat Grande Punto.
- The tire is noted for its durability and effective tread wear on utility-focused vehicles like the Corsa van.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Kumho Winter Craft WP51 | B · Riken Snow |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter Premium Touring tires | Winter High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
78
/ 100
Kumho
76
/ 100
Riken
Winner: Kumho Winter Craft WP51 — better comfort and dry. Pick the Riken Snow if snow and treadwear matter most to you.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Kumho Winter Craft WP51 scores 84 vs 67 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Kumho Winter Craft WP51 scores 87 vs 79 on dry.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Riken Snow scores 83 vs 77 on snow.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Riken Snow scores 83 vs 79 on treadwear.
Tire A · Kumho Winter Craft WP51
Tire B · Riken Snow
More comparisons
Also compared with
Kumho Winter Craft WP51 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.