Hankook Winter i pike RS2 vs Michelin X Ice North 4
The big storyline: Michelin dominates ice and snow traction and brakes markedly shorter on ice, while Hankook is repeatedly stronger in the wet and resists aquaplaning better. Dry behaviour and refinement tilt toward Michelin's steering precision, but Hankook often runs quieter in instrumented noise and offers lower price and rolling resistance. Which is better depends on how often you face glassy ice versus slushy, rainy winter commutes.
Test Results
Independent comparison tyre tests are the best source of data to get tyre information from, and the good news is there have been five tests which compare both tyres directly!
| Tyre | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Michelin X Ice North 4 | five |
While it might look like the Michelin X Ice North 4 is better than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 purely based on the higher number of test wins, tyres are very complicated objects which means where one tyre is better than the other can be more important in real world use.
Let's look at how the two tyres compare across multiple tyre test categories.
Key Strengths
- Class-leading wet braking and consistently faster wet handling
- Excellent aquaplaning resistance (higher straight-aqua speeds)
- Lower price and generally lower rolling resistance
- Acceptable noise levels with good comfort for a studded tyre
- Dominant ice performance (shorter ice braking by up to ~18-26% in tests)
- Strong snow traction and handling with stable, predictable balance
- Better dry steering precision and subjective handling
- Low wear and refined stud behavior; often among quietest studded options
Dry Braking
Looking at data from five tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during four dry braking tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 stopped the vehicle in 2.25% less distance than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2.
Best In Dry Braking: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Subj. Dry Handling
Looking at data from four tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during three subj. dry handling tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 scored 30.43% more points than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2.
Best In Subj. Dry Handling: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Subj. Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from five tyre tests, the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 was better during three wet braking tests. On average the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 stopped the vehicle in 1.81% less distance than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Wet Braking: Hankook Winter i pike RS2
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [s]
Looking at data from five tyre tests, the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 was better during five wet handling [s] tests. On average the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 was 1.74% faster around a wet lap than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Wet Handling [s]: Hankook Winter i pike RS2
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Wet Handling
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 and Michelin X Ice North 4 performed equally well in subj. wet handling tests.
Best In Subj. Wet Handling: Both tyres performed equally well
See how the Subj. Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Straight Aqua
Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 was better during three straight aqua tests. On average the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 floated at a 4.67% higher speed than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Straight Aqua: Hankook Winter i pike RS2
See how the Straight Aqua winner was calculated >>
Snow Braking
Looking at data from five tyre tests, the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 was better during two snow braking tests. On average the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 stopped the vehicle in 0.24% less distance than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Snow Braking: Hankook Winter i pike RS2
See how the Snow Braking winner was calculated >>
Snow Traction
Looking at data from five tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during four snow traction tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 accelerated 1.61% faster than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2.
Best In Snow Traction: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Snow Traction winner was calculated >>
Snow Handling [s]
Looking at data from five tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during four snow handling [s] tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 was 1.11% faster around a lap than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2.
Best In Snow Handling [s]: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Snow Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Snow Handling
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during one subj. snow handling tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 scored 11.11% more points than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2.
Best In Subj. Snow Handling: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Subj. Snow Handling winner was calculated >>
Ice Braking
Looking at data from five tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during five ice braking tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 stopped the vehicle 9.62% shorter than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2.
Best In Ice Braking: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Ice Braking winner was calculated >>
Ice Traction
Looking at data from five tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during five ice traction tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 accelerated 9.32% faster than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2.
Best In Ice Traction: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Ice Traction winner was calculated >>
Ice Handling [s]
Looking at data from five tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during five ice handling [s] tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 was 4.82% faster around a lap than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2.
Best In Ice Handling [s]: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Ice Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Ice Handling
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during one subj. ice handling tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 scored 20% more points than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2.
Best In Subj. Ice Handling: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Subj. Ice Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Comfort
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 was better during one subj. comfort tests. On average the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 scored 25% more points than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Subj. Comfort: Hankook Winter i pike RS2
See how the Subj. Comfort winner was calculated >>
Subj. Noise
Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during two subj. noise tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 scored 16.67% more points than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2.
Best In Subj. Noise: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Subj. Noise winner was calculated >>
Noise
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 was better during one noise tests. On average the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 measured 0.53% quieter than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Noise: Hankook Winter i pike RS2
See how the Noise winner was calculated >>
Price
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 was better during two price tests. On average the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 cost 24.54% less than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Price: Hankook Winter i pike RS2
See how the Price winner was calculated >>
Rolling Resistance
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 was better during two rolling resistance tests. On average the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 had a 16.92% lower rolling resistance than the Michelin X Ice North 4.
Best In Rolling Resistance: Hankook Winter i pike RS2
See how the Rolling Resistance winner was calculated >>
Fuel Consumption
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin X Ice North 4 was better during one fuel consumption tests. On average the Michelin X Ice North 4 used 0.18% less fuel than the Hankook Winter i pike RS2.
Best In Fuel Consumption: Michelin X Ice North 4
See how the Fuel Consumption winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Tyre Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 and Michelin X Ice North 4.
In total the Hankook Winter i pike RS2 has been reviewed 5 times and drivers have given the tyre 83% overall.
The Michelin X Ice North 4 has been reviewed 10 times and drivers have given the tyre 84% overall.
This means in real world driving, people prefer the Michelin X Ice North 4.
-Day to day driving in at normal conditions, feels pretty much the same as driving at summer. Even while having 250 horses front the front wheels, I don't really find any trouble on accelerating harder.... Continue reading this review using the link below
Conclusion
Hankook Winter i*pike RS2 counters with best-in-test wet braking on multiple occasions, quicker wet handling, and notably better straight-line aquaplaning resistance. It's also meaningfully cheaper (often ~20-30% less) and tends to roll easier, which helps running costs. The trade-off is weaker stability at the limit and longer stopping on ice.
If your winters mean frequent ice and packed snow, Michelin is the safer, more rounded choice. If you drive more in milder, wet/slushy conditions and value budget and economy, Hankook delivers strong real-world utility for less. The memorable takeaway: choose Michelin for ice confidence, choose Hankook for wet security and value.
Key Differences
- Ice braking/traction: Michelin wins all shared ice categories across tests, often by meaningful margins
- Snow capability: Michelin usually ahead in traction/handling; Hankook occasionally matches braking
- Wet performance: Hankook commonly stops shorter and laps quicker; better aquaplaning resistance
- Dry feel: Michelin earns higher subjective handling/steering scores; Hankook can feel vague
- Refinement: Instrumented noise sometimes favors Hankook, while subjective noise/comfort often favors Michelin
- Cost of ownership: Hankook is ~20-30% cheaper and typically has lower rolling resistance; Michelin may offer slightly better fuel result in one test
Overall Winner: Michelin X Ice North 4
Based on the tyre test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Michelin X Ice North 4 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tyre has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tyre buying choice.Similar Comparisons
Looking for more tyre comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tyres:
Hankook Winter i pike RS2 Top Comparisons
No other comparisons available for this tyre.
Footnote
This page has been developed using tyre industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tyres in the same test.
Why is this important? Tyre testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tyre test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tyre tests performed on different days or at different locations.
As a result you will see other tests on Tyre Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.
Lots of other websites do this sort of tyre comparison, Tyre Reviews doesn't.