27%
- Volkswagen Golf 7 GTI PP DSG
- 225/40 R18
- 7,000 miles
After a two years over 100mes speed comes hard wheel shaking, man in tyre service fined a problem, defect tyres and it’s difficult to balance wheels.
Firestone Winterhawk 4
Premium Touring Winter
Winter rated
Replaces the Winterhawk 3
A snow-leaning Central European winter tyre that feels reassuring in proper winter conditions and offers strong value, but gives away confidence and stopping power on dry roads compared with the best in class.
The Firestone Winterhawk 4 comes across as a genuine “winter conditions first” touring tyre. In snow it is repeatedly one of the highlights: traction and control are strong, with particularly convincing snow handling and dependable snow braking, which matches drivers' impressions of confident everyday winter performance and short stopping distances. Wet manners are generally respectable rather than class-leading; it can deliver very good wet braking on the right surfaces and tends to behave securely in wet handling, with aquaplaning resistance often judged above average.
The main compromise is on dry roads. Across many comparisons it suffers from long dry braking distances and a softer, less precise steering/handling feel that can require more correction, which drags down overall test placings despite its winter strengths. Owners are mostly happy with refinement and value, but a small sample also flags occasional practical niggles such as wheel balancing/vibration and some noise increasing into a second season. It suits drivers who prioritise snow capability and good all-round winter reassurance for the money, and who can accept that crisp, confidence-inspiring dry-road performance is not its strong point.
The quick answer
Strengths & weaknesses
Wet, Snow
Value, Dry
Relative to its rivals across every test we hold
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tyre - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated October 2026.
- 6owner reviews
- 25,300miles driven
- 21professional tests
All Tests
View Test ResultsTested 21 times by independent publications, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 averages a finish of 11th.
21
Tests
0
Test Wins
11th
Average
5th
Best
20th
Worst
Finishing position in each test
The latest test
2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test P16 of 20
The Firestone Winterhawk 4 shares 16th place with a 'satisfactory' verdict. It is dependable on snow but weak in the wet and on dry roads.
| Year | Test | Result | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre TestAuto Bild · 245/45 R19 | P16 / 20 | |
| 2026 | 2026 Winter Tyre Braking Test - 50 SetsAuto Bild · 245/45 R19 | P19 / 50 | |
| 2025 | 2025 Autobild Winter Tyre TestAuto Bild · 225/40 R18 | P16 / 20 | |
| 2025 | 2025 Winter Tyre Braking Test - 52 Sets!Auto Bild · 225/40 R18 | P7 / 51 | |
| 2025 | 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre TestADAC · 225/40 R18 | P17 / 31 | |
| 2024 | 2024 Auto Bild Winter Tyre TestAuto Bild · 205/55 R16 | P18 / 20 | |
| 2024 | 2024 ADAC 17 inch Winter Tyre TestADAC · 215/55 R17 | P10 / 16 | |
| 2024 | 2024 Winter 55 Tyre Braking TestAuto Bild · 205/55 R16 | P10 / 55 | |
| 2023 | 2023 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre TestAuto Bild Allrad · 225/60 R18 | P9 / 10 | |
| 2023 | 2023 Auto Bild Winter Tyre TestAuto Bild · 225/45 R18 | P20 / 20 | |
| 2023 | 2023 ADAC 16 Inch Tyre TestADAC · 205/60 R16 | P7 / 16 | |
| 2023 | 2023 Winter Tyre Test 54 Set Braking TestAuto Bild · 225/45 R18 | P6 / 54 | |
| 2022 | 2022 Auto Bild Winter Tyre TestAuto Bild · 215/55 R17 | P16 / 20 | |
| 2022 | 2022 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre TestAuto Bild Allrad · 225/45 R19 | P6 / 10 | |
| 2022 | 2022 Winter Tyre Market OverviewAuto Bild · 215/55 R17 | P14 / 56 | |
| 2022 | 2022 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15ADAC · 185/65 R15 | P9 / 15 | |
| 2022 | 2022 AMS Winter Tyre TestAuto Motor Und Sport · 245/45 R19 | P5 / 8 | |
| 2021 | 2021 AZ SUV Winter Tyre TestAuto Zeitung · 235/55 R18 | P5 / 10 | |
| 2021 | 2021 Auto Bild Winter Tyre TestAuto Bild · 205/55 R16 | P10 / 20 | |
| 2021 | 2021 ADAC 17 Inch Winter Tyre TestADAC · 225/50 R17 | P12 / 18 | |
| 2021 | 2021 Winter Tyre Market OverviewAuto Bild · 205/55 R16 | P5 / 50 |
On the full record: Record by disciplineHead-to-head recordEvery published verdict
Alternative Tyres
View AllRunning Costs
View TestIn 245/45 R19, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 is projected to cost €17.04 per 1,000 km to buy and run - about €682 over 40,000 km - based on the price, wear and rolling resistance measured in the 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test.
Firestone Winterhawk 4€17.04
Dimensions & Label Scores
View AllSize Range83 sizes available
155-275Width35-70Profile14-20Rim79-112 T-WLoad/
EU LabelAcross 83 sizes - the grade depends on the size you buy.
Fuel
A
B
C48%
D52%
E
Wet
A
B100%
C
D
E
Noise
71dB B
3PMSF on every size
Frequently Asked Questions
How good is the Firestone Winterhawk 4 in the wet?
Across the 19 wet-braking tests it has featured in, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 stops 1.4% longer than premium rivals, 3.4% shorter than mid-range rivals and 9.7% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews wet score of 86/100, and owners rate it 7.3/10 in the wet from 6 reviews.
How good is the Firestone Winterhawk 4 in the dry?
Across the 13 dry-braking tests it has featured in, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 stops 4.6% longer than premium rivals, 3.3% longer than mid-range rivals and 6% longer than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews dry score of 18/100, and owners rate it 7.3/10 in the dry from 6 reviews.
How good is the Firestone Winterhawk 4 in the snow?
Across the 19 snow-braking tests it has featured in, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 stops 1% longer than premium rivals, 0.5% shorter than mid-range rivals and 12.8% shorter than budget rivals. Across the 13 snow-traction tests, it is 0.2% worse than premium rivals, 2.3% better than mid-range rivals and 30.3% better than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews snow score of 69/100, and owners rate it 7.5/10 in the snow from 6 reviews.
How good is the Firestone Winterhawk 4 on ice?
Across the 3 ice-braking tests it has featured in, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 stops 0.4% shorter than premium rivals, 3.3% shorter than mid-range rivals and 7.7% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews ice score of 54/100, and owners rate it 6.8/10 on ice from 6 reviews.
How fuel efficient is the Firestone Winterhawk 4?
Across the 10 tests measuring rolling resistance, the Firestone Winterhawk 4's rolling resistance is 1.4% higher than premium rivals, 2.1% lower than mid-range rivals and 1.5% higher than budget rivals.
More questions about the Firestone Winterhawk 4 (9)
How many miles does the Firestone Winterhawk 4 last?
Based on test and owner data, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 is expected to last around 25,367 miles (40,824 km).
What do owners say about the Firestone Winterhawk 4?
Across 6 owner ratings the Firestone Winterhawk 4 averages 69%. Owners rate Comfort highest at 7.7 out of 10 and Handling lowest at 5.5. 60% of owners score it 70% or better.
How much does the Firestone Winterhawk 4 cost to run?
In 245/45 R19, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 is projected to cost €17.04 per 1,000 km to buy and run - about €682 over 40,000 km - based on the price, wear and rolling resistance measured in the 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test. The cheapest to run in that test is the Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4, at €16.30.
What is the Firestone Winterhawk 4's EU tyre label rating?
Across its range, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 most commonly carries EU label ratings of D for fuel efficiency, B for wet grip and 71 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Firestone Winterhawk 4?
Owners rate the Firestone Winterhawk 4 7.7 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 5 reviews.
How well do the Firestone Winterhawk 4 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Firestone Winterhawk 4 7.6 out of 10 for wear across 5 reviews.
Would owners buy the Firestone Winterhawk 4 again?
67% of owners say they would buy the Firestone Winterhawk 4 again, based on the 6 owner reviews that answered the question. 33% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What does the Firestone Winterhawk 4 replace?
The Firestone Winterhawk 4 is the successor to the Firestone Winterhawk 3 in Firestone's range.
What sizes does the Firestone Winterhawk 4 come in?
The Firestone Winterhawk 4 is available in 101 sizes, ranging from 155-275/35-70 R14-20.
Owner Questions
Ask a questionQuestions and Answers for the Firestone Winterhawk 4
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Firestone Winterhawk 4 Owner Reviews
Review this tyreWhat owners say summarised from 5 reviews
Drivers generally rate the Firestone Winterhawk 4 highly for everyday winter use, with strong confidence in snow and rain, short braking distances, and reassuring all-round performance. Many highlight its good value versus premium brands, along with a quiet, comfortable ride and responsive feel. Overall satisfaction is high across the majority of reviews.
Owners praise
- Strong snow performance
- Good wet grip and braking
- Quiet and comfortable ride
- Good value for money
- Responsive handling
Owner ratings averaged from 6 ratings
- Owner score 69%
- Comfort 77%
- Wear 76%
- Snow Grip 75%
- Dry Grip 73%
- Wet Grip 73%
- Ice Grip 68%
- Road Feedback 62%
- Handling 55%
All 5 Firestone Winterhawk 4 reviews
Score spread across 5 written reviews
64%
- 255/45 R20
- 5,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Easy Going
I bought these in 2024 and till the last moment was debating whether to get the Bridgestone Blizzak. Ultimately decided to cheap out 30EUR per tyre and get these as they were presented to me as built where Bridgestone is, the same as Bridgestone when it comes to performance, but cheaper because of the brand.
So I got them mounted and was super happy with them on their first season. Comfortable, super quiet, relatively numb on the steering (normal coming down from Conti Sport Contact 7 I guess) and I would say the only weak point was aquaplaning, but that was something I could live with it and to be honest, all winter tyres suffer here.
However, to my enormous surprise, as soon as I put them back on for their 2nd season and oh was I in for a surprise. As soon as I got up to around 90km/h, the noise in close to untolerable. On top, at around 90km/h I start feeling a slight pulsating vibration, which wasn't there on my way to the tire shop with the summer tyres.
I brought the car back on the next weekend and turns out there is a radial runout on one of the tyres that won't be covered by warranty. About the noise which sounds like I've got a bad wheel bearing, they said is normal for winter tyres....
Just to clarify, I've kept the tyres in an underground parking garage where temperature is between 9 and 15 degrees Celsius, kept them as tyres should be kept when NOT on wheels and rotated them every 30 days, even though this is not strictly necessary.
So pretty dissapointed with them.
So I got them mounted and was super happy with them on their first season. Comfortable, super quiet, relatively numb on the steering (normal coming down from Conti Sport Contact 7 I guess) and I would say the only weak point was aquaplaning, but that was something I could live with it and to be honest, all winter tyres suffer here.
However, to my enormous surprise, as soon as I put them back on for their 2nd season and oh was I in for a surprise. As soon as I got up to around 90km/h, the noise in close to untolerable. On top, at around 90km/h I start feeling a slight pulsating vibration, which wasn't there on my way to the tire shop with the summer tyres.
I brought the car back on the next weekend and turns out there is a radial runout on one of the tyres that won't be covered by warranty. About the noise which sounds like I've got a bad wheel bearing, they said is normal for winter tyres....
Just to clarify, I've kept the tyres in an underground parking garage where temperature is between 9 and 15 degrees Celsius, kept them as tyres should be kept when NOT on wheels and rotated them every 30 days, even though this is not strictly necessary.
So pretty dissapointed with them.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
82%
- Volkswagen Bora
- 195/65 R15
- 4,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Average
Very good tyre in all conditions recommend it
Which tyres do you drive?
Researching the Firestone Winterhawk 4? Rate the tyres you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
90%
- Mercedes Benz ML350
- 255/50 R19
- 5,000 miles
- Mostly Motorways
- Average
5000 km so far , very happy on them
92%
- BMW 118d
- 205/55 R16
- 1,800 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Average
I bought 4 brand new tyres in November 2020 and this review is after 3000km. I'm pretty happy with them. The price was pretty good in comparison with Bridgestone and Michelin. Although I try to skip as much icy roads as possible, in rain or snow they perform well. I tried them even in a snowy mountain and everything was alright. Braking path is fairly short no matter the weather. No road noises, good responsiveness and they feel pretty reliable. For a budget tyre, this is a really good value for money.
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