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Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi32 Test Results

Tested 2021 to 2026 3 publications

Tested 4 times by independent publications, the Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi32 averages a finish of 7th.

  • 4Independent tests
  • 0Test wins
  • 0Podium finishes
  • 7thAverage finish
  • 14%Field beaten on average
  • 3Publications
Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi32

4 tests, 2021 to 2026

0%50%100%202120252026Average 14%2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test (2021): P8 of 9 (Studded Winter Tyres), Beat 13% of the field2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test (2025): P7 of 7 (Studded Winter Tyres), Beat 0% of the field2025 Studded, Friction and European Winter Tyre Test (2025): P6 of 8 (Studded Winter Tyres), Beat 29% of the field2026 Vi Bilagare Studded Tyre Test (2026): P7 of 8, Beat 14% of the field
Share of the field beaten in each test, oldest to newest. Hover or tap a point for the test.
  • Test win
  • Second
  • Third
  • Average 14%
The latest test

2026 Vi Bilagare Studded Tyre Test P7 of 8

The Kumho WinterCraft Ice finishes last. The pattern was updated a few years ago but that appears to apply to only a limited number of sizes, and in this test size it combines low stud protrusion with the hardest compound in the field, which is a poor recipe for a studded tyre. It is competent on dry asphalt and cheap to run, but a studded tyre is bought for ice, and here it cannot deliver.

Strong: Fuel Consumption Weak: Wet Braking, Wet Handling, Straight Aqua, Snow Handling, Ice Braking, Ice Traction, Ice Handling, Noise Winner: Nokian Hakkapeliitta 01

Record by discipline

Where the Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi32 finished in each measured discipline, across every test that measured it against at least two other tyres. Field beaten is the share of the other tyres it outranked in that measurement.

Discipline Tests Avg finish Field beaten Firsts
Dry
Dry Braking 3 P5.7 of 8 34% -
Subj. Dry Handling 2 P5 of 7.5 36% -
Wet
Wet Braking 3 P7.3 of 8 9% -
Wet Handling 3 P8 of 8 0% -
Subj. Wet Handling 2 P6.5 of 7.5 14% -
Straight Aqua 2 P7 of 8 14% -
Snow
Snow Braking 3 P7 of 8 14% -
Snow Traction 3 P5 of 8 43% -
Snow Handling 2 P6.5 of 8.5 25% -
Subj. Snow Handling 1 P6 of 8 29% -
Ice
Ice Braking 3 P6 of 8 32% -
Ice Traction 3 P6 of 8 32% -
Ice Handling 2 P6 of 8.5 31% -
Subj. Ice Handling 1 P3 of 8 71% -
Comfort
Subj. Comfort 1 P8 of 8 0% -
Subj. Noise 3 P5.3 of 8 43% 1
Noise 1 P7 of 8 14% -
Value
Fuel Consumption 2 P2 of 8 86% 1

Head-to-head record

Overall finishing position against the tyres that have most often shared a test with the Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi32. Only tyres tested alongside it at least three times are listed.

Rival Shared tests Ahead Behind Level Finished ahead
Pirelli Ice Zero 2 4 shared: 0 ahead, 4 behind 4 0 4 - 0%
Goodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2 4 shared: 0 ahead, 4 behind 4 0 4 - 0%
Michelin X Ice North 4 4 shared: 0 ahead, 4 behind Compare with X Ice North 4 4 0 4 - 0%
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 3 shared: 0 ahead, 3 behind 3 0 3 - 0%
Continental IceContact 3 3 shared: 0 ahead, 3 behind 3 0 3 - 0%

Against its own line

The same record for the tyre it replaced and the tyre that replaced it.

Tyre Tests Wins Avg finish Field beaten
Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi31 Predecessor 0 - - -
Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi32 This tyre 4 0 7th 14%

Performance Analysis

Drawn from 4 tests. Updated October 28, 2026.

The Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi32 usually finishes near the back of its studded winter field, with wet-road performance and noise recurring concerns. Wet handling was last among nine studded tyres in the 2021 Teknikens Varld test, last of seven in the 2025 Tekniikan Maailma test and last of eight in the 2026 Vi Bilagare test. Wet braking was also weak, including 40.8m and last in its class in the 2025 Finnish comparison.

Ice results vary unusually widely. In 205/55 R16, Tekniikan Maailma 2025 recorded second of seven for ice braking and traction, but Vi Bilagare 2026, in 215/65 R17, found it last for ice braking, traction and handling, with the stopping distance 113.1% longer than best. Noise also has an unusual exception: it led its class on the subjective rating in the Finnish 2025 test, despite noise criticism in the other three comparisons. Comfort was last in its studded class in Teknikens Varld 2025. Dry-road stability and efficiency were better in Vi Bilagare 2026, including the lowest fuel consumption, but the testers criticised abrupt breakaway on snow. Different sizes and tests give sharply different ice and refinement results, while wet weaknesses are more consistent.

Performance Strengths

  • Ice grip Minor in 3 of 4 tests
    Details
    • Second of seven studded tyres for ice braking and traction, 2025 Tekniikan Maailma, 205/55 R16
    • Third of eight in class for subjective ice handling, 2025 Teknikens Varld
    • Last of eight for all three ice disciplines, 2026 Vi Bilagare, 215/65 R17, contradicts those stronger results
  • Rolling resistance Moderate in 1 of 4 tests
    Details
    • Lowest fuel consumption, 6.165l/100km, 2026 Vi Bilagare
    • Third of eight in class for fuel consumption, 2025 Teknikens Varld

Performance Weaknesses

Every test, newest first 4

Strong = top two of the field in that measurement. Weak = bottom two.

2026 1 test
P7 of 8 Beat 14% of the field

2026 Vi Bilagare Studded Tyre Test

Vi Bilagare 215/65 R17

The Kumho WinterCraft Ice finishes last. The pattern was updated a few years ago but that appears to apply to only a limited number of sizes, and in this test size it combines low stud protrusion with the hardest compound in the field, which is a poor recipe for a studded tyre. It is competent on dry asphalt and cheap to run, but a studded tyre is bought for ice, and here it cannot deliver.

StrongFuel Consumption WeakWet BrakingWet HandlingStraight AquaSnow HandlingIce BrakingIce TractionIce HandlingNoise WinnerNokian Hakkapeliitta 01

2025 2 tests
P6 of 8 Studded Winter Tyres Beat 29% of the field

2025 Studded, Friction and European Winter Tyre Test

Teknikens Varld 235/45 R18

The Kumho WinterCraft ice Wi32 absolutely destroys any notion of comfort with brutally high and distinctive noise levels - the stud noise is so loud and characteristic that it resembles an airplane propeller engine, suddenly making the Volvo V60 test car remarkably uncomfortable. When switched to Nordic friction Michelin X-Ice Snow afterward, nearly all road noise vanishes and the car suddenly becomes remarkably quiet, highlighting just how extreme Kumho's noise problem is. Beyond the noise disaster, Kumho also negatively affects how the car behaves on the road - the V60 becomes choppy, loses its fine directional stability, and during mild cornering, the tyre makes the car disturbingly unpredictable in its reactions. While it manages decent ice grip when pointing straight ahead, this is completely overshadowed by the comfort catastrophe. Even with a significantly lower price than competitors, the appalling noise levels and poor road manners make this tyre impossible to recommend. It represents everything that gives studded tyres a bad reputation, taken to an extreme that's simply unacceptable for modern motoring.

WeakStraight AquaSubj. Comfort WinnerGoodyear UltraGrip Arctic 2

P7 of 7 Studded Winter Tyres Beat 0% of the field

2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test

Tekniikan Maailma 205/55 R16

The Kumho WinterCraft ice Wi32 has excellent grip for braking and accelerating on ice, though its cornering grip is weaker. It tends to understeer in fast situations but remains easy to control, and its behavior on snow is calm despite an imprecise steering feel. On asphalt, its characteristics are mediocre, and control becomes difficult during evasive maneuvers as the front tyres are prone to losing grip easily in both wet and dry conditions.

StrongIce BrakingIce TractionSubj. Noise WeakSubj. Dry HandlingWet BrakingWet HandlingSubj. Wet HandlingSnow Braking WinnerNokian Hakkapeliitta 10

2021 1 test
P8 of 9 Studded Winter Tyres Beat 13% of the field

2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test

Teknikens Varld 205/55 R16

WeakDry BrakingWet BrakingWet HandlingSnow BrakingIce BrakingIce TractionSubj. Noise WinnerNokian Hakkapeliitta 10

Back to the Kumho WinterCraft Ice Wi32 overview

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