All-season tires are a great compromise for year-round traction and performance. They offer good handling, cornering and braking performance, they resist hydroplaning on wet days, they usually have a quiet, forgiving ride, and deliver a long tread life. When it comes to nasty winter weather and deep snow or ice, though, most all-season tires just cannot get the job done. That’s where you can’t do without winter tires if you need to get where you’re going.

Winter tires have come a long way since the heavy, clunky, noisy “snow grips” that were on your grandpa’s Buick wagon a generation ago. Today’s winter tires use a combination of a rubber compound that stays flexible for traction at sub-freezing temperatures and a whole package of special tread features that boost traction on heavy snow, slush or ice. When it comes to winter tires, we feel that the Hankook Winter i* cept iZ2 (W616) is an outstanding choice and a strong, reliable performer.

So what is it about this tirethat makes it such a good option? Let’s break it down a little with this Hankook Winter i* cept iZ2 (W616) review.

Features and Benefits

The Winter i* cept iZ2 (W616) from Hankook is absolutely packed with next-generation features to enhance winter performance:

• Wider, more uniform footprint than all-season tires for better rubber-to-road contact
• Softer, more pliable rubber formulation stays flexible and supple at subfreezing temperatures for consistent performance
• Rubber compound enhanced with silica for improved wet or dry weather traction, shorter braking distances
• Reinforced sidewall and bead improve cornering on wet or dry pavement
• Stepped grooves prevent a buildup of snow in the tread while braking or accelerating on ice
• Spiral-shaped boosters aid in drainage of water and slush
• Directional V-shaped grooves and zigzag grooves enhance traction in snow or slush
• 3D sipes, Z-grip shoulder block and angled sharp-edge slits all help dig into snow and ice
• Directional tread with grooves that are 15-25% longer than all-season tires to optimize the effect of sipes in tread
• Tread pitch is computer tuned to keep road noise low and help cancel frequencies
• Backed by a 40,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty

Pros and Cons

The Hankook Winter i* cept iZ2 (W616) is such a great performer in winter weather, but it does present a couple of minor Cons to balance out the Pros:

PROS

• Low rolling resistance on snow, slush, ice
• Tenacious, dependable traction in severe winter conditions
• Three Peak Mountain Snowflake rated for winter service
• Shorter braking distances
• 40,000 mile tread life warranty

CONS

• A little clumsy on dry pavement
• Not pre-drilled for installation of studs for severe winter conditions
• Cannot be used when temperatures are consistently above 45 degrees Fahrenheit

SimpleTire’s view on Hankook Winter i*cept iZ2 (W616) tires

To be direct, we’d say that the Hankook Winter i* cept iZ2 (W616) is one of the best winter tires on the market today. This is a tire that’s loaded with high-tech features that deliver outstanding safety and performance in winter weather, including its tread compound, sipe pattern and tread design – Hankook really did their homework to come up with a tire that can get you there and back safely when there’s deep snow, slush, or ice on the pavement. The tread design and groove geometry is truly innovative, the silica-enhanced rubber formulation offers noticeably-better braking and handling, and its noise levels and ride quality on ice and snow are comparable to premium all-season tires. Hankook is confident enough about the Winter i* cept iZ2 (W616) that it’s covered by a 40,000 mile limited manufacturer tread life warranty – which says a lot, since many winter tires don’t offer a warranty at all.

The Cons listed above aren’t too surprising. Many winter tires don’t excel on dry pavement, but that’s not what they’re designed for. The softer, more pliable rubber of winter tires wears quickly in warmer conditions – tire manufacturers advise against using winter tires at all if temperatures are consistently above 40-45 degrees. And as for studs, they’re only for severe ice conditions where nothing else can get traction, and studs aren’t legal in many states, so you should check with state laws before you decide on tires with studs anyway.

Vehicles the Hankook Winter i*cept iZ2 (W616) is a good replacement tire for

This is a tire you could consider if you live in an area that sees hard winters with lots of ice and snow that sticks around for weeks at a time. It could be a great fit for vehicles like the Buick Envision, Chevrolet Traverse, Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Explorer, Honda Accord, Hyundai Elantra, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Kia Forte, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Murano, Subaru Forester, Toyota Highlander, or Volkswagen Passat.