Firestone Winterhawk 4 vs Semperit Speed Grip 5
In this article we will be looking at independent tire test data, and real world driver reviews of the Firestone Winterhawk 4 and the Semperit Speed Grip 5 to find out which tire is best for your own driving.
There are a few basic differences between the two tires. The Firestone Winterhawk 4 is an Touring Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger-Cars, and the Semperit Speed Grip 5 is an High-Performance Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger-Cars
Test Results
Independent comparison tire tests are the best source of data to get tire information from, and the good news is there have been eleven tests which compare both tires directly!
| Tire | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Firestone Winterhawk 4 | two | |
| Semperit Speed Grip 5 | nine |
While it might look like the Semperit Speed Grip 5 is better than the Firestone Winterhawk 4 purely based on the higher number of test wins, tires are very complicated objects which means where one tire is better than the other can be more important in real world use.
Let's look at how the two tires compare across multiple tire test categories.
Dry Braking
Looking at data from six tire tests, the Semperit Speed Grip 5 was better during five dry braking tests. On average the Semperit Speed Grip 5 stopped the vehicle in 2.27% less distance than the Firestone Winterhawk 4.
Best In Dry Braking: Semperit Speed Grip 5
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from four tire tests, the Semperit Speed Grip 5 was better during four dry handling [km/h] tests. On average the Semperit Speed Grip 5 was 1.6% faster around a lap than the Firestone Winterhawk 4.
Best In Dry Handling [Km/H]: Semperit Speed Grip 5
See how the Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from ten tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during ten wet braking tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 stopped the vehicle in 2.42% less distance than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Wet Braking: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking - Concrete
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during one wet braking - concrete tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 stopped the vehicle in 0.26% less distance than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Wet Braking - Concrete: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Wet Braking - Concrete winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from four tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during two wet handling [km/h] tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was 1.65% faster around a wet lap than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Wet Handling [Km/H]: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Circle
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Semperit Speed Grip 5 was better during one wet circle tests. On average the Semperit Speed Grip 5 had 11.54% higher lateral wet grip than the Firestone Winterhawk 4.
Best In Wet Circle: Semperit Speed Grip 5
See how the Wet Circle winner was calculated >>
Straight Aqua
Looking at data from six tire tests, the Semperit Speed Grip 5 was better during five straight aqua tests. On average the Semperit Speed Grip 5 floated at a 0.31% higher speed than the Firestone Winterhawk 4.
Best In Straight Aqua: Semperit Speed Grip 5
See how the Straight Aqua winner was calculated >>
Curved Aquaplaning
Looking at data from five tire tests, the Semperit Speed Grip 5 was better during three curved aquaplaning tests. On average the Semperit Speed Grip 5 slipped out at a 6.94% higher speed than the Firestone Winterhawk 4.
Best In Curved Aquaplaning: Semperit Speed Grip 5
See how the Curved Aquaplaning winner was calculated >>
Snow Braking
Looking at data from ten tire tests, the Semperit Speed Grip 5 was better during five snow braking tests. On average the Semperit Speed Grip 5 stopped the vehicle in 0.95% less distance than the Firestone Winterhawk 4.
Best In Snow Braking: Semperit Speed Grip 5
See how the Snow Braking winner was calculated >>
Snow Traction
Looking at data from six tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during four snow traction tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 had 2.72% better snow traction than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Snow Traction: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Snow Traction winner was calculated >>
Snow Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from four tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during two snow handling [km/h] tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was 0.43% faster around a lap than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Snow Handling [Km/H]: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Snow Handling winner was calculated >>
Snow Slalom
Looking at data from four tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during three snow slalom tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was 0.92% faster through a slalom than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Snow Slalom: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Snow Slalom winner was calculated >>
Ice Braking
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during two ice braking tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 stopped the vehicle 3.21% shorter than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Ice Braking: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Ice Braking winner was calculated >>
Subj. Comfort
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during one subj. comfort tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 scored 8.22% more points than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Subj. Comfort: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Subj. Comfort winner was calculated >>
Noise
Looking at data from five tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during five noise tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 measured 1.2% quieter than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Noise: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Noise winner was calculated >>
Wear
Looking at data from six tire tests, the Semperit Speed Grip 5 was better during three wear tests. On average the Semperit Speed Grip 5 is predicted to cover 9.04% miles before reaching 1.6mm than the Firestone Winterhawk 4.
Best In Wear: Semperit Speed Grip 5
See how the Wear winner was calculated >>
Value
Looking at data from four tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during two value tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 proved to have a 0.35% better value based on price/1000km than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Value: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Value winner was calculated >>
Price
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during one price tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 cost 6.48% less than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Price: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Price winner was calculated >>
Rolling Resistance
Looking at data from four tire tests, the Semperit Speed Grip 5 was better during four rolling resistance tests. On average the Semperit Speed Grip 5 had a 5% lower rolling resistance than the Firestone Winterhawk 4.
Best In Rolling Resistance: Semperit Speed Grip 5
See how the Rolling Resistance winner was calculated >>
Fuel Consumption
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 was better during one fuel consumption tests. On average the Firestone Winterhawk 4 used 1.72% less fuel than the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Best In Fuel Consumption: Firestone Winterhawk 4
See how the Fuel Consumption winner was calculated >>
Abrasion
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Semperit Speed Grip 5 was better during two abrasion tests. On average the Semperit Speed Grip 5 emitted 19.35% less particle wear matter than the Firestone Winterhawk 4.
Best In Abrasion: Semperit Speed Grip 5
See how the Abrasion winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Tire Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Firestone Winterhawk 4 and Semperit Speed Grip 5.
In total the Firestone Winterhawk 4 has been reviewed 5 times and drivers have given the tire 79% overall.
The Semperit Speed Grip 5 has been reviewed 2 times and drivers have given the tire 89% overall.
This means in real world driving, people prefer the Semperit Speed Grip 5.
Conclusion
In conclusion the Firestone Winterhawk 4 performed better in wet braking, wet braking - concrete, wet handling [km/h], snow traction, snow handling [km/h], snow slalom, ice braking, subj. comfort, noise, value, price and fuel consumption, while the Semperit Speed Grip 5 performed better in dry braking, dry handling [km/h], wet circle, straight aqua, curved aquaplaning, snow braking, wear, rolling resistance and abrasion.
Interestingly, both tires performed equally well in dry handling, wet handling and snow handling, showing that they are closely matched in these areas.
Which tire is best for you depends a lot on your driving style and situation, plus what you want from the tire. Comparing all the data in the tire reviews database, on balance Firestone Winterhawk 4 seems to be the best tire overall.
However, it's important to note that both tires have their strengths.
Remember, the best tire for you might depend on which of these factors are most important for your specific driving needs and conditions.
Overall Winner: Firestone Winterhawk 4
Based on the tire test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Firestone Winterhawk 4 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tire has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tire buying choice.Similar Comparisons
Looking for more tire comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tires:
Firestone Winterhawk 4 Top Comparisons
No other comparisons available for this tire.
Semperit Speed Grip 5 Top Comparisons
No other comparisons available for this tire.
Footnote
This page has been developed using tire industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tires in the same test.
Why is this important? Tire 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 tire test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tire tests performed on different days or at different locations.
As a result you will see other tests on Tire 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 tire comparison, Tire Reviews doesn't.