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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 vs Continental WinterContact TS 860 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 32 + 7 road tests and 113 + 49 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 860 is ahead, 79–67

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Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
Tire ABridgestone

Blizzak LM005

Winter

± 5

Tests 73 · 32 tests Owners 59 · 113 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 54 in 2023 Winter Tyre Test 54 Set Braking Test (wet braking)

Continental WinterContact TS 860
Tire BContinental

WinterContact TS 860

Winter

± 5

Tests 79 · 7 tests Owners 79 · 49 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test (dry handling)

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

Key facts

  • In 3 tests that measured wet braking for both, Blizzak LM005 won 3 and WinterContact TS 860 won 0 (average 100% vs 93% of the best).
  • In 3 tests that measured snow braking for both, Blizzak LM005 won 0 and WinterContact TS 860 won 3 (average 98% vs 98% of the best).
  1. 69

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 860 +8
    77
    Why this score
    SourceBlizzak LM005WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 27 / 6 tests7775
    Reviews found online5682
    Dry Braking (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–199%97%
    Dry Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1100%100%
    Dry Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–090%60%

    Blizzak LM005: 60% × 77.3 + 40% × 55.8 = 69

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 74.8 + 40% × 81.5 = 77

  2. 89

    Wet

    Blizzak LM005 +1
    88
    Why this score
    SourceBlizzak LM005WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 32 / 7 tests10089
    Reviews found online7287
    Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–196%96%
    Wet Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–190%100%
    Wet Braking (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 3–0100%93%
    Wet Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0100%99%

    Blizzak LM005: 60% × 100 + 40% × 71.9 = 89

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 89.4 + 40% × 87.1 = 88

  3. 73

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 860 +3
    76
    Why this score
    SourceBlizzak LM005WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 32 / 7 tests7978
    Reviews found online6573
    Snow Braking (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 0–398%98%
    Snow Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–197%99%
    Snow Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–099%98%
    Snow Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0100%90%

    Blizzak LM005: 60% × 79.4 + 40% × 64.7 = 73

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 72.7 = 76

  4. 67

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 +11
    78
    Why this score
    SourceBlizzak LM005WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 2 tests7877
    Reviews found online5979
    Comfort (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–090%90%

    Blizzak LM005: 40% × 78.2 + 60% × 59 = 67

    WinterContact TS 860: 40% × 77.4 + 60% × 78.8 = 78

  5. 68

    Noise

    WinterContact TS 860 +6
    74
    Why this score
    SourceBlizzak LM005WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 25 / 4 tests6978
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Noise (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–198%100%

    Blizzak LM005: 60% × 69.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 68

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 78.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 74

    No owner ratings of noise for Blizzak LM005 or WinterContact TS 860. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 37

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 860 +37
    74
    Why this score
    SourceBlizzak LM005WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 3 tests3473
    Reviews found online4176
    Wear (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–182%90%

    Blizzak LM005: 60% × 34 + 40% × 40.9 = 37

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 72.8 + 40% × 76 = 74

  7. 61

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 860 +21
    82
    Why this score
    SourceBlizzak LM005WinterContact TS 860
    Reviews found online6182
  8. 82

    Efficiency

    Blizzak LM005 +6
    76
    Why this score
    SourceBlizzak LM005WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 27 / 6 tests8276
    Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–095%93%
Scores at a glance
CategoryBridgestone Blizzak LM005Continental WinterContact TS 860
Relative Score 67 79
Dry 69 77
Wet 89 88
Snow 73 76
Comfort 67 78
Noise 68 74
Treadwear 37 74
Handling (owners) 61 82
Efficiency 82 76

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
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Less important
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 5

Blizzak LM005

± 5

WinterContact TS 860

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

In the overall rankings of 8 tests that ran both, Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 finished ahead 5 times and Continental WinterContact TS 860 3 times.

DisciplineCategoryBlizzak LM005WinterContact TS 860ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 99% 97% +2.1 1–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Dry Handling Dry 100% 100% −0.4 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test · 225/45 R17
Dry Handling (tester's mark) Dry 90% 60% +30.0 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 96% 96% 0.0 1–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Wet Braking Wet 100% 93% +7.0 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Wet Handling Wet 100% 99% +0.8 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test · 225/45 R17
Wet Handling (tester's mark) Wet 90% 100% −10.0 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Snow Braking Snow 98% 98% −0.4 0–3 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Snow Handling Snow 97% 99% −1.2 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test · 225/45 R17
Snow Handling (tester's mark) Snow 100% 90% +10.0 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Snow Traction Snow 99% 98% +1.3 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Comfort (tester's mark) Comfort 90% 90% 0.0 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Noise Noise 98% 100% −1.6 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test · 225/45 R17
Wear Treadwear 82% 90% −7.2 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test · 225/45 R17
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 95% 93% +1.3 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Price Cost 63% 60% +3.2 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test · 225/45 R17
Total Cost of Ownership Cost #9/20 #10/20 – 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test · 225/45 R17
Value Cost 68% 70% −2.3 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test · 225/45 R17
Overall Ranking Overall #7/16 #6/16 – 5–3 in 8 shared tests Newest: 2021 ADAC Winter Tire Test R15 · 195/65R15

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Blizzak LM005

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and braking performance on wet roads and heavy rain
  • High driving comfort with low interior noise levels when new
  • Predictable and stable handling characteristics in dry and mild winter conditions

Cons

  • Rapid and premature tread wear, with many users reporting the tire wearing out within 5,000 to 15,000 km
  • Noticeable degradation in snow and ice grip by the second or third season
  • Increased tire noise, whining, or humming vibrations as the tire ages
All owner themes in the Blizzak LM005 review

Tire B WinterContact TS 860

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and safety in wet and slushy conditions
  • Outstanding performance on snow, providing high levels of confidence
  • Remarkably low noise levels and high ride comfort

Cons

  • Performance degradation noted by some users after 3-4 seasons
  • Soft sidewalls can lead to a slight loss of steering precision or 'wobble' in tight corners
  • Tread pattern prone to picking up and throwing stones/sand
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 860 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 B · Continental WinterContact TS 860
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available16547
Rim diameters14″ – 22″13″ – 17″
Tread depth9/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure50 psi—
Sizes in common2929

Which one should you actually buy?

Bridgestone Blizzak LM005

Continental WinterContact TS 860

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 860 — better treadwear, handling and comfort. Pick the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 if efficiency matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 74 vs 37 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 82 vs 61 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 78 vs 67 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 77 vs 69 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet braking

Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 won 3 of 3 shared wet braking tests.

Tire A · Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
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Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 860
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Blizzak LM005 or WinterContact TS 860?

Which is better in the wet, Blizzak LM005 or WinterContact TS 860?

Neither, by our numbers: 89 vs 88 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Blizzak LM005 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 77 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Blizzak LM005 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 76 vs 73 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Blizzak LM005 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 74 vs 68 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Blizzak LM005 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 78 vs 67 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Blizzak LM005 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 74 vs 37 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, Blizzak LM005 or WinterContact TS 860?

Bridgestone Blizzak LM005, 82 vs 76 on our efficiency score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology