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Head-to-head Updated

Continental 4x4 WinterContact vs Firestone Winterhawk 3 — 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 0 + 4 road tests and 8 + 8 owner reviews. How we score

4x4 WinterContact is ahead, 74–63

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Firestone Winterhawk 3
Tire BFirestone

Winterhawk 3

Winter

± 8

Tests 68 · 4 tests Owners 57 · 8 reviews

Best test result: #5 of 20 in 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (noise)

Category by category

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

  1. 72

    Dry

    4x4 WinterContact +10
    62
    Why this score
    Source4x4 WinterContactWinterhawk 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 71 (est.)66
    Reviews found online7557

    4x4 WinterContact: 60% × 70.7 (est.) + 40% × 74.6 = 72

    Winterhawk 3: 60% × 66.1 + 40% × 56.7 = 62

    No road tests of dry for 4x4 WinterContact. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 79

    Wet

    4x4 WinterContact +17
    62
    Why this score
    Source4x4 WinterContactWinterhawk 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 77 (est.)64
    Reviews found online8260

    4x4 WinterContact: 60% × 76.7 (est.) + 40% × 81.6 = 79

    Winterhawk 3: 60% × 64 + 40% × 59.7 = 62

    No road tests of wet for 4x4 WinterContact. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 72

    Snow

    4x4 WinterContact +8
    64
    Why this score
    Source4x4 WinterContactWinterhawk 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 71 (est.)71
    Reviews found online7355

    4x4 WinterContact: 60% × 71.4 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 72

    Winterhawk 3: 60% × 70.7 + 40% × 54.6 = 64

    No road tests of snow for 4x4 WinterContact. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 72

    Comfort

    4x4 WinterContact +12
    60
    Why this score
    Source4x4 WinterContactWinterhawk 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7456

    4x4 WinterContact: 40% × 69.7 (est.) + 60% × 74 = 72

    Winterhawk 3: 40% × 66 (est.) + 60% × 55.7 = 60

    No road tests of comfort for 4x4 WinterContact. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Winterhawk 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 67

    Noise

    Level
    67
    Why this score
    Source4x4 WinterContactWinterhawk 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 66 (est.)67
    Reviews found online67≈ 66 (est.)

    4x4 WinterContact: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 67.3 = 67

    Winterhawk 3: 60% × 66.6 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 67

    No road tests of noise for 4x4 WinterContact. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

    No owner ratings of noise for Winterhawk 3. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 73

    Treadwear

    4x4 WinterContact +8
    65
    Why this score
    Source4x4 WinterContactWinterhawk 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 70 (est.)70
    Reviews found online7759

    4x4 WinterContact: 60% × 70.2 (est.) + 40% × 76.8 = 73

    Winterhawk 3: 60% × 69.6 + 40% × 59.2 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for 4x4 WinterContact. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 81

    Handling (owners)

    4x4 WinterContact +25
    56
    Why this score
    Source4x4 WinterContactWinterhawk 3
    Reviews found online8156
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    62
    Why this score
    Source4x4 WinterContactWinterhawk 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests–62
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental 4x4 WinterContactFirestone Winterhawk 3
Relative Score 74 63
Dry 72 62
Wet 79 62
Snow 72 64
Comfort 72 60
Noise 67 67
Treadwear 73 65
Handling (owners) 81 56
Efficiency – 62

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

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

4x4 WinterContact

± 8

Winterhawk 3

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 4x4 WinterContact

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow, slush, and ice
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality
  • Good wet and dry road responsiveness

Cons

  • Limited negative feedback provided in current dataset
All owner themes in the 4x4 WinterContact review

Tire B Winterhawk 3

Pros

  • High levels of ride comfort and low noise
  • Good longevity and tread wear resistance
  • Affordable price point

Cons

  • Inconsistent or poor grip on snow and ice
  • Unreliable wet weather performance and braking
  • Pronounced understeering tendencies
All owner themes in the Winterhawk 3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental 4x4 WinterContact B · Firestone Winterhawk 3
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available639
Rim diameters17″ – 18″13″ – 18″
Tread depth11/32″—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure51 psi—
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental 4x4 WinterContact

Firestone Winterhawk 3

Winner: Continental 4x4 WinterContact — better handling, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score. Continental 4x4 WinterContact rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 8 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental 4x4 WinterContact scores 81 vs 56 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental 4x4 WinterContact scores 79 vs 62 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental 4x4 WinterContact scores 72 vs 60 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental 4x4 WinterContact scores 72 vs 62 on dry.

Tire A · Continental 4x4 WinterContact
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Tire B · Firestone Winterhawk 3
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4x4 WinterContact or Winterhawk 3?

Which is better in the wet, 4x4 WinterContact or Winterhawk 3?

Continental 4x4 WinterContact, 79 vs 62 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, 4x4 WinterContact or Winterhawk 3?

Continental 4x4 WinterContact, 72 vs 62 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, 4x4 WinterContact or Winterhawk 3?

Continental 4x4 WinterContact, 72 vs 64 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, 4x4 WinterContact or Winterhawk 3?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 67 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, 4x4 WinterContact or Winterhawk 3?

Continental 4x4 WinterContact, 72 vs 60 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, 4x4 WinterContact or Winterhawk 3?

Continental 4x4 WinterContact, 73 vs 65 on our treadwear 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