tirewheelguide

Continental IceContact 2 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Continental CrossContact LX25 vs Continental IceContact 2 — 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 1 + 2 road tests and 26 + 2 owner reviews. How we score

CrossContact LX25 leads, 73–70 Narrow edge

Check price on Amazon · CrossContact LX25 or IceContact 2 on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Continental IceContact 2
Tire BContinental

IceContact 2

Winter

± 6

Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 69 · 2 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2017 Autocenter Studded Winter Tyre Test (snow braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 76

    Dry

    CrossContact LX25 +7
    69
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX25IceContact 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests7071
    Reviews found online8366

    CrossContact LX25: 60% × 70.4 + 40% × 83.4 = 76

    IceContact 2: 60% × 71.5 + 40% × 66.4 = 69

  2. 80

    Wet

    CrossContact LX25 +9
    71
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX25IceContact 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 78 (est.)70
    Reviews found online8472

    CrossContact LX25: 60% × 77.8 (est.) + 40% × 83.5 = 80

    IceContact 2: 60% × 70.4 + 40% × 71.8 = 71

    No road tests of wet for CrossContact LX25. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 53

    Snow

    IceContact 2 +23
    76
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX25IceContact 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests4078
    Reviews found online7273

    CrossContact LX25: 60% × 40.3 + 40% × 72.1 = 53

    IceContact 2: 60% × 78 + 40% × 73 = 76

  4. 77

    Comfort

    CrossContact LX25 +12
    65
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX25IceContact 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online8063

    CrossContact LX25: 40% × 71.1 (est.) + 60% × 80.2 = 77

    IceContact 2: 40% × 67.9 (est.) + 60% × 62.6 = 65

    No road tests of comfort for CrossContact LX25 or IceContact 2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 71

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX25IceContact 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online78–

    CrossContact LX25: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 77.9 = 71

    No road tests of noise for CrossContact LX25. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 72

    Treadwear

    CrossContact LX25 +7
    65
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX25IceContact 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online7564

    CrossContact LX25: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 75.3 = 72

    IceContact 2: 60% × 65.4 (est.) + 40% × 64.2 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for CrossContact LX25. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

    No road tests of treadwear for IceContact 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 79

    Handling (owners)

    CrossContact LX25 +9
    70
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX25IceContact 2
    Reviews found online7970
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    63
    Why this score
    SourceCrossContact LX25IceContact 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–63
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental CrossContact LX25Continental IceContact 2
Relative Score 73 70
Dry 76 69
Wet 80 71
Snow 53 76
Comfort 77 65
Noise 71 –
Treadwear 72 65
Handling (owners) 79 70
Efficiency – 63

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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

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

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
± 7

CrossContact LX25

± 6

IceContact 2

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

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.

DisciplineCategoryCrossContact LX25IceContact 2ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 93% #2/3 · Michelin CrossClimate 2 vs Continental CrossContact LX25 vs Goodyear WeatherReady 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 68% #3/3 · Michelin CrossClimate 2 vs Continental CrossContact LX25 vs Goodyear WeatherReady 95% #4/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/3 Michelin CrossClimate 2 vs Continental CrossContact LX25 vs Goodyear WeatherReady #5/5 2021 Test World Winter Studded Tire Test R17 – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A CrossContact LX25

Pros

  • Extremely quiet and smooth ride quality at all speeds
  • Significantly improved wet and snow traction
  • Enhanced braking performance and responsiveness

Cons

  • Tends to pick up and throw gravel from the road surface
  • Can feel a bit harsh or firm when hitting deep potholes
  • Occasional reports of unexpectedly rapid treadwear in rare instances
All owner themes in the CrossContact LX25 review

Tire B IceContact 2

Pros

  • Excellent traction on snow and ice-covered surfaces
  • Surprisingly comfortable and quiet ride for a studded tire
  • Reliable handling and stability in severe winter conditions

Cons

  • Increased road noise when driving on dry or clean pavement
  • Noticeable degradation in ice grip performance after two seasons of use
  • Requires precise tire pressure maintenance to ensure optimal wet-weather handling
All owner themes in the IceContact 2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental CrossContact LX25 B · Continental IceContact 2
CategoryAll SeasonWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available40—
Rim diameters16″ – 22″—
Tread depth10 - 12/32″—
UTQG740 A A - B—
SidewallBlack Side Wall - Raised Outline White Lettering—
Max pressure44 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental CrossContact LX25

Continental IceContact 2

Narrow edge: Continental CrossContact LX25 — better comfort, wet and handling. Pick the Continental IceContact 2 if snow matters most to you.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Continental IceContact 2 scores 76 vs 53 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental CrossContact LX25 scores 77 vs 65 on comfort.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental CrossContact LX25 scores 80 vs 71 on wet.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental CrossContact LX25 scores 79 vs 70 on handling.

Tire A · Continental CrossContact LX25
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Continental IceContact 2
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

CrossContact LX25 or IceContact 2?

Which is better in the wet, CrossContact LX25 or IceContact 2?

Continental CrossContact LX25, 80 vs 71 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, CrossContact LX25 or IceContact 2?

Continental CrossContact LX25, 76 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, CrossContact LX25 or IceContact 2?

Continental IceContact 2, 76 vs 53 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, CrossContact LX25 or IceContact 2?

Continental CrossContact LX25, 77 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, CrossContact LX25 or IceContact 2?

Continental CrossContact LX25, 72 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