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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 IceContact 2 vs Continental IceContact 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 2 + 13 road tests and 2 + 3 owner reviews. How we score

IceContact 3 leads, 72–70 Narrow edge

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Continental IceContact 2
Tire AContinental

IceContact 2

Winter

± 6

Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 68 · 2 reviews

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

Continental IceContact 3
Tire BContinental

IceContact 3

Winter

± 5

Tests 79 · 13 tests Owners 65 · 3 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 19 in 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 (ice handling)

Category by category

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

  1. 69

    Dry

    IceContact 3 +4
    73
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2IceContact 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 11 tests7176
    Reviews found online6667

    IceContact 2: 60% × 71.5 + 40% × 65.8 = 69

    IceContact 3: 60% × 76 + 40% × 67.4 = 73

  2. 71

    Wet

    IceContact 3 +2
    73
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2IceContact 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 12 tests7074
    Reviews found online7270

    IceContact 2: 60% × 70.4 + 40% × 71.6 = 71

    IceContact 3: 60% × 74.5 + 40% × 69.6 = 73

  3. 76

    Snow

    IceContact 3 +3
    79
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2IceContact 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 12 tests7884
    Reviews found online7371

    IceContact 2: 60% × 77.9 + 40% × 72.7 = 76

    IceContact 3: 60% × 83.9 + 40% × 70.5 = 79

  4. 64

    Comfort

    IceContact 3 +11
    75
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2IceContact 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 67 (est.)94
    Reviews found online6261

    IceContact 2: 40% × 67.3 (est.) + 60% × 61.9 = 64

    IceContact 3: 40% × 94.4 + 60% × 61.4 = 75

    No road tests of comfort for IceContact 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    70
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2IceContact 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 11 tests–72
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    IceContact 3: 60% × 71.8 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 70

    No owner ratings of noise for IceContact 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. 65

    Treadwear

    IceContact 2 +8
    57
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2IceContact 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online6551

    IceContact 2: 60% × 65.8 (est.) + 40% × 64.5 = 65

    IceContact 3: 60% × 61.1 (est.) + 40% × 51.2 = 57

    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 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for IceContact 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 69

    Handling (owners)

    IceContact 2 +2
    67
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2IceContact 3
    Reviews found online6967
  8. 63

    Efficiency

    IceContact 3 +4
    67
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2IceContact 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 8 tests6367
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental IceContact 2Continental IceContact 3
Relative Score 70 72
Dry 69 73
Wet 71 73
Snow 76 79
Comfort 64 75
Noise – 70
Treadwear 65 57
Handling (owners) 69 67
Efficiency 63 67

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

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
Recomputed
Headline score
± 6

IceContact 2

± 5

IceContact 3

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.

DisciplineCategoryIceContact 2IceContact 3ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 97% #3/6 · 2025 NAF Motor Studded Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 99% #2/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 99% #2/6 · 2025 NAF Motor Studded Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Ice Braking Snow 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 70% #6/6 · 2025 NAF Motor Studded Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Ice Handling Snow 99% #2/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 95% #6/6 · 2025 NAF Motor Studded Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Ice Traction Snow 100% #2/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 68% #6/6 · 2025 NAF Motor Studded Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 97% #5/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 100% #2/6 · 2025 NAF Motor Studded Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 100% #2/8 · The BEST Studded Tyres for 2025 – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 95% #4/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 95% #4/6 · 2025 NAF Motor Studded Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 90% #8/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/6 · 2025 NAF Motor Studded Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #5/5 2021 Test World Winter Studded Tire Test R17 #5/10 2025 UTAC Ivalo Studded Winter Tire Test R16 – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B IceContact 3

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and braking performance on packed snow and ice
  • Predictable handling in severe winter conditions
  • Strong performance on lake ice tracks

Cons

  • Premature stud wear or loss reported after moderate mileage
  • Potential for reduced stability in deeper snow (4-5 cm) depending on tire width
  • Unpredictable handling characteristics when paired with certain electronic stability control systems
All owner themes in the IceContact 3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental IceContact 2 B · Continental IceContact 3
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental IceContact 2

Continental IceContact 3

Narrow edge: Continental IceContact 3 — better comfort, dry and efficiency. Pick the Continental IceContact 2 if treadwear matters most to you.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental IceContact 3 scores 75 vs 64 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental IceContact 2 scores 65 vs 57 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental IceContact 3 scores 73 vs 69 on dry.

Pick tire B You want lower fuel or energy use

Continental IceContact 3 scores 67 vs 63 on efficiency.

Tire A · Continental IceContact 2
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Tire B · Continental IceContact 3
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IceContact 2 or IceContact 3?

Which is better in the wet, IceContact 2 or IceContact 3?

Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 73 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, IceContact 2 or IceContact 3?

Continental IceContact 3, 73 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, IceContact 2 or IceContact 3?

Continental IceContact 3, 79 vs 76 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, IceContact 2 or IceContact 3?

Continental IceContact 3, 75 vs 64 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, IceContact 2 or IceContact 3?

Continental IceContact 2, 65 vs 57 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, IceContact 2 or IceContact 3?

Continental IceContact 3, 67 vs 63 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