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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 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 2 + 7 road tests and 2 + 49 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 860 is ahead, 79–70

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Continental IceContact 2
Tire AContinental

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)

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.

  1. 69

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 860 +8
    77
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 6 tests7175
    Reviews found online6682

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

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

  2. 71

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 860 +17
    88
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 7 tests7089
    Reviews found online7287

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

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

  3. 76

    Snow

    Level
    76
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 7 tests7878
    Reviews found online7373

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

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 72.8 = 76

  4. 65

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 +13
    78
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 68 (est.)77
    Reviews found online6379

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

    WinterContact TS 860: 40% × 77.4 + 60% × 78.9 = 78

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

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    74
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–78
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

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

    No owner ratings of noise for 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. 65

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 860 +9
    74
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 65 (est.)73
    Reviews found online6476

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

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 72.8 + 40% × 75.9 = 74

    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. 70

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 860 +12
    82
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinterContact TS 860
    Reviews found online7082
  8. 63

    Efficiency

    WinterContact TS 860 +13
    76
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 6 tests6376
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental IceContact 2Continental WinterContact TS 860
Relative Score 70 79
Dry 69 77
Wet 71 88
Snow 76 76
Comfort 65 78
Noise – 74
Treadwear 65 74
Handling (owners) 70 82
Efficiency 63 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 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

WinterContact TS 860

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 2WinterContact TS 860ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 94% #11/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 99% #2/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 94% #2/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Ice Braking Snow 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 93% #6/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Ice Handling Snow 99% #2/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/2 · All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded Tyres – Different tests
Ice Traction Snow 100% #2/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 86% #8/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 97% #5/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 99% #3/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 99% #9/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 95% #4/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 98% #6/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 90% #8/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 95% #5/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #5/5 2021 Test World Winter Studded Tire Test R17 #6/16 2021 ADAC Winter Tire Test R15 – 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 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 · Continental IceContact 2 B · Continental WinterContact TS 860
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—47
Rim diameters—13″ – 17″

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental IceContact 2

Continental WinterContact TS 860

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 860 — better wet, comfort and efficiency. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 88 vs 71 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 78 vs 65 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want lower fuel or energy use

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 76 vs 63 on efficiency.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 82 vs 70 on handling.

Tire A · Continental IceContact 2
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Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 860
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IceContact 2 or WinterContact TS 860?

Which is better in the wet, IceContact 2 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 88 vs 71 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, IceContact 2 or WinterContact TS 860?

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

Which is better in snow, IceContact 2 or WinterContact TS 860?

Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 76 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, IceContact 2 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 78 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, IceContact 2 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 74 vs 65 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, IceContact 2 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 76 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