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Head-to-head Updated

Continental IceContact 2 vs Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Winter Sottozero 3 leads, 72–70 Narrow edge

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Tire AContinental

IceContact 2

Winter

Tests 73 · 2 tests Owners 69 · 2 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test (overall ranking)

Tire BPirelli

Winter Sottozero 3

Winter

Tests 66 · 10 tests Owners 78 · 66 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 13 in 2016 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/45 R17 (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 69

    Dry

    Winter Sottozero 3 +6
    75
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)7173
    Reviews found online6679
    Dry Braking (% of best)97%98%
  2. 71

    Wet

    Winter Sottozero 3 +10
    81
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)7080
    Reviews found online7283
    Wet Braking (% of best)84%97%
  3. 76

    Snow

    IceContact 2 +11
    65
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)7757
    Reviews found online7576
    Snow Braking (% of best)100%91%
    Snow Handling (% of best)100%95%
    Snow Traction (% of best)95%91%
  4. 66

    Comfort

    Winter Sottozero 3 +7
    73
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–72
    Reviews found online6374
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–60
    Reviews found online–78
  6. 65

    Treadwear

    IceContact 2 +3
    62
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–56
    Reviews found online6571
  7. 71

    Handling

    Winter Sottozero 3 +9
    80
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Reviews found online7180
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental IceContact 2Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Relative Score 70 72
Dry 69 75
Wet 71 81
Snow 76 65
Comfort 66 73
Noise – 67
Treadwear 65 62
Handling 71 80

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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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

IceContact 2

Winter Sottozero 3

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

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryIceContact 2Winter Sottozero 3ΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 97% #8/10 · 2017 Autocenter Studded Winter Tyre Test 98% #4/10 · 2017 AMS Performance 18 inch Winter Tyre Test −1.0 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 90% #8/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 84% #8/10 · 2017 AMS Performance 18 inch Winter Tyre Test +5.8 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 50% #2/13 · 2016 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/45 R17 +50.0 Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 100% #1/10 · 2017 Autocenter Studded Winter Tyre Test 91% #9/10 · 2018 Autobild UHP Winter Tyre Test +8.7 Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 100% #1/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 95% #9/10 · 2018 Autobild UHP Winter Tyre Test +5.2 Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 95% #4/8 · 2018 Vi Studded Winter Tyre Test 91% #18/20 · 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test +4.2 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 84% #8/10 · 2017 Autocenter Studded Winter Tyre Test 97% #5/10 · 2017 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test −12.7 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 Winter Sottozero 3

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather performance and resistance to hydroplaning.
  • Strong dry-road handling and steering precision for a winter tire.
  • Excellent traction and stability in snow and slush.

Cons

  • Rapid tread wear, particularly if driven in temperatures above 15°C or year-round.
  • Susceptibility to sidewall damage and bubbling when encountering road hazards.
  • Increased noise levels as the tire ages and tread depth decreases.
All owner themes in the Winter Sottozero 3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental IceContact 2 B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—98
Rim diameters—16″ – 21″
Tread depth—10/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—50 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental IceContact 2

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3

Winner: Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 — better wet, handling and comfort. Pick the Continental IceContact 2 if snow and treadwear matter most to you.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental IceContact 2 scores 76 vs 65 on snow.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 81 vs 71 on wet.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 80 vs 71 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 73 vs 66 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental IceContact 2
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Tire B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
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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.

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

72

Narrow edge

Winter Sottozero 3

Amazon