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Continental IceContact 3 vs General Altimax Arctic — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 13 + 0 road tests and 3 + 32 owner reviews. How we score

IceContact 3 is ahead, 72–59

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Continental IceContact 3
Tire AContinental

IceContact 3

Winter

Tests 79 · 13 tests Owners 65 · 3 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 17 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. 73

    Dry

    IceContact 3 +16
    57
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 3Altimax Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 11 / – tests76≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online6951

    IceContact 3: 60% × 75.8 + 40% × 68.8 = 73

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 60.8 (est.) + 40% × 50.5 = 57

    No road tests of dry for Altimax Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 71

    Wet

    IceContact 3 +9
    62
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 3Altimax Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / – tests74≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online6760

    IceContact 3: 60% × 74.1 + 40% × 66.9 = 71

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 64.2 (est.) + 40% × 59.8 = 62

    No road tests of wet for Altimax Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 79

    Snow

    IceContact 3 +20
    59
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 3Altimax Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / – tests83≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7352

    IceContact 3: 60% × 83.4 + 40% × 72.6 = 79

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 63.8 (est.) + 40% × 51.6 = 59

    No road tests of snow for Altimax Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

  4. 83

    Comfort

    IceContact 3 +23
    60
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 3Altimax Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests98≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online6051

    IceContact 3: 60% × 97.7 + 40% × 59.9 = 83

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 66 (est.) + 40% × 50.8 = 60

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

  5. 70

    Noise

    IceContact 3 +8
    62
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 3Altimax Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 11 / – tests72≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)54

    IceContact 3: 60% × 72.1 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 70

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 54.1 = 62

    No owner ratings of noise for IceContact 3. 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.

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

  6. 59

    Treadwear

    IceContact 3 +2
    57
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 3Altimax Arctic
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 61 (est.)
    Reviews found online5450

    IceContact 3: 60% × 62 (est.) + 40% × 54 = 59

    Altimax Arctic: 60% × 60.8 (est.) + 40% × 50.1 = 57

    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 0.31).

    No road tests of treadwear for Altimax Arctic. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 69

    Handling (owners)

    IceContact 3 +20
    49
    Why this score
    SourceIceContact 3Altimax Arctic
    Reviews found online6949
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental IceContact 3General Altimax Arctic
Relative Score 72 59
Dry 73 57
Wet 71 62
Snow 79 59
Comfort 83 60
Noise 70 62
Treadwear 59 57
Handling (owners) 69 49

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.

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Important
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Less important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

IceContact 3

Altimax Arctic

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B Altimax Arctic

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow, slush, and ice
  • High value and affordable price point compared to premium competitors
  • Reliable wet and dry handling during cold weather months

Cons

  • Handling and responsiveness drop off compared to dedicated summer or all-season tires
  • Some users report accelerated wear once the tire reaches 50% tread life
  • Minor tendencies toward understeer during hard cornering
All owner themes in the Altimax Arctic review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental IceContact 3 B · General Altimax Arctic
CategoryWinterWinter Touring tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental IceContact 3

General Altimax Arctic

Winner: Continental IceContact 3 — better comfort, snow and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental IceContact 3 scores 83 vs 60 on comfort.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental IceContact 3 scores 79 vs 59 on snow.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental IceContact 3 scores 69 vs 49 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental IceContact 3 scores 73 vs 57 on dry.

Tire A · Continental IceContact 3
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Tire B · General Altimax Arctic
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IceContact 3 or Altimax Arctic?

Which is better in the wet, IceContact 3 or Altimax Arctic?

Continental IceContact 3, 71 vs 62 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, IceContact 3 or Altimax Arctic?

Continental IceContact 3, 73 vs 57 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, IceContact 3 or Altimax Arctic?

Continental IceContact 3, 79 vs 59 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, IceContact 3 or Altimax Arctic?

Continental IceContact 3, 70 vs 62 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, IceContact 3 or Altimax Arctic?

Continental IceContact 3, 83 vs 60 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, IceContact 3 or Altimax Arctic?

Neither, by our numbers: 59 vs 57 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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