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Head-to-head Updated

Continental UltraContact vs Dunlop SP Sport FM800 — Compared

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

UltraContact leads, 74–73 Narrow edge

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Tire AContinental

UltraContact

Summer

Tests 77 · 1 test Owners 72 · 1,320 reviews

“ND Tyre Performance / Difference Premium Contact 7 vs Ultra Contact I had to change the back tires of my ND because they were down to 2 mm grooves. The garage put on Continental Ultra Contact as my new tires. Before I had Continental Premium Contact 7. Question is, will I notice significant loss of traction? They put them on on tuesday, and weather was absolutely terrible the past month here in Europe. So I wasn't able to actually drive with my new tires. And it doesn't seem like I will be bale to drive the next 3 weeks (vacation, work), that's why I ask here for some opinions. Anyway I went this saturday to drive with my new tires, and they were pretty slippery. First i was really surprised and shocked, but it seems that new tires are more slippery than usual and need to drive 200 - 300 km to get a good grip. So i first have to drive those km AND THEN I can actually test the difference. But what do you think? I like to drive on the limit on turns, and I appreciated my car for the very firm grip it had in high speeds while taking the turn. Can I continue to drive this way with the new, but slightly worse tires? From various content on the internet, it is said, that premium contact 7 is way better than ultra contact. And I'm kinda bummed about that. Also scared, that I might not be able to drive the way I used to in the past years. Read more”

Category by category

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

  1. 76

    Dry

    UltraContact +3
    73
    Why this score
    SourceUltraContactSP Sport FM800
    Professional tests (TWG score)79–
    Reviews found online7376
  2. 74

    Wet

    SP Sport FM800 +2
    76
    Why this score
    SourceUltraContactSP Sport FM800
    Professional tests (TWG score)73–
    Reviews found online7579
  3. 72

    Comfort

    Level
    72
    Why this score
    SourceUltraContactSP Sport FM800
    Reviews found online7474
  4. 76

    Treadwear

    UltraContact +7
    69
    Why this score
    SourceUltraContactSP Sport FM800
    Professional tests (TWG score)80–
    Reviews found online7072
  5. 69

    Handling

    SP Sport FM800 +6
    75
    Why this score
    SourceUltraContactSP Sport FM800
    Reviews found online6975
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental UltraContactDunlop SP Sport FM800
Relative Score 74 73
Dry 76 73
Wet 74 76
Comfort 72 72
Treadwear 76 69
Handling 69 75

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

UltraContact

SP Sport FM800

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A UltraContact

Pros

  • Exceptional ride comfort and smooth performance
  • Low noise levels and quiet highway cruising
  • Strong traction and confidence-inspiring grip in wet and dry conditions

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls lead to reduced steering feedback and vague handling
  • Prone to feeling 'push-y' or inducing understeer during hard cornering
  • Higher price point compared to some mid-range competitors
All owner themes in the UltraContact review

Tire B SP Sport FM800

Pros

  • Exceptional wet and dry traction with strong anti-aquaplaning capabilities
  • High value for money compared to premium brands like Michelin and Bridgestone
  • Low road noise and very quiet, smooth ride quality

Cons

  • Faster than average tread wear reported by some drivers
  • Rubber compound can harden over time, leading to reduced performance as the tire ages
  • Softer sidewalls can occasionally result in slightly less precise steering feel
All owner themes in the SP Sport FM800 review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Continental UltraContact

Mixed

Community opinion on the Continental UltraContact line is mixed to cautiously positive. Drivers appreciate its quietness, comfort, high EU label ratings (especially on the NXT variant), and high mileage potential for frequent drivers, but some express skepticism about sustainability-focused marketing, tread design for adverse conditions, and overall performance compared to dedicated premium or EV models.

r/automobil ·3 upvotes ·2026-05-25

“Im normalen täglichen Gebrauch wirst du keinen Unterschied feststellen. Den Ultra Contact verkaufe ich hauptsächlich an Vielfahrer da aus ihm etwas mehr Laufleistung rauszuholen ist. Ansonsten triffst du mit keinem Continental die falsche Wahl.”
r/TyreReviews ·8 upvotes ·2023-12-17

“Continental UltraContact or some other tyres? Hello everybody. I live in Athens Greece where the temperatures rarely drops under 7 degrees Celsius (44 Fahrenheit) in the winter. The temperature drops this much for very few days and it never snows here, it just rains. It's a big city but the roads are of rather poor quality. Some mild off-roading occurs from time to time. So I am looking for summer tyres. I now have 4 season tyres but I believe they aren't worth it for the climate we have here. The Michelin crossclimate I have, have proven resistant but very poor on wet road. I am looking for a tyre that can handle driving with some speed, going fast on turns etc. I want a good grip on wet road too. I have a seat leon mk1 with 205/55 R16 tyres. I have found some good reviews on the Continental UltraContact tyres. They seem to offer what I am looking for, but I would love your opinion as I truly have no idea about tyres. Also I seem to find the same tyres in the same price at the XL version. Would that be worth it? Thanks in advance for any suggestions! Tldr: Looking for summer tyres, good for some speeding, good on wet roads. Read more”
bobistheoilguy.com ·1 upvote ·2023-06-25

“Looks like some sort of eco appealing tire. THE MOST SUSTAINABLE TIRE! (last on my priority of what I want from a tire) Probably not great in winter.. if you have winter.. tread pattern looks too solid with no voids.. good for noise.. not great for snow or slush.”
Top themes
#energy efficiency ratings#tire lifespan and mileage#cabin noise and comfort#comparison with PremiumContact#EV tire compatibility#sustainability and eco design

Based on 19 community posts

Tire B

Dunlop SP Sport FM800

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental UltraContact B · Dunlop SP Sport FM800
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available94—
Rim diameters14″ – 20″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental UltraContact

Dunlop SP Sport FM800

Too close to call: Continental UltraContact and Dunlop SP Sport FM800 are within 2 points overall. Continental UltraContact is stronger on treadwear and dry. Dunlop SP Sport FM800 is stronger on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental UltraContact scores 76 vs 69 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Dunlop SP Sport FM800 scores 75 vs 69 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental UltraContact scores 76 vs 73 on dry.

Tire A · Continental UltraContact
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Tire B · Dunlop SP Sport FM800
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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.

74

Narrow edge

UltraContact

Amazon