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Head-to-head Updated

Continental VikingContact 7 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 8 + 7 road tests and 32 + 49 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 860 is ahead, 79–69

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Continental VikingContact 7
Tire AContinental

VikingContact 7

Winter

± 5

Tests 75 · 8 tests Owners 63 · 32 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2020 Nordic and 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. 67

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 860 +10
    77
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 6 tests7775
    Reviews found online5382

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 76.6 + 40% × 52.8 = 67

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

  2. 68

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 860 +20
    88
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 7 tests6889
    Reviews found online6787

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 68.4 + 40% × 66.5 = 68

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

  3. 76

    Snow

    Level
    76
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 7 tests7978
    Reviews found online7273

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 79.1 + 40% × 72.4 = 76

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

  4. 71

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 +7
    78
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests7077
    Reviews found online7179

    VikingContact 7: 40% × 70 + 60% × 71.3 = 71

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

  5. 81

    Noise

    VikingContact 7 +7
    74
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / 4 tests8978
    Reviews found online69≈ 67 (est.)

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 88.6 + 40% × 68.7 = 81

    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. 60

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 860 +14
    74
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 62 (est.)73
    Reviews found online5676

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 62.5 (est.) + 40% × 55.7 = 60

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

    No road tests of treadwear for VikingContact 7. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 64

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 860 +18
    82
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7WinterContact TS 860
    Reviews found online6482
  8. 77

    Efficiency

    VikingContact 7 +1
    76
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7WinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 6 tests7776
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental VikingContact 7Continental WinterContact TS 860
Relative Score 69 79
Dry 67 77
Wet 68 88
Snow 76 76
Comfort 71 78
Noise 81 74
Treadwear 60 74
Handling (owners) 64 82
Efficiency 77 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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 5

VikingContact 7

± 5

WinterContact TS 860

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.

In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Continental VikingContact 7 finished ahead 1 times and Continental WinterContact TS 860 0 times.

DisciplineCategoryVikingContact 7WinterContact TS 860ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/16 #5/16 – 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 Teknikens Värld Large Winter Tire Test R17 · 225/50R17

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A VikingContact 7

Pros

  • Exceptionally quiet and comfortable ride quality
  • Strong performance in slush and deep snow
  • Stable and predictable handling at highway speeds

Cons

  • Mixed reports regarding tread life and longevity
  • Noticeable decline in ice-braking performance compared to top-tier ice specialists
  • Compound may harden or performance may degrade after multiple seasons
All owner themes in the VikingContact 7 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 VikingContact 7 B · Continental WinterContact TS 860
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available13447
Rim diameters14″ – 22″13″ – 17″
Tread depth10 - 11/32″—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure44 - 51 psi—
Sizes in common1818

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental VikingContact 7

Continental WinterContact TS 860

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 860 — better wet, handling and treadwear. Pick the Continental VikingContact 7 if noise matters most to you.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 88 vs 68 on wet.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 82 vs 64 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 74 vs 60 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 77 vs 67 on dry.

Tire A · Continental VikingContact 7
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Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 860
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VikingContact 7 or WinterContact TS 860?

Which is better in the wet, VikingContact 7 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 88 vs 68 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, VikingContact 7 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 77 vs 67 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, VikingContact 7 or WinterContact TS 860?

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

Which is quieter, VikingContact 7 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental VikingContact 7, 81 vs 74 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, VikingContact 7 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 78 vs 71 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, VikingContact 7 or WinterContact TS 860?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 74 vs 60 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, VikingContact 7 or WinterContact TS 860?

Neither, by our numbers: 77 vs 76 on the efficiency 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