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Falken Eurowinter HS439 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Continental VikingContact 7 vs Falken Eurowinter HS439 — 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 + 0 road tests and 32 + 19 owner reviews. How we score

VikingContact 7 is ahead, 69–63

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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)

Category by category

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

  1. 67

    Dry

    VikingContact 7 +3
    64
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Eurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests77≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online5362

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 76.6 + 40% × 52.7 = 67

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 65.4 (est.) + 40% × 61.7 = 64

    No road tests of dry for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 68

    Wet

    VikingContact 7 +1
    67
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Eurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests68≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online6766

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

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 68 (est.) + 40% × 65.7 = 67

    No road tests of wet for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 76

    Snow

    VikingContact 7 +17
    59
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Eurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests79≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7252

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

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 63.6 (est.) + 40% × 51.6 = 59

    No road tests of snow for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 71

    Comfort

    VikingContact 7 +11
    60
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Eurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests70≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7156

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

    Eurowinter HS439: 40% × 66.8 (est.) + 60% × 56.3 = 60

    No road tests of comfort for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 81

    Noise

    VikingContact 7 +20
    61
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Eurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests89≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6953

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 88.6 + 40% × 68.8 = 81

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 52.9 = 61

    No road tests of noise for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 60

    Treadwear

    Eurowinter HS439 +4
    64
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Eurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online5663

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 62.5 (est.) + 40% × 55.8 = 60

    Eurowinter HS439: 60% × 64.9 (est.) + 40% × 62.5 = 64

    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).

    No road tests of treadwear for Eurowinter HS439. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 64

    Handling (owners)

    Eurowinter HS439 +2
    66
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Eurowinter HS439
    Reviews found online6466
  8. 77

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Eurowinter HS439
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests77–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental VikingContact 7Falken Eurowinter HS439
Relative Score 69 63
Dry 67 64
Wet 68 67
Snow 76 59
Comfort 71 60
Noise 81 61
Treadwear 60 64
Handling (owners) 64 66
Efficiency 77 –

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

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 5

VikingContact 7

± 7

Eurowinter HS439

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.

DisciplineCategoryVikingContact 7Eurowinter HS439ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/15 2025 Teknikens Värld Winter Tire Test R17 #17/50 2013 Winter Tyre Overview - Braking – Different tests

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 Eurowinter HS439

Pros

  • Excellent traction and grip in snow, ice, and cold weather conditions
  • High value for money compared to premium European competitors
  • Comfortable ride quality with good steering feedback once run-in

Cons

  • Subpar wet weather braking and performance compared to modern alternatives
  • Increased road noise relative to standard summer tires
  • Vulnerability to sidewall damage on rough, pothole-heavy roads
All owner themes in the Eurowinter HS439 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental VikingContact 7 B · Falken Eurowinter HS439
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available134—
Rim diameters14″ – 22″—
Tread depth10 - 11/32″11/32″
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure44 - 51 psi44 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental VikingContact 7

Falken Eurowinter HS439

Winner: Continental VikingContact 7 — better noise, snow and comfort. Pick the Falken Eurowinter HS439 if treadwear matters most to you. Falken Eurowinter HS439 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 19 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 81 vs 61 on noise.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 76 vs 59 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 71 vs 60 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Falken Eurowinter HS439 scores 64 vs 60 on treadwear.

Tire A · Continental VikingContact 7
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Tire B · Falken Eurowinter HS439
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VikingContact 7 or Eurowinter HS439?

Which is better in the wet, VikingContact 7 or Eurowinter HS439?

Neither, by our numbers: 68 vs 67 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, VikingContact 7 or Eurowinter HS439?

Continental VikingContact 7, 67 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, VikingContact 7 or Eurowinter HS439?

Continental VikingContact 7, 76 vs 59 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, VikingContact 7 or Eurowinter HS439?

Continental VikingContact 7, 81 vs 61 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, VikingContact 7 or Eurowinter HS439?

Continental VikingContact 7, 71 vs 60 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, VikingContact 7 or Eurowinter HS439?

Falken Eurowinter HS439, 64 vs 60 on our treadwear 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