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Head-to-head Updated

Continental VikingContact 7 vs General Altimax Arctic 12 — Compared

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

Altimax Arctic 12 leads, 67–66 Narrow edge

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Tire AContinental

VikingContact 7

Winter

Tests 75 · 8 tests Owners 60 · 32 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 5 in 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 (subj. comfort)

Tire BGeneral

Altimax Arctic 12

Premium Touring Winter tire

Tests 64 · 1 test Owners 70 · 31 reviews

Best test result: #6 of 15 in 2022 Consumer Reports Winter Tires (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 65

    Dry

    VikingContact 7 +13
    52
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Altimax Arctic 12
    Professional tests (TWG score)7648
    Reviews found online4958
  2. 66

    Wet

    Altimax Arctic 12 +3
    69
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Altimax Arctic 12
    Professional tests (TWG score)6965
    Reviews found online6275
  3. 75

    Snow

    Altimax Arctic 12 +1
    76
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Altimax Arctic 12
    Professional tests (TWG score)7974
    Reviews found online7079
  4. 70

    Comfort

    VikingContact 7 +2
    68
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Altimax Arctic 12
    Professional tests (TWG score)7068
    Reviews found online7167
  5. 79

    Noise

    VikingContact 7 +10
    69
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Altimax Arctic 12
    Professional tests (TWG score)8672
    Reviews found online6765
  6. 59

    Treadwear

    Altimax Arctic 12 +11
    70
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Altimax Arctic 12
    Reviews found online5472
  7. 60

    Handling

    Altimax Arctic 12 +9
    69
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Altimax Arctic 12
    Reviews found online6069
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental VikingContact 7General Altimax Arctic 12
Relative Score 66 67
Dry 65 52
Wet 66 69
Snow 75 76
Comfort 70 68
Noise 79 69
Treadwear 59 70
Handling 60 69

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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Important
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Important
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Less important
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Less important
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

VikingContact 7

Altimax Arctic 12

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 7Altimax Arctic 12ΔHead-to-head
Subj. Comfort Comfort 100% #1/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 94% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test +6.3 Different tests
Dry Braking Dry 100% #1/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 81% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test +19.1 Different tests
Subj. Noise Noise 100% #1/16 · 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test 94% #7/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test +6.3 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall #3/15 #6/15 – 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Consumer Reports Winter Tires
Ice Braking Snow 100% #1/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 84% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test +15.7 Different tests
Ice Traction Snow 100% #1/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 91% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test +8.9 Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 100% #1/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 75% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test +25.4 Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 90% #3/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 90% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test +0.4 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 80% #2/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 76% #9/10 · 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs Winter Tyre Test +4.0 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 Altimax Arctic 12

Pros

  • Outstanding grip and traction in heavy snow, slush, and ice
  • Excellent value and affordable price point compared to premium winter tires
  • Impressive tread life and long-term durability across multiple winter seasons

Cons

  • Noticeable road noise, which can increase as the tires wear
  • Slightly soft, squishy, or vague handling characteristics on dry pavement
  • Higher rolling resistance resulting in a minor decrease in fuel economy
All owner themes in the Altimax Arctic 12 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental VikingContact 7 B · General Altimax Arctic 12
CategoryWinterPremium Touring Winter tire
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available13438
Rim diameters14″ – 22″15″ – 19″
Tread depth10 - 11/32″12/32″
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure44 - 51 psi51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental VikingContact 7

General Altimax Arctic 12

Too close to call: Continental VikingContact 7 and General Altimax Arctic 12 are within 2 points overall. Continental VikingContact 7 is stronger on dry and noise. General Altimax Arctic 12 is stronger on treadwear, handling and wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 65 vs 52 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 70 vs 59 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 79 vs 69 on noise.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

General Altimax Arctic 12 scores 69 vs 60 on handling.

Tire A · Continental VikingContact 7
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · General Altimax Arctic 12
Check price on Amazon

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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.

67

Narrow edge

Altimax Arctic 12

Amazon