tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Continental VikingContact 7 vs Kumho Winter Craft WP51 — 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 + 3 road tests and 32 + 15 owner reviews. How we score

VikingContact 7 leads, 69–67 Narrow edge

Check price on Amazon · VikingContact 7 or Winter Craft WP51 on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

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)

Kumho Winter Craft WP51
Tire BKumho

Winter Craft WP51

Winter

± 8

Tests 65 · 3 tests Owners 69 · 15 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 11 in 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test (noise)

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 +5
    62
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 2 tests7761
    Reviews found online5365

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 60% × 60.8 + 40% × 64.7 = 62

  2. 68

    Wet

    Level
    68
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 3 tests6866
    Reviews found online6770

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 60% × 66.2 + 40% × 70.1 = 68

  3. 76

    Snow

    VikingContact 7 +6
    70
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 3 tests7967
    Reviews found online7275

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 60% × 66.9 + 40% × 74.6 = 70

  4. 71

    Comfort

    VikingContact 7 +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests70≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7171

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 40% × 69.4 (est.) + 60% × 70.7 = 70

    No road tests of comfort for Winter Craft WP51. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 81

    Noise

    VikingContact 7 +12
    69
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / 1 tests8971
    Reviews found online69≈ 67 (est.)

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 60% × 71 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 69

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter Craft WP51. 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

    Winter Craft WP51 +7
    67
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 63 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online5668

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

    Winter Craft WP51: 60% × 66.7 (est.) + 40% × 67.8 = 67

    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 Winter Craft WP51. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 64

    Handling (owners)

    Winter Craft WP51 +2
    66
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Winter Craft WP51
    Reviews found online6466
  8. 77

    Efficiency

    VikingContact 7 +22
    55
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Winter Craft WP51
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 2 tests7755
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental VikingContact 7Kumho Winter Craft WP51
Relative Score 69 67
Dry 67 62
Wet 68 68
Snow 76 70
Comfort 71 70
Noise 81 69
Treadwear 60 67
Handling (owners) 64 66
Efficiency 77 55

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

± 8

Winter Craft WP51

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 7Winter Craft WP51ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 100% #1/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 91% #11/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 80% #2/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 91% #7/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 80% #2/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 85% #32/49 · 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 80% #3/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 90% #11/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Ice Braking Snow 100% #1/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 89% #4/8 · 2017 AC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 – Different tests
Ice Handling Snow 100% #1/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 85% #8/8 · 2017 AC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 – Different tests
Ice Traction Snow 100% #1/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 92% #3/8 · 2017 AC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 100% #1/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 92% #29/35 · 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 90% #3/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 97% #5/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 100% #1/5 · 2023 Autoreview Studless Winter Tire Test R16 89% #8/8 · 2017 AC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 – Different tests
Noise Noise 100% #3/8 · 2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 100% #1/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 78% #11/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Price Cost 69% #5/8 · 2022 ViBilagare Nordic SUV Winter Tyre Test 92% #2/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall #2/15 2025 Teknikens Värld Winter Tire Test R17 #16/16 2021 ADAC Winter Tire Test R15 – 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 Winter Craft WP51

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and reliability in deep snow and slush
  • High price-to-performance ratio compared to premium brands
  • Solid durability and tread life for the price point

Cons

  • Noticeable increase in road noise
  • Mediocre wet-weather braking and traction
  • Lack of steering feedback and stability on dry pavement
All owner themes in the Winter Craft WP51 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental VikingContact 7 B · Kumho Winter Craft WP51
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available1344
Rim diameters14″ – 22″13″ – 15″
Tread depth10 - 11/32″—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure44 - 51 psi—
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental VikingContact 7

Kumho Winter Craft WP51

Narrow edge: Continental VikingContact 7 — better efficiency, noise and snow. Pick the Kumho Winter Craft WP51 if treadwear matters most to you.

Pick tire A You want lower fuel or energy use

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 77 vs 55 on efficiency.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 81 vs 69 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Kumho Winter Craft WP51 scores 67 vs 60 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental VikingContact 7 scores 76 vs 70 on snow.

Tire A · Continental VikingContact 7
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Kumho Winter Craft WP51
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

VikingContact 7 or Winter Craft WP51?

Which is better in the wet, VikingContact 7 or Winter Craft WP51?

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

Which grips better on dry roads, VikingContact 7 or Winter Craft WP51?

Continental VikingContact 7, 67 vs 62 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, VikingContact 7 or Winter Craft WP51?

Continental VikingContact 7, 76 vs 70 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, VikingContact 7 or Winter Craft WP51?

Continental VikingContact 7, 81 vs 69 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, VikingContact 7 or Winter Craft WP51?

Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 70 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, VikingContact 7 or Winter Craft WP51?

Kumho Winter Craft WP51, 67 vs 60 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, VikingContact 7 or Winter Craft WP51?

Continental VikingContact 7, 77 vs 55 on our efficiency 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