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Head-to-head Updated

Continental VikingContact 7 vs Toyo Open Country WT — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 8 + 0 road tests and 32 + 5 owner reviews. How we score

Open Country WT is ahead, 75–67

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Continental VikingContact 7
Tire AContinental

VikingContact 7

Winter

Tests 75 · 8 tests Owners 60 · 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. 66

    Dry

    Open Country WT +9
    75
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Open Country WT
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests76≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online4979

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 49.4 = 66

    Open Country WT: 60% × 72.3 (est.) + 40% × 79.1 = 75

    No road tests of dry for Open Country WT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 66

    Wet

    Open Country WT +13
    79
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Open Country WT
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests68≈ 77 (est.)
    Reviews found online6283

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 68.4 + 40% × 62.1 = 66

    Open Country WT: 60% × 77.1 (est.) + 40% × 82.9 = 79

    No road tests of wet for Open Country WT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 75

    Snow

    VikingContact 7 +3
    72
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Open Country WT
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests79≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7074

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 78.6 + 40% × 70.1 = 75

    Open Country WT: 60% × 71.1 (est.) + 40% × 73.6 = 72

    No road tests of snow for Open Country WT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.33).

  4. 70

    Comfort

    Open Country WT +3
    73
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Open Country WT
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests70≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7177

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

    Open Country WT: 60% × 70.4 (est.) + 40% × 76.6 = 73

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

  5. 80

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Open Country WT
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests88–
    Reviews found online68–

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 88.1 + 40% × 68.1 = 80

  6. 59

    Treadwear

    Open Country WT +12
    71
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Open Country WT
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 62 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online5475

    VikingContact 7: 60% × 62 (est.) + 40% × 54 = 59

    Open Country WT: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 74.5 = 71

    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 0.31).

    No road tests of treadwear for Open Country WT. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 60

    Handling (owners)

    Open Country WT +20
    80
    Why this score
    SourceVikingContact 7Open Country WT
    Reviews found online6080
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental VikingContact 7Toyo Open Country WT
Relative Score 67 75
Dry 66 75
Wet 66 79
Snow 75 72
Comfort 70 73
Noise 80 –
Treadwear 59 71
Handling (owners) 60 80

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

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

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

VikingContact 7

Open Country WT

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 7Open Country WTΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/15 2025 Teknikens Värld Winter Tire Test R17 #5/8 2010 Auto Bild Winter 4x4 Tyre Test – 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 Open Country WT

Pros

  • Exceptional performance and traction in snow, ice, slush, and wet weather
  • Surprising longevity and slow tread wear over high mileage (20,000 to 30,000 miles)
  • Good versatility and capability for light off-road use, unmade tracks, and muddy fields

Cons

  • Slightly increased road noise compared to standard road tires, though not overly intrusive
All owner themes in the Open Country WT review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental VikingContact 7 B · Toyo Open Country WT
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available1348
Rim diameters14″ – 22″16″ – 19″
Tread depth10 - 11/32″—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure44 - 51 psi—
Sizes in common66

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental VikingContact 7

Toyo Open Country WT

Winner: Toyo Open Country WT — better handling, wet and treadwear. Pick the Continental VikingContact 7 if snow matters most to you. Toyo Open Country WT rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Toyo Open Country WT scores 80 vs 60 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Toyo Open Country WT scores 79 vs 66 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Toyo Open Country WT scores 71 vs 59 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Toyo Open Country WT scores 75 vs 66 on dry.

Tire A · Continental VikingContact 7
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Tire B · Toyo Open Country WT
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VikingContact 7 or Open Country WT?

Which is better in the wet, VikingContact 7 or Open Country WT?

Toyo Open Country WT, 79 vs 66 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, VikingContact 7 or Open Country WT?

Toyo Open Country WT, 75 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, VikingContact 7 or Open Country WT?

Continental VikingContact 7, 75 vs 72 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, VikingContact 7 or Open Country WT?

Toyo Open Country WT, 73 vs 70 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, VikingContact 7 or Open Country WT?

Toyo Open Country WT, 71 vs 59 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