Tests 74 · 7 tests Owners 75 · 10 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 14 in 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test (overall ranking)
Head-to-head
Updated
Continental VikingContact 8 vs Hankook Winter i cept IZ3 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
VikingContact 8 leads, 75–72 Narrow edge
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Tests 74 · 1 test Owners – · none yet
Best test result: #2 of 14 in 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test (wet braking)
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
74
Dry
VikingContact 8 +272Why this score
Source VikingContact 8 Winter i cept IZ3 Professional tests (TWG score) 76 74 Reviews found online 72 – Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test 98% 98% Subj. Dry Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test 100% 89% -
69
Wet
No comparison–Why this score
Source VikingContact 8 Winter i cept IZ3 Professional tests (TWG score) 62 – Reviews found online 80 – Subj. Wet Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test 89% 89% Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test 87% 92% Wet Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test 99% 100% -
78
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source VikingContact 8 Winter i cept IZ3 Professional tests (TWG score) 79 – Reviews found online 76 – Ice Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test 88% 100% Ice Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test 77% 93% Snow Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test 100% 98% Snow Traction (% of best) · 1 shared test 100% 97% -
88
Comfort
No comparison–Why this score
Source VikingContact 8 Winter i cept IZ3 Professional tests (TWG score) 94 – Reviews found online 79 – -
78
Noise
VikingContact 8 +672Why this score
Source VikingContact 8 Winter i cept IZ3 Professional tests (TWG score) 78 75 Reviews found online 77 – Subj. Noise (% of best) · 1 shared test 90% 90% -
70
Treadwear
No comparison–Why this score
Source VikingContact 8 Winter i cept IZ3 Reviews found online 73 – -
74
Handling
No comparison–Why this score
Source VikingContact 8 Winter i cept IZ3 Reviews found online 74 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental VikingContact 8 | Hankook Winter i cept IZ3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 75 | 72 |
| Dry | 74 | 72 |
| Wet | 69 | – |
| Snow | 78 | – |
| Comfort | 88 | – |
| Noise | 78 | 72 |
| Treadwear | 70 | – |
| Handling | 74 | – |
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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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
Recomputed
Headline score
75
/ 100
VikingContact 8
72
/ 100
Winter i cept IZ3
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.
| Discipline | Category | VikingContact 8 | Winter i cept IZ3 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 98% | 98% | −0.3 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test |
| Subj. Dry Handling | Dry | 100% | 89% | +11.1 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test |
| Subj. Noise | Noise | 90% | 90% | 0.0 | 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/14 | #4/14 | – | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test |
| Ice Braking | Snow | 88% | 100% | −12.0 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test |
| Ice Traction | Snow | 77% | 93% | −15.9 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 100% | 98% | +1.6 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test |
| Snow Traction | Snow | 100% | 97% | +3.3 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test |
| Subj. Wet Handling | Wet | 89% | 89% | 0.0 | 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 87% | 92% | −4.7 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 99% | 100% | −0.8 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tyre Test |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A VikingContact 8
Pros
- Exceptional ice and snow traction that rivals studded tires
- High level of ride comfort and ability to soak up potholes
- Very low noise levels and quiet operation
Cons
- Slightly loose grip or slipping behavior on completely dry roads
- Lack of steering feel and a noticeable gap in response on straightaways
- Occasional underperformance reports regarding rear-end stability at low speeds on specific SUVs
Tire B Winter i cept IZ3
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental VikingContact 8 | B · Hankook Winter i cept IZ3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 123 | 33 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 22″ | 15″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | 10 - 11/32″ | — |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall | — |
| Max pressure | 50 - 51 psi | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
75
/ 100
Continental VikingContact 8
72
/ 100
Hankook Winter i cept IZ3
Winner: Continental VikingContact 8 — better noise. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
You want a quieter cabin
Continental VikingContact 8 scores 78 vs 72 on noise.
Tire A · Continental VikingContact 8
Tire B · Hankook Winter i cept IZ3
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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.