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Head-to-head Updated

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV vs Continental WinterContact TS 790 — 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 3 + 0 road tests and 5 + 5 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 790 leads, 74–72 Narrow edge

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Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV
Tire AContinental

Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV

Winter

± 7

Tests 73 · 3 tests Owners 68 · 5 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2018 Auto Bild Winter SUV / 4x4 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.

  1. 70

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 790 +1
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVWinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests68≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7273

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 60% × 68 + 40% × 71.9 = 70

    WinterContact TS 790: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 71

    No road tests of dry for WinterContact TS 790. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 75

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 790 +3
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVWinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests77≈ 76 (est.)
    Reviews found online7281

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 60% × 76.9 + 40% × 71.6 = 75

    WinterContact TS 790: 60% × 76.4 (est.) + 40% × 81.1 = 78

    No road tests of wet for WinterContact TS 790. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 68

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVWinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests76–
    Reviews found online56–

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 55.9 = 68

  4. 71

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 790 +1
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVWinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7273

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 40% × 69.4 (est.) + 60% × 72.3 = 71

    WinterContact TS 790: 40% × 69.5 (est.) + 60% × 72.9 = 72

    No road tests of comfort for Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for WinterContact TS 790. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 63

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVWinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests61–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 60% × 61.4 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 63

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 790 +2
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVWinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7376

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 60% × 68.7 (est.) + 40% × 72.5 = 70

    WinterContact TS 790: 60% × 69.8 (est.) + 40% × 75.8 = 72

    No road tests of treadwear for Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for WinterContact TS 790. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 71

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 790 +6
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVWinterContact TS 790
    Reviews found online7177
  8. 81

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVWinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests81–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUVContinental WinterContact TS 790
Relative Score 72 74
Dry 70 71
Wet 75 78
Snow 68 –
Comfort 71 72
Noise 63 –
Treadwear 70 72
Handling (owners) 71 77
Efficiency 81 –

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

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

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
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
± 7

Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV

± 8

WinterContact TS 790

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV

Pros

  • Balanced performance across dry and wet conditions
  • Secure handling and positive steering feedback on snow and ice
  • Good overall traction in cold weather environments

Cons

  • Subpar aquaplaning resistance reported by some users
  • Inconsistent grip leading to rear-wheel spin in non-dry conditions
  • Mixed snow and winter slush performance depending on severity
All owner themes in the Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV review

Tire B WinterContact TS 790

Pros

  • Exceptional tread longevity and durability
  • Strong grip and stability in wet conditions
  • High level of ride comfort

Cons

  • Limited performance in heavy or deep snow conditions
  • Not optimized for severe winter climates
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 790 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV B · Continental WinterContact TS 790
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV

Continental WinterContact TS 790

Narrow edge: Continental WinterContact TS 790 — better handling and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Continental WinterContact TS 790 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 77 vs 71 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 78 vs 75 on wet.

Tire A · Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV
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Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 790
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Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV or WinterContact TS 790?

Which is better in the wet, Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV or WinterContact TS 790?

Continental WinterContact TS 790, 78 vs 75 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV or WinterContact TS 790?

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

Which is more comfortable, Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV or WinterContact TS 790?

Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 72 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV or WinterContact TS 790?

Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 72 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

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