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Head-to-head Updated

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV vs Pirelli SOTTOZERO — 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 + 9 owner reviews. How we score

Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV leads, 71–67 Narrow edge

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Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV
Tire AContinental

Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV

Winter

± 6

Tests 73 · 3 tests Owners 69 · 5 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2018 Auto Bild Winter SUV / 4x4 Tyre Test (wet braking)

Pirelli SOTTOZERO
Tire BPirelli

SOTTOZERO

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 66 · 9 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 70

    Dry

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV +4
    66
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVSOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests68≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7264

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 60% × 68.1 + 40% × 72.4 = 70

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 64.2 = 66

    No road tests of dry for SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 75

    Wet

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV +3
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVSOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests77≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7273

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 60% × 77.1 + 40% × 71.9 = 75

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72

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

  3. 68

    Snow

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV +3
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVSOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests76≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online5661

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 56.1 = 68

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 61.4 = 65

    No road tests of snow for SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 72

    Comfort

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV +5
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVSOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7367

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 40% × 69.8 (est.) + 60% × 73 = 72

    SOTTOZERO: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 66.6 = 67

    No road tests of comfort for Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV or SOTTOZERO. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 63

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVSOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests61–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)–

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 60% × 61.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 63

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV. 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. 70

    Treadwear

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV +4
    66
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVSOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7266

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV: 60% × 68.3 (est.) + 40% × 72.3 = 70

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 66.1 (est.) + 40% × 66.1 = 66

    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 0.35).

    No road tests of treadwear for SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 71

    Handling (owners)

    Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVSOTTOZERO
    Reviews found online7169
  8. 81

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Contact TS 850 P SUVSOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests81–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUVPirelli SOTTOZERO
Relative Score 71 67
Dry 70 66
Wet 75 72
Snow 68 65
Comfort 72 67
Noise 63 –
Treadwear 70 66
Handling (owners) 71 69
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
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
± 6

Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV

± 8

SOTTOZERO

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 SOTTOZERO

Pros

  • Exceptional ride comfort and low noise levels compared to standard winter tires.
  • Strong dry road handling with a progressive, communicative feel.
  • Impressive tread longevity, with some users reporting high mileage even in warmer conditions.

Cons

  • Inconsistent traction on ice and deep snow reported by some users.
  • Potential for rear-end instability or loss of grip in wet conditions on certain vehicles.
  • Accelerated tread wear noted by users who purchased used tires or drove aggressively.
All owner themes in the SOTTOZERO review

Specs side by side

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

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV

Pirelli SOTTOZERO

Narrow edge: Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV — better comfort, dry and treadwear. It leads or ties in every category we score. Pirelli SOTTOZERO rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV scores 72 vs 67 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV scores 70 vs 66 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV scores 70 vs 66 on treadwear.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV scores 75 vs 72 on wet.

Tire A · Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV
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Tire B · Pirelli SOTTOZERO
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Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV or SOTTOZERO?

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

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV, 75 vs 72 on our wet score.

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

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV, 70 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV or SOTTOZERO?

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV, 68 vs 65 on our snow score.

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

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV, 72 vs 67 on our comfort score.

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

Continental Winter Contact TS 850 P SUV, 70 vs 66 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