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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 790 vs Continental WinterContact TS 860 S — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

WinterContact TS 860 S leads, 74–73 Narrow edge

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Category by category

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

  1. 71

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 860 S +3
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790WinterContact TS 860 S
    Professional tests (TWG score)–73
    Reviews found online7277
  2. 78

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 790 +5
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790WinterContact TS 860 S
    Professional tests (TWG score)–70
    Reviews found online8079
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790WinterContact TS 860 S
    Professional tests (TWG score)–71
    Reviews found online–78
  4. 72

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 S +2
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790WinterContact TS 860 S
    Reviews found online7479
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790WinterContact TS 860 S
    Professional tests (TWG score)–73
    Reviews found online–71
  6. 70

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 860 S +2
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790WinterContact TS 860 S
    Reviews found online7476
  7. 75

    Handling

    WinterContact TS 860 S +6
    81
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790WinterContact TS 860 S
    Reviews found online7581
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 790Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
Relative Score 73 74
Dry 71 74
Wet 78 73
Snow – 73
Comfort 72 74
Noise – 72
Treadwear 70 72
Handling 75 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 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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Important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

WinterContact TS 790

WinterContact TS 860 S

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 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

Tire B WinterContact TS 860 S

Pros

  • Exceptional handling and feedback on dry and wet roads in cold temperatures
  • Strong performance and confidence in snow and icy conditions
  • Stiffer sidewalls compared to predecessors, offering improved cornering stability

Cons

  • Long break-in period required before optimal grip is achieved
  • Potential for traction control interference on staggered RWD setups due to circumference variances
  • Limited lateral grip in wet conditions compared to some competitors
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 860 S review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 790 B · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available192
Rim diameters15″16″ – 23″
Tread depth—10 - 11/32″
Sidewall—Black Side Wall
Max pressure—50 - 51 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 790

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S

Too close to call: Continental WinterContact TS 790 and Continental WinterContact TS 860 S are within 2 points overall. Continental WinterContact TS 790 is stronger on wet. Continental WinterContact TS 860 S is stronger on handling and dry.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 81 vs 75 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 78 vs 73 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 74 vs 71 on dry.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 790
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Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
Check price on Amazon

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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.

74

Narrow edge

WinterContact TS 860 S

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