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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 790 vs Pirelli Ice Zero 2 — 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 0 + 6 road tests and 5 + 3 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 790 is ahead, 74–66

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Pirelli Ice Zero 2
Tire BPirelli

Ice Zero 2

Winter

± 6

Tests 78 · 6 tests Owners 57 · 3 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test (snow traction)

Category by category

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

  1. 71

    Dry

    Ice Zero 2 +1
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests≈ 70 (est.)82
    Reviews found online7357

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

    Ice Zero 2: 60% × 81.7 + 40% × 56.8 = 72

    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. 78

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 790 +5
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 76 (est.)81
    Reviews found online8161

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

    Ice Zero 2: 60% × 81.1 + 40% × 60.8 = 73

    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. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–76
    Reviews found online–63

    Ice Zero 2: 60% × 75.6 + 40% × 62.9 = 71

  4. 72

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 790 +14
    58
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 70 (est.)72
    Reviews found online7349

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

    Ice Zero 2: 40% × 72.1 + 60% × 49 = 58

    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. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 4 tests–65
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    Ice Zero 2: 60% × 64.8 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 65

    No owner ratings of noise for Ice Zero 2. 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. 72

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 790 +16
    56
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 60 (est.)
    Reviews found online7649

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

    Ice Zero 2: 60% × 60.4 (est.) + 40% × 49.3 = 56

    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).

    No road tests of treadwear for Ice Zero 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 77

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 790 +24
    53
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Reviews found online7753
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests–70
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 790Pirelli Ice Zero 2
Relative Score 74 66
Dry 71 72
Wet 78 73
Snow – 71
Comfort 72 58
Noise – 65
Treadwear 72 56
Handling (owners) 77 53
Efficiency – 70

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
± 8

WinterContact TS 790

± 6

Ice Zero 2

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 Ice Zero 2

Pros

  • Very good traction and performance on snow
  • Reasonably quiet for a studded winter tire
  • Adequate performance on wet and salty roads

Cons

  • Dangerous slipping on ice at low speeds in cold climates
  • Strong, intrusive howling noise at speeds above 95 km/h
  • Poor overall handling compared to competing studded winter tires like the Nokian Hakkapeliitta
All owner themes in the Ice Zero 2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 790 B · Pirelli Ice Zero 2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 790

Pirelli Ice Zero 2

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 790 — better handling, treadwear and comfort. Where the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points. Continental WinterContact TS 790 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 77 vs 53 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 72 vs 56 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 72 vs 58 on comfort.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 78 vs 73 on wet.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 790
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Tire B · Pirelli Ice Zero 2
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WinterContact TS 790 or Ice Zero 2?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 790 or Ice Zero 2?

Continental WinterContact TS 790, 78 vs 73 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 790 or Ice Zero 2?

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

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 790 or Ice Zero 2?

Continental WinterContact TS 790, 72 vs 58 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 790 or Ice Zero 2?

Continental WinterContact TS 790, 72 vs 56 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