tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 790 vs Pirelli Ice Zero 2 — Compared

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

WinterContact TS 790 is ahead, 73–66

Check price on Amazon · WinterContact TS 790 or Ice Zero 2 on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

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)–81
    Reviews found online7258
  2. 78

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 790 +5
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–80
    Reviews found online8061
  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–75
    Reviews found online–64
  4. 72

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 790 +9
    63
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–72
    Reviews found online7450
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)–65
  6. 70

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 790 +12
    58
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Reviews found online7452
  7. 75

    Handling

    WinterContact TS 790 +19
    56
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790Ice Zero 2
    Reviews found online7556
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 790Pirelli Ice Zero 2
Relative Score 73 66
Dry 71 72
Wet 78 73
Snow – 71
Comfort 72 63
Noise – 66
Treadwear 70 58
Handling 75 56

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
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

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

Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost

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

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Recomputed
Headline score

WinterContact TS 790

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. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 75 vs 56 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 70 vs 58 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 72 vs 63 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
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Pirelli Ice Zero 2
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

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.

73

Leads

WinterContact TS 790

Amazon