Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 790 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 0 + 0 road tests and 5 + 9 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 790 is ahead, 74–68

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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. 71

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 790 +6
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790SOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7364

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

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 63.7 = 65

    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).

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

  2. 78

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 790 +6
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790SOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 76 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8173

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

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 72

    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).

    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. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790SOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online–61

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.2 = 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 0.32).

  4. 72

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 790 +5
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790SOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7366

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

    SOTTOZERO: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 65.9 = 67

    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).

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

  5. 72

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 790 +6
    66
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790SOTTOZERO
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7666

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

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.2 = 66

    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 SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. 77

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 790 +8
    69
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 790SOTTOZERO
    Reviews found online7769
Scores at a glance
Continental WinterContact TS 790 vs Pirelli SOTTOZERO: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 790Pirelli SOTTOZERO
Relative Score 74 68
Dry 71 65
Wet 78 72
Snow – 65
Comfort 72 67
Treadwear 72 66
Handling (owners) 77 69

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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

WinterContact TS 790

± 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 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 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 WinterContact TS 790 B · Pirelli SOTTOZERO
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 790

Pirelli SOTTOZERO

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 790 — better handling, dry 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. Pirelli SOTTOZERO rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 77 vs 69 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 71 vs 65 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 78 vs 72 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 72 vs 66 on treadwear.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 790
Tire B · Pirelli SOTTOZERO

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WinterContact TS 790 or SOTTOZERO?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 790 or SOTTOZERO?

Continental WinterContact TS 790, 78 vs 72 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 790 or SOTTOZERO?

Continental WinterContact TS 790, 71 vs 65 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 790 or SOTTOZERO?

Continental WinterContact TS 790, 72 vs 67 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 790 or SOTTOZERO?

Continental WinterContact TS 790, 72 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