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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 800 vs Continental WinterContact TS 850 — Compared

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

WinterContact TS 800 leads, 76–73 Narrow edge

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Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 800

Winter

Tests – · none yet Owners 79 · 12 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 13 in 2012 European Tyre Test - 165/70 R14 (overall ranking)

Tire BContinental

WinterContact TS 850

Winter

Tests – · none yet Owners 75 · 57 reviews

Best test result: #3 of 51 in 2015 Winter Tyre Market Overview (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 75

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 800 +2
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800WinterContact TS 850
    Reviews found online7977
  2. 80

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 800 +2
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800WinterContact TS 850
    Reviews found online8481
  3. 74

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 800 +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800WinterContact TS 850
    Reviews found online7770
  4. 74

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 800 +1
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800WinterContact TS 850
    Reviews found online7977
  5. 71

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 800 +1
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800WinterContact TS 850
    Reviews found online7572
  6. 81

    Handling

    WinterContact TS 800 +3
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800WinterContact TS 850
    Reviews found online8178
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 800Continental WinterContact TS 850
Relative Score 76 73
Dry 75 73
Wet 80 78
Snow 74 70
Comfort 74 73
Treadwear 71 70
Handling 81 78

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
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Important
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Less important
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

WinterContact TS 800

WinterContact TS 850

The professional test results behind the scores

Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.

DisciplineCategoryWinterContact TS 800WinterContact TS 850ΔHead-to-head
Overall Ranking Overall #2/13 2012 European Tyre Test - 165/70 R14 #3/51 2015 Winter Tyre Market Overview – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A WinterContact TS 800

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep, fresh, and compressed snow
  • Reliable braking and handling performance on wet and icy surfaces
  • Impressive tread longevity even under varied driving conditions

Cons

  • Increased road noise compared to some summer tire models
  • Reduced handling precision and performance when temperatures exceed 10°C
  • Soft compound can feel less stable during aggressive dry-weather driving
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 800 review

Tire B WinterContact TS 850

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow and icy conditions
  • Outstanding performance in wet weather with strong resistance to aquaplaning
  • High levels of ride comfort and low cabin noise

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls can result in a 'floating' or vague steering feel during cornering
  • Performance degrades noticeably in temperatures above 10-15°C
  • Reports of accelerated shoulder wear, particularly on heavier or RWD vehicles
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 850 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 800 B · Continental WinterContact TS 850
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available65
Rim diameters13″ – 15″14″ – 16″

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 800

Continental WinterContact TS 850

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 800 — better snow and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental WinterContact TS 800 scores 74 vs 70 on snow.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 800 scores 81 vs 78 on handling.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 800
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Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 850
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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.

76

Narrow edge

WinterContact TS 800

Amazon