Tests – · none yet Owners 83 · 12 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Continental WinterContact TS 800 vs Continental WinterContact TS 860 S — 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 + 1 road tests and 12 + 16 owner reviews. How we score
WinterContact TS 800 leads, 78–76 Narrow edge
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Tests 71 · 1 test Owners 80 · 16 reviews
Best test result: #2 of 11 in 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test (dry handling)
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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77
Dry
WinterContact TS 800 +176Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 800 WinterContact TS 860 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 74 (est.) 73 Reviews found online 82 80 WinterContact TS 800: 60% × 73.8 (est.) + 40% × 82.1 = 77
WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 73 + 40% × 79.5 = 76
No road tests of dry for WinterContact TS 800. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
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84
Wet
WinterContact TS 800 +975Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 800 WinterContact TS 860 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 80 (est.) 70 Reviews found online 89 83 WinterContact TS 800: 60% × 80.5 (est.) + 40% × 88.6 = 84
WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 70 + 40% × 83 = 75
No road tests of wet for WinterContact TS 800. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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75
Snow
WinterContact TS 800 +174Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 800 WinterContact TS 860 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 73 (est.) 71 Reviews found online 79 78 WinterContact TS 800: 60% × 73 (est.) + 40% × 78.5 = 75
WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 70.5 + 40% × 78.2 = 74
No road tests of snow for WinterContact TS 800. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
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77
Comfort
Level77Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 800 WinterContact TS 860 S Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 71 (est.) ≈ 71 (est.) Reviews found online 81 81 WinterContact TS 800: 40% × 71.2 (est.) + 60% × 81.3 = 77
WinterContact TS 860 S: 40% × 71.2 (est.) + 60% × 81.3 = 77
No road tests of comfort for WinterContact TS 800 or WinterContact TS 860 S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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–
Noise
No comparison70Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 800 WinterContact TS 860 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests – 73 Reviews found online – ≈ 66 (est.) WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 73.2 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 70
No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 860 S. 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.
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75
Treadwear
Level75Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 800 WinterContact TS 860 S Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 71 (est.) Reviews found online 81 80 WinterContact TS 800: 60% × 71.6 (est.) + 40% × 80.7 = 75
WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 71.3 (est.) + 40% × 79.8 = 75
No road tests of treadwear for WinterContact TS 800. 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 WinterContact TS 860 S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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85
Handling (owners)
WinterContact TS 800 +184Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 800 WinterContact TS 860 S Reviews found online 85 84 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison77Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 800 WinterContact TS 860 S Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests – 77
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental WinterContact TS 800 | Continental WinterContact TS 860 S |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 78 | 76 |
| Dry | 77 | 76 |
| Wet | 84 | 75 |
| Snow | 75 | 74 |
| Comfort | 77 | 77 |
| Noise | – | 70 |
| Treadwear | 75 | 75 |
| Handling (owners) | 85 | 84 |
| Efficiency | – | 77 |
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
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
78
/ 100
WinterContact TS 800
76
/ 100
WinterContact TS 860 S
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
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.
| Discipline | Category | WinterContact TS 800 | WinterContact TS 860 S | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #2/13 2012 European Tyre Test - 165/70 R14 | #4/11 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test | – | 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
Tire B WinterContact TS 860 S
Pros
- Exceptional handling and grip in wet, dry, and snow conditions
- Stiff sidewalls providing precise road feedback and cornering stability
- Summer-tire-like driving dynamics and confidence at low temperatures
Cons
- Long break-in (scrub-in) period required before optimal grip is reached
- Lateral grip in wet conditions can occasionally feel lacking during sudden maneuvers
- High price point
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental WinterContact TS 800 | B · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 6 | 92 |
| Rim diameters | 13″ – 15″ | 16″ – 23″ |
| Tread depth | — | 10 - 11/32″ |
| Sidewall | — | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 - 51 psi |
| Sizes in common | 0 | 0 |
Which one should you actually buy?
78
/ 100
Continental WinterContact TS 800
76
/ 100
Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
Narrow edge: Continental WinterContact TS 800 — better wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Continental WinterContact TS 800 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 12 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Continental WinterContact TS 860 S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 16 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Continental WinterContact TS 800 scores 84 vs 75 on wet.
Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 800
Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
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WinterContact TS 800 or WinterContact TS 860 S?
Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 800 or WinterContact TS 860 S?
Continental WinterContact TS 800, 84 vs 75 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 800 or WinterContact TS 860 S?
Neither, by our numbers: 77 vs 76 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 800 or WinterContact TS 860 S?
Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 74 on the snow score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 800 or WinterContact TS 860 S?
Neither, by our numbers: 77 vs 77 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 800 or WinterContact TS 860 S?
Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 75 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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