Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 800 vs Michelin X Ice Snow — 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 + 13 road tests and 12 + 19 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 800 is ahead, 79–73

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Michelin X Ice Snow
Tire BMichelin

X Ice Snow

Winter

± 5

Tests 70 · 13 tests Owners 79 · 19 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2025 Studded, Friction and European Winter Tyre Test (comfort (tester's mark))

Category by category

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

  1. 78

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 800 +10
    68
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800X Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 11 tests≈ 74 (est.)65
    Reviews found online8372

    WinterContact TS 800: 60% × 74.2 (est.) + 40% × 82.6 = 78

    X Ice Snow: 60% × 65.3 + 40% × 72.2 = 68

    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 0.42).

  2. 84

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 800 +13
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800X Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 12 tests≈ 81 (est.)64
    Reviews found online8981

    WinterContact TS 800: 60% × 80.7 (est.) + 40% × 88.8 = 84

    X Ice Snow: 60% × 64.2 + 40% × 80.6 = 71

    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).

  3. 76

    Snow

    X Ice Snow +1
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800X Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 12 tests≈ 74 (est.)73
    Reviews found online7982

    WinterContact TS 800: 60% × 73.8 (est.) + 40% × 78.9 = 76

    X Ice Snow: 60% × 73.3 + 40% × 81.8 = 77

    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 0.37).

  4. 78

    Comfort

    X Ice Snow +3
    81
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800X Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 71 (est.)82
    Reviews found online8280

    WinterContact TS 800: 40% × 71.5 (est.) + 60% × 82 = 78

    X Ice Snow: 40% × 82.3 + 60% × 80 = 81

    No road tests of comfort for WinterContact TS 800. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800X Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests–81
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    X Ice Snow: 60% × 81.2 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 75

    No owner ratings of noise for X Ice Snow. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 75

    Treadwear

    X Ice Snow +1
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800X Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8183

    WinterContact TS 800: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 80.5 = 75

    X Ice Snow: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 83.1 = 76

    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 0.35).

    No road tests of treadwear for X Ice Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 85

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 800 +9
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800X Ice Snow
    Reviews found online8576
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 800X Ice Snow
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests–77
Scores at a glance
Continental WinterContact TS 800 vs Michelin X Ice Snow: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 800Michelin X Ice Snow
Relative Score 79 73
Dry 78 68
Wet 84 71
Snow 76 77
Comfort 78 81
Noise – 75
Treadwear 75 76
Handling (owners) 85 76
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
± 8

WinterContact TS 800

± 5

X Ice Snow

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinterContact TS 800X Ice SnowΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/13 2012 European Tyre Test - 165/70 R14 #7/10 2026 Tire Rack All-Weather vs 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
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 800 review

Tire B X Ice Snow

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and lateral grip in deep snow and slush
  • High level of confidence and stability on icy surfaces
  • Excellent tread life and durability over multiple seasons

Cons

  • Average performance and handling on dry or wet pavement
  • Increased road noise as the tires wear over time
  • Can feel slightly 'twitchy' or less stable at the absolute limit of handling
All owner themes in the X Ice Snow review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 800 B · Michelin X Ice Snow
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available6100
Rim diameters13″ – 15″13″ – 21″
Sizes in common11

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 800

Michelin X Ice Snow

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 800 — better wet, dry and handling. Pick the Michelin X Ice Snow if comfort matters most to you. Continental WinterContact TS 800 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 12 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 800 scores 84 vs 71 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 800 scores 78 vs 68 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 800 scores 85 vs 76 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin X Ice Snow scores 81 vs 78 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 800
Tire B · Michelin X Ice Snow

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WinterContact TS 800 or X Ice Snow?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 800 or X Ice Snow?

Continental WinterContact TS 800, 84 vs 71 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 800 or X Ice Snow?

Continental WinterContact TS 800, 78 vs 68 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 800 or X Ice Snow?

Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 77 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 800 or X Ice Snow?

Michelin X Ice Snow, 81 vs 78 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 800 or X Ice Snow?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 76 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