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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 830 P 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 38 + 14 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 860 S leads, 74–72 Narrow edge

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Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
Tire BContinental

WinterContact TS 860 S

Winter

± 7Provisional

Tests 71 · 1 test Owners 78 · 14 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.

  1. 72

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 860 S +2
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 830 PWinterContact TS 860 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 71 (est.)73
    Reviews found online7476

    WinterContact TS 830 P: 60% × 70.8 (est.) + 40% × 74.4 = 72

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 73 + 40% × 76.4 = 74

    No road tests of dry for WinterContact TS 830 P. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 77

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 830 P +3
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 830 PWinterContact TS 860 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 75 (est.)70
    Reviews found online7980

    WinterContact TS 830 P: 60% × 75.3 (est.) + 40% × 78.9 = 77

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 69.9 + 40% × 80.1 = 74

    No road tests of wet for WinterContact TS 830 P. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 68

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 860 S +5
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 830 PWinterContact TS 860 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 69 (est.)71
    Reviews found online6677

    WinterContact TS 830 P: 60% × 69.1 (est.) + 40% × 66.4 = 68

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 70.6 + 40% × 76.9 = 73

    No road tests of snow for WinterContact TS 830 P. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 73

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 S +3
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 830 PWinterContact TS 860 S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7579

    WinterContact TS 830 P: 40% × 70.2 (est.) + 60% × 75 = 73

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 40% × 70.9 (est.) + 60% × 78.6 = 76

    No road tests of comfort for WinterContact TS 830 P or WinterContact TS 860 S. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 830 PWinterContact TS 860 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–74
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 73.5 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 71

    No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 860 S. 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. 71

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 860 S +3
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 830 PWinterContact TS 860 S
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7479

    WinterContact TS 830 P: 60% × 68.7 (est.) + 40% × 73.5 = 71

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 70.6 (est.) + 40% × 78.9 = 74

    No road tests of treadwear for WinterContact TS 830 P. 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 WinterContact TS 860 S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 72

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 860 S +9
    81
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 830 PWinterContact TS 860 S
    Reviews found online7281
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 830 PWinterContact TS 860 S
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests–77
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 830 PContinental WinterContact TS 860 S
Relative Score 72 74
Dry 72 74
Wet 77 74
Snow 68 73
Comfort 73 76
Noise – 71
Treadwear 71 74
Handling (owners) 72 81
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 830 P

± 7

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinterContact TS 830 PWinterContact TS 860 SΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #3/9 2012 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test #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 830 P

Pros

  • Outstanding grip and control in deep snow, packed snow, and ice
  • Excellent braking performance and stopping power in low temperatures
  • Low road noise and high comfort levels compared to typical winter tires

Cons

  • Occasional complaints of poor wet grip or side-slipping in corners
  • Stiff sidewalls (especially on run-flat variants) can lead to a harsher ride over bumps
  • Some reports of irregular or severe sawtooth wear leading to reduced cornering grip
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 830 P review

Tire B WinterContact TS 860 S

Pros

  • Exceptional handling and feedback on dry and wet roads in cold temperatures
  • Strong performance and confidence in snow and icy conditions
  • Stiffer sidewalls compared to predecessors, offering improved cornering stability

Cons

  • Long break-in period required before optimal grip is achieved
  • Potential for traction control interference on staggered RWD setups due to circumference variances
  • Limited lateral grip in wet conditions compared to some competitors
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 860 S review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 830 P B · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available6492
Rim diameters15″ – 21″16″ – 23″
Tread depth—10 - 11/32″
Sidewall—Black Side Wall
Max pressure—50 - 51 psi
Sizes in common2525

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 830 P

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S

Narrow edge: Continental WinterContact TS 860 S — better handling, snow and comfort. Pick the Continental WinterContact TS 830 P if wet matters most to you. Continental WinterContact TS 860 S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 14 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 81 vs 72 on handling.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 73 vs 68 on snow.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 830 P scores 77 vs 74 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 76 vs 73 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 830 P
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Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
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WinterContact TS 830 P or WinterContact TS 860 S?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 830 P or WinterContact TS 860 S?

Continental WinterContact TS 830 P, 77 vs 74 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 830 P or WinterContact TS 860 S?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 74 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 830 P or WinterContact TS 860 S?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 73 vs 68 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 830 P or WinterContact TS 860 S?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 76 vs 73 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 830 P or WinterContact TS 860 S?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 74 vs 71 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