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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P vs Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D — 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 9 + 0 road tests and 20 + 45 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 850 P is ahead, 74–67

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Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 850 P

Winter

± 5

Tests 76 · 9 tests Owners 72 · 20 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test (wet handling)

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 850 P +8
    63
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850 PSP Winter Sport 3D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests71≈ 65 (est.)
    Reviews found online7160

    WinterContact TS 850 P: 60% × 71.3 + 40% × 70.7 = 71

    SP Winter Sport 3D: 60% × 64.6 (est.) + 40% × 59.9 = 63

    No road tests of dry for SP Winter Sport 3D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 84

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 850 P +11
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850 PSP Winter Sport 3D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests88≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7774

    WinterContact TS 850 P: 60% × 88.1 + 40% × 77.2 = 84

    SP Winter Sport 3D: 60% × 72.3 (est.) + 40% × 73.7 = 73

    No road tests of wet for SP Winter Sport 3D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 73

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 850 P +3
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850 PSP Winter Sport 3D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests76≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online6869

    WinterContact TS 850 P: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 68 = 73

    SP Winter Sport 3D: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 68.8 = 70

    No road tests of snow for SP Winter Sport 3D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 70

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 850 P +6
    64
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850 PSP Winter Sport 3D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests72≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online6861

    WinterContact TS 850 P: 40% × 72.1 + 60% × 68.4 = 70

    SP Winter Sport 3D: 40% × 67.1 (est.) + 60% × 61.1 = 64

    No road tests of comfort for SP Winter Sport 3D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 67

    Noise

    WinterContact TS 850 P +4
    63
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850 PSP Winter Sport 3D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests67≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)58

    WinterContact TS 850 P: 60% × 67.2 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 67

    SP Winter Sport 3D: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 57.8 = 63

    No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 850 P. 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.

    No road tests of noise for SP Winter Sport 3D. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 72

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 850 P +10
    62
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850 PSP Winter Sport 3D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests72≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7160

    WinterContact TS 850 P: 60% × 72.2 + 40% × 71.4 = 72

    SP Winter Sport 3D: 60% × 64.1 (est.) + 40% × 59.9 = 62

    No road tests of treadwear for SP Winter Sport 3D. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 75

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 850 P +8
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850 PSP Winter Sport 3D
    Reviews found online7567
  8. 80

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850 PSP Winter Sport 3D
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests80–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 850 PDunlop SP Winter Sport 3D
Relative Score 74 67
Dry 71 63
Wet 84 73
Snow 73 70
Comfort 70 64
Noise 67 63
Treadwear 72 62
Handling (owners) 75 67
Efficiency 80 –

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
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
± 5

WinterContact TS 850 P

± 7

SP Winter Sport 3D

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 850 PSP Winter Sport 3DΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #7/10 2025 Autobild Winter Tire Test R18 #1/8 2011 Auto Bild 4x4 Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A WinterContact TS 850 P

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and stability in wet and dry conditions
  • Low noise levels and high ride comfort
  • Predictable handling and good feedback on cold, ungritted roads

Cons

  • Faster than expected tread wear reported by some users
  • High initial purchase price
  • Mixed performance on ice and slush for certain drivers
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 850 P review

Tire B SP Winter Sport 3D

Pros

  • Outstanding grip and traction in deep and packed snow
  • Confident handling and braking performance on cold, wet roads
  • Great dry-road handling and steering response during winter temperatures

Cons

  • High and sometimes unbearable road noise as the tires age
  • Degradation of grip and hardening of rubber compound over multiple seasons
  • Faster or below-average tread life reported by some drivers
All owner themes in the SP Winter Sport 3D review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 850 P B · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available12221
Rim diameters15″ – 22″16″ – 20″
Tread depth10 - 11/32″10/32″
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure44 - 51 psi50 psi
Sizes in common1313

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P

Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 850 P — better wet, treadwear and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P scores 84 vs 73 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P scores 72 vs 62 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P scores 71 vs 63 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P scores 75 vs 67 on handling.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 850 P
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Tire B · Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D
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WinterContact TS 850 P or SP Winter Sport 3D?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 850 P or SP Winter Sport 3D?

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P, 84 vs 73 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 850 P or SP Winter Sport 3D?

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P, 71 vs 63 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 850 P or SP Winter Sport 3D?

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P, 73 vs 70 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, WinterContact TS 850 P or SP Winter Sport 3D?

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P, 67 vs 63 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 850 P or SP Winter Sport 3D?

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P, 70 vs 64 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 850 P or SP Winter Sport 3D?

Continental WinterContact TS 850 P, 72 vs 62 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