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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 850 vs Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — 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 + 27 road tests and 57 + 31 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 870 P is ahead, 82–76

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Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Tire BContinental

WinterContact TS 870 P

Winter

± 4

Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 81 · 31 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2023 Auto Bild 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. 76

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 870 P +5
    81
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 22 tests≈ 73 (est.)82
    Reviews found online8079

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 72.9 (est.) + 40% × 79.6 = 76

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 82.4 + 40% × 79 = 81

    No road tests of dry for WinterContact TS 850. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 81

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 870 P +9
    90
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 27 tests≈ 78 (est.)93
    Reviews found online8586

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 78.4 (est.) + 40% × 84.5 = 81

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 92.8 + 40% × 86.2 = 90

    No road tests of wet for WinterContact TS 850. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 72

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 870 P +6
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 26 tests≈ 71 (est.)79
    Reviews found online7276

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 71.4 (est.) + 40% × 72.3 = 72

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.7 + 40% × 76.2 = 78

    No road tests of snow for WinterContact TS 850. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 77

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 870 P +5
    82
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 5 tests≈ 71 (est.)84
    Reviews found online8081

    WinterContact TS 850: 40% × 71.2 (est.) + 60% × 80.1 = 77

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 40% × 83.9 + 60% × 81.1 = 82

    No road tests of comfort for WinterContact TS 850. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 19 tests–78
    Reviews found online–≈ 67 (est.)

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 74

    No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 870 P. 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. 73

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 870 P +1
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests≈ 70 (est.)71
    Reviews found online7880

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 70.1 (est.) + 40% × 77.6 = 73

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 70.6 + 40% × 79.9 = 74

    No road tests of treadwear for WinterContact TS 850. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 81

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 870 P +2
    83
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850WinterContact TS 870 P
    Reviews found online8183
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    86
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 21 tests–86
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 850Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Relative Score 76 82
Dry 76 81
Wet 81 90
Snow 72 78
Comfort 77 82
Noise – 74
Treadwear 73 74
Handling (owners) 81 83
Efficiency – 86

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 850

± 4

WinterContact TS 870 P

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 850WinterContact TS 870 PΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #3/51 2015 Winter Tyre Market Overview #1/18 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European 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

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

Tire B WinterContact TS 870 P

Pros

  • Exceptionally low noise levels and high ride comfort
  • Outstanding wet weather and slush performance, cutting through heavy rain effortlessly
  • Balanced dry and cold-weather handling with impressive cornering stability

Cons

  • Higher price point compared to some competitors
  • Steering response and initial stiffness are slightly softer and less sporty than dedicated summer tires or some rivals
  • Snow and ice traction can feel less exceptional or borderline inadequate for a small subset of users
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 870 P review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 850 B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available5121
Rim diameters14″ – 16″16″ – 23″
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 850

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better wet, snow and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 90 vs 81 on wet.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 78 vs 72 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 81 vs 76 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 82 vs 77 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 850
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Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
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WinterContact TS 850 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 850 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 90 vs 81 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 850 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 81 vs 76 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 850 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 78 vs 72 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 850 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 82 vs 77 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 850 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 74 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