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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 850 vs Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 — 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 + 23 road tests and 57 + 35 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Alpin 5 is ahead, 89–76

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Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Alpin 5

Winter

± 4

Tests 91 · 23 tests Owners 85 · 35 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 31 in 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 75

    Dry

    Pilot Alpin 5 +14
    89
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 17 tests≈ 73 (est.)91
    Reviews found online7986

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 72.6 (est.) + 40% × 79.2 = 75

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 90.6 + 40% × 86.4 = 89

    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

    Pilot Alpin 5 +12
    93
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 23 tests≈ 78 (est.)95
    Reviews found online8489

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 78.3 (est.) + 40% × 84.4 = 81

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 95.4 + 40% × 88.9 = 93

    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. 71

    Snow

    Pilot Alpin 5 +17
    88
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 22 tests≈ 71 (est.)93
    Reviews found online7280

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 71.1 (est.) + 40% × 72.1 = 71

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 93.5 + 40% × 79.6 = 88

    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 0.32).

  4. 76

    Comfort

    Pilot Alpin 5 +9
    85
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 71 (est.)93
    Reviews found online8080

    WinterContact TS 850: 40% × 71 (est.) + 60% × 79.6 = 76

    Pilot Alpin 5: 40% × 93.3 + 60% × 79.5 = 85

    No road tests of comfort for WinterContact TS 850. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    83
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 17 tests–94
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 94.3 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 83

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Alpin 5. 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.

  6. 73

    Treadwear

    Pilot Alpin 5 +12
    85
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 6 tests≈ 71 (est.)84
    Reviews found online7885

    WinterContact TS 850: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 77.7 = 73

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 84.4 + 40% × 84.8 = 85

    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 0.36).

  7. 81

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Alpin 5 +7
    88
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Pilot Alpin 5
    Reviews found online8188
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Pilot Alpin 5
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 17 tests–72
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 850Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Relative Score 76 89
Dry 75 89
Wet 81 93
Snow 71 88
Comfort 76 85
Noise – 83
Treadwear 73 85
Handling (owners) 81 88
Efficiency – 72

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

Pilot Alpin 5

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 850Pilot Alpin 5ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #3/51 2015 Winter Tyre Market Overview #1/20 2026 Auto Bild 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 Pilot Alpin 5

Pros

  • Outstanding dry and wet grip for a winter tire, offering summer-tire-like handling characteristics
  • Excellent traction, stability, and handling in snow and alpine conditions
  • Crisp steering response, high precision, and great road feedback

Cons

  • Subpar performance on pure ice and certain slush conditions
  • Stiffer sidewalls can translate to a bumpy ride that transmits minor road imperfections
  • Potential for increased cabin noise or humming at highway speeds
All owner themes in the Pilot Alpin 5 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 850 B · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available581
Rim diameters14″ – 16″16″ – 23″
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 850

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

Winner: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 — better snow, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 88 vs 71 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 89 vs 75 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 93 vs 81 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 85 vs 73 on treadwear.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 850
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Tire B · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
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WinterContact TS 850 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 850 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 93 vs 81 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 850 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 89 vs 75 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 850 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 88 vs 71 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 850 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 85 vs 76 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 850 or Pilot Alpin 5?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 85 vs 73 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