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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 850 vs Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

WinterContact TS 850 leads, 73–72 Narrow edge

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Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 850

Winter

Tests – · none yet Owners 75 · 57 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 42 in 2012 Auto Bild 42 Winter Tyre Braking Test (overall ranking)

Tire BPirelli

Winter Sottozero 3

Winter

Tests 66 · 10 tests Owners 78 · 66 reviews

Best test result: #10 of 10 in 2020 Auto Bild Sportscars Winter Tire Test R18 (overall ranking)

Category by category

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

  1. 73

    Dry

    Winter Sottozero 3 +2
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–73
    Reviews found online7779
  2. 78

    Wet

    Winter Sottozero 3 +3
    81
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–80
    Reviews found online8183
  3. 70

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 850 +5
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–57
    Reviews found online7077
  4. 73

    Comfort

    Level
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–72
    Reviews found online7774
  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–60
    Reviews found online–78
  6. 70

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 850 +8
    62
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score)–56
    Reviews found online7371
  7. 78

    Handling

    Winter Sottozero 3 +2
    80
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 850Winter Sottozero 3
    Reviews found online7880
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 850Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Relative Score 73 72
Dry 73 75
Wet 78 81
Snow 70 65
Comfort 73 73
Noise – 67
Treadwear 70 62
Handling 78 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 and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
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Important
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Important
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Less important
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Less important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

WinterContact TS 850

Winter Sottozero 3

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryWinterContact TS 850Winter Sottozero 3ΔBoth?
Overall Ranking Overall 100% #1/42 · 2012 Auto Bild 42 Winter Tyre Braking Test 18% #10/10 · 2020 Auto Bild Sportscars Winter Tire Test R18 +81.8 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 Winter Sottozero 3

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather performance and resistance to hydroplaning.
  • Strong dry-road handling and steering precision for a winter tire.
  • Excellent traction and stability in snow and slush.

Cons

  • Rapid tread wear, particularly if driven in temperatures above 15°C or year-round.
  • Susceptibility to sidewall damage and bubbling when encountering road hazards.
  • Increased noise levels as the tire ages and tread depth decreases.
All owner themes in the Winter Sottozero 3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 850 B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available598
Rim diameters14″ – 16″16″ – 21″
Tread depth—10/32″
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—50 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 850

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3

Too close to call: Continental WinterContact TS 850 and Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 are within 2 points overall. Continental WinterContact TS 850 is stronger on treadwear and snow. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 is stronger on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 850 scores 70 vs 62 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental WinterContact TS 850 scores 70 vs 65 on snow.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 81 vs 78 on wet.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 850
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Tire B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

73

Narrow edge

WinterContact TS 850

Amazon