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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S vs Goodyear UltraGrip Performance — 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 1 + 0 road tests and 14 + 9 owner reviews. How we score

UltraGrip Performance leads, 76–74 Narrow edge

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Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
Tire AContinental

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. 74

    Dry

    UltraGrip Performance +2
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltraGrip Performance
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online7680

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

    UltraGrip Performance: 60% × 72.9 (est.) + 40% × 79.5 = 76

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

  2. 74

    Wet

    UltraGrip Performance +6
    80
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltraGrip Performance
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests70≈ 78 (est.)
    Reviews found online8083

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

    UltraGrip Performance: 60% × 77.7 (est.) + 40% × 83.3 = 80

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

  3. 73

    Snow

    UltraGrip Performance +3
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltraGrip Performance
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests71≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online7780

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

    UltraGrip Performance: 60% × 74.1 (est.) + 40% × 79.6 = 76

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

  4. 76

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 S +3
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltraGrip Performance
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7975

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

    UltraGrip Performance: 40% × 70.3 (est.) + 60% × 75.3 = 73

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

  5. 71

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltraGrip Performance
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests74–
    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. 74

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 860 S +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltraGrip Performance
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online7973

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

    UltraGrip Performance: 60% × 68.4 (est.) + 40% × 72.7 = 70

    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).

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

  7. 81

    Handling (owners)

    Level
    81
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltraGrip Performance
    Reviews found online8181
  8. 77

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltraGrip Performance
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests77–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 860 SGoodyear UltraGrip Performance
Relative Score 74 76
Dry 74 76
Wet 74 80
Snow 73 76
Comfort 76 73
Noise 71 –
Treadwear 74 70
Handling (owners) 81 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
± 7

WinterContact TS 860 S

± 8

UltraGrip Performance

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

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A 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

Tire B UltraGrip Performance

Pros

  • Exceptional snow and ice traction
  • Strong performance in wet and dry conditions
  • High tread longevity and durability

Cons

  • Increased road noise in warmer conditions
  • Slightly higher fuel consumption
  • Limited performance on pure ice surfaces
All owner themes in the UltraGrip Performance review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S B · Goodyear UltraGrip Performance
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available92—
Rim diameters16″ – 23″—
Tread depth10 - 11/32″—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance

Narrow edge: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance — better wet and snow. Pick the Continental WinterContact TS 860 S if treadwear and comfort matter most to you. Continental WinterContact TS 860 S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 14 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance scores 80 vs 74 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 74 vs 70 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

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

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance scores 76 vs 73 on snow.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
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Tire B · Goodyear UltraGrip Performance
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WinterContact TS 860 S or UltraGrip Performance?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 860 S or UltraGrip Performance?

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance, 80 vs 74 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 860 S or UltraGrip Performance?

Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 76 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 860 S or UltraGrip Performance?

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance, 76 vs 73 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 860 S or UltraGrip Performance?

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

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 860 S or UltraGrip Performance?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 74 vs 70 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