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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S vs Hankook Winter i cept evo2 — 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 + 5 road tests and 16 + 28 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 860 S is ahead, 75–69

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Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 860 S

Winter

± 7Provisional

Tests 71 · 1 test Owners 80 · 16 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 11 in 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test (dry handling)

Hankook Winter i cept evo2
Tire BHankook

Winter i cept evo2

Winter

± 7

Tests 67 · 5 tests Owners 71 · 28 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2017 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test (snow braking)

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 860 S +9
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 5 tests7365
    Reviews found online8071
    Dry Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–098%91%
    Dry Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–099%98%

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 73 + 40% × 79.5 = 76

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 64.8 + 40% × 70.8 = 67

  2. 75

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 860 S +4
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 5 tests7070
    Reviews found online8373
    Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–190%93%
    Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–191%96%
    Wet Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–197%98%

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 70 + 40% × 82.9 = 75

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 73.4 = 71

  3. 74

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 860 S +4
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 5 tests7172
    Reviews found online7866
    Snow Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–196%97%
    Snow Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–198%99%

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 70.5 + 40% × 78.1 = 74

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 72 + 40% × 66.1 = 70

  4. 77

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 S +7
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online8171

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 40% × 71.2 (est.) + 60% × 81.4 = 77

    Winter i cept evo2: 40% × 69 (est.) + 60% × 70.6 = 70

    No road tests of comfort for WinterContact TS 860 S. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for Winter i cept evo2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 71

    Noise

    WinterContact TS 860 S +16
    55
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 4 tests7347
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Noise (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–098%93%

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 73.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 71

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 47.4 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 55

    No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter i cept evo2. 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. 75

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 860 S +5
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 71 (est.)67
    Reviews found online8073

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 71.3 (est.) + 40% × 79.7 = 75

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 67.3 + 40% × 72.8 = 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 0.36).

  7. 84

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 860 S +11
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter i cept evo2
    Reviews found online8473
  8. 77

    Efficiency

    WinterContact TS 860 S +18
    59
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter i cept evo2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 4 tests7759
    Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0100%78%
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 860 SHankook Winter i cept evo2
Relative Score 75 69
Dry 76 67
Wet 75 71
Snow 74 70
Comfort 77 70
Noise 71 55
Treadwear 75 70
Handling (owners) 84 73
Efficiency 77 59

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
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

WinterContact TS 860 S

± 7

Winter i cept evo2

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.

In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Continental WinterContact TS 860 S finished ahead 1 times and Hankook Winter i cept evo2 0 times.

DisciplineCategoryWinterContact TS 860 SWinter i cept evo2ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 98% 91% +6.2 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test · 255/35 R19
Dry Handling Dry 99% 98% +1.0 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test · 255/35 R19
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 90% 93% −3.2 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test · 255/35 R19
Wet Braking Wet 91% 96% −4.6 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test · 255/35 R19
Wet Handling Wet 97% 98% −0.4 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test · 255/35 R19
Snow Braking Snow 96% 97% −1.0 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test · 255/35 R19
Snow Handling Snow 98% 99% −0.6 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test · 255/35 R19
Noise Noise 98% 93% +4.1 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test · 255/35 R19
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 100% 78% +22.1 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test · 255/35 R19
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Price Cost 55% 75% −20.1 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test · 255/35 R19
Overall Ranking Overall #4/11 #5/11 – 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test · 255/35 R19

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 grip in wet, dry, and snow conditions
  • Stiff sidewalls providing precise road feedback and cornering stability
  • Summer-tire-like driving dynamics and confidence at low temperatures

Cons

  • Long break-in (scrub-in) period required before optimal grip is reached
  • Lateral grip in wet conditions can occasionally feel lacking during sudden maneuvers
  • High price point
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 860 S review

Tire B Winter i cept evo2

Pros

  • Impressive grip and traction on snow and ice
  • High level of ride comfort and low noise levels
  • Good value for money compared to higher-priced premium alternatives

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls or goofy feel on dry roads, particularly in warmer winter temperatures
  • Performance and grip degrade significantly as the tire ages over multiple seasons
  • Can struggle to put down high torque/power on rear-wheel-drive vehicles
All owner themes in the Winter i cept evo2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S B · Hankook Winter i cept evo2
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available9279
Rim diameters16″ – 23″15″ – 22″
Tread depth10 - 11/32″—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—
Sizes in common2929

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S

Hankook Winter i cept evo2

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 860 S — better efficiency, noise and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score. Continental WinterContact TS 860 S rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 16 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want lower fuel or energy use

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 77 vs 59 on efficiency.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 71 vs 55 on noise.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 84 vs 73 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 76 vs 67 on dry.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
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Tire B · Hankook Winter i cept evo2
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WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter i cept evo2?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter i cept evo2?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 75 vs 71 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter i cept evo2?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 76 vs 67 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter i cept evo2?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 74 vs 70 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter i cept evo2?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 71 vs 55 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter i cept evo2?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 77 vs 70 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter i cept evo2?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 75 vs 70 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter i cept evo2?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 77 vs 59 on our efficiency 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