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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S vs Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero 2 — 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 16 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 860 S is ahead, 76–65

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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)

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 +10
    66
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter 210 Sottozero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7965

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 73 + 40% × 79.4 = 76

    Winter 210 Sottozero 2: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 64.7 = 66

    No road tests of dry for Winter 210 Sottozero 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 75

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 860 S +5
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter 210 Sottozero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests70≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online8370

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

    Winter 210 Sottozero 2: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 70.3 = 70

    No road tests of wet for Winter 210 Sottozero 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 74

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 860 S +9
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter 210 Sottozero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests71≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7861

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

    Winter 210 Sottozero 2: 60% × 67.4 (est.) + 40% × 60.7 = 65

    No road tests of snow for Winter 210 Sottozero 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 77

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 S +19
    58
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter 210 Sottozero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online8153

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 40% × 71.2 (est.) + 60% × 81.2 = 77

    Winter 210 Sottozero 2: 40% × 65.6 (est.) + 60% × 53.4 = 58

    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 210 Sottozero 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 70

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter 210 Sottozero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 73.2 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 70

    No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 860 S. 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 +10
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter 210 Sottozero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online8064

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 79.7 = 75

    Winter 210 Sottozero 2: 60% × 65.6 (est.) + 40% × 63.8 = 65

    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).

    No road tests of treadwear for Winter 210 Sottozero 2. 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 +37
    47
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter 210 Sottozero 2
    Reviews found online8447
  8. 77

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWinter 210 Sottozero 2
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests77–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 860 SPirelli Winter 210 Sottozero 2
Relative Score 76 65
Dry 76 66
Wet 75 70
Snow 74 65
Comfort 77 58
Noise 70 –
Treadwear 75 65
Handling (owners) 84 47
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

Winter 210 Sottozero 2

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 860 SWinter 210 Sottozero 2ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #4/11 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test #9/10 2010 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 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 210 Sottozero 2

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and confidence in cold and wet conditions
  • Reliable performance in snow and ice
  • Maintains characteristic performance over multiple seasons

Cons

  • Extremely high road noise compared to other major brands
  • Some users intend to switch to competitor brands like Michelin or Vredestein for future sets
All owner themes in the Winter 210 Sottozero 2 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S B · Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero 2
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

Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero 2

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 860 S — better handling, comfort and dry. 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. Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero 2 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 84 vs 47 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 77 vs 58 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 76 vs 66 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 75 vs 65 on treadwear.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
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Tire B · Pirelli Winter 210 Sottozero 2
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WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter 210 Sottozero 2?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter 210 Sottozero 2?

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

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter 210 Sottozero 2?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 76 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter 210 Sottozero 2?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 74 vs 65 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter 210 Sottozero 2?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 77 vs 58 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 860 S or Winter 210 Sottozero 2?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 75 vs 65 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