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Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S vs Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme — 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 + 44 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: WinterContact TS 860 S 76, Wintrac 4 Extreme 75.

Check price on Amazon · WinterContact TS 860 S Check price on Amazon · Wintrac 4 Extreme
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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 +2
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests73≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8078

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

    Wintrac 4 Extreme: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 77.8 = 74

    No road tests of dry for Wintrac 4 Extreme. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 75

    Wet

    Wintrac 4 Extreme +6
    81
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests70≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online8385

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 69.9 + 40% × 83 = 75

    Wintrac 4 Extreme: 60% × 78.6 (est.) + 40% × 85 = 81

    No road tests of wet for Wintrac 4 Extreme. 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 +2
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests71≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7873

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 60% × 70.5 + 40% × 78.2 = 74

    Wintrac 4 Extreme: 60% × 71.2 (est.) + 40% × 72.5 = 72

    No road tests of snow for Wintrac 4 Extreme. 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 +1
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online8180

    WinterContact TS 860 S: 40% × 71.3 (est.) + 60% × 81.3 = 77

    Wintrac 4 Extreme: 40% × 71 (est.) + 60% × 79.5 = 76

    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 Wintrac 4 Extreme. 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 SWintrac 4 Extreme
    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 +3
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 71 (est.)≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online8076

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

    Wintrac 4 Extreme: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 76 = 72

    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 Wintrac 4 Extreme. 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 +7
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWintrac 4 Extreme
    Reviews found online8477
  8. 77

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860 SWintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests77–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 860 SVredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme
Relative Score 76 75
Dry 76 74
Wet 75 81
Snow 74 72
Comfort 77 76
Noise 70 –
Treadwear 75 72
Handling (owners) 84 77
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

Wintrac 4 Extreme

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 SWintrac 4 ExtremeΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #4/11 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test #7/8 2011 Auto Bild 4x4 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 Wintrac 4 Extreme

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and stability in deep snow and on ice
  • Strong performance in cold, wet, and greasy road conditions
  • Impressive tread longevity and durability

Cons

  • Reduced handling precision and 'squidgy' feel in temperatures above 13°C
  • Initial stiffness or harsh ride quality during the break-in period
  • Increased tread wear if used consistently in warm summer weather
All owner themes in the Wintrac 4 Extreme review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S B · Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
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

Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme

Too close to call: Continental WinterContact TS 860 S and Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme are within 2 points overall. Continental WinterContact TS 860 S is stronger on handling and treadwear. Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme is stronger on wet. 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 enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 84 vs 77 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme scores 81 vs 75 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 75 vs 72 on treadwear.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme
Check price on Amazon

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WinterContact TS 860 S or Wintrac 4 Extreme?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 860 S or Wintrac 4 Extreme?

Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme, 81 vs 75 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 860 S or Wintrac 4 Extreme?

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

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 860 S or Wintrac 4 Extreme?

Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 72 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 860 S or Wintrac 4 Extreme?

Neither, by our numbers: 77 vs 76 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 860 S or Wintrac 4 Extreme?

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S, 75 vs 72 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