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Continental WinterContact TS 860 vs Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — Compared

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

WinterContact TS 870 P leads, 80–77 Narrow edge

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Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 860

Winter

Tests 78 · 7 tests Owners 76 · 49 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 2 in All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded Tyres (noise)

Tire BContinental

WinterContact TS 870 P

Winter

Tests 81 · 28 tests Owners 78 · 31 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2024 AS SUV 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 870 P +4
    80
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score)7483
    Reviews found online7877
    Dry Braking (% of best)96%97%
    Dry Handling (% of best)99%100%
  2. 86

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 870 P +3
    89
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score)8892
    Reviews found online8384
    Wet Braking (% of best)97%99%
    Wet Handling (% of best)98%98%
  3. 75

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 870 P +3
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score)7779
    Reviews found online7176
    Snow Braking (% of best)94%97%
    Snow Handling (% of best)99%96%
    Snow Traction (% of best)100%93%
  4. 77

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 870 P +5
    82
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score)7784
    Reviews found online7680
  5. 73

    Noise

    WinterContact TS 870 P +1
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score)7879
  6. 72

    Treadwear

    Level
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score)7270
    Reviews found online7175
  7. 79

    Handling

    WinterContact TS 870 P +1
    80
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860WinterContact TS 870 P
    Reviews found online7980
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 860Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Relative Score 77 80
Dry 76 80
Wet 86 89
Snow 75 78
Comfort 77 82
Noise 73 74
Treadwear 72 72
Handling 79 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
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
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Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Less important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

WinterContact TS 860

WinterContact TS 870 P

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 860WinterContact TS 870 PΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 96% #2/2 · All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded Tyres 97% #6/7 · 2023 AMS SUV Winter Tyre Test −1.3 Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 99% #8/11 · 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/10 · 2024 AS SUV Winter Tyre Test −1.5 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 87% #3/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 81% #7/7 · 2024 Al Volante Crossover Winter Tire Test R18 +5.9 Different tests
Ice Braking Ice 93% #6/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test 84% #27/31 · 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test +9.3 Different tests
Noise Other 100% #1/2 · All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded Tyres 99% #9/20 · 2025 Autobild Winter Tyre Test +1.4 Different tests
Price Other 84% #4/9 · 2018 AMS All Season Tyre Test 40% #10/10 · 2023 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test +43.5 Different tests
Value Other 47% #17/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 47% #20/20 · 2022 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test +0.8 Different tests
Wear Other 90% #2/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test 74% #11/16 · 2023 ADAC 16 Inch Tyre Test +15.5 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 14% #7/15 · 2020 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 205/55 R16 25% #4/16 · 2023 ADAC 16 Inch Tyre Test −10.7 Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 94% #5/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 97% #8/10 · 2025 AZ Performance Winter Tyre Test −3.2 Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 99% #4/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 96% #4/10 · 2025 AZ Performance Winter Tyre Test +3.1 Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 100% #1/2 · All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded Tyres 93% #6/11 · 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test +6.8 Different tests
Straight Aqua Straight 94% #11/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 95% #7/11 · 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test −1.4 Different tests
Subj. Comfort Subj 80% #4/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test 70% #5/10 · 2025 AMS Winter Tyre Test +10.0 Different tests
Subj. Dry Handling Subj 100% #1/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests
Subj. Snow Handling Subj 90% #2/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test 50% #3/18 · 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test +40.0 Different tests
Subj. Wet Handling Subj 80% #3/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test 100% #2/18 · 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test −20.0 Different tests
Total Cost of Ownership Total 0% #10/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test 0% #14/20 · 2022 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 97% #2/2 · All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded Tyres 99% #4/10 · 2022 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tyre Test −1.1 Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 98% #2/2 · All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded Tyres 98% #3/10 · 2025 AZ Performance Winter Tyre Test −0.4 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A WinterContact TS 860

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and safety in wet and slushy conditions
  • Outstanding performance on snow, providing high levels of confidence
  • Remarkably low noise levels and high ride comfort

Cons

  • Performance degradation noted by some users after 3-4 seasons
  • Soft sidewalls can lead to a slight loss of steering precision or 'wobble' in tight corners
  • Tread pattern prone to picking up and throwing stones/sand
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 860 review

Tire B WinterContact TS 870 P

Pros

  • Exceptionally low noise levels and high ride comfort
  • Outstanding wet weather and slush performance, cutting through heavy rain effortlessly
  • Balanced dry and cold-weather handling with impressive cornering stability

Cons

  • Higher price point compared to some competitors
  • Steering response and initial stiffness are slightly softer and less sporty than dedicated summer tires or some rivals
  • Snow and ice traction can feel less exceptional or borderline inadequate for a small subset of users
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 870 P review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available47121
Rim diameters13″ – 17″16″ – 23″

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 860

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better comfort, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 82 vs 77 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 80 vs 76 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 89 vs 86 on wet.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 78 vs 75 on snow.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 860
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Check price on Amazon

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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.

80

Narrow edge

WinterContact TS 870 P

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