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Kumho IZen KW23 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 vs Kumho IZen KW23 — 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 7 + 0 road tests and 50 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 860 is ahead, 80–73

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Continental WinterContact TS 860
Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 860

Winter

± 5

Tests 78 · 7 tests Owners 80 · 50 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test (dry handling)

Kumho IZen KW23
Tire BKumho

IZen KW23

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 75 · 10 reviews

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 78

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 860 +7
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860IZen KW23
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests75≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online8273

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 74.8 + 40% × 82 = 78

    IZen KW23: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 72.9 = 71

    No road tests of dry for IZen KW23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 89

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 860 +13
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860IZen KW23
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests89≈ 75 (est.)
    Reviews found online8878

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 89 + 40% × 87.9 = 89

    IZen KW23: 60% × 74.7 (est.) + 40% × 78.1 = 76

    No road tests of wet for IZen KW23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 76

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 860 +2
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860IZen KW23
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests78≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7376

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 73 = 76

    IZen KW23: 60% × 72.1 (est.) + 40% × 75.6 = 74

    No road tests of snow for IZen KW23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 78

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 +6
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860IZen KW23
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests76≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7974

    WinterContact TS 860: 40% × 76.3 + 60% × 79.3 = 78

    IZen KW23: 40% × 69.7 (est.) + 60% × 73.8 = 72

    No road tests of comfort for IZen KW23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 73

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860IZen KW23
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests78–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 77.7 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 73

    No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 860. 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 +3
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860IZen KW23
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests73≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7875

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 72.9 + 40% × 77.7 = 75

    IZen KW23: 60% × 69.7 (est.) + 40% × 75.3 = 72

    No road tests of treadwear for IZen KW23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 83

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 860 +10
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860IZen KW23
    Reviews found online8373
  8. 76

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860IZen KW23
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests76–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 860Kumho IZen KW23
Relative Score 80 73
Dry 78 71
Wet 89 76
Snow 76 74
Comfort 78 72
Noise 73 –
Treadwear 75 72
Handling (owners) 83 73
Efficiency 76 –

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
± 5

WinterContact TS 860

± 8

IZen KW23

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 860IZen KW23ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #6/16 2021 ADAC Winter Tire Test R15 #11/11 2014 AZ 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

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 IZen KW23

Pros

  • Outstanding traction and handling on snow and ice
  • Excellent value for money compared to premium brands
  • Provides significant confidence for rear-wheel-drive vehicles in winter

Cons

  • Increased road noise levels
  • Mediocre performance in wet, non-frozen conditions
  • Potential for skidding if tire pressure is not strictly maintained
All owner themes in the IZen KW23 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 B · Kumho IZen KW23
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available47—
Rim diameters13″ – 17″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 860

Kumho IZen KW23

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 860 — better wet, handling and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Kumho IZen KW23 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 89 vs 76 on wet.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 83 vs 73 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 78 vs 71 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 78 vs 72 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 860
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Tire B · Kumho IZen KW23
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WinterContact TS 860 or IZen KW23?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 860 or IZen KW23?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 89 vs 76 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 860 or IZen KW23?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 78 vs 71 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 860 or IZen KW23?

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

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 860 or IZen KW23?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 78 vs 72 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 860 or IZen KW23?

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 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