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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 860 vs Michelin CrossClimate+ — Compared

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

Too close to call: WinterContact TS 860 and CrossClimate+ are level at 77.

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Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 860

Winter

Tests 78 · 7 tests Owners 76 · 49 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2018 AMS All Season Tyre Test (noise)

Tire BMichelin

CrossClimate+

All Season

Tests 79 · 13 tests Owners 75 · 119 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 7 in 2020 Sport Auto All Season Tyre Test (rolling resistance)

Category by category

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

  1. 76

    Dry

    CrossClimate+ +10
    86
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860CrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score)7492
    Reviews found online7876
    Dry Braking (% of best)100%90%
    Dry Handling (% of best)99%99%
  2. 86

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 860 +6
    80
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860CrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score)8880
    Reviews found online8379
    Wet Braking (% of best)94%100%
    Wet Handling (% of best)98%98%
  3. 75

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 860 +7
    68
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860CrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score)7865
    Reviews found online7172
    Snow Braking (% of best)99%84%
    Snow Handling (% of best)99%84%
    Snow Traction (% of best)84%90%
  4. 77

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 +4
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860CrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score)7771
    Reviews found online7676
  5. 73

    Noise

    WinterContact TS 860 +6
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860CrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score)7863
    Reviews found online–72
  6. 72

    Treadwear

    CrossClimate+ +6
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860CrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score)7280
    Reviews found online7175
  7. 79

    Handling

    WinterContact TS 860 +6
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860CrossClimate+
    Reviews found online7973
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 860Michelin CrossClimate+
Relative Score 77 77
Dry 76 86
Wet 86 80
Snow 75 68
Comfort 77 73
Noise 73 67
Treadwear 72 78
Handling 79 73

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
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Neutral
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Less important
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

WinterContact TS 860

CrossClimate+

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 860CrossClimate+ΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 100% #2/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test 90% #2/4 · 2022 AutoView All-Season Tire Test R18 +9.8 Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 99% #8/11 · 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test 99% #4/11 · 2020 Auto Bild SUV All Season Tyre Test −0.7 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 91% #8/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/7 · 2020 Sport Auto All Season Tyre Test −9.2 Different tests
Ice Braking Ice 93% #6/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test 100% #4/7 · 2020 ADAC SUV All Season Tyre Test −6.2 Different tests
Noise Other 100% #1/9 · 2018 AMS All Season Tyre Test 100% #1/9 · 2021 AZ All Season Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests
Price Other 60% #11/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test 76% #9/9 · 2021 AZ All Season Tyre Test −16.2 Different tests
Value Other 70% #16/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test 75% #10/14 · 2020 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test −4.8 Different tests
Wear Other 65% #6/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/10 · 2018 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test −34.8 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 50% #2/2 · All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded Tyres 50% #2/27 · 2018 27 All Season Tyre Shootout 0.0 Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 99% #3/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test 84% #5/7 · 2020 ADAC SUV All Season Tyre Test +15.2 Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 99% #9/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test 84% #5/9 · 2018 AMS All Season Tyre Test +14.6 Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 84% #8/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test 90% #2/4 · 2022 AutoView All-Season Tire Test R18 −6.2 Different tests
Straight Aqua Straight 100% #1/11 · 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test 86% #9/9 · 2018 AZ Summer AND All Season Tyre Test +14.1 Different tests
Subj. Comfort Subj 80% #4/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test 90% #2/4 · 2022 AutoView All-Season Tire Test R18 −10.0 Different tests
Subj. Dry Handling Subj 60% #7/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test 70% #13/13 · 2019 Swedish Summer Tyre Test −10.0 Different tests
Subj. Wet Handling Subj 80% #3/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test 60% #13/13 · 2019 Swedish Summer Tyre Test +20.0 Different tests
Total Cost of Ownership Total 0% #6/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 0% #3/14 · 2020 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 94% #2/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/10 · 2019 Auto Zeitung Summer Tyre Test −6.3 Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 98% #6/9 · 2018 AMS All Season Tyre Test 98% #3/10 · 2019 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test +0.2 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 CrossClimate+

Pros

  • Excellent traction and confidence in light to moderate snow and ice.
  • Strong wet and dry road handling that rivals dedicated summer tires.
  • Impressive tread longevity and durability over high mileage.

Cons

  • Performance in wet conditions can diminish significantly as the tire wears.
  • Increased road noise reported by some users compared to dedicated summer tires.
  • Occasional reports of a harsh or 'bouncy' ride on certain vehicle suspensions.
All owner themes in the CrossClimate+ review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 B · Michelin CrossClimate+
CategoryWinterAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available4763
Rim diameters13″ – 17″13″ – 19″

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 860

Michelin CrossClimate+

Too close to call: Continental WinterContact TS 860 and Michelin CrossClimate+ are within 2 points overall. Continental WinterContact TS 860 is stronger on snow, wet and noise. Michelin CrossClimate+ is stronger on dry and treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin CrossClimate+ scores 86 vs 76 on dry.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 75 vs 68 on snow.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 86 vs 80 on wet.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 73 vs 67 on noise.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 860
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin CrossClimate+
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.

77

Too close to call

WinterContact TS 860

Amazon