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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 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. Based on 7 + 0 road tests and 49 + 44 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 860 is ahead, 78–73

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Continental WinterContact TS 860
Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 860

Winter

Tests 78 · 7 tests Owners 76 · 49 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch 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 +4
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860Wintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests75≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7875

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 74.7 + 40% × 78.4 = 76

    Wintrac 4 Extreme: 60% × 70.7 (est.) + 40% × 75 = 72

    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 0.40).

  2. 86

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 860 +8
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860Wintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests88≈ 76 (est.)
    Reviews found online8380

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 88 + 40% × 82.6 = 86

    Wintrac 4 Extreme: 60% × 75.7 (est.) + 40% × 80.4 = 78

    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 0.56).

  3. 75

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 860 +5
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860Wintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests78≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7170

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 77.8 + 40% × 71 = 75

    Wintrac 4 Extreme: 60% × 70 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 70

    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 0.33).

  4. 77

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 +4
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860Wintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / – tests77≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online7677

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 77.3 + 40% × 76.3 = 77

    Wintrac 4 Extreme: 60% × 70.5 (est.) + 40% × 77 = 73

    No road tests of comfort for Wintrac 4 Extreme. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 74

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860Wintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / – tests78–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)–

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 78 + 40% × 67.3 (est.) = 74

    No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 860. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.

  6. 72

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 860 +3
    69
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860Wintrac 4 Extreme
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests72≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7171

    WinterContact TS 860: 60% × 72.2 + 40% × 71.3 = 72

    Wintrac 4 Extreme: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 71.1 = 69

    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 0.31).

  7. 79

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 860 +4
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 860Wintrac 4 Extreme
    Reviews found online7975
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 860Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme
Relative Score 78 73
Dry 76 72
Wet 86 78
Snow 75 70
Comfort 77 73
Noise 74 –
Treadwear 72 69
Handling (owners) 79 75

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
Recomputed
Headline score

WinterContact TS 860

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 860Wintrac 4 ExtremeΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #6/16 2021 ADAC Winter Tire Test R15 #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

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 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 B · Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available47—
Rim diameters13″ – 17″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 860

Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 860 — better wet, snow and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 86 vs 78 on wet.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 75 vs 70 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 76 vs 72 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 77 vs 73 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 860
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Tire B · Vredestein Wintrac 4 Extreme
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WinterContact TS 860 or Wintrac 4 Extreme?

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

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 86 vs 78 on our wet score.

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

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 76 vs 72 on our dry score.

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

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

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

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 77 vs 73 on our comfort score.

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

Continental WinterContact TS 860, 72 vs 69 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