Tests 83 · 32 tests Owners 81 · 33 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (dry handling)
Head-to-head
Updated
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P vs Dunlop Winter Response 2 — 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 32 + 2 road tests and 33 + 10 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: WinterContact TS 870 P 83, Winter Response 2 82.
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Tests 89 · 2 tests Owners 84 · 10 reviews
Best test result: #3 of 51 in 2025 Winter Tyre Braking Test - 52 Sets! (wet braking)
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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81
Dry
WinterContact TS 870 P +477Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Response 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 25 / – tests 83 ≈ 74 (est.) Reviews found online 79 83 WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 83.3 + 40% × 78.5 = 81
Winter Response 2: 60% × 74 (est.) + 40% × 82.7 = 77
No road tests of dry for Winter Response 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
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91
Wet
Level91Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Response 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 32 / 2 tests 95 93 Reviews found online 86 89 Wet Braking (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 0–2 92% 98% WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 94.6 + 40% × 86.1 = 91
Winter Response 2: 60% × 93 + 40% × 88.6 = 91
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79
Snow
Winter Response 2 +584Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Response 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 31 / 2 tests 80 84 Reviews found online 76 84 Snow Braking (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 0–2 97% 99% WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 80.2 + 40% × 76.4 = 79
Winter Response 2: 60% × 84 + 40% × 84.3 = 84
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88
Comfort
WinterContact TS 870 P +880Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Response 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests 98 ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 81 85 WinterContact TS 870 P: 40% × 98.1 + 60% × 80.7 = 88
Winter Response 2: 40% × 72 (est.) + 60% × 85.1 = 80
No road tests of comfort for Winter Response 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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73
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Response 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 22 / – tests 78 – Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) – WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 73
No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 870 P. 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.
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74
Treadwear
Winter Response 2 +175Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Response 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests 70 ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 80 81 WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 69.9 + 40% × 80.2 = 74
Winter Response 2: 60% × 71.7 (est.) + 40% × 80.8 = 75
No road tests of treadwear for Winter Response 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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83
Handling (owners)
Level83Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Response 2 Reviews found online 83 83 -
86
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Response 2 Professional tests (TWG score) · 24 / – tests 86 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental WinterContact TS 870 P | Dunlop Winter Response 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 83 | 82 |
| Dry | 81 | 77 |
| Wet | 91 | 91 |
| Snow | 79 | 84 |
| Comfort | 88 | 80 |
| Noise | 73 | – |
| Treadwear | 74 | 75 |
| Handling (owners) | 83 | 83 |
| Efficiency | 86 | – |
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
83
/ 100
WinterContact TS 870 P
82
/ 100
Winter Response 2
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.
In the overall rankings of 2 tests that ran both, Continental WinterContact TS 870 P finished ahead 0 times and Dunlop Winter Response 2 2 times.
| Discipline | Category | WinterContact TS 870 P | Winter Response 2 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | Wet | 92% | 98% | −6.3 | 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2025 Winter Tyre Braking Test - 52 Sets! · 225/40 R18 |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 97% | 99% | −1.7 | 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2025 Winter Tyre Braking Test - 52 Sets! · 225/40 R18 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #13/51 | #1/51 | – | 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2025 Winter Tyre Braking Test - 52 Sets! · 225/40 R18 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A 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
Tire B Winter Response 2
Pros
- Outstanding grip and confidence in snow and ice
- Excellent wet weather performance and braking
- High level of cabin comfort and low noise levels
Cons
- Faster tread wear reported by some users
- Slightly noticeable tire roll in fast corners above 50 mph
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P | B · Dunlop Winter Response 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 121 | 15 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 23″ | 14″ – 16″ |
| Sizes in common | 0 | 0 |
Which one should you actually buy?
83
/ 100
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
82
/ 100
Dunlop Winter Response 2
Too close to call: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P and Dunlop Winter Response 2 are within 2 points overall. Continental WinterContact TS 870 P is stronger on comfort and dry. Dunlop Winter Response 2 is stronger on snow.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 88 vs 80 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You drive through snowy winters
Dunlop Winter Response 2 scores 84 vs 79 on snow.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 81 vs 77 on dry.
Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Tire B · Dunlop Winter Response 2
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WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Response 2?
Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Response 2?
Neither, by our numbers: 91 vs 91 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Response 2?
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 81 vs 77 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Response 2?
Dunlop Winter Response 2, 84 vs 79 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Response 2?
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 88 vs 80 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Response 2?
Neither, by our numbers: 74 vs 75 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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