Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 81 · 31 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2023 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (dry handling)
Head-to-head
Updated
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P vs Dunlop Winter Sport 5 — 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 27 + 25 road tests and 31 + 44 owner reviews. How we score
WinterContact TS 870 P is ahead, 81–76
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Tests 75 · 25 tests Owners 78 · 44 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2024 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (snow traction)
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
Key facts
- In 8 tests that measured wet braking for both, WinterContact TS 870 P won 6 and Winter Sport 5 won 2 (average 94% vs 93% of the best).
- In 8 tests that measured snow braking for both, WinterContact TS 870 P won 4 and Winter Sport 5 won 4 (average 96% vs 96% of the best).
- In 6 tests that measured dry braking for both, WinterContact TS 870 P won 6 and Winter Sport 5 won 0 (average 98% vs 95% of the best).
- In 6 tests that measured straight aquaplaning for both, WinterContact TS 870 P won 5 and Winter Sport 5 won 1 (average 96% vs 94% of the best).
- In 6 tests that measured snow traction for both, WinterContact TS 870 P won 1 and Winter Sport 5 won 5 (average 95% vs 96% of the best).
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81
Dry
WinterContact TS 870 P +1269Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 22 / 19 tests 82 66 Reviews found online 79 73 Dry Braking (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 6–0 98% 95% Dry Handling (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 3–0 100% 98% WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 82.4 + 40% × 79 = 81
Winter Sport 5: 60% × 66.1 + 40% × 73.3 = 69
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90
Wet
WinterContact TS 870 P +684Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 27 / 25 tests 93 86 Reviews found online 86 81 Curved Aquaplaning (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 90% 92% Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 5–1 96% 94% Wet Braking (% of best) · 8 shared tests · wins 6–2 94% 93% Wet Braking (concrete) (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 1–1 96% 95% Wet Circle (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–1 93% 97% Wet Handling (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 2–1 98% 98% WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 92.8 + 40% × 86.2 = 90
Winter Sport 5: 60% × 86.5 + 40% × 81.1 = 84
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78
Snow
Winter Sport 5 +583Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 26 / 25 tests 79 87 Reviews found online 76 78 Ice Braking (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 1–2 91% 93% Snow Braking (% of best) · 8 shared tests · wins 4–4 96% 96% Snow Handling (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 2–0 98% 97% Snow Slalom (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 97% 93% Snow Traction (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 1–5 95% 96% WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.7 + 40% × 76.3 = 78
Winter Sport 5: 60% × 86.7 + 40% × 78.3 = 83
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82
Comfort
WinterContact TS 870 P +676Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 1 tests 84 75 Reviews found online 81 77 WinterContact TS 870 P: 40% × 83.9 + 60% × 81.2 = 82
Winter Sport 5: 40% × 75.2 + 60% × 76.5 = 76
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74
Noise
WinterContact TS 870 P +4133Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 19 / 17 tests 78 11 Reviews found online ≈ 67 (est.) ≈ 67 (est.) Noise (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 5–0 99% 96% WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 74
Winter Sport 5: 60% × 10.8 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 33
No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Sport 5. 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.
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74
Treadwear
Winter Sport 5 +478Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / 13 tests 71 78 Reviews found online 80 79 Abrasion (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 2–1 80% 76% Wear (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 0–5 72% 84% WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 70.6 + 40% × 79.9 = 74
Winter Sport 5: 60% × 77.9 + 40% × 79.3 = 78
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83
Handling (owners)
WinterContact TS 870 P +677Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Sport 5 Reviews found online 83 77 -
86
Efficiency
WinterContact TS 870 P +779Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Winter Sport 5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 21 / 18 tests 86 79 Fuel Consumption (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–0 98% 97% Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 3–0 95% 88%
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental WinterContact TS 870 P | Dunlop Winter Sport 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 81 | 76 |
| Dry | 81 | 69 |
| Wet | 90 | 84 |
| Snow | 78 | 83 |
| Comfort | 82 | 76 |
| Noise | 74 | 33 |
| Treadwear | 74 | 78 |
| Handling (owners) | 83 | 77 |
| Efficiency | 86 | 79 |
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.
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Recomputed
Headline score
81
/ 100
WinterContact TS 870 P
76
/ 100
Winter Sport 5
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 8 tests that ran both, Continental WinterContact TS 870 P finished ahead 4 times and Dunlop Winter Sport 5 4 times.
| Discipline | Category | WinterContact TS 870 P | Winter Sport 5 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 98% | 95% | +3.1 | 6–0 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 100% | 98% | +1.6 | 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2024 Auto Bild Sportscars Winter Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 100% #1/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test | 70% #6/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Curved Aquaplaning | Wet | 90% | 92% | −2.6 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2023 ADAC 16 Inch Tyre Test · 205/60 R16 |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 96% | 94% | +1.8 | 5–1 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 94% | 93% | +0.8 | 6–2 in 8 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Wet Braking (concrete) | Wet | 96% | 95% | +0.2 | 1–1 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 93% | 97% | −3.9 | 1–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 98% | 98% | +0.1 | 2–1 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2024 Auto Bild Sportscars Winter Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) | Wet | 100% #2/18 · 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test | 50% #5/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Ice Braking | Snow | 91% | 93% | −2.5 | 1–2 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 96% | 96% | −0.4 | 4–4 in 8 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Snow Handling | Snow | 98% | 97% | +0.6 | 2–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2024 Auto Bild Sportscars Winter Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Snow Handling (tester's mark) | Snow | 50% #3/18 · 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test | 80% #4/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Snow Slalom | Snow | 97% | 93% | +3.5 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2023 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Snow Traction | Snow | 95% | 96% | −1.7 | 1–5 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 80% #1/18 · 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test | 90% #3/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Noise | Noise | 99% | 96% | +2.5 | 5–0 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Abrasion | Treadwear | 80% | 76% | +4.3 | 2–1 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Wear | Treadwear | 72% | 84% | −11.8 | 0–5 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Fuel Consumption | Efficiency | 98% | 97% | +0.8 | 1–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 95% | 88% | +6.8 | 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2024 Auto Bild Sportscars Winter Tyre Test · 235/35 R19 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Price | Cost | 61% | 67% | −6.0 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test · 215/55 R17 |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Cost | #15/20 | #9/20 | – | 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2023 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Value | Cost | 52% | 66% | −14.6 | 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2023 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #6/31 | #5/31 | – | 4–4 in 8 shared tests Newest: 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test · 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 Sport 5
Pros
- Exceptional grip and braking performance in snow, slush, and heavy winter conditions
- Strong wet weather handling and reliable water clearance to prevent hydroplaning
- Impressive tread wear and long-term durability across multiple seasons
Cons
- Soft sidewalls can lead to a mushy or floating steering response and unstable cornering when temperatures rise above 5-10°C
- Reduced dry handling precision and longer braking distances in warmer ambient conditions
- Inadequate or missing effective rim protection despite manufacturer claims
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P | B · Dunlop Winter Sport 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 121 | 46 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 23″ | 15″ – 21″ |
| Sizes in common | 31 | 31 |
Which one should you actually buy?
81
/ 100
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
76
/ 100
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better noise, dry and efficiency. Pick the Dunlop Winter Sport 5 if snow and treadwear matter most to you.
Pick tire A
You want a quieter cabin
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 74 vs 33 on noise.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 81 vs 69 on dry.
Pick tire A
You want lower fuel or energy use
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 86 vs 79 on efficiency.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 90 vs 84 on wet.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wear
Dunlop Winter Sport 5 won 5 of 5 shared wear tests.
Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Tire B · Dunlop Winter Sport 5
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WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Sport 5?
Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Sport 5?
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 90 vs 84 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Sport 5?
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 81 vs 69 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Sport 5?
Dunlop Winter Sport 5, 83 vs 78 on our snow score.
Which is quieter, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Sport 5?
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 74 vs 33 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Sport 5?
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 82 vs 76 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Sport 5?
Dunlop Winter Sport 5, 78 vs 74 on our treadwear score.
Which rolls more easily, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Sport 5?
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 86 vs 79 on our efficiency 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