tirewheelguide

Hankook Icebear W440 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 870 P vs Hankook Icebear W440 — 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 + 0 road tests and 31 + 5 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 870 P is ahead, 83–72

Check price on Amazon · WinterContact TS 870 P or Icebear W440 on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 870 P

Winter

± 4

Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 81 · 31 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2023 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (dry handling)

Hankook Icebear W440
Tire BHankook

Icebear W440

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 73 · 5 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 81

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 870 P +11
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PIcebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 22 / – tests82≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online7972

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 82.4 + 40% × 79 = 81

    Icebear W440: 60% × 69.6 (est.) + 40% × 71.7 = 70

    No road tests of dry for Icebear W440. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 90

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 870 P +14
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PIcebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 27 / – tests93≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8678

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 92.8 + 40% × 86.2 = 90

    Icebear W440: 60% × 74.5 (est.) + 40% × 77.5 = 76

    No road tests of wet for Icebear W440. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 78

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PIcebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 26 / – tests79–
    Reviews found online76–

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.7 + 40% × 76.3 = 78

  4. 82

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 870 P +10
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PIcebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests84≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online8173

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 40% × 83.9 + 60% × 81.2 = 82

    Icebear W440: 40% × 69.9 (est.) + 60% × 73.1 = 72

    No road tests of comfort for Icebear W440. 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 870 PIcebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 19 / – tests78–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)–

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 74

    No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 870 P. 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. 74

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 870 P +6
    68
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PIcebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests71≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online8070

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 70.6 + 40% × 79.9 = 74

    Icebear W440: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 68

    No road tests of treadwear for Icebear W440. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 83

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 870 P +11
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PIcebear W440
    Reviews found online8372
  8. 86

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PIcebear W440
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 21 / – tests86–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 870 PHankook Icebear W440
Relative Score 83 72
Dry 81 70
Wet 90 76
Snow 78 –
Comfort 82 72
Noise 74 –
Treadwear 74 68
Handling (owners) 83 72
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

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

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
± 4

WinterContact TS 870 P

± 8

Icebear W440

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

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
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 870 P review

Tire B Icebear W440

Pros

  • Excellent traction and confidence on snow and ice
  • High value-for-money proposition compared to premium brands
  • Noticeable performance improvement for rear-wheel-drive vehicles

Cons

  • Noticeable 'slippery' sensation during the initial 100-mile break-in period
  • Performance is strictly categorized as a budget-friendly option rather than a top-tier premium performer
  • Mixed feedback on overall refinement compared to more expensive alternatives
All owner themes in the Icebear W440 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P B · Hankook Icebear W440
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available121—
Rim diameters16″ – 23″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

Hankook Icebear W440

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better wet, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score. Hankook Icebear W440 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 90 vs 76 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 81 vs 70 on dry.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 83 vs 72 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 82 vs 72 on comfort.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Hankook Icebear W440
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

WinterContact TS 870 P or Icebear W440?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 870 P or Icebear W440?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 90 vs 76 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 870 P or Icebear W440?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 81 vs 70 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 870 P or Icebear W440?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 82 vs 72 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 870 P or Icebear W440?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 74 vs 68 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