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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P vs Michelin Alpin — 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 33 + 0 road tests and 34 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 870 P is ahead, 83–78

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Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Tire AContinental

WinterContact TS 870 P

Winter

± 4

Tests 83 · 33 tests Owners 81 · 34 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (dry handling)

Michelin Alpin
Tire BMichelin

Alpin

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 82 · 10 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 +5
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PAlpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 26 / – tests83≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online7981

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 83.1 + 40% × 78.6 = 81

    Alpin: 60% × 73.2 (est.) + 40% × 80.6 = 76

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

  2. 91

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 870 P +8
    83
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PAlpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 33 / – tests94≈ 80 (est.)
    Reviews found online8688

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 94.5 + 40% × 86.2 = 91

    Alpin: 60% × 80 (est.) + 40% × 87.6 = 83

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

  3. 79

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 870 P +4
    75
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PAlpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 32 / – tests81≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online7778

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 80.7 + 40% × 76.5 = 79

    Alpin: 60% × 72.8 (est.) + 40% × 77.7 = 75

    No road tests of snow for Alpin. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 88

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 870 P +11
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PAlpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests100≈ 71 (est.)
    Reviews found online8081

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 40% × 100 + 60% × 80.1 = 88

    Alpin: 40% × 71.2 (est.) + 60% × 80.8 = 77

    No road tests of comfort for Alpin. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 74

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PAlpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 23 / – tests79–
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)–

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 79 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 74

    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.

  6. 74

    Treadwear

    Alpin +3
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PAlpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests70≈ 73 (est.)
    Reviews found online8084

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 69.9 + 40% × 80.2 = 74

    Alpin: 60% × 72.8 (est.) + 40% × 83.9 = 77

    No road tests of treadwear for Alpin. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 83

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 870 P +6
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PAlpin
    Reviews found online8377
  8. 87

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PAlpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 25 / – tests87–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 870 PMichelin Alpin
Relative Score 83 78
Dry 81 76
Wet 91 83
Snow 79 75
Comfort 88 77
Noise 74 –
Treadwear 74 77
Handling (owners) 83 77
Efficiency 87 –

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
± 4

WinterContact TS 870 P

± 8

Alpin

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 Alpin

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in snow and ice
  • Greatly improved wet weather and cold-condition performance
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality

Cons

  • High initial cost when purchased new
  • Can feel overly responsive or aggressive on gravel-strewn city roads
All owner themes in the Alpin review

Specs side by side

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

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

Michelin Alpin

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better comfort, wet and handling. Pick the Michelin Alpin if treadwear matters most to you. Michelin Alpin rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 88 vs 77 on comfort.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 91 vs 83 on wet.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 83 vs 77 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 81 vs 76 on dry.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
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Tire B · Michelin Alpin
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WinterContact TS 870 P or Alpin?

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

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 91 vs 83 on our wet score.

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

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 81 vs 76 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 870 P or Alpin?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 79 vs 75 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 870 P or Alpin?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 88 vs 77 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 870 P or Alpin?

Michelin Alpin, 77 vs 74 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