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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P vs Michelin Pilot 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 27 + 0 road tests and 31 + 5 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 870 P is ahead, 82–66

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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)

Michelin Pilot Alpin
Tire BMichelin

Pilot Alpin

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 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 +15
    66
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PPilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 22 / – tests82≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7965

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

    Pilot Alpin: 60% × 66.8 (est.) + 40% × 64.9 = 66

    No road tests of dry for Pilot Alpin. 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 +20
    70
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PPilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 27 / – tests93≈ 70 (est.)
    Reviews found online8670

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

    Pilot Alpin: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 69.9 = 70

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

  3. 78

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 870 P +16
    62
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PPilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 26 / – tests79≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7658

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

    Pilot Alpin: 60% × 65.8 (est.) + 40% × 57.5 = 62

    No road tests of snow for Pilot Alpin. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 82

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 870 P +17
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PPilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests84≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online8163

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

    Pilot Alpin: 40% × 68 (est.) + 60% × 62.9 = 65

    No road tests of comfort for Pilot Alpin. 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 PPilot Alpin
    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 +7
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PPilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests71≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online8068

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

    Pilot Alpin: 60% × 66.8 (est.) + 40% × 68 = 67

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Alpin. 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 +16
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PPilot Alpin
    Reviews found online8367
  8. 86

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PPilot Alpin
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 21 / – tests86–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 870 PMichelin Pilot Alpin
Relative Score 82 66
Dry 81 66
Wet 90 70
Snow 78 62
Comfort 82 65
Noise 74 –
Treadwear 74 67
Handling (owners) 83 67
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
± 4

WinterContact TS 870 P

± 8

Pilot Alpin

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 870 PPilot AlpinΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #1/18 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test #8/8 2009 Sport Auto Performance Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

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 Pilot Alpin

Pros

  • Amazing dry-road performance for a winter tire
  • Extremely long-lasting tread wear and high mileage potential
  • Even wear characteristics across the tire profile

Cons

  • Not the best option for deep snow or ice conditions
  • Grip on winter surfaces can feel somewhat ordinary
  • Supply availability and stock issues reported by some users
All owner themes in the Pilot Alpin review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P B · Michelin Pilot Alpin
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available1211
Rim diameters16″ – 23″450″

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

Michelin Pilot Alpin

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better wet, comfort and snow. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Pilot Alpin 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 70 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 82 vs 65 on comfort.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 78 vs 62 on snow.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 83 vs 67 on handling.

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

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

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 90 vs 70 on our wet score.

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

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 81 vs 66 on our dry score.

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

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 78 vs 62 on our snow score.

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

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 82 vs 65 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 870 P or Pilot Alpin?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 74 vs 67 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