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Head-to-head Updated

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P vs Pirelli Winter Snow Control Series 3 — 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 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 870 P is ahead, 82–64

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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)

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 +19
    62
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PWinter Snow Control Series 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 22 / – tests82≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7960

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

    Winter Snow Control Series 3: 60% × 64.5 (est.) + 40% × 59.5 = 62

    No road tests of dry for Winter Snow Control Series 3. 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 +21
    69
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PWinter Snow Control Series 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 27 / – tests93≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online8668

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

    Winter Snow Control Series 3: 60% × 69.5 (est.) + 40% × 68.4 = 69

    No road tests of wet for Winter Snow Control Series 3. 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 +15
    63
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PWinter Snow Control Series 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 26 / – tests79≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7658

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.7 + 40% × 76.2 = 78

    Winter Snow Control Series 3: 60% × 66.1 (est.) + 40% × 58.3 = 63

    No road tests of snow for Winter Snow Control Series 3. 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 +22
    60
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PWinter Snow Control Series 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests84≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online8155

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 40% × 83.9 + 60% × 81.1 = 82

    Winter Snow Control Series 3: 40% × 66.5 (est.) + 60% × 54.9 = 60

    No road tests of comfort for Winter Snow Control Series 3. 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 PWinter Snow Control Series 3
    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 +13
    61
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PWinter Snow Control Series 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests71≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online8058

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

    Winter Snow Control Series 3: 60% × 63.3 (est.) + 40% × 58.1 = 61

    No road tests of treadwear for Winter Snow Control Series 3. 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 +22
    61
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PWinter Snow Control Series 3
    Reviews found online8361
  8. 86

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceWinterContact TS 870 PWinter Snow Control Series 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 21 / – tests86–
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 870 PPirelli Winter Snow Control Series 3
Relative Score 82 64
Dry 81 62
Wet 90 69
Snow 78 63
Comfort 82 60
Noise 74 –
Treadwear 74 61
Handling (owners) 83 61
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

Winter Snow Control Series 3

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 PWinter Snow Control Series 3ΔHead-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 #6/51 2015 Winter Tyre Market Overview – 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 Winter Snow Control Series 3

Pros

  • Superb traction and handling on snow and packed snow
  • Very good wet weather grip and hydroplaning resistance
  • Precise steering feedback and a safe feel during sportive driving

Cons

  • Slightly higher noise levels on dry roads compared to some competitors
  • Faster or subpar treadwear reported by select users
  • Isolated reports of inadequate performance on severe snow or ice
All owner themes in the Winter Snow Control Series 3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P B · Pirelli Winter Snow Control Series 3
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available121—
Rim diameters16″ – 23″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

Pirelli Winter Snow Control Series 3

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better comfort, handling and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Pirelli Winter Snow Control Series 3 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 82 vs 60 on comfort.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 83 vs 61 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 90 vs 69 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 81 vs 62 on dry.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
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Tire B · Pirelli Winter Snow Control Series 3
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WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Snow Control Series 3?

Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Snow Control Series 3?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 90 vs 69 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Snow Control Series 3?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 81 vs 62 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Snow Control Series 3?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 78 vs 63 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Snow Control Series 3?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 82 vs 60 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 870 P or Winter Snow Control Series 3?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 74 vs 61 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