Tests 81 · 27 tests Owners 78 · 31 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 AMS Winter Tyre Test (rolling resistance)
Head-to-head
Updated
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P vs Vredestein Ultrac — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.
WinterContact TS 870 P is ahead, 80–63
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Tests 61 · 14 tests Owners 64 · 416 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 16 in 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test (curved aquaplaning)
“I have vredestein ultrac pro’s on my golf R currently in 245/40r18 - I have been very pleased with the performance for the price. They’ve taken over 1G in corners with no issues. Wearing pretty well about 5k miles in as well. I’d say they’re about 85-90% as good as a PS4S or EC02. Been surprisingly good in the rain too”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
80
Dry
WinterContact TS 870 P +476Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) 82 82 Reviews found online 77 66 Dry Braking (% of best) 98% 94% Dry Handling (% of best) 99% 98% -
88
Wet
WinterContact TS 870 P +781Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) 91 90 Reviews found online 84 69 Longitudinal Aquaplaning (% of best) 94% 97% Transverse Aquaplaning (% of best) 95% 100% Wet Braking (% of best) 96% 92% Wet Braking - Concrete (% of best) 98% 88% Wet Circle (% of best) 98% 98% Wet Handling (% of best) 99% 99% -
77
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) 78 – Reviews found online 76 – -
82
Comfort
WinterContact TS 870 P +1567Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) 84 – Reviews found online 80 65 -
74
Noise
WinterContact TS 870 P +767Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) 79 67 Exterior Noise (% of best) 98% 100% -
72
Treadwear
WinterContact TS 870 P +4428Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Ultrac Professional tests (TWG score) 70 10 Reviews found online 75 56 -
80
Handling
WinterContact TS 870 P +1565Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 P Ultrac Reviews found online 80 65
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental WinterContact TS 870 P | Vredestein Ultrac |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 80 | 63 |
| Dry | 80 | 76 |
| Wet | 88 | 81 |
| Snow | 77 | – |
| Comfort | 82 | 67 |
| Noise | 74 | 67 |
| Treadwear | 72 | 28 |
| Handling | 80 | 65 |
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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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.
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Recomputed
Headline score
80
/ 100
WinterContact TS 870 P
63
/ 100
Ultrac
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
The professional test results behind the scores
Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.
| Discipline | Category | WinterContact TS 870 P | Ultrac | Δ | Both? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curved Aquaplaning | Curved | 98% #2/7 · 2023 AMS SUV Winter Tyre Test | 100% #1/16 · 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test | −2.0 | Different tests |
| Dry Braking | Dry | 98% #2/20 · 2023 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | 94% #6/10 · 2025 Autobild SUV Off-Road Summer Tyre Test | +4.6 | Different tests |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 99% #7/11 · 2023 Sports Cars Winter Tyre Test | 98% #9/10 · 2024 Motorhome Summer Tyre Test | +0.7 | Different tests |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 100% #1/8 · 2022 AMS Winter Tyre Test | 98% #11/12 · 2025 UTAC / Aftonbladet Summer & All-Season Tire Test R17 | +2.1 | Different tests |
| Fuel Consumption | Fuel | 94% #4/18 · 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test | 97% #7/16 · 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test | −2.8 | Different tests |
| Exterior Noise | Noise | 98% #7/7 · 2024 Al Volante Crossover Winter Tire Test R18 | 100% #1/6 · 2024 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ Summer Tire Test R17 | −2.3 | Different tests |
| Abrasion | Other | 72% #10/16 · 2023 ADAC 16 Inch Tyre Test | 47% #16/16 · 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test | +25.0 | Different tests |
| Noise | Other | 99% #6/20 · 2022 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | 99% #3/9 · 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test | +0.3 | Different tests |
| Price | Other | 78% #8/9 · 2023 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test | 78% #3/10 · 2022 AZ SUV Tyre Test | +0.2 | Different tests |
| Value | Other | 56% #18/20 · 2023 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | 62% #20/21 · 2022 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test | −5.9 | Different tests |
| Wear | Other | 80% #13/20 · 2023 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | 34% #20/20 · 2024 AutoBild Summer Tyre Test | +46.2 | Different tests |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | 14% #7/20 · 2025 Autobild Winter Tyre Test | 25% #4/9 · 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test | −10.7 | Different tests |
| Straight Aqua | Straight | 95% #5/10 · 2024 All Season and Winter Tyre Test | 94% #7/9 · 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test | +1.1 | Different tests |
| Subj. Dry Handling | Subj | 100% #1/7 · 2025 Die Reifentester Winter Tyre Test | 80% #9/14 · 2025 Summer and All Season Combined Tyre Test | +20.0 | Different tests |
| Subj. Wet Handling | Subj | 100% #2/18 · 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test | 80% #7/14 · 2025 Summer and All Season Combined Tyre Test | +20.0 | Different tests |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Total | 0% #14/20 · 2022 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | 0% #20/20 · 2024 AutoBild Summer Tyre Test | 0.0 | Different tests |
| Longitudinal Aquaplaning | Wet | 94% #4/7 · 2024 Al Volante Crossover Winter Tire Test R18 | 97% #4/7 · 2024 Auto Express Summer Tyre Test | −2.9 | Different tests |
| Transverse Aquaplaning | Wet | 95% #6/7 · 2024 Al Volante Crossover Winter Tire Test R18 | 100% #1/6 · 2024 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ Summer Tire Test R17 | −4.9 | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 96% #8/31 · 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test | 92% #6/10 · 2025 Autobild SUV Off-Road Summer Tyre Test | +3.9 | Different tests |
| Wet Braking - Concrete | Wet | 98% #3/16 · 2024 ADAC 17 inch Winter Tyre Test | 88% #3/16 · 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test | +10.3 | Different tests |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 98% #5/7 · 2023 AMS SUV Winter Tyre Test | 98% #4/8 · 2024 AMS Summer SUV Tyre Test | 0.0 | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 99% #5/9 · 2022 Sports Car UHP Winter Tyre Test | 99% #4/10 · 2025 Autobild SUV Off-Road Summer Tyre Test | −0.6 | 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
Tire B Ultrac
Pros
- Exceptional grip and confidence in wet weather conditions
- High level of ride comfort and ability to absorb road bumps
- Low road noise and quiet operation
Cons
- Rapid tread wear reported by several drivers
- Softer sidewalls leading to less initial steering feedback or stability
- Occasional complaints of tramlining or tracking narrow road repairs
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
Vredestein Ultrac
Community opinion on Vredestein Ultrac and Ultrac Pro tires is overwhelmingly positive, with drivers praising them as a high-value alternative to premium brands like Michelin. Users frequently highlight their comfortable ride, low noise levels, and impressive dry and wet grip that rivals top-tier performance tires at a fraction of the cost.
r/ZL1
·2 upvotes ·2013-12-15
“I just had a set of Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta put on. Initial thoughts... I got them in 275/40/20 for the fronts and 315/35/20 for the rears. They fit the wheels perfectly. I immediately noticed a much softer ride. Sport Mode now feels like Tour Mode, maybe even softer. I DD my ZL1 so cold weather performance is very important. Temps were near 40°F and they stayed quite grippy. This is a huge improvement over the stock Goodyear's. Initial turn in response is good. I had the opportunity to push them on an off ramp and they felt a little mushy when pushed and didn't seem to want to exceed .75g I had a set of these on a previous car (2004 ZO6) and expect great wet weather performance. I will update this post once I get some more miles on them. Read more”
r/mazda3
·55 upvotes ·2025-04-02
“New boots! Vredestein Ultrac Pro 225s for the Turbo 3”
r/CarTalkUK
·22 upvotes ·2025-05-27
“Are budget tyres closing the gap to premium? I changed a set of tyres on my daily pd130 winter bash about and managed to get a set of vredestein ultrac for £80 a tyre fitted which I thought was a pretty good price. The tyre fitting service was saying to me that the gap between budgets and premium is much smaller in the last 10 years and that taxis tend to opt for budget tyres all the time and have no issues. Any thoughts on this? I’ve always gone for medium to higher end tyres. Leer más”
Top themes
#Price and Value#Performance vs Michelin#Ride Comfort and Noise#Handling and Cornering Grip#Tread Wear and Longevity#Wet Weather Performance
Based on 20 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P | B · Vredestein Ultrac |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 121 | 65 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 23″ | 15″ – 21″ |
Which one should you actually buy?
80
/ 100
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
63
/ 100
Vredestein Ultrac
Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better treadwear, comfort and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 72 vs 28 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 82 vs 67 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 80 vs 65 on handling.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 88 vs 81 on wet.
Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Tire B · Vredestein Ultrac
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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.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.