Tests 84 · 16 tests Owners 79 · 25 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2024 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (dry handling)
Head-to-head
Updated
Continental WinterContact TS 870 vs Dunlop Winter — 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 16 + 4 road tests and 25 + 2 owner reviews. How we score
WinterContact TS 870 is ahead, 82–76
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Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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80
Dry
WinterContact TS 870 +773Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Winter Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / 4 tests 81 75 Reviews found online 79 71 Dry Braking (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–0 98% 97% Dry Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 100% 99% WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 81 + 40% × 79.2 = 80
Winter: 60% × 75 + 40% × 70.9 = 73
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93
Wet
WinterContact TS 870 +1479Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Winter Professional tests (TWG score) · 16 / 4 tests 98 81 Reviews found online 87 77 Curved Aquaplaning (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–0 98% 85% Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–0 97% 90% Wet Braking (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–0 100% 92% Wet Braking (concrete) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 100% 91% Wet Circle (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 100% 96% Wet Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 100% 96% WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 97.9 + 40% × 86.6 = 93
Winter: 60% × 80.9 + 40% × 76.8 = 79
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78
Snow
Level78Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Winter Professional tests (TWG score) · 16 / 4 tests 82 80 Reviews found online 73 74 Ice Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 97% 92% Snow Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 94% 97% Snow Handling (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 99% 98% Snow Traction (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 0–2 93% 98% WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 81.6 + 40% × 73.1 = 78
Winter: 60% × 79.9 + 40% × 74 = 78
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75
Comfort
WinterContact TS 870 +273Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Winter Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests 72 76 Reviews found online 77 72 WinterContact TS 870: 40% × 71.9 + 60% × 77.4 = 75
Winter: 40% × 75.8 + 60% × 71.9 = 73
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77
Noise
WinterContact TS 870 +374Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Winter Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / 4 tests 83 79 Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Noise (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–0 99% 99% WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 83.2 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 77
Winter: 60% × 79.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 74
No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 870 or Winter. 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.
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80
Treadwear
WinterContact TS 870 +278Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Winter Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / 2 tests 79 83 Reviews found online 80 ≈ 72 (est.) Abrasion (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 73% 95% Wear (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 73% 100% WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 79.5 + 40% × 80.1 = 80
Winter: 60% × 82.6 + 40% × 72.3 (est.) = 78
No owner ratings of treadwear for Winter. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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78
Handling (owners)
WinterContact TS 870 +771Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Winter Reviews found online 78 71 -
76
Efficiency
WinterContact TS 870 +274Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Winter Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / 4 tests 76 74 Fuel Consumption (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 93% 95% Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 90% 89%
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental WinterContact TS 870 | Dunlop Winter |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 82 | 76 |
| Dry | 80 | 73 |
| Wet | 93 | 79 |
| Snow | 78 | 78 |
| Comfort | 75 | 73 |
| Noise | 77 | 74 |
| Treadwear | 80 | 78 |
| Handling (owners) | 78 | 71 |
| Efficiency | 76 | 74 |
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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Recomputed
Headline score
82
/ 100
WinterContact TS 870
76
/ 100
Winter
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.
In the overall rankings of 2 tests that ran both, Continental WinterContact TS 870 finished ahead 2 times and Dunlop Winter 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | WinterContact TS 870 | Winter | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 98% | 97% | +1.3 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 100% | 99% | +0.7 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16 |
| Curved Aquaplaning | Wet | 98% | 85% | +13.7 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 97% | 90% | +7.6 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 100% | 92% | +8.4 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Wet Braking (concrete) | Wet | 100% | 91% | +9.0 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 100% | 96% | +3.8 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16 |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 100% | 96% | +3.6 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16 |
| Ice Braking | Snow | 97% | 92% | +4.3 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 94% | 97% | −2.9 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Snow Handling | Snow | 99% | 98% | +1.3 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16 |
| Snow Traction | Snow | 93% | 98% | −4.7 | 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 100% #1/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 | 90% #9/12 · 2026 Auto Bild Sportscars Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Noise | Noise | 99% | 99% | +0.7 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Abrasion | Treadwear | 73% | 95% | −21.7 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Wear | Treadwear | 73% | 100% | −27.2 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Fuel Consumption | Efficiency | 93% | 95% | −1.6 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 90% | 89% | +1.2 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Total Cost of Ownership | Cost | #6/20 2024 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test | #7/20 2025 Autobild Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Value | Cost | 44% | 76% | −31.6 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #2/16 | #8/16 | – | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A WinterContact TS 870
Pros
- Exceptional wet weather performance and aquaplaning resistance
- High level of driver confidence and predictability in varied conditions
- Strong dry road handling and steering feedback
Cons
- Inconsistent performance on steep, hard-packed snow for some users
- Potential negative impact on electric vehicle range
- Occasional reports of understeer on heavy vehicles in cold, greasy conditions
Tire B Winter
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 | B · Dunlop Winter |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 44 | 62 |
| Rim diameters | 14″ – 19″ | 15″ – 21″ |
| Sizes in common | 19 | 19 |
Which one should you actually buy?
82
/ 100
Continental WinterContact TS 870
76
/ 100
Dunlop Winter
Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 — better wet, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Continental WinterContact TS 870 scores 93 vs 79 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Continental WinterContact TS 870 scores 80 vs 73 on dry.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Continental WinterContact TS 870 scores 78 vs 71 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want a quieter cabin
Continental WinterContact TS 870 scores 77 vs 74 on noise.
Pick tire B
Your priority is snow traction
Dunlop Winter won 2 of 2 shared snow traction tests.
Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 870
Tire B · Dunlop Winter
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WinterContact TS 870 or Winter?
Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 870 or Winter?
Continental WinterContact TS 870, 93 vs 79 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 870 or Winter?
Continental WinterContact TS 870, 80 vs 73 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 870 or Winter?
Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 78 on the snow score, within 3 points.
Which is quieter, WinterContact TS 870 or Winter?
Continental WinterContact TS 870, 77 vs 74 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 870 or Winter?
Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 73 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 870 or Winter?
Neither, by our numbers: 80 vs 78 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
Which rolls more easily, WinterContact TS 870 or Winter?
Neither, by our numbers: 76 vs 74 on the efficiency score, within 3 points.
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