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 Michelin Alpin 7 — 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 + 12 road tests and 25 + 12 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: WinterContact TS 870 and Alpin 7 are level at 82.
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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.
Key facts
- In 6 tests that measured dry braking for both, WinterContact TS 870 won 5 and Alpin 7 won 0 (average 98% vs 96% of the best).
- In 6 tests that measured wet braking for both, WinterContact TS 870 won 6 and Alpin 7 won 0 (average 98% vs 94% of the best).
- In 5 tests that measured straight aquaplaning for both, WinterContact TS 870 won 4 and Alpin 7 won 1 (average 94% vs 91% of the best).
- In 5 tests that measured snow braking for both, WinterContact TS 870 won 1 and Alpin 7 won 3 (average 95% vs 97% of the best).
- In 5 tests that measured snow traction for both, WinterContact TS 870 won 1 and Alpin 7 won 4 (average 95% vs 97% of the best).
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80
Dry
WinterContact TS 870 +278Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Alpin 7 Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / 12 tests 81 76 Reviews found online 79 82 Dry Braking (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 5–0 98% 96% Dry Handling (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–0 99% 98% WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 81 + 40% × 79.2 = 80
Alpin 7: 60% × 75.7 + 40% × 82.1 = 78
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93
Wet
WinterContact TS 870 +687Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Alpin 7 Professional tests (TWG score) · 16 / 12 tests 98 86 Reviews found online 87 87 Curved Aquaplaning (% of best) · 4 shared tests · wins 3–1 89% 84% Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 4–1 94% 91% Wet Braking (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 6–0 98% 94% Wet Braking (concrete) (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–0 97% 94% Wet Circle (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 100% 97% Wet Handling (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 3–0 99% 96% WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 97.9 + 40% × 86.5 = 93
Alpin 7: 60% × 86.4 + 40% × 86.9 = 87
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78
Snow
Alpin 7 +381Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Alpin 7 Professional tests (TWG score) · 16 / 12 tests 82 82 Reviews found online 73 80 Ice Braking (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 0–2 93% 97% Snow Braking (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 1–3 95% 97% Snow Handling (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 2–1 99% 98% Snow Traction (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 1–4 95% 97% WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 81.6 + 40% × 73.2 = 78
Alpin 7: 60% × 82.3 + 40% × 80.1 = 81
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75
Comfort
Alpin 7 +580Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Alpin 7 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 2 tests 72 72 Reviews found online 78 85 WinterContact TS 870: 40% × 71.9 + 60% × 77.5 = 75
Alpin 7: 40% × 72.1 + 60% × 84.7 = 80
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77
Noise
WinterContact TS 870 +572Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Alpin 7 Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / 9 tests 83 75 Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Noise (% of best) · 4 shared tests · wins 4–0 99% 98% WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 83.2 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 77
Alpin 7: 60% × 75.4 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 72
No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 870 or Alpin 7. 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
Alpin 7 +585Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Alpin 7 Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / 3 tests 79 82 Reviews found online 80 89 Abrasion (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 0–1 75% 76% Wear (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 1–2 79% 87% WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 79.5 + 40% × 80.1 = 80
Alpin 7: 60% × 82.4 + 40% × 88.6 = 85
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78
Handling (owners)
Alpin 7 +684Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Alpin 7 Reviews found online 78 84 -
76
Efficiency
Alpin 7 +1187Why this score
Source WinterContact TS 870 Alpin 7 Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / 11 tests 76 87 Fuel Consumption (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 0–0 95% 95% Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 4 shared tests · wins 0–4 91% 97%
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental WinterContact TS 870 | Michelin Alpin 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 82 | 82 |
| Dry | 80 | 78 |
| Wet | 93 | 87 |
| Snow | 78 | 81 |
| Comfort | 75 | 80 |
| Noise | 77 | 72 |
| Treadwear | 80 | 85 |
| Handling (owners) | 78 | 84 |
| Efficiency | 76 | 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 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
82
/ 100
Alpin 7
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 6 tests that ran both, Continental WinterContact TS 870 finished ahead 5 times and Michelin Alpin 7 1 times.
| Discipline | Category | WinterContact TS 870 | Alpin 7 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 98% | 96% | +1.6 | 5–0 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R17 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 99% | 98% | +0.6 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16 |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 93% #2/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 | 86% #3/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Curved Aquaplaning | Wet | 89% | 84% | +5.4 | 3–1 in 4 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15 |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 94% | 91% | +2.9 | 4–1 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 98% | 94% | +3.6 | 6–0 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R17 |
| Wet Braking (concrete) | Wet | 97% | 94% | +3.3 | 1–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15 |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 100% | 97% | +2.6 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16 |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 99% | 96% | +2.7 | 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16 |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) | Wet | 90% #2/17 · 2023 UTAC Large Winter Tire Test R16 | 80% #4/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Ice Braking | Snow | 93% | 97% | −3.7 | 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15 |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 95% | 97% | −1.7 | 1–3 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R17 |
| Snow Handling | Snow | 99% | 98% | +0.6 | 2–1 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16 |
| Snow Traction | Snow | 95% | 97% | −2.8 | 1–4 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 100% #1/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 | 78% #5/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Noise | Noise | 99% | 98% | +0.8 | 4–0 in 4 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15 |
| Abrasion | Treadwear | 75% | 76% | −1.5 | 0–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15 |
| Wear | Treadwear | 79% | 87% | −8.5 | 1–2 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R17 |
| Fuel Consumption | Efficiency | 95% | 95% | 0.0 | 0–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15 |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 91% | 97% | −5.6 | 0–4 in 4 shared tests Newest: 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R17 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Value | Cost | 50% | 54% | −3.3 | 2–1 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R17 |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #4/15 | #2/15 | – | 5–1 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 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 Alpin 7
Pros
- Exceptional ride comfort and bump absorption
- Class-leading low noise levels, often compared to summer tires
- Strong traction and stability on snow and slush
Cons
- Handling can feel slightly 'floaty' or soft due to sidewall flex
- Not suitable for extreme Nordic winter conditions (deep ice/heavy snow)
- Dry braking distances may feel slightly longer compared to dedicated summer tires
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental WinterContact TS 870 | B · Michelin Alpin 7 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 44 | 43 |
| Rim diameters | 14″ – 19″ | 15″ – 20″ |
| Sizes in common | 11 | 11 |
Which one should you actually buy?
82
/ 100
Continental WinterContact TS 870
82
/ 100
Michelin Alpin 7
Too close to call: Continental WinterContact TS 870 and Michelin Alpin 7 are within 2 points overall. Continental WinterContact TS 870 is stronger on wet and noise. Michelin Alpin 7 is stronger on efficiency, handling and comfort.
Pick tire B
You want lower fuel or energy use
Michelin Alpin 7 scores 87 vs 76 on efficiency.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Continental WinterContact TS 870 scores 93 vs 87 on wet.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Michelin Alpin 7 scores 84 vs 78 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want a quieter cabin
Continental WinterContact TS 870 scores 77 vs 72 on noise.
Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 870
Tire B · Michelin Alpin 7
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WinterContact TS 870 or Alpin 7?
Which is better in the wet, WinterContact TS 870 or Alpin 7?
Continental WinterContact TS 870, 93 vs 87 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, WinterContact TS 870 or Alpin 7?
Neither, by our numbers: 80 vs 78 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is better in snow, WinterContact TS 870 or Alpin 7?
Michelin Alpin 7, 81 vs 78 on our snow score.
Which is quieter, WinterContact TS 870 or Alpin 7?
Continental WinterContact TS 870, 77 vs 72 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, WinterContact TS 870 or Alpin 7?
Michelin Alpin 7, 80 vs 75 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, WinterContact TS 870 or Alpin 7?
Michelin Alpin 7, 85 vs 80 on our treadwear score.
Which rolls more easily, WinterContact TS 870 or Alpin 7?
Michelin Alpin 7, 87 vs 76 on our efficiency 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