Tests 89 · 2 tests Owners 84 · 10 reviews
Best test result: #3 of 51 in 2025 Winter Tyre Braking Test - 52 Sets! (wet braking)
Head-to-head
Updated
Dunlop Winter Response 2 vs Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — 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 2 + 32 road tests and 10 + 33 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: Winter Response 2 82, WinterContact TS 870 P 83.
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Tests 83 · 32 tests Owners 81 · 33 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2026 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.
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77
Dry
WinterContact TS 870 P +481Why this score
Source Winter Response 2 WinterContact TS 870 P Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 25 tests ≈ 74 (est.) 83 Reviews found online 83 79 Winter Response 2: 60% × 74 (est.) + 40% × 82.7 = 77
WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 83.3 + 40% × 78.5 = 81
No road tests of dry for Winter Response 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
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91
Wet
Level91Why this score
Source Winter Response 2 WinterContact TS 870 P Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 32 tests 93 95 Reviews found online 89 86 Wet Braking (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–0 98% 92% Winter Response 2: 60% × 93 + 40% × 88.6 = 91
WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 94.6 + 40% × 86.1 = 91
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84
Snow
Winter Response 2 +579Why this score
Source Winter Response 2 WinterContact TS 870 P Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 31 tests 84 80 Reviews found online 84 76 Snow Braking (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–0 99% 97% Winter Response 2: 60% × 84 + 40% × 84.3 = 84
WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 80.2 + 40% × 76.4 = 79
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80
Comfort
WinterContact TS 870 P +888Why this score
Source Winter Response 2 WinterContact TS 870 P Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests ≈ 72 (est.) 98 Reviews found online 85 81 Winter Response 2: 40% × 72 (est.) + 60% × 85.1 = 80
WinterContact TS 870 P: 40% × 98.1 + 60% × 80.7 = 88
No road tests of comfort for Winter Response 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
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–
Noise
No comparison73Why this score
Source Winter Response 2 WinterContact TS 870 P Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 22 tests – 78 Reviews found online – ≈ 66 (est.) WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 73
No owner ratings of noise for WinterContact TS 870 P. 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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75
Treadwear
Winter Response 2 +174Why this score
Source Winter Response 2 WinterContact TS 870 P Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests ≈ 72 (est.) 70 Reviews found online 81 80 Winter Response 2: 60% × 71.7 (est.) + 40% × 80.8 = 75
WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 69.9 + 40% × 80.2 = 74
No road tests of treadwear for Winter Response 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
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83
Handling (owners)
Level83Why this score
Source Winter Response 2 WinterContact TS 870 P Reviews found online 83 83 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison86Why this score
Source Winter Response 2 WinterContact TS 870 P Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 24 tests – 86
Scores at a glance
| Category | Dunlop Winter Response 2 | Continental WinterContact TS 870 P |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 82 | 83 |
| Dry | 77 | 81 |
| Wet | 91 | 91 |
| Snow | 84 | 79 |
| Comfort | 80 | 88 |
| Noise | – | 73 |
| Treadwear | 75 | 74 |
| Handling (owners) | 83 | 83 |
| 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
82
/ 100
Winter Response 2
83
/ 100
WinterContact TS 870 P
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.
In the overall rankings of 2 tests that ran both, Dunlop Winter Response 2 finished ahead 2 times and Continental WinterContact TS 870 P 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | Winter Response 2 | WinterContact TS 870 P | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | Wet | 98% | 92% | +6.3 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2025 Winter Tyre Braking Test - 52 Sets! · 225/40 R18 |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 99% | 97% | +1.7 | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2025 Winter Tyre Braking Test - 52 Sets! · 225/40 R18 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/51 | #13/51 | – | 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2025 Winter Tyre Braking Test - 52 Sets! · 225/40 R18 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Winter Response 2
Pros
- Outstanding grip and confidence in snow and ice
- Excellent wet weather performance and braking
- High level of cabin comfort and low noise levels
Cons
- Faster tread wear reported by some users
- Slightly noticeable tire roll in fast corners above 50 mph
Tire B 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
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Dunlop Winter Response 2 | B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 15 | 121 |
| Rim diameters | 14″ – 16″ | 16″ – 23″ |
| Sizes in common | 0 | 0 |
Which one should you actually buy?
82
/ 100
Dunlop Winter Response 2
83
/ 100
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Too close to call: Dunlop Winter Response 2 and Continental WinterContact TS 870 P are within 2 points overall. Dunlop Winter Response 2 is stronger on snow. Continental WinterContact TS 870 P is stronger on comfort and dry.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 88 vs 80 on comfort.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Dunlop Winter Response 2 scores 84 vs 79 on snow.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 81 vs 77 on dry.
Tire A · Dunlop Winter Response 2
Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
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Winter Response 2 or WinterContact TS 870 P?
Which is better in the wet, Winter Response 2 or WinterContact TS 870 P?
Neither, by our numbers: 91 vs 91 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, Winter Response 2 or WinterContact TS 870 P?
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 81 vs 77 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Winter Response 2 or WinterContact TS 870 P?
Dunlop Winter Response 2, 84 vs 79 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Winter Response 2 or WinterContact TS 870 P?
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 88 vs 80 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Winter Response 2 or WinterContact TS 870 P?
Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 74 on the treadwear 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