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Head-to-head Updated

General Altimax Arctic 12 vs Continental WinterContact TS 790 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

WinterContact TS 790 is ahead, 73–65

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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.

  1. 52

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 790 +19
    71
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score)48–
    Reviews found online5872
  2. 69

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 790 +9
    78
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score)65–
    Reviews found online7580
  3. 76

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score)74–
    Reviews found online79–
  4. 68

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 790 +4
    72
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score)68–
    Reviews found online6774
  5. 69

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinterContact TS 790
    Professional tests (TWG score)72–
    Reviews found online65–
  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Level
    70
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinterContact TS 790
    Reviews found online7274
  7. 69

    Handling

    WinterContact TS 790 +6
    75
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Arctic 12WinterContact TS 790
    Reviews found online6975
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax Arctic 12Continental WinterContact TS 790
Relative Score 65 73
Dry 52 71
Wet 69 78
Snow 76 –
Comfort 68 72
Noise 69 –
Treadwear 70 70
Handling 69 75

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.

Less important
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Less important
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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Altimax Arctic 12

WinterContact TS 790

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Altimax Arctic 12

Pros

  • Outstanding grip and traction in heavy snow, slush, and ice
  • Excellent value and affordable price point compared to premium winter tires
  • Impressive tread life and long-term durability across multiple winter seasons

Cons

  • Noticeable road noise, which can increase as the tires wear
  • Slightly soft, squishy, or vague handling characteristics on dry pavement
  • Higher rolling resistance resulting in a minor decrease in fuel economy
All owner themes in the Altimax Arctic 12 review

Tire B WinterContact TS 790

Pros

  • Exceptional tread longevity and durability
  • Strong grip and stability in wet conditions
  • High level of ride comfort

Cons

  • Limited performance in heavy or deep snow conditions
  • Not optimized for severe winter climates
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 790 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Arctic 12 B · Continental WinterContact TS 790
CategoryPremium Touring Winter tireWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available381
Rim diameters15″ – 19″15″
Tread depth12/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure51 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Arctic 12

Continental WinterContact TS 790

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 790 — better dry, wet and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 71 vs 52 on dry.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 78 vs 69 on wet.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 75 vs 69 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 790 scores 72 vs 68 on comfort.

Tire A · General Altimax Arctic 12
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 790
Check price on Amazon

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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.

73

Leads

WinterContact TS 790

Amazon