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General Altimax Winter 3 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 5 + 32 road tests and 3 + 33 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 870 P is ahead, 81–71

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General Altimax Winter 3
Tire AGeneral

Altimax Winter 3

Winter

± 8

Tests 69 · 5 tests Owners 73 · 3 reviews

Best test result: #4 of 20 in 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test (snow traction)

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Tire BContinental

WinterContact TS 870 P

Winter

± 4

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.

  1. 64

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 870 P +17
    81
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 25 tests5983
    Reviews found online7279

    Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 58.7 + 40% × 71.5 = 64

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 83.3 + 40% × 78.5 = 81

  2. 71

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 870 P +20
    91
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 32 tests6995
    Reviews found online7486
    Wet Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–186%95%

    Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 69.4 + 40% × 74.4 = 71

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 94.6 + 40% × 86.1 = 91

  3. 78

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 870 P +1
    79
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 31 tests7880
    Reviews found online7776

    Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 77.7 + 40% × 77.3 = 78

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 80.2 + 40% × 76.4 = 79

  4. 69

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 870 P +19
    88
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests≈ 69 (est.)98
    Reviews found online6981

    Altimax Winter 3: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 68.6 = 69

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 40% × 98.1 + 60% × 80.7 = 88

    No road tests of comfort for Altimax Winter 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 72

    Noise

    WinterContact TS 870 P +1
    73
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 22 tests7678
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)

    Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 75.7 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 72

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 78.1 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 73

    No owner ratings of noise for Altimax Winter 3 or 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.

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 870 P +4
    74
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 8 tests6970
    Reviews found online7180

    Altimax Winter 3: 60% × 68.9 + 40% × 70.6 = 70

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 69.9 + 40% × 80.2 = 74

  7. 72

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 870 P +11
    83
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3WinterContact TS 870 P
    Reviews found online7283
  8. 65

    Efficiency

    WinterContact TS 870 P +21
    86
    Why this score
    SourceAltimax Winter 3WinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 24 tests6586
Scores at a glance
CategoryGeneral Altimax Winter 3Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Relative Score 71 81
Dry 64 81
Wet 71 91
Snow 78 79
Comfort 69 88
Noise 72 73
Treadwear 70 74
Handling (owners) 72 83
Efficiency 65 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 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
± 8

Altimax Winter 3

± 4

WinterContact TS 870 P

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 1 tests that ran both, General Altimax Winter 3 finished ahead 0 times and Continental WinterContact TS 870 P 1 times.

DisciplineCategoryAltimax Winter 3WinterContact TS 870 PΔHead-to-head
Wet Braking Wet 86% 95% −8.7 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Winter Tyre Market Overview · 215/55 R17
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #35/56 #2/56 – 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 Winter Tyre Market Overview · 215/55 R17

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Altimax Winter 3

Pros

  • Strong performance in snow and slush conditions
  • Effective resistance to aquaplaning
  • Competitive price-to-quality ratio

Cons

  • Increased road noise at highway speeds
  • Soft sidewalls resulting in vague handling and road feedback
  • Mediocre emergency wet braking performance
All owner themes in the Altimax Winter 3 review

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
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 870 P review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · General Altimax Winter 3 B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available38121
Rim diameters13″ – 19″16″ – 23″
Sizes in common1414

Which one should you actually buy?

General Altimax Winter 3

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better efficiency, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want lower fuel or energy use

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 86 vs 65 on efficiency.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 91 vs 71 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 88 vs 69 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 81 vs 64 on dry.

Tire A · General Altimax Winter 3
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Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
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Altimax Winter 3 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Which is better in the wet, Altimax Winter 3 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 91 vs 71 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Altimax Winter 3 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 81 vs 64 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Altimax Winter 3 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 79 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, Altimax Winter 3 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 73 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Altimax Winter 3 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 88 vs 69 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Altimax Winter 3 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 74 vs 70 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, Altimax Winter 3 or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 86 vs 65 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