Tests – · 1 test Owners 67 · 15 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Nexen N'Fera AU7 vs Continental Sport Contact 3 — 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 1 + 0 road tests and 15 + 245 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: N'Fera AU7 69, Sport Contact 3 68.
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Tests – · none yet Owners 65 · 245 reviews
“The SC3 didn't quite manage 10,000 miles on the front of my 406. On the rear they fared a little better. In fairness though I was asking them to put down well over 300lbft, in a FWD car with a hefty lump of a diesel engine sat above 'em”
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
69
Dry
Sport Contact 3 +271Why this score
Source N'Fera AU7 Sport Contact 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 70 (est.) Reviews found online 70 72 N'Fera AU7: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 69.7 = 69
Sport Contact 3: 60% × 69.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.4 = 71
No road tests of dry for N'Fera AU7. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
No road tests of dry for Sport Contact 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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72
Wet
Level72Why this score
Source N'Fera AU7 Sport Contact 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 72 (est.) ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 72 73 N'Fera AU7: 60% × 71.6 (est.) + 40% × 72.3 = 72
Sport Contact 3: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 72
No road tests of wet for N'Fera AU7. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
No road tests of wet for Sport Contact 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
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65
Snow
No comparison–Why this score
Source N'Fera AU7 Sport Contact 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) – Reviews found online 61 – N'Fera AU7: 60% × 67.2 (est.) + 40% × 61.3 = 65
No road tests of snow for N'Fera AU7. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
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68
Comfort
N'Fera AU7 +365Why this score
Source N'Fera AU7 Sport Contact 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 69 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 67 64 N'Fera AU7: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 66.9 = 68
Sport Contact 3: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 63.5 = 65
No road tests of comfort for N'Fera AU7 or Sport Contact 3. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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66
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source N'Fera AU7 Sport Contact 3 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 67 (est.) – Reviews found online 65 – N'Fera AU7: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.1 = 66
No road tests of noise for N'Fera AU7. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
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62
Treadwear
N'Fera AU7 +755Why this score
Source N'Fera AU7 Sport Contact 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 62 ≈ 60 (est.) Reviews found online 62 48 N'Fera AU7: 60% × 62.4 + 40% × 62.2 = 62
Sport Contact 3: 60% × 59.9 (est.) + 40% × 48.3 = 55
No road tests of treadwear for Sport Contact 3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
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69
Handling (owners)
N'Fera AU7 +168Why this score
Source N'Fera AU7 Sport Contact 3 Reviews found online 69 68
Scores at a glance
| Category | Nexen N'Fera AU7 | Continental Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 69 | 68 |
| Dry | 69 | 71 |
| Wet | 72 | 72 |
| Snow | 65 | – |
| Comfort | 68 | 65 |
| Noise | 66 | – |
| Treadwear | 62 | 55 |
| Handling (owners) | 69 | 68 |
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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
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
Recomputed
Headline score
69
/ 100
N'Fera AU7
68
/ 100
Sport Contact 3
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.
| Discipline | Category | N'Fera AU7 | Sport Contact 3 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #11/19 2022 Consumer Reports Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires | #1/10 2012 EVO Max Performance Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A N'Fera AU7
Pros
- Exceptional value for the price point
- Quiet and comfortable ride quality
- Strong wet, dry, and light snow traction
Cons
- Potential for premature wear or cupping reported by some users
- Prone to wandering or tracking poorly on metal bridge gratings
- Softer compounds may be susceptible to quicker aging in harsh climates
Tire B Sport Contact 3
Pros
- Exceptional dry and wet grip
- High levels of steering precision and road feedback
- Progressive handling characteristics at the limit
Cons
- Rapid tread wear, particularly on the front axle
- High purchase price relative to longevity
- Increased road noise as the tire wears
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Nexen N'Fera AU7
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Mixed
Continental Sport Contact 3
Community sentiment regarding the Continental Sport Contact 3 is polarized. While several drivers praise its aesthetic appeal, ride comfort, and solid wet and dry grip, others express strong dissatisfaction with rapid tread wear, inconsistent traction across temperature ranges, and relatively high pricing compared to newer alternatives.
forums.m3cutters.co.uk
·2009-01-16
“Just had mine replaced. Ended up getting Contact 3's on the back, same as the front, to keep them all the same. Went to National tyres and they quoted me £518 + £6.50 valves + £11.50 balance for 2 rears. Said he'd have to do better than that, ended up paying £421 all in after a bit of haggling and they had 2 in stock.”
bobistheoilguy.com
·2017-06-16
“Originally Posted By: edyvw Continental Sport Contact 3 What car and size? I had this tire on my '96 M3 in 245/40-17 all around on 8.5" wheels. I liked it, especially coming from the awful Kumhos and Falkens I had run before, but I remember it feeling a bit squishy for my taste. The PS2 was a better performer in every way, with only a slight NVH penalty IIRC.”
r/TyreReviews
·5 upvotes ·2024-05-06
“I've got good news. SportContact 3 can be bought new in your size. I believe this is a legacy OE that is still in production. But they are 80 Euros more expensive than current PremiumContact 7 / SportContact 7 www.tyreleader.ie/car-tyres/continental/contisportcontact-3/235-45-r17-97w-805902”
Top themes
#rapid tread wear#wet and dry grip#high replacement cost#ride quality and feel#temperature sensitivity#dated tire technology
Based on 38 community posts
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Nexen N'Fera AU7 | B · Continental Sport Contact 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All-Season Premium Touring tires | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 49 | 22 |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 20″ | 16″ – 20″ |
| Tread depth | 9/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 500 A A | — |
| Treadwear warranty | 50,000 mi | — |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | — |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | — |
| Sizes in common | 12 | 12 |
Which one should you actually buy?
69
/ 100
Nexen N'Fera AU7
68
/ 100
Continental Sport Contact 3
Too close to call: Nexen N'Fera AU7 and Continental Sport Contact 3 are within 2 points overall. Nexen N'Fera AU7 is stronger on treadwear and comfort. Nexen N'Fera AU7 rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 15 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Nexen N'Fera AU7 scores 62 vs 55 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Nexen N'Fera AU7 scores 68 vs 65 on comfort.
Tire A · Nexen N'Fera AU7
Tire B · Continental Sport Contact 3
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N'Fera AU7 or Sport Contact 3?
Which is better in the wet, N'Fera AU7 or Sport Contact 3?
Neither, by our numbers: 72 vs 72 on the wet score, within 3 points.
Which grips better on dry roads, N'Fera AU7 or Sport Contact 3?
Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 71 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Which is more comfortable, N'Fera AU7 or Sport Contact 3?
Nexen N'Fera AU7, 68 vs 65 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, N'Fera AU7 or Sport Contact 3?
Nexen N'Fera AU7, 62 vs 55 on our treadwear 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