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Head-to-head Updated

Pirelli SOTTOZERO 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 0 + 32 road tests and 9 + 34 owner reviews. How we score

WinterContact TS 870 P is ahead, 83–67

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Pirelli SOTTOZERO
Tire APirelli

SOTTOZERO

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 66 · 9 reviews

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
Tire BContinental

WinterContact TS 870 P

Winter

± 4

Tests 83 · 32 tests Owners 80 · 34 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. 65

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 870 P +16
    81
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 25 tests≈ 66 (est.)83
    Reviews found online6479

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 66.2 (est.) + 40% × 63.7 = 65

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

    No road tests of dry for SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 72

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 870 P +19
    91
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 32 tests≈ 72 (est.)95
    Reviews found online7386

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 71.8 (est.) + 40% × 72.6 = 72

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

    No road tests of wet for SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 65

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 870 P +14
    79
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 31 tests≈ 68 (est.)80
    Reviews found online6177

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.2 = 65

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 80.2 + 40% × 76.5 = 79

    No road tests of snow for SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 67

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 870 P +20
    87
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests≈ 68 (est.)98
    Reviews found online6680

    SOTTOZERO: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 65.9 = 67

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 40% × 98 + 60% × 79.9 = 87

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

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    73
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 22 tests–78
    Reviews found online–≈ 66 (est.)

    WinterContact TS 870 P: 60% × 77.6 + 40% × 66.3 (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.

  6. 66

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 870 P +8
    74
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests≈ 66 (est.)70
    Reviews found online6680

    SOTTOZERO: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.2 = 66

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

    No road tests of treadwear for SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 69

    Handling (owners)

    WinterContact TS 870 P +14
    83
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROWinterContact TS 870 P
    Reviews found online6983
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    86
    Why this score
    SourceSOTTOZEROWinterContact TS 870 P
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 24 tests–86
Scores at a glance
CategoryPirelli SOTTOZEROContinental WinterContact TS 870 P
Relative Score 67 83
Dry 65 81
Wet 72 91
Snow 65 79
Comfort 67 87
Noise – 73
Treadwear 66 74
Handling (owners) 69 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
± 8

SOTTOZERO

± 4

WinterContact TS 870 P

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 SOTTOZERO

Pros

  • Exceptional ride comfort and low noise levels compared to standard winter tires.
  • Strong dry road handling with a progressive, communicative feel.
  • Impressive tread longevity, with some users reporting high mileage even in warmer conditions.

Cons

  • Inconsistent traction on ice and deep snow reported by some users.
  • Potential for rear-end instability or loss of grip in wet conditions on certain vehicles.
  • Accelerated tread wear noted by users who purchased used tires or drove aggressively.
All owner themes in the SOTTOZERO 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 · Pirelli SOTTOZERO B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—121
Rim diameters—16″ – 23″

Which one should you actually buy?

Pirelli SOTTOZERO

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870 P — better comfort, wet and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score. Pirelli SOTTOZERO rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 87 vs 67 on comfort.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 91 vs 72 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 81 vs 65 on dry.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P scores 79 vs 65 on snow.

Tire A · Pirelli SOTTOZERO
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Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
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SOTTOZERO or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Which is better in the wet, SOTTOZERO or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 91 vs 72 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, SOTTOZERO or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 81 vs 65 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, SOTTOZERO or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 79 vs 65 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, SOTTOZERO or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 87 vs 67 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, SOTTOZERO or WinterContact TS 870 P?

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P, 74 vs 66 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