69
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
35/100
Owner ratings
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated September 2026
Continental ContiSportContact 5 vs Firestone Winterhawk 3 — Compared (September 2026)
Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.
VS
73
/ 100
Objective (60%)
71/100
3 professional tests
User signal (40%)
68/100
8 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Firestone Winterhawk 3 — better treadwear and noise. Pick the Continental ContiSportContact 5 if handling and wet matter most to you.
Read full
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Category breakdown
7 categories, side by side
Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.
Dry
Score (0–100)
ContiSportContact 5 leads by 2
Why this score
| Source | ContiSportContact 5 | Winterhawk 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 83 |
| Tire Rack owners | 87 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 78 |
| SimpleTire owners | 99 | – |
Wet
Score (0–100)
ContiSportContact 5 leads by 9
Why this score
| Source | ContiSportContact 5 | Winterhawk 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 62 |
| Tire Rack owners | 81 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 69 |
| SimpleTire owners | 98 | – |
Snow
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | ContiSportContact 5 | Winterhawk 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 83 |
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 60 |
| SimpleTire owners | 93 | – |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
ContiSportContact 5 leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | ContiSportContact 5 | Winterhawk 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | 80 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 73 |
| SimpleTire owners | 97 | – |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Winterhawk 3 leads by 6
Why this score
| Source | ContiSportContact 5 | Winterhawk 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | – | 78 |
| SimpleTire owners | 98 | – |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Winterhawk 3 leads by 30
Why this score
| Source | ContiSportContact 5 | Winterhawk 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | 56 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 75 |
| SimpleTire owners | 92 | – |
Handling
Score (0–100)
ContiSportContact 5 leads by 15
Why this score
| Source | ContiSportContact 5 | Winterhawk 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | – | 68 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental ContiSportContact 5 | Firestone Winterhawk 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 69 | 73 |
| Dry | 83 | 81 |
| Wet | 74 | 65 |
| Snow | – | 74 |
| Comfort | 74 | 73 |
| Noise | 72 | 78 |
| Treadwear | 45 | 75 |
| Handling | 83 | 68 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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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
69
/ 100
Tire A
73
/ 100
Tire B
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
From owners
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
The Firestone Winterhawk 3 is generally perceived as a budget-friendly, average-performing winter tire that prioritizes comfort and longevity over high-performance handling. While some users appreciate its quiet ride and reliability in moderate conditions, others report significant shortcomings in wet weather and snow traction, leading to a polarized user experience.
Pros
- High levels of ride comfort and low noise
- Good longevity and tread wear resistance
- Affordable price point
- Satisfactory performance in dry conditions
Cons
- Inconsistent or poor grip on snow and ice
- Unreliable wet weather performance and braking
- Pronounced understeering tendencies
- Lack of steering feedback and road connection
Observations
- Users with smaller tire sizes, such as 155/65 R14, reported noticeable understeering and poor snow/ice performance.
- Performance feedback appears highly subjective, with some users finding the tire adequate for steady, non-aggressive driving while others find it lacking for more demanding vehicle dynamics.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental ContiSportContact 5 | B · Firestone Winterhawk 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | — | Winter Touring tires |
| Vehicle type | — | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 30 | — |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 22″ | — |
| Tread depth | 8 - 10/32″ | — |
| UTQG | 280 - 420 A - AA A | — |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall | — |
| Max pressure | 50 - 51 psi | — |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
69
/ 100
Continental
73
/ 100
Firestone
Winner: Firestone Winterhawk 3 — better treadwear and noise. Pick the Continental ContiSportContact 5 if handling and wet matter most to you.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Firestone Winterhawk 3 scores 75 vs 45 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Continental ContiSportContact 5 scores 83 vs 68 on handling.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Continental ContiSportContact 5 scores 74 vs 65 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want a quieter cabin
Firestone Winterhawk 3 scores 78 vs 72 on noise.
Tire A · Continental ContiSportContact 5
Tire B · Firestone Winterhawk 3
More comparisons
Also compared with
Continental ContiSportContact 5 also compared with
Firestone Winterhawk 3 also compared with
How do we compare tires?
Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.