74
/ 100
Objective (60%)
70/100
7 professional tests
User signal (40%)
78/100
30 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
Head-to-head
Updated September 2026
Continental VikingContact 7 vs Continental WinterContact TS 800 — 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
90
/ 100
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
89/100
12 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Continental WinterContact TS 800 — better dry, treadwear and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.
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)
WinterContact TS 800 leads by 29
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | WinterContact TS 800 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 48 | – |
| Tire Rack owners | 87 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 68 | 88 |
| SimpleTire owners | 91 | – |
Wet
Score (0–100)
WinterContact TS 800 leads by 17
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | WinterContact TS 800 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 77 | – |
| Tire Rack owners | 87 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 70 | 93 |
| SimpleTire owners | 89 | – |
Snow
Score (0–100)
WinterContact TS 800 leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | WinterContact TS 800 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 85 | – |
| Tire Rack owners | 88 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 88 | 90 |
| SimpleTire owners | 87 | – |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
WinterContact TS 800 leads by 1
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | WinterContact TS 800 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 89 | – |
| Tire Rack owners | 89 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 85 | 89 |
| SimpleTire owners | 94 | – |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | WinterContact TS 800 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 80 | – |
| SimpleTire owners | 91 | – |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
WinterContact TS 800 leads by 20
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | WinterContact TS 800 |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | 85 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 61 | 88 |
| SimpleTire owners | 90 | – |
Handling
Score (0–100)
WinterContact TS 800 leads by 17
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | WinterContact TS 800 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 71 | 88 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental VikingContact 7 | Continental WinterContact TS 800 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 74 | 90 |
| Dry | 59 | 88 |
| Wet | 76 | 93 |
| Snow | 86 | 90 |
| Comfort | 88 | 89 |
| Noise | 84 | – |
| Treadwear | 68 | 88 |
| Handling | 71 | 88 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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Recomputed
Headline score
74
/ 100
Tire A
90
/ 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.
The Continental VikingContact 7 is widely regarded as a premium, well-rounded studless winter tire that excels in comfort, noise suppression, and slush performance. While it receives high praise for its predictable handling and stability on cold, dry, or wet pavement, user consensus suggests it may slightly trail dedicated ice-focused competitors like the Bridgestone Blizzak in extreme stopping grip on pure ice.
Pros
- Exceptionally quiet and comfortable ride quality
- Strong performance in slush and deep snow
- Stable and predictable handling at highway speeds
- Excellent dry and wet road manners for a winter tire
Cons
- Mixed reports regarding tread life and longevity
- Noticeable decline in ice-braking performance compared to top-tier ice specialists
- Compound may harden or performance may degrade after multiple seasons
- Potential for reduced traction if driven in warmer, non-winter conditions
Observations
- Users noted that the tire maintains excellent fuel economy and low noise levels even on electric vehicles like the Tesla Model 3 and Mazda MX-30.
- Drivers of rear-wheel-drive sports cars (e.g., Mazda Miata) reported that the tire's soft compound can feel overwhelmed during aggressive acceleration on dry pavement.
- Downsizing to a smaller wheel diameter (e.g., -2 from OE) was successfully used to improve the tire's profile and winter performance on hybrid SUVs.
The Continental WinterContact TS 800 is widely regarded by users as a top-tier winter tire, consistently praised for its exceptional traction and confidence-inspiring performance in deep snow, slush, and icy conditions. While primarily designed for winter, many owners report that it maintains respectable handling and durability even when used outside of its intended temperature range.
Pros
- Exceptional grip and traction in deep, fresh, and compressed snow
- Reliable braking and handling performance on wet and icy surfaces
- Impressive tread longevity even under varied driving conditions
- Comfortable ride quality compared to standard summer tires
Cons
- Increased road noise compared to some summer tire models
- Reduced handling precision and performance when temperatures exceed 10°C
- Soft compound can feel less stable during aggressive dry-weather driving
Observations
- Users driving smaller hatchbacks like the Ford Fiesta, Toyota Aygo, and Opel Corsa report high satisfaction with snow-starting capabilities on steep inclines.
- The tire is noted for maintaining safety and preventing sliding even on older vehicle platforms lacking modern ABS systems.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental VikingContact 7 | B · Continental WinterContact TS 800 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter Premium Touring tires | Winter High Performance tires |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 18 | — |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 22″ | — |
| Tread depth | 10 - 11/32″ | — |
| Sidewall | Black Side Wall | — |
| Max pressure | 44 - 51 psi | — |
Final verdict
Which one should you actually buy?
74
/ 100
Continental
90
/ 100
Continental
Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 800 — better dry, treadwear and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Continental WinterContact TS 800 scores 88 vs 59 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Continental WinterContact TS 800 scores 88 vs 68 on treadwear.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Continental WinterContact TS 800 scores 93 vs 76 on wet.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Continental WinterContact TS 800 scores 88 vs 71 on handling.
Tire A · Continental VikingContact 7
Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 800
More comparisons
Also compared with
Continental VikingContact 7 also compared with
Continental WinterContact TS 800 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.