75
/ 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 Kumho Winter Craft WP51 — 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
81
/ 100
Objective (60%)
73/100
2 professional tests
User signal (40%)
78/100
15 owner reviews
Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.
VerdictWinner: Kumho Winter Craft WP51 — better dry, noise and treadwear. Pick the Continental VikingContact 7 if snow and comfort 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)
Winter Craft WP51 leads by 28
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | Winter Craft WP51 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 48 | 94 |
| Tire Rack owners | 87 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 68 | 77 |
| SimpleTire owners | 91 | – |
| Dry Braking (% of best) | 96% | 100% |
| Dry Handling (% of best) | 98% | 97% |
Wet
Score (0–100)
VikingContact 7 leads by 2
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | Winter Craft WP51 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 77 | 74 |
| Tire Rack owners | 87 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 70 | 74 |
| SimpleTire owners | 89 | – |
| Wet Braking (% of best) | 93% | 85% |
| Wet Handling (% of best) | 98% | 90% |
Snow
Score (0–100)
VikingContact 7 leads by 9
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | Winter Craft WP51 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 85 | 68 |
| Tire Rack owners | 88 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 88 | 90 |
| SimpleTire owners | 87 | – |
| Snow Braking (% of best) | 100% | 91% |
| Snow Handling (% of best) | 91% | 97% |
Comfort
Score (0–100)
VikingContact 7 leads by 4
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | Winter Craft WP51 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 89 | – |
| Tire Rack owners | 89 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 85 | 84 |
| SimpleTire owners | 94 | – |
Noise
Score (0–100)
Winter Craft WP51 leads by 16
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | Winter Craft WP51 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | 80 | 100 |
| SimpleTire owners | 91 | – |
Treadwear
Score (0–100)
Winter Craft WP51 leads by 11
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | Winter Craft WP51 |
|---|---|---|
| Tire Rack owners | 85 | – |
| Tyre Reviews owners | 61 | 79 |
| SimpleTire owners | 90 | – |
Handling
Score (0–100)
Why this score
| Source | VikingContact 7 | Winter Craft WP51 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyre Reviews owners | 71 | 71 |
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental VikingContact 7 | Kumho Winter Craft WP51 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 75 | 81 |
| Dry | 59 | 87 |
| Wet | 76 | 74 |
| Snow | 86 | 77 |
| Comfort | 88 | 84 |
| Noise | 84 | 100 |
| Treadwear | 68 | 79 |
| Handling | 71 | 71 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Personalize
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
75
/ 100
Tire A
81
/ 100
Tire B
Test data
The professional test results behind the scores
Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.
| Discipline | Category | Tire A | Tire B | Δ | Both? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 96% #12/20 · 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test | 100% #11/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test | -4.3 | Different tests |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 98% #2/8 · 2022/23 Tyre Reviews Studless Winter Tyre Test | 97% #10/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test | +1.4 | Different tests |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 97% #4/8 · 2020 Vi Bilagare Nordic Friction Winter Tyre Test | 100% #11/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test | -2.6 | Different tests |
| Noise | Other | 98% #1/8 · 2022/23 Tyre Reviews Studless Winter Tyre Test | 100% #1/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test | -2.4 | Different tests |
| Price | Other | 100% #8/8 · 2020 Vi Bilagare Nordic Friction Winter Tyre Test | 92% #2/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test | +8 | Different tests |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | 100% #1/9 · 2022/23 Tyre Reviews Studless Winter Tyre Test | 6% #16/16 · 2021 ADAC 15 Inch Winter Tyre Test | +93.8 | Different tests |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 100% #1/20 · 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test | 91% #3/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test | +9.3 | Different tests |
| Snow Handling | Snow | 91% #1/20 · 2020 Nordic and Studded Winter Tyre Test | 97% #5/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test | -6.2 | Different tests |
| Straight Aqua | Straight | 95% #3/8 · 2023 Studless Friction Winter Tyre Test | 91% #7/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test | +4 | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 93% #5/8 · 2019 Studded Winter Tyre Test | 85% #32/49 · 2021 Winter Tyre Market Overview | +8 | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 98% #11/16 · 2021 Studless and Studded Winter Tyre Test | 90% #11/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test | +7.5 | Different tests |
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 Kumho Winter Craft WP51 is widely regarded as a high-value winter tire that excels in deep snow and icy conditions, often outperforming more expensive competitors in severe weather. While users consistently praise its winter traction and affordability, some report compromises in dry-road handling, wet-weather braking, and increased cabin noise.
Pros
- Exceptional traction and reliability in deep snow and slush
- High price-to-performance ratio compared to premium brands
- Solid durability and tread life for the price point
- Effective performance on icy surfaces
Cons
- Noticeable increase in road noise
- Mediocre wet-weather braking and traction
- Lack of steering feedback and stability on dry pavement
- Potential for tread block squirm during steering inputs
Observations
- Drivers of smaller, lighter vehicles (e.g., Yaris, Mazda 3) report high satisfaction with snow climbing capabilities.
- Owners of heavier or higher-performance vehicles (e.g., Audi A4/A6, Mercedes E220D) noted concerns regarding wet-weather traction and handling precision.
- Some users observed a 15-20% increase in fuel consumption, likely due to the tire's aggressive winter tread compound.
Specifications
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental VikingContact 7 | B · Kumho Winter Craft WP51 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter Premium Touring tires | Winter Premium Touring 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?
75
/ 100
Continental
81
/ 100
Kumho
Winner: Kumho Winter Craft WP51 — better dry, noise and treadwear. Pick the Continental VikingContact 7 if snow and comfort matter most to you.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Kumho Winter Craft WP51 scores 87 vs 59 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want a quieter cabin
Kumho Winter Craft WP51 scores 100 vs 84 on noise.
Pick tire B
You want the longest tread life
Kumho Winter Craft WP51 scores 79 vs 68 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Continental VikingContact 7 scores 86 vs 77 on snow.
Tire A · Continental VikingContact 7
Tire B · Kumho Winter Craft WP51
More comparisons
Also compared with
Continental VikingContact 7 also compared with
Kumho Winter Craft WP51 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.