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Head-to-head Updated September 2026

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S vs Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter — 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.

Tire A Continental

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S

Winter Ultra High Performance tires

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S tread pattern
Objective (60%)
71/100
1 professional test
User signal (40%)
85/100
14 owner reviews
Dry
89
Wet
81
Snow
87
Comfort
88
Noise
42
Treadwear
88
Handling
87
Check price on Amazon

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VS
Tire B Goodyear

Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter

Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
84/100
Owner ratings
Dry
81
Wet
87
Snow
88
Comfort
80
Noise
76
Treadwear
85
Handling
79
Check price on Amazon

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter — better noise and wet. Pick the Continental WinterContact TS 860 S if dry, comfort and handling matter most to you.
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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

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) WinterContact TS 860 S leads by 8
A
89
B
81
Why this score
SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltra Grip Winter
Professional tests (TWG score) 93 –
Tyre Reviews owners 84 –

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) Ultra Grip Winter leads by 6
A
81
B
87
Why this score
SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltra Grip Winter
Professional tests (TWG score) 80 –
Tyre Reviews owners 82 –

Snow

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Ultra Grip Winter leads by 1
A
87
B
88
Why this score
SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltra Grip Winter
Professional tests (TWG score) 85 –
Tyre Reviews owners 89 –

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) WinterContact TS 860 S leads by 8
A
88
B
80
Why this score
SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltra Grip Winter
Tyre Reviews owners 88 –

Noise

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) Ultra Grip Winter leads by 34
A
42
B
76
Why this score
SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltra Grip Winter
Professional tests (TWG score) 42 –

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) WinterContact TS 860 S leads by 3
A
88
B
85
Why this score
SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltra Grip Winter
Tyre Reviews owners 88 –

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) WinterContact TS 860 S leads by 8
A
87
B
79
Why this score
SourceWinterContact TS 860 SUltra Grip Winter
Tyre Reviews owners 87 –

Scores at a glance

CategoryContinental WinterContact TS 860 SGoodyear Ultra Grip Winter
Relative Score 81 83
Dry 89 81
Wet 81 87
Snow 87 88
Comfort 88 80
Noise 42 76
Treadwear 88 85
Handling 87 79

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.

Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Continental WinterContact TS 860 S

The Continental WinterContact TS 860 S is widely regarded as a premium performance winter tire that excels in cold, dry, and wet conditions, often mimicking the handling characteristics of a summer tire. While the majority of users praise its sporty feedback and snow traction, some owners report specific issues with lateral grip in wet conditions and potential compatibility challenges with staggered wheel setups.

Pros

  • Exceptional handling and feedback on dry and wet roads in cold temperatures
  • Strong performance and confidence in snow and icy conditions
  • Stiffer sidewalls compared to predecessors, offering improved cornering stability
  • High durability and slow tread wear over multiple seasons

Cons

  • Long break-in period required before optimal grip is achieved
  • Potential for traction control interference on staggered RWD setups due to circumference variances
  • Limited lateral grip in wet conditions compared to some competitors
  • High price point relative to other winter tire options

Observations

  • Users with staggered RWD setups reported significant issues with traction control systems when using non-OEM specific tire variants.
  • Drivers of performance-oriented vehicles (e.g., BMW M2) noted that the stiffer sidewalls provide a more precise, less 'squishy' feel during spirited driving.
Tire B Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S B · Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter
CategoryWinter Ultra High Performance tires—
Vehicle typePassenger Car / Crossover—
Sizes available4—
Rim diameters18″ – 22″—
Tread depth10 - 11/32″—
SidewallBlack Side Wall—
Max pressure50 - 51 psi—
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental

Goodyear

Winner: Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter — better noise and wet. Pick the Continental WinterContact TS 860 S if dry, comfort and handling matter most to you.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter scores 76 vs 42 on noise.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 89 vs 81 on dry.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 88 vs 80 on comfort.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 860 S scores 87 vs 79 on handling.

Tire A · Continental WinterContact TS 860 S
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Goodyear Ultra Grip Winter
Check price on Amazon

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.