Head-to-head Updated

Pirelli Cinturato Winter vs Continental WinterContact TS 860 — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

WinterContact TS 860 is ahead, 77–66

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Tire APirelli

Cinturato Winter

Winter

Tests 63 · 5 tests Owners 69 · 7 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2021 AMS Winter Tyre Test (snow traction)

Tests 78 · 7 tests Owners 77 · 49 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch 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. 63

    Dry

    WinterContact TS 860 +14
    77
    Why this score
    SourceCinturato WinterWinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score)6075
    Reviews found online6780
    Dry Braking (% of best)95%94%
    Dry Handling (% of best)98%100%
  2. 78

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 860 +6
    84
    Why this score
    SourceCinturato WinterWinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score)7985
    Reviews found online7682
    Wet Braking (% of best)96%100%
    Wet Handling (% of best)100%98%
  3. 75

    Snow

    Level
    75
    Why this score
    SourceCinturato WinterWinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score)7678
    Reviews found online7372
    Snow Braking (% of best)99%99%
    Snow Handling (% of best)100%100%
    Snow Traction (% of best)100%100%
  4. 60

    Comfort

    WinterContact TS 860 +19
    79
    Why this score
    SourceCinturato WinterWinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score)5481
    Reviews found online6877
  5. 73

    Noise

    WinterContact TS 860 +1
    74
    Why this score
    SourceCinturato WinterWinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score)7778
  6. 51

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 860 +21
    72
    Why this score
    SourceCinturato WinterWinterContact TS 860
    Professional tests (TWG score)4273
    Reviews found online6472
  7. 69

    Handling

    WinterContact TS 860 +11
    80
    Why this score
    SourceCinturato WinterWinterContact TS 860
    Reviews found online6980
Scores at a glance
Pirelli Cinturato Winter vs Continental WinterContact TS 860: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryPirelli Cinturato WinterContinental WinterContact TS 860
Relative Score 66 77
Dry 63 77
Wet 78 84
Snow 75 75
Comfort 60 79
Noise 73 74
Treadwear 51 72
Handling 69 80

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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.

Important
NoneLessNeutralMoreMost
Important
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Neutral
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Less important
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Less important
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Important
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Neutral
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Recomputed
Headline score

Cinturato Winter

WinterContact TS 860

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.

DisciplineCategoryCinturato WinterWinterContact TS 860ΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 95% #9/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test 94% #11/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test +0.8 Same test
Dry Handling Dry 98% #17/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test −2.2 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 78% #17/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 95% #3/11 · 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test −16.6 Different tests
Noise Other 99% #3/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/2 · All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded Tyres −1.2 Different tests
Price Other 68% #18/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 63% #20/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test +5.3 Same test
Value Other 41% #20/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 70% #16/20 · 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test −29.2 Different tests
Wear Other 40% #20/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 65% #6/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test −25.5 Same test
Overall Ranking Overall 10% #10/12 · 2018 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 175/65 R14 100% #1/6 · 2019 L’Argus Winter Tire Test R16 −90.0 Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 99% #4/10 · 2021 AMS Winter Tyre Test 99% #3/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test −0.2 Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 100% #3/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 100% #2/11 · 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test −0.3 Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 100% #1/10 · 2021 AMS Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/2 · All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded Tyres 0.0 Different tests
Straight Aqua Straight 95% #6/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/11 · 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test −5.4 Different tests
Subj. Comfort Subj 50% #12/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test 90% #5/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test −40.0 Same test
Subj. Dry Handling Subj 40% #13/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test 60% #7/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test −20.0 Same test
Subj. Snow Handling Subj 80% #5/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test 90% #2/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test −10.0 Different tests
Subj. Wet Handling Subj 40% #8/14 · 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test 80% #3/10 · 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test −40.0 Different tests
Total Cost of Ownership Total 0% #20/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 0% #17/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 0.0 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 96% #9/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 100% #2/11 · 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test −4.5 Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 100% #2/20 · 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 98% #4/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test +1.2 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Cinturato Winter

Pros

  • Amazing snow and ice grip
  • Strong and reliable wet weather performance
  • Good initial noise levels and overall ride comfort

Cons

  • Average to deteriorating dry grip and emergency braking performance
  • Increases significantly in noise as the tire ages
  • Soft sidewalls affect handling precision
All owner themes in the Cinturato Winter review

Tire B WinterContact TS 860

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and safety in wet and slushy conditions
  • Outstanding performance on snow, providing high levels of confidence
  • Remarkably low noise levels and high ride comfort

Cons

  • Performance degradation noted by some users after 3-4 seasons
  • Soft sidewalls can lead to a slight loss of steering precision or 'wobble' in tight corners
  • Tread pattern prone to picking up and throwing stones/sand
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 860 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Pirelli Cinturato Winter B · Continental WinterContact TS 860
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Pirelli Cinturato Winter

Continental WinterContact TS 860

Winner: Continental WinterContact TS 860 — better treadwear, comfort and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 72 vs 51 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 79 vs 60 on comfort.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 77 vs 63 on dry.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental WinterContact TS 860 scores 80 vs 69 on handling.

Tire A · Pirelli Cinturato Winter
Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 860

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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

77

Leads

WinterContact TS 860

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