Skip to content
Winter tire Winter Premium Touring tires Updated September 2026

Continental IceContact 2 review

The Continental IceContact 2 is highly regarded as a robust winter tire, particularly well-suited for harsh Nordic and Baltic climates. Users consistently praise its exceptional grip on snow and ice, noting that while it performs well, its acoustic profile and ice-traction longevity are typical trade-offs for a studded tire.

Relative score
82/100
tests + owners
Owner reviews
82/100
2 reviews
Road tests
72/100
1 published test

Owners rate it 10.3 points higher than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.

Continental IceContact 2
Scores

Two scoring systems, side by side

Owner scores come from reviews on retailer and review sites; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.

By owner reviews

82%
Would buy again 95%
Dry
Overall dry
70%
Corner stability
85%
Dry traction
70%
Steering response
80%
Wet
Overall wet
80%
Wet traction
80%
Snow & ice
Overall snow & ice
95%
Ice
90%
Comfort
Overall comfort
65%
Treadwear
Overall treadwear
75%
Handling
Overall handling
85%

By road tests

71.7%
Dry
100%
Wet
97%
Snow
78.7%
From owners

What owners like and dislike

Themes extracted from 2 owner reviews across retailers and review sites.

The Continental IceContact 2 is highly regarded as a robust winter tire, particularly well-suited for harsh Nordic and Baltic climates. Users consistently praise its exceptional grip on snow and ice, noting that while it performs well, its acoustic profile and ice-traction longevity are typical trade-offs for a studded tire.

Pros

  • Excellent traction on snow and ice-covered surfaces
  • Surprisingly comfortable and quiet ride for a studded tire
  • Reliable handling and stability in severe winter conditions
  • Strong performance on mixed and rural road surfaces

Cons

  • Increased road noise when driving on dry or clean pavement
  • Noticeable degradation in ice grip performance after two seasons of use
  • Requires precise tire pressure maintenance to ensure optimal wet-weather handling

Worth knowing

  • Users operating in rural or mixed-road environments report higher satisfaction than those primarily on dry highways.
  • The tire is specifically noted for its suitability in extreme northern climates like Sweden and the Baltic region.
Test results

1 published test appearance

Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.

2018 Vi Studded Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16

1st of 8
Best: Dry Braking · 1st Weakest: Rolling Resistance · 8th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking2nd of 8
Dry Braking1st of 8
Snow Braking5th of 8
Snow Traction4th of 8
Snow Handling1st of 8
Ice Braking1st of 8
Ice Handling2nd of 8
Rolling Resistance8th of 8
Ice Traction2nd of 8
Head-to-head

Continental IceContact 2 compared

Compare any two