Winter tire Winter Premium Touring tires Updated September 2026
Continental WinterContact TS 860 review
The Continental WinterContact TS 860 is widely regarded as a top-tier, balanced winter tire that excels in wet and snowy conditions while maintaining impressive comfort and low noise levels. While the vast majority of users report high satisfaction with its safety and handling, a minority of owners noted a significant drop in performance as the tires aged or after several seasons of use.
Relative score
81/100
tests + owners
Owner reviews
84/100
49 reviews
Road tests
79/100
23 published tests
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
84%
Would buy again
87%
Dry
Wet
Snow & ice
Comfort
Treadwear
Handling
By road tests
79.3%By discipline (% of best in test)
From owners
What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 49 owner reviews across retailers and review sites.
The Continental WinterContact TS 860 is widely regarded as a top-tier, balanced winter tire that excels in wet and snowy conditions while maintaining impressive comfort and low noise levels. While the vast majority of users report high satisfaction with its safety and handling, a minority of owners noted a significant drop in performance as the tires aged or after several seasons of use.
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
- Strong fuel efficiency and balanced overall performance
- Predictable handling on dry roads, often compared favorably to summer tires
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
- Inconsistent reports regarding tread wear, with some users experiencing faster-than-expected depletion
Worth knowing
- Users with high-torque vehicles noted that the tire can struggle with traction under heavy acceleration on snow if the vehicle lacks advanced torque management.
- Drivers of smaller, lighter vehicles (e.g., VW Polo, Golf) reported excellent handling and confidence in varied winter conditions.
- Some users noted that the tire's soft sidewall is more noticeable on larger rim sizes or during spirited driving.
Test results
23 published test appearances
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
2021 ADAC 15 Inch Winter tire Test · 225/50 R17
6th of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2021 ADAC 17 Inch Winter tire Test · 225/50 R17
6th of 18
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
The Best Winter tires for 2020 · 205/55 R16
15th of 19
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2020 Auto Zeitung Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
2nd of 14
Best: Subj. Wet Handling · 1st
Weakest: Dry Braking · 11th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 14 | |
| Dry Braking | 11th of 14 | |
| Snow Braking | 3rd of 14 | |
| Snow Traction | 6th of 14 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 5th of 14 | |
| Straight Aqua | 5th of 14 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 7th of 14 | |
| Subj. Comfort | 5th of 14 | |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 1st of 14 | |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 2nd of 14 |
2020 ACE Winter tire Test · 225/50 R17
4th of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2020 ADAC Winter tire Test - 205/55 R16 · 205/55 R16
7th of 15
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2019 Auto Center Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
2nd of 10
Best: Snow Braking · 1st
Weakest: Snow Traction · 8th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 7th of 10 | |
| Snow Braking | 1st of 10 | |
| Snow Traction | 8th of 10 | |
| Ice Braking | 6th of 10 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 3rd of 10 | |
| Straight Aqua | 1st of 10 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 1st of 10 | |
| Subj. Comfort | 4th of 10 | |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 3rd of 10 | |
| Ice Traction | 8th of 10 | |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 2nd of 10 |
2019 Auto Express Winter tire Test · 225/45 R17
2nd of 12
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2019 Auto Express All Season tire Test · 205/55 R16
2nd of 11
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch tire Test · 225/45 R17
1st of 20
Best: Dry Handling · 1st
Weakest: Price · 19th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 7th of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 4th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 2nd of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 1st of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 9th of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 9th of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 9th of 20 | |
| Straight Aqua | 2nd of 20 | |
| Noise | 2nd of 20 | |
| Value | 16th of 20 | |
| Price | 19th of 20 | |
| Wear | 2nd of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 10th of 20 |
2019 Winter tire Test Market Overview · 225/45 R17
5th of 45
Best: Wet Braking · 8th
Weakest: Snow Braking · 9th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 8th of 45 | |
| Snow Braking | 9th of 45 |
2019 ADAC 185/65 R15 Winter tire Test · 185/65 R15
4th of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 Auto Express All Season tire Test · 225/45 R17
3rd of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 AMS Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
1st of 11
Best: Wet Braking · 1st
Weakest: Price · 11th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 1st of 11 | |
| Wet Handling | 1st of 11 | |
| Dry Braking | 1st of 11 | |
| Dry Handling | 4th of 11 | |
| Snow Braking | 9th of 11 | |
| Snow Handling | 4th of 11 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 3rd of 11 | |
| Straight Aqua | 4th of 11 | |
| Noise | 6th of 11 | |
| Price | 11th of 11 |
2018 Auto Express Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
1st of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 ACE All Season and Winter tire Test · 185/65 R15
1st of 12
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 Auto Bild Winter tire Test · 195/65 R15
2nd of 20
Best: Wet Handling · 1st
Weakest: Price · 20th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 1st of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 8th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 12th of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 6th of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 8th of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 3rd of 20 | |
| Straight Aqua | 2nd of 20 | |
| Noise | 8th of 20 | |
| Value | 18th of 20 | |
| Price | 20th of 20 | |
| Wear | 6th of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 6th of 20 |
2018 AMS All Season tire Test · 205/55 R16
2nd of 9
Best: Wet Braking · 1st
Weakest: Dry Handling · 7th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 1st of 9 | |
| Wet Handling | 6th of 9 | |
| Dry Braking | 5th of 9 | |
| Dry Handling | 7th of 9 | |
| Snow Braking | 1st of 9 | |
| Snow Handling | 1st of 9 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 4th of 9 | |
| Straight Aqua | 1st of 9 | |
| Noise | 1st of 9 | |
| Price | 4th of 9 |
2018 ADAC Winter tire Test - 175/65 R14 · 175/65 R14
1st of 12
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 ADAC Winter tire Test - 205/55 R16 · 205/55 R16
1st of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 51 Winter tire Shootout · 195/65 R15
1st of 51
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2017 ADAC Winter tire Test - 195/65 R15
1st of 16
Best: Straight Aquaplaning · 1st
Weakest: Inside Noise level · 5th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Handling | 4th of 16 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 4th of 16 | |
| Dry Braking | 4th of 16 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 1st of 16 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 1st of 16 | |
| Wet Braking | 1st of 16 | |
| Wet Handling | 1st of 16 | |
| Side G-Force on Wet surface | 1st of 16 | |
| Snow Braking | 2nd of 16 | |
| Snow Traction | 2nd of 16 | |
| Snow Handling | 2nd of 16 | |
| Ice Braking | 3rd of 16 | |
| Ice Handling | 3rd of 16 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 3rd of 16 | |
| Inside Noise level | 5th of 16 | |
| Wear | 3rd of 16 |
All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded tires · 205/60 R16
2nd of 2
Best: Snow Traction · 1st
Weakest: Wet Braking · 2nd
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 2 | |
| Wet Handling | 2nd of 2 | |
| Dry Braking | 2nd of 2 | |
| Snow Traction | 1st of 2 | |
| Snow Handling | 1st of 2 | |
| Ice Handling | 1st of 2 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 2nd of 2 | |
| Straight Aqua | 1st of 2 | |
| Noise | 1st of 2 | |
| Ice Traction | 1st of 2 |
Head-to-head