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Continental VikingContact 8 View Gallery (4)
155-315/35-70 R15-22 150 sizes Winter rated
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Continental VikingContact 8

Previous Continental Tires Premium Touring Winter

The new Continental VikingContact 8 winter tire offers exceptional safety in demanding winter conditions. Its advanced tread design with directional pattern and symmetrical grooves quickly evacuates water and slush, while innovative 3-layer sipes and gripping block edges deliver impressive traction on snow and ice. A new flexible compound retains grip even in very low temperatures. These features combine to reduce rolling resistance, increasing fuel efficiency for conventional vehicles and offering extended range for electric cars. Finally, the VikingContact 8 is designed for a quieter ride, enhancing driver comfort.

9.0
Tire Reviews Score Based on Professional Tests & User Reviews
High Confidence View Breakdown
Dry Grip
75%
Wet Grip
84%
Road Feedback
76%
Handling
72%
Wear
70%
Comfort
96%
Buy again
78%
Snow Grip
82%
Ice Grip
86%
5 Reviews
80% Average
8,500 miles driven
6 Tests (avg: 1st)
Continental VikingContact 8

Continental VikingContact 8

Winter Premium
BETA
9 / 10
Based on Professional Tests & User Reviews · High Confidence · Updated 23 Feb 2026

The Tire Reviews Score is the most comprehensive tire scoring system available. It aggregates professional test data from multiple independent publications, user reviews, and consistency analysis using Bayesian statistical methods, weighted normalisation, and recency-adjusted scoring to produce a single, reliable performance rating.

Learn more about our methodology
Category Scores
Ice
89.4
1.2x / 13 tests
Snow
88.2
1.5x / 14 tests
Comfort
88
0.32x / 6 tests
Dry
82.8
1.13x / 9 tests
Value
82.7
0.42x / 4 tests
Wet
65.5
1.93x / 17 tests
Cross-Category Performance

Cross-category scores are derived metrics that combine data from multiple test disciplines to evaluate real-world performance characteristics.

Traction
92.3
8 tests
Handling
88
22 tests
Braking
74.6
16 tests
Score Components
Professional Tests
Weight: 80%
Tests: 6
Publications: 4
Period: 2024 - 2025
User Reviews
Weight: 15%
Reviews: 5
Avg Rating: 79.9%
Min Required: 5
Consistency
Weight: 5%
Score Std Dev: 0.35
History Points: 10
Methodology & Configuration
Scoring Process
  1. Collect Test Data: Gather results from professional tire tests across multiple publications. Minimum 1 test(s) required.
  2. Normalize Positions: Convert test positions to percentile scores using exponential weighting (factor: 1.2).
  3. Apply Recency Weighting: More recent tests are weighted higher with a decay rate of 0.95.
  4. Incorporate User Reviews: Factor in user review data (minimum 5 reviews). Weight: 15%.
  5. Bayesian Smoothing: Apply Bayesian prior (score: 7, weight: 1.5) to prevent extreme scores with limited data.
  6. Calculate Final Score: Combine all components using normalization factor of 1.1. Max score with limited data: 9.5.
Component Weights
Test Data
80%
User Reviews
15%
Consistency
5%
All Configuration Parameters
ParameterValueDescription
safety_weight 0.7 Weight multiplier for safety-related metrics
performance_weight 0.55 Weight multiplier for performance metrics
comfort_weight 0.4 Weight multiplier for comfort metrics
value_weight 0.45 Weight multiplier for value-for-money metrics
user_reviews_weight 0.15 How much user reviews contribute to the final score
test_data_weight 0.8 How much professional test data contributes to the final score
consistency_weight 0.05 How much score consistency contributes to the final score
recency_decay_rate 0.95 Rate at which older test results lose influence (higher = slower decay)
min_test_count 1 Minimum number of professional tests required
min_review_count 5 Minimum number of user reviews required
score_version 1.9 Current version of the scoring algorithm
score_normalization_factor 1.1 Factor used to normalize raw scores to the 0-10 scale
confidence_factor_weight 0.2 How much data confidence affects the final score
position_penalty_weight 0.2 Penalty applied for poor test positions
gap_penalty_threshold 12 Score gap (%) that triggers additional penalties
min_metrics_count 2 Minimum number of test metrics needed per test
limited_data_threshold 2 Number of tests below which data is considered limited
single_test_penalty 0.75 Score multiplier when only one test is available
critical_metric_penalty 0.7 Penalty for poor performance on critical safety metrics
critical_metric_threshold 70 Score below which a critical metric penalty applies
position_exponential_factor 1.2 Exponent used to amplify position-based scoring
position_exponential_threshold 0.9 Position percentile below which exponential scoring applies
gap_multiplier_critical 3 Multiplier for critical gap penalties
max_category_weight 2 Maximum weight any single category can have
max_score_limited_data 9.5 Score cap when data is limited
bayesian_prior_weight 1.5 Weight of the Bayesian prior in smoothing
bayesian_prior_score 7 Prior score used for Bayesian smoothing
evidence_test_multiplier 1.9 Multiplier for test evidence in confidence calculation
evidence_metric_divisor 3 Divisor for metric count in evidence calculation
evidence_review_divisor 10 Divisor for review count in evidence calculation
combined_penalty_floor 0.2
Data Sources
TestPublicationDateSizePositionMetrics
2025 Friction Winter Tire Test Vi Bilagare 2025 235/60 R18 1/8 13 metrics
2025 Studded, Friction and European Winter Tire Test Teknikens Varld 2025 235/45 R18 1/20 6 metrics
The Best Snow Tires for 2025/26 Tire Reviews 2025 205/55 R16 1/7 21 metrics
2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tire Test Tekniikan Maailma 2025 205/55 R16 1/14 10 metrics
2024 Nordic Friction Winter Tire Test Vi Bilagare 2024 225/45 R17 2/8 13 metrics
The Best Studded / Friction Winter Tires for 2024 Teknikens Varld 2024 225/50 R17 1/17 0 metrics

Videos

I Tested the BEST Snow Tires for 2025/26

I Tested the BEST Snow Tires for 2025/26

In Depth Tire Comparisons
View More Comparisons
Continental VikingContact 8 vs Michelin X Ice Snow
Continental VikingContact 8 vs Michelin X Ice Snow
Continental VikingContact 8 vs Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
Continental VikingContact 8 vs Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
Continental VikingContact 8 vs Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
Continental VikingContact 8 vs Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
Awards
Test Winner
The Best Snow Tires for 2025/26
2025 · 205/55 R16
All Tests
View Test Results
6
Tests
1st
Average
1st
Best
2nd
Worst
Latest Tire Test Results
The Best Snow Tires for 2025/26
205/55 R16 • 2025
1st/7
Excellent in the dry, good grip in the wet, best overall in snow, best overall on ice, good comfort with lowest external noise, lowest rolling resistance.
Low curved aquaplaning resistance.
The new Continental VikingContact 8 wins the test, displaying impressively consistent results across all categories. It was one of the best in the dry, very good in the wet if you ignore an usually low curved aquaplaning result, the best overall in the snow, the best overall on ice, the quietest AND the lowest rolling resistance. That is a mega combination of abilities for the new Continental, which make it a deserved winner overall.
2025 Friction and Studded Winter Tire Test
205/55 R16 • 2025
1st/14
The Continental VikingContact 8 is a logical and easy-to-control tire on ice, thanks to its good grip and precise steering feel. It was rated the best tire in the comparison on snow, offering excellent grip with safe and calm handling. While it steers a bit imprecisely on wet asphalt, it never loses control unexpectedly. On dry roads, it is easy to drive and handles evasive maneuvers well, despite a slow reaction to steering inputs.
2025 Studded, Friction and European Winter Tire Test
235/45 R18 • 2025
1st/20
The Continental ContiVikingContact 8 takes its second consecutive victory in Teknikens Värld's winter tire test, demonstrating an impressive ability to combine both grip and stability with low rolling resistance. The tire delivers winning fuel efficiency while maintaining generally high performance levels across most surfaces. Historically, Nordic friction tires suffered from a spongy feel on the road, but Continental has successfully eliminated this characteristic with a reasonably firm setup that genuinely enhances the driving experience. Aquaplaning remains the Achilles heel, as is typical for Nordic friction tires which struggle with water and slush. However, the tire excels in comfort with excellent damping and low noise levels, and provides outstanding stability that makes the test vehicle easy to handle. Overall, it presents a well-developed product that successfully balances winter grip with refined road manners.
View Test Results
Size Fuel Wet Noise
15 inch
185/65 R 15 92 H XL B D 68
195/65 R 15 95 T XL B D 69
16 inch
205/55 R 16 94 T XL B D 69
205/60 R 16 96 T XL B D 69
215/60 R 16 99 T XL B D 69
205/60 R 16 96 T XL B D 69
205/60 R 16 96 T XL B D 69
205/60 R 16 96 T XL B D 69
17 inch
205/50 R 17 93 H XL B D 69
215/45 R 17 91 H XL B D 69
215/55 R 17 98 T XL B D 69
225/50 R 17 98 T XL C D 69
225/60 R 17 103 H XL B D 69
235/65 R 17 108 T XL A D 69
265/65 R 17 116 T XL B D 70
265/70 R 17 116 T XL A D 70
225/50 R 17 98 T XL B D 69
215/55 R 17 98 T XL C D 69
215/55 R 17 98 T XL C D 69
225/45R17 94 T XL B D 69
265/70R17 116 T XL B D 70
225/50R17 98 H XL B D 69
215/45R17 91 H XL C D 69
18 inch
225/40 R 18 92 T XL B D 69
245/40 R 18 97 T XL B D 69
245/45 R 18 100 T XL B D 69
235/60 R 18 107 H XL B D 69
235/60R18 107 T XL B D 69
245/40R18 97 T XL C D 69
19 inch
235/35 R 19 91 T XL B D 69
20 inch
245/35 R 20 95 T XL B D 69
255/45 R 20 105 T XL B D 70
275/55 R 20 117 H XL A D 70
245/35 R 20 95 T XL B D 69
255/45 R 20 105 T XL A D 70
View All Sizes and EU Label Scores for the Continental VikingContact 8 >>

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Top 3 Continental VikingContact 8 Reviews

Given 82% while driving a BMW 320D xDrive Gran Turismo (235/50 R18) on a combination of roads for 1,000 average miles
I only have around 1,000 miles on these tires, but I was able to drive them in some heavy snow and ice conditions, so I can attest to their incredible performance in inclement weather. The ice grip is where I have been most impressed. The lateral traction I have felt in icy conditions make these feel incredibly capable and safe. I was able to drive on the freeway at a normal pace, while most of the other cars on the road slowed to a crawl. Snow grip has been very good too. Even when I put my F34 BMW into "Sport+" I have to try hard to get it sideways. These tires are also incredibly comfortable. On smooth roads they are very quiet, and on rougher pavement the noise is not loud or annoying. Very easy to drive tire, and I have not encountered any "tramlining". I noticed a small decrease in fuel efficiency compared to the Bridgestone Driveguard runflats that were on, but this could be due to other factors that come with winter driving. I will update this review after this winter season, but so far I am thoroughly impressed with the performance of the new VikingContact 8's
Helpful 255
December 8, 2025
Given 99% while driving a Subaru XV Crosstrek (225/60 R17) on mostly town for 1,000 average miles
Slips around a bit when roads are really dry, but exceptional grip on ice and snow.
Helpful 148
December 15, 2025
Given 79% while driving a BMW BMW 330i Xdrive Gran Turismo (235/50 R18) on for 4,000 miles
These tires are incredibly balanced, comfortable, and confidence inspiring in snow and icy conditions. I live in West Michigan, and we have been hammered with snow for the last couple months, so I’ve been able to test these tires in all types of weather. They are incredibly comfortable, soaking up all sorts of potholes, and chopped up icy roads. I have not noticed any noise/tones from them, and they don’t have any issues with tram-lining on crosscut concrete. They are very grippy on smooth ice, and pull through slushy snow well, but if they have a weakness it is in deeper slush. Sometimes they struggle to gain traction when accelerating through deep slushy snow, or when trying to turn and accelerate through corners. I haven’t noticed any uneven wear, but it’s still early. I’ll update my review once the winter season is over and I put my summer wheels and tires on.
Helpful 106
January 25, 2026

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Latest Continental VikingContact 8 Reviews

Initial Impressions Review
Given 94% while driving a Hyundai i30 (195/65 R15) on for 2,000 miles
Just a note that this is my initial thoughts, after less than 2.000 km driven in the Nordic countries, in winter, under extreme snow and ice. I have driven multiple vehicles with studded tires, in the arctic circle, under extreme snow and ice conditions. The vikingcontact 8 matches the performance of the studded tires i have used on the past, with superior handling in harsh winter conditions. I used them on a trip in Swedish lapland, in -25C and with severe ice on the road, and could go over 80 km/h with safety. They offer superior handling, makes you feel safe where most tires would struggle. I did the same trip with normal mid-european tires, and the difference in traction and handling is night and day. Great grip, amazing handling, good braking. Overall an amazing winter tire for the nordic area. Not tested in dry, as it's impossible to find a dry road in the arctic circle during winter time. I highly recommend them.
Helpful 15
February 11, 2026
Initial Impressions Review
Given 51% while driving a Volkswagen Tiuan R Line (225/45 R18) on for 500 miles
I've had these tires on my 2026 Tiguan and the first impressions are very underwhelming. At very low speeds (residential roads), the car is constantly losing the back end in slow speed corners. I would not feel confident that in the event of a highway speed situation, that I would lose the car completely. My previous Hakkapeliitta SUV (non-studded winter) were lightyears ahead of these tires.
Helpful 38
February 6, 2026
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