- Mercedes Benz E220Cdi
- 205/65 R16
- A Combination of Roads
- Average
Continental WinterContact TS 830 P Owner Reviews
Review this tireWhat owners say summarised from 33 reviews
Most drivers rate the Continental WinterContact TS 830 P highly, praising strong snow and ice traction, confident wet grip, and stable handling with low noise and good comfort for a winter tire. Wear is generally good to very good. A minority report poor wet grip and disappointing snow performance (often on specific fitments like run-flat) and vague/floaty feel in warmer dry conditions. Overall, the TS 830 P delivers dependable winter performance with some variance by vehicle/setup.
What owners mention most counted across 31 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 39 ratings
- Owner score 81%
- Comfort 86%
- Dry Grip 86%
- Wet Grip 85%
- Wear 84%
- Road Feedback 82%
- Handling 78%
- Snow Grip 75%
- Ice Grip 72%
Continental WinterContact TS 830 P Reviews - Page 2
- BMW 320 d
- 225/45 R17
- 10,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Average
- Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI Sport Estate (B5.5)
- 195/65 R15 H
- 20,000 miles
- Mostly Town
- Spirited
Which tires do you drive?
Researching the Continental WinterContact TS 830 P? Rate the tires you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
- Subaru Forester 2.0 XT
- 215/60 R16
- 15,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Average
- BMW X1 25D Xdrive
- 225/45 R19 W
- 2,500 miles
- Mostly Motorways
- Average
- Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSi DSG (B6)
- 225/50 R17
- 20,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Spirited
- Audi A6
- 245/40 R18 W
- 8,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Average
- Skoda Octavia
- 205/55 R16
- 40,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Spirited
- Mercedes Benz E280
- 225/55 R16 V
- 13,000 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Spirited
- BMW E91 320d
- 205/55 R16 H
- 15,000 miles
- Mostly Country Roads
- Average
- Volkswagen Golf
- 225/45 R17
- Mostly Motorways
- Spirited
So, I stuck them on around December and I noticed a big change straight away. They felt softer, and the ride quality definitely felt much smoother, as if I was driving on silk. I guess those massive tread blocks and softer compound was absorbing a lot of the bumps. The temperature was about 7C when I put them on, so I was looking forward to trying them in colder conditions.
The best thing I found about these tires was when I had to drive home (600 mile trip) in 0C conditions and it was raining very hard. I remember driving up the motorway at 70mph through enormous amounts of surface water and not feeling so much as a twitch. The car felt solid, planted, stable and most definitely better than those conditions in summer tires. I was very impressed, it made that long trip a lot less stressful.
As it got colder, I got a chance to try them on frosty roads in -4C conditions. The car felt totally secure with bags of grip and it was very noticeably better than with summer tires, when in these conditions my car used to feel very skittish and heavy. I remember taking roundabouts with confidence and never loosing traction, and braking was superb. Once again, I was impressed.
Finally, as the winter progressed there was unfortunately not a lot of snow to test them with. There was a 3 day period where we got around a foot of snow, and I took the car out on unploughed and ungritted roads. It was very good, surprising amounts of grip, cornering power and I actually felt like the brake pedal might stop the car, instead of the previous winter where it often did nothing at all. I remember being amazed at how I could corner on flattened compacted snow easily, and I tried some steep inclines which I was able to go up with no problem. There were only 2 hills which I wasn't able to go up, and it was both times because they were covered in fresh, untouched snow. because my tires are fat, 225/45/r17, I was coming up against too much resistance and the wheels just spun.
The greatest test I did was going down an untreated farm track. It was a singletrack with no passing places. It was going downhill and I remember thinking "This will be fun to try and go up on the way back!". It started going down steeper and steeper and I started to panic.. I was in the middle of nowhere and I didn't think I could get up. I went down further and tried to find a place to turn, which I eventually did. I started going up the hill and as it got steeper, to my surprise, the car didn't struggle at all. It just went straight up, no wheelspin. I was pretty sure I wouldn't make it.
These tires are great. For the 5 months I had them on, I always felt safe and felt like I had a ton of grip wherever I was. They are superb on motorways covered in water due to the very deep tread pattern, superb in frosty conditions, and great on snow. I would never drive again in the winter without winter tires.
People in the UK really should buy winter tires, they make a massive difference. I'll be putting these on again in around a month's time.
I leave you with this thought:
You wouldn't walk through snow wearing sandles would you? So, why leave your summer sandle tires on your car during the winter? It then potentially becomes a several ton potentially unstoppable deathtrap. For the small outset of cost, it's worth it for around 5 years of safe winter driving.
Car:
2008 VW Golf V GT Sport 2.0 TDI 170HP
- Ford Mondeo
- 235/45 R17
- 1,800 miles
- A Combination of Roads
- Average
I can however report back on what they were like to live with in normal conditions.
Generally speaking, they were totally acceptable in all conditions. My experience of them would mirror other people's general experience of Winter tires, in that they really are at their best when it it is cold ( up to 7 degrees, but ideally lower. Preferable sub zero.). Unfortunately, most of my experience with them was above these temperatures, and it is that experience which I will describe below.
Above ten degrees you can really feel the effect of the taller, and softer blocks of rubber. They replaced a mix of Continental Sport Contact 2 and 3, and while they may have even improved the ride slightly, the driving experience was definitely blunted.
This car develops 145bhp (which is not a huge amount), and any attempt to deploy a chunk of that power would result in the tires squirming noticeably. Once rolling there was never any break of traction, but if you tried to pull away from a turnout with any sort of gusto, you were always quickly reminded of what was underneath.
The CSC3 generally gets great reviews, so perhaps the comparison is an extreme one, but I don't feel as if I drive very aggressively, and I was a little disappointed that the steering accuracy I had come to know was now being muted. In normal weather conditions, I was always more cautious about turn in speed. Having said that, if you do adopt a style which factors in the slight turn in delay, then they are easy to live with.
The were only fitted in December, and wear over that time was decent,but not so good that I would ever consider leaving them on all year round. Separate to the handling impact, I can only imagine what a hot summer would do to these in time.
Overall though, I am happy with them. I purchased them in advance of their good reviews in last year's EVO and Auto Express tests, so was very pleased that they performed well in them. I just hope to get some real life benefit next Winter!
Also, on a side note - just before I ordered them from the Internet, I checked with my local garage who quoted me 35 euro less per tire, than I could get on the net. And their price included fitting/balancing. Worth checking out your local tire shop for comparisons anyway - especially up to Sept/Oct.
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