As a fan of winter tires and a self confessed "Michelin fanboy" these are the best winter tires I've ever used. Mostly because snow and ice are quite rare even in Scotland. So it's wet and dry performance in cold conditions that matter most.
These tires just hang on to the road and give significantly more grip than you can reasonably expect for the conditions. Breakaway is progressive and not just controllable but fun and exploitable.
Due to unforseen circumstances (and because I have a second car) I've ended up using these throughout the summer. Grip levels reduce as expected in high temperatures but the progression and fun remain.
I'm definitely staying loyal to Continental in winter now. Long to see what their new winter tires can do

Warning! Do not buy the standard tires if you have a staggered setup and RWD. Only OEM spec (star, MO, GO, etc).

I had a combination of 225/40R19 front with 255/35R19 on the rear. This is the standard for my car. And yet, on dry roads, in a straight line, the TC would cut power under acceleration.

After measuring the circumference of fronts and rears I found a difference of more than 2% in circumference between fronts and rears. This means a difference of 3km/h between front and rear wheels at highway speed. And under acceleration the rears would slip just enough to trigger TC.

Continental did not care about this. They said it’s normal to have a tolerance between -2% and +1% in circumference in the normal tires. They only limit these differences for OEM tires.

If you have a RWD and care about your life, don’t buy these.

Outstanding winter tire in every area

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Fitted to a 2017 E Class Mercedes estate. Really impressed with the wet / dry weather performance at low temperatures. Handles very similar to a summer tire and last season were left on until late spring. This is the second season running them and they have hardly worn at all. My car has different tire sizes front and rear so I was limited on choice for manufactures that can provide for both fitments. They were expensive but I have no regrets as they have proven faultless in all conditions and do not go off in warmer conditions like previous winter tires I have had on other vehicles. Highly recommended if you can find them as they have now been superseded by other models.

First and foremost if you buy these they can take an age to scrub in. Longer in the wet but quicker in the dry. Mine took 200 miles before grip improved. A previous reviewer commenter on grip failing in certain areas and that’s correct. Lateral grip is not their strong suit. In the wet, even accidental excitement in a corner can send you off track a little. Easy to correct with safety features such as traction control activated. It’s a progressive tire otherwise with good feedback. You can tell when they are losing grip. The noise is above average but thankfully vibration is not too bad. Dry grip impressive. Not immune to aqua planing by any means but pretty good if driving steady. In conclusion, a good all round tire, fails in some areas, excels in others, and not a sporty performance tire by any stretch of the imagination. Probably won’t outdo a dedicated winter tire but for occasional snow/ice/mud it is more than fine.

They are not for my rainy city... 90% of driving takes place in the city. The tires look great, good road feedback, they wear normally, but they slipped where none of my previous tires did (Dunlop, Michelin, Cont 860). Maybe that tire is for slightly heavier cars... I drove it for two (not really) winters.

Basically, my review is about the brand-new Continetal WinterContact TS 860 S vs old TS 850 P with less than 3mm of tread depth remaining. I felt no need to replace them earlier as we have not had much snow (i.e. no snaw at all) up until now. Today, with the snow depth measuring some 10 to 15 centimetres, I found it next to impossible to drive out of my apartment bloc to a high street (relatively well-groomed). I my put snow chains on, which gave me confidence in deep snow but were a nuisance on the more or less clean road. In short, the TS 860 S is a real upgraded version of its predecessor. First, it is no-way as wobbly as TS 850 P used to be. When your drive a hot hatch brandishing 280 horse powers and then have to change from summer to winter tires, you notice immediately that a part of those powers is suddenly gone at the expense of some added comfort. The TS 860 S is closer to a summer tire. For me it is a much better trade-off (compared to 850 P) as far as its ability to navigate wintery roads is concerned. The brand-new TS 860 S coped decently with snow, sleet and even occasional ice, let alone clean black tarmac. Quite importantly, it was manageable on ice (just drop you speed a bit to regain control). Surprisingly, I could not notice any benefits of its much-advertised low rolling resistance. Subjectively, the same route (about 90km) has taken me as much fuel as when I had my good old Continental TS 850 Ps. To be consistent with winter tire test results, I will assume that my driving style has become sportier 😊. Otherwise, I am happy. Not least because I did not need snow chains to park my car at my apartment. We are expected to have a week of the real, pre-climate-change, winter! Safe winter motoring to all!

What a tire, extremely satisfied, mainly Iam driving on motorways 70% and 30% in the city. Till now I have done approx 9-11k Km.
Excellent handling on wet, dry or snow conditions, never worried or felt a fear, I am so comfortable that I really drove the same way like I have a summer tire.
Exceptional performance on snow, usually going for a week at alps for skiing and have to say they shine, exceptional grip control and very good road feedback, you totally know when you can push more or you are pushing too much.
Few times I had to break hard on highways I felt comfortable and confident.
No wear issues till now.
Deff would buy it again and I would recommend it 100%

Please note, generally Iam an easy going driver with gentle foot.

Tremendous winter tire. Been driving in deep snow, ice, and they just grip for days.

The best winter tire money can buy

TS 860 S is an amazing performance winter tire. I went a size bigger than OEM with 255/275 35 19 on my manual BMW M2. So far the best winter tire I ever had. On dry roads there is not much difference between these and summers. Feedback is great, I had TS850P on my previous car and they were a bit squishy during cornering, but TS860 S have stiffer sidewalls and you can feel it. Wet grip is also great, didn't test them on snow yet. Great plus is comfort, as the rubber is softer it absorbs more bumps and overall ride is more comfortable without sacrificing performance, a win-win in my books. Would defo by again and highly recommend.