Drivers generally rate the Continental WinterContact TS 870 very highly, highlighting strong wet-road grip, impressive aquaplaning resistance, and a secure, confidence-inspiring feel at speed. Many also report good comfort/low noise and solid all-round performance across typical European winter conditions, with several noting decent wear. A smaller but noticeable group reports weaker traction on hard-packed snow/ice (especially hill starts/climbing) and a few mention efficiency/range penalties and some wet-surface noise/whistling.
What owners mention most counted across 24 reviews
195/65 R15 91T tire weight is 7.85kg. Made in Romania.
97%
Member
Skoda
205/55 R16
6,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Average
Very impressive tire. It performs excellent in virtually every category, whatever condition. It is very comfortable but still very precise with clear feedback. Excellent in the dry and wet - unforunately there was not much opportunity to test ist on snow and ice since there was none... so, I have to skip that part for a later review. But for now I think this is the best tire I have ever had. It seems Continental really managed to make a tire that has not any flaws whatsoever and outperforms in every category.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
it was really nice, but on the hard snow, hill climbing is not really good, I am not sure about any other tires that can climb, all roads was good but I can park my to my home because it can't climb the %20-30 hill to my home
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They seem to work well in all conditions I threw at them in and around Czech Republic. Perfect in snowy conditions in the mountains as well as in the wet. Road feedback and dry grip is good for a winter tire. Wear seems to be pretty good, with 6+ and 8 mm tread depth left after 2 seasons (fronts and rears swapped every year, but one pair got worn down a bit more this year). I'd buy these again as they seem to be a perfect combination for most winter conditions around Europe.
In the wet the car is really confident, even if temperatures drop below 0C degrees Or during snow or mud on the road surface. Dry road grip is excellent, but in high speed corners it can give you the feeling like the car losing its grip. Tested on icy snow and grip was expected from the tests and reviews.
I bought this tire after I watched the video about the best winter tires for 2021. I was very pleased with how this tire performed in all conditions, especially regarding the wet grip and wet braking. Subjectively speaking, it didn't gave me the feeling that I'm going to loose grip or anything. It just made driving in any conditions seem very safe and predictable. I also had the chance to test this Conti on a road covered in 10 cm of soft, fresh snow, and since I'm driving a rear wheel drive car, it made for an extremely fun experience. The traction on that surface was certainly not the best, because it was struggling for grip, but the tires did their job. Although I was basically in a continuous slide, it was manageable and predictable. Regarding the dry grip, I have absolutely nothing to complain, it performed very well in dry braking and dry handling. Moving on to the comfort of the tire, I found it pretty good subjectively, but, since I drive a 19 inch tire in the summer season, I assume the 16 inch Conti is supposed to feel more comfortable that any other tire on a 19 inch rim. Overall, very pleased with how this tire performed. For the 2022/2023 winter I just bought the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005, since it was the test winner. I'm looking forward to seeing if I actually find it better than the Conti. Other than that, I also highly recommend this tire!
Fitted to an Evoque used for ski season trips and UK commuting. Fast but not aggressive driving. Norfolk B roads that are greasy and cold and damp, high speed motorway cruising, snow covered alpine passes for skiing.
With the bulk of the Evoque, these tires didn't stand the test of the UK greasy cold and damp roads. I was very surprised for significant understeer on cold mornings. Understeer? No, that's not honest! More like not following an apex and ending on the other side of the road before traction resumed. Physics can't be beaten. It is a heavy car.
However, in all other scenarios, it was excellent during winter months for handling, good enough in the snow. This review is based on initial impressions on brand new tires, but in the same winter I swapped to a Q5 on Blizzaks and the Bridgestones were 10000000% better.
I wish that Jonathan might better consider UK road surface conditions for his winter reviews because the Continentals, Germans, have far better road surfaces of a different construction material and these differences seem to hugely influence his excellent tire reviews. Likewise, "wet" tests are good but who drives fast on busy UK roads with significant standing water? I'd prefer subjective analysis of damp and greasy road surfaces personally. Thanks :-)
Phenomenal grip on snow and great performance on ice. Perfect choice for deciding to go for some snow/ice dwelling in small cars (175/65/R14 in my case). Used it in complete pour with gigantic water streaks on near motorway speeds for more then 3 hours, no aquaplanning whatsoever, excellent wet performance. Just perfect on soft snow, never bogged down once in a 500 mile trip with big uphills, stops and goes in snow. Only stuck once for a brief time on an uphill with heavy ice. Obviously, in heavy ice, not a studded tire. But one of the better, if not best, winter tire on market. Noise levels are much better than average for a winter tire. Dry handling and performance is also very decent, but wear is significantly increased. Fuel efficiency though, not great. Definitely will buy again.
Very quiet, and very soft in drive feeling. My opinion the adaptive DSG transmission have a decent problem with them, still stays up and down shifting the gearbox. However the exact numbers say, that the performance against predecessor (Winter Contact T 860 ) is much better. But, the lazy feeling of driving remains...
100%
Member
Skoda
205/55 R16
100 miles
Mostly Town
Easy Going
From the first few meteres, it felt just smoother.
Better rolling feeling.
I purchased a brand new Skoda Scala, which came with a set of Bridgestone Turanza T005. The feeling is far superior than anything I've driven in the past.
It felt I had better grip and feel of the road on wet when I picked up the car in the evening, rather than on the same road when it was dry.
400 euros but worth it every penny. I feel protected and confident with them.
I'll update after the first snowfall/ice of the season.