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Continental WinterContact TS 860

Dry Grip 94%
Wet Grip 95%
Road Feedback 89%
Handling 89%
Wear 86%
Comfort 90%
Buy again 88%
Snow Grip 70%
Ice Grip 57%

The Continental WinterContact TS 860 is a Premium Touring Winter tyre designed to be fitted to Passenger Car

This tyre replaced the Continental WinterContact TS 850

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Tyre review data from 23 tyre reviews averaging 84% over 166,657 miles driven.

Reports

Latest Group Test Results

2018 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test - 1st of 10 tyres

  • Positive - A great all round performance, particularly strong in the wet but also excellent handling in the snow. Low rolling resistance.
  • Negative - None mentioned.

2018 ACE All Season and Winter Tyre Test - 1st of 12 tyres

2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test - 2nd of 22 tyres

  • Positive - Excellent all rounder with excellent winter performance. High steering precision and dynamic handling on snow and in the wet, good comfort, low rolling resistance.
  • Negative - None mentioned.
Size Fuel Wet Noise Weight
185/60 R14 82T   C B 71 6.95kgs
155/65 R14 75T   E B 71 5.58kgs
175/65 R14 82T   E B 71 6.31kgs
185/65 R14 86T   E B 71 7.87kgs
165/70 R14 81T   C B 71 6.44kgs
175/70 R14 84T   E B 71 6.98kgs
195/55 R15 85H   E B 72 7.35kgs
195/60 R15 88T   E B 72 7.71kgs
185/65 R15 88T   C B 71 7.55kgs
195/65 R15 91H   C B 72 8.08kgs
205/65 R15 94T   C B 72 9.60kgs
205/55 R16 91T   C B 72 8.28kgs
205/55 R16 94H XL   C B 72 8.17kgs
205/55 R16 91H   C B 72  
215/55 R16 93H   C B 72 9.43kgs
225/45 R17 91H   E B 72  
225/50 R17 98V XL   E B 72 10.36kgs

Questions and Answers for the Continental WinterContact TS 860

2016-10-30 - is this an RFT (Run Flat Tire) ?

There are currently no runflat sizes of the TS860, however there are 5 planned runflat sizes due for introduction in winter 2017.

2017-10-10 - How noisy are the tyres?

The Continental WinterContact TS 860 was recently tested by Auto Bild and found to have mid-pack noise characteristics, but still quieter than the summer tyre on test.

2018-09-15 - Hello, I have watched your videos regarding Winter tyres recommendation and also the latest one talking about All Season tyres. I own a Mercedes E 350 CDI fitting 245/45/17 in winter. I was looking forward to try the Conti TS860 or TS860S but they don’t make them on this size. My other alternatives are the Dunlop WinterSport 5 or the Goodyear Ultragrip Performance Gen 1. As I only use them from October to March, am I chosing a good tyre ? I wanted to try the Contis but they are not available. Where I live it rains a lot during the winter and we eventually have snow. Thanks in advance!

Both the Goodyear and Dunlop are good alternatives, as is new Michelin winter tyre. Expect a full winter tyre video in the near future!

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Size Price Range  
185/65 R15 £55.00 - £68.60 (15 Prices) Compare Prices >>
195/65 R15 £50.30 - £75.58 (23 Prices) Compare Prices >>
205/55 R16 £67.70 - £114.00 (37 Prices) Compare Prices >>
Available in 46 tyre sizes - View all.

Top Continental WinterContact TS 860 Review

Given 100% while driving a Audi A4 2.0 TDi 170 S Line (215/55 R16 H) on a combination of roads for 1,000 spirited miles
went on this tire after Michelin PA3 and I was amazed at how this tire is better in all aspects then my previous Michelin PA3 tires!
198 - tyre reviewed on October 12, 2016   

Latest Continental WinterContact TS 860 Reviews

Have you driven on the Continental WinterContact TS 860 tyre?

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Toyota (205/55 R16 H) on mostly country roads for 5,000 average miles
The TS860 is a really good tire, I have them on my car, which doesn't have traction control or anything to moderate slip, I also had worn discs and pads and not once did I feel insecure this winter.
Dry conditions: They grip well, but they're not for hotter days as they feel too soft on a hot road but they're a winter tire after all.
Wet conditions: I felt confident in these which were a big step up from my previous tires but they did make a lot of noise, a bit too much for my taste, which was unsettling as the noise it made sounded like I was losing grip but I wasn't.
Snow & ice : They were wonderful, grip was good but the highlight is the braking, I had a few emergency stops and they did not slide at all.
Comfort: I live in Belgium in a rural area and the roads are in catastrophic state and on those roads they're not the most comfortable tire and they make a bit of noise which I don't mind as it's a way to communicate to the driver. However on a smooth or slightly cracked road they do well.

I would definately buy them again and recommend them to a friend. They fit a normal driving style on a regular car, they're okay with taking corners quickly and don't produce early understeer.
0 - tyre reviewed on April 9, 2019   
Given 90% while driving a BMW 118d (205/55 R16 V) on a combination of roads for 20,000 average miles
probably the best snow tires I had. They replaced a Michelin Alpin5. This tires are better than Michelin on snow and ice. Very comfy and low noise on road, even on motorway.
I recommend them.
0 - tyre reviewed on April 8, 2019   
Looking for new tyres? Watch this video now!
Given 48% while driving a Fiat LINEA T JET (195/65 R15 T) on a combination of roads for 6,500 average miles
I have a Fiat Linea T-Jet car, a 120-horsepower 206 Newton meter torque. On average, I drive 10 km a day, 20 km highway 20km highway. Over 80 Km / h the Conti is very, very loud. On the ice and on the ice soon lose the grip! Aquaplaning should only be expected at higher speeds. It behaves fairly well in rain and dry roads. Flat road and city for cars with lower power and torque, or ESP and torque-controlled cars. The 2003 Semperit SportGrip and the 2008 Dunlop Winter Sport D 3 are better on snowy and bumpy roads and quieter! Wear-resistant, after 10,000 km of running, 7mm of the first driven, 7.7mm rear tire. I thought better, I expected the right from the world famous Continental brand! Could the Conti 860 S have to be bought? If you have someone's experience, please write it.
1 - tyre reviewed on February 6, 2019   
Given 78% while driving a Opel Meriva B 1.4 LPG (205/55 R16 V) on mostly motorways for 12,427 average miles
I purchased a set of these as new in 2017 (production year 2017 also). Summer tyre is Bridgestone ER300. Comparing to this summer tyre - very quiet tyre, I was astonished - and still am. This is the least noisy winter tyre ever, furthermore it is more quiet then many summer tyres I owned in the past. Big plus. This is their second season. Another big plus - they are visibly more fuel efficient than the said Bridgestones. Wow.

Second of all - I bought these because I was always changing tyres late on, and getting back to summer tyres at first signs of spring. Why? Because of inadequate wet/dry handling of winter tyres. Now these tyres are perfect on wet and dry roads, grip is perfect in all of such conditions, just as the reviews I've read said. Nice.

Unfortunately snow and ice grip is not that good comparing to other winter tyres I have owned. Not that they are not predictable - they simply lack the grip that I had with some other brands. I can definetely feel the car, and a hard stop or corner is predictable. TC off in high snow-mud is a must. Still the tyre is solid in such conditions.

Wear seems to be on the faster side - a tradeoff for wet/dry conditions. Currently on second season front is around 5,0-5,5mm, rear 6,0-6,5mm. I think that at the end of the winter I'll hit them at 4 and 5,5mm respectively. For the third season I'll change frontrear and finish them off during the spring/summer. The tyres I think are good for 30000-40000km in winter and then maybe 10000km as summer finish.

First season they have been definetely better then in the second season. Small skidding has been now observed on wet roads. Still something that is not unexpected, but I guess that with age the tyres will have to behave worse. Seems that the compound hardened - my impression.

All in all a great winter tyre especially if most of Your winter is on wet/dry roads.
1 - tyre reviewed on January 10, 2019   
Given 86% while driving a Mercedes Benz C180 (205/55 R16 T) on a combination of roads for 2,000 average miles
Bought these tires last year as winter-tires and I now using them again for the winter.
Surprisingly good performance on dry roads even at temperature up to +20 C, very stable and good handling, comfortable and low noise-level.
The grip on dry roads in corners and turns are very good for a winter tire, not exactly as firm as a good summer tire but it is not at all far away.
Very good in wet and heavy rain, very safe in the wet regardless of temperature.
Regarding snow and ice conditions, my car is a 2013 Mercedes C class with a rear wheel drive, it is not a very good car for snowy and icy roads, I can only give my review based on this type of car, I have never driven with these tires on any other car.
The snow and ice performance on my car is most likely significantly reduced compared to basically any front-wheel drive car.
On this car the Continentals are, with reservation, acceptable on snow and ice conditions, but not more.
They are obviously much better than worthless summer-tires in the winter but it is obviously important to be aware of their limits.
On soft and relatively deep and dry snow , they are capable of climbing a 4 km long steep uphill curvy road without too much problems.
On wet and heavy snow and also in heavy slush these tires have huge problems on this car, on that same uphill road I have a very difficult time even to get halfway to my home and while my car gets to a complete standstill when my anti-spin effectively stops any spin, but also consequently any forward movement, my neighbors with their front-wheel drive cars in any shape and sizes are just sailing by me without any problems.
On pure icy roads it is better to leave the car in the garage, certainly if you are going up or downhill, basically no grip at all.
I must always be very careful in any corner and turns when there is snow and/or ice, the car slides very easily.
I can recommend these tires for winters with only occasional snow and ice conditions, but always be aware of their limits, and be aware of your cars limits.
For real lasting winter conditions I strongly recommend so-called "Nordic" winter tires if you can get them, they are usually far better for snow and ice although with reduced dry performance, maybe even reduced wet performance.
Continental, Goodyear, Pirelli, Nokian etc have "Nordic" winter-tires as options, much better for long lasting winters especially if your car, like mine, is not very suitable for winter conditions.
1 - tyre reviewed on November 24, 2018   

See all 19 customer reviews of the Continental WinterContact TS 860 (newest first) >>