Continental VikingContact 7

The Continental VikingContact 7 is a Premium Touring Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

Tire review data from 13 tire reviews averaging 68% over 74,400 miles driven, and 9 tests with an average result of 2nd.

Dry Grip 60%
Wet Grip 64%
Road Feedback 57%
Handling 64%
Wear 56%
Comfort 83%
Buy again 62%
Snow Grip 88%
Ice Grip 76%

First On MarketMarch 2018
Wheel Size14 - 22"
Width145 - 315mm
Profile30 - 70
Rolling ResistanceB - D
Wet GripD - D
Noise (dB)70 - 75
Winter Rating3PMSF Rated & Ice Rated

The VikingContact 7 is ranked 58th of 67 Winter Premium Touring tires.

This tire replaced the Continental VikingContact 6 and this tire has been replaced by the Continental VikingContact 8.

In Depth Tire Comparisons

Tests Included

9

Best Result

1st

Worst Result

6th

Average Result

2nd

Latest Tire Test Results

The Best Studded / Friction Winter Tires for 2024
3rd of 17 tires
  • The Continental ContiVikingContact 7, the previous year's winner, still showed strong performance, particularly in winter conditions. It maintained excellent grip on ice and snow, matching its successor in these crucial areas. However, its weaknesses became more apparent in this test, particularly in wet conditions and aquaplaning resistance. Despite these shortcomings, the CVC 7 still performed admirably overall, demonstrating good fuel efficiency and comfort. Its performance illustrates both the strengths of Continental's Nordic tire design and the areas where improvement was needed in the newer model.
View Full Test >>
2023 Studless Friction Winter Tire Test
1st of 8 tires
  • The VikingContact7, despite being one of the oldest tires on the market, still performs at the top. Following a third-place finish in last year's test of SUV sizes, Continental is once again number one. The tire manages to maintain steering grip even in really tight curves on ice. It also remains easy to control on snow with a stable rear without sliding tendencies under pressure. Despite its excellent characteristics on winter roads, Continental continues to convince in dry road conditions. The steering feel on asphalt is good; it handles understeering tests well and shows reasonable stopping distances on both wet and dry asphalt. Almost always being top three in every subtest earns it a well-deserved overall victory. The Continental is suitable for all types of winter needs.

    To summarize, the VikingContact7 tire by Continental is praised for its exceptional performance across various conditions, from ice and snow to dry asphalt, showcasing its suitability for diverse winter requirements.
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2022/23 Tire Reviews Studless Winter Tire Test
1st of 9 tires
  • Excellent in all conditions, Best wet and dry handling lap times, shortest dry braking, very good wet braking, good in snow, best ice handling lap, very low noise levels and low rolling resistance.
  • Average aquaplaning resistance.
  • The Continental was the best in the dry and had a small advantage in the wet grip tests, but did struggle in the deeper water of the two aquaplaning tests. It was excellent in the snow and ice, had the lowest internal noise and was comfortable, but of the top three tires it did have the highest rolling resistance, but even that was just 3.1% off the best.

View Full Test >>

SizeFuelWetNoise
14 inch
175/65 R 14 86 T XLDD71
15 inch
185/65 R 15 92 T XLCD71
195/65 R 15 95 T XLCD72
195/55 R 15 89 T XLCD71
185/65 R 15 92 T XLCD70
185/65 R 15 92 T XLCD70
16 inch
215/70 R 16 100 TCD72
205/55 R 16 94 T XLCD71
215/60 R 16 99 T XLCD71
215/60 R 16 99 T XLCD71
205/60 R 16 96 T XLCD71
205/60 R 16 96 T XLCD71
205/55 R 16 94 T XLCD71
205/55 R 16 94 T XLCD71
17 inch
235/65 R 17 108 T XLCD72
265/65 R 17 116 T XLCD72
225/60 R 17 103 T XLCD72
215/55 R 17 98 T XLCD72
215/55 R 17 98 T XLCD72
215/55 R 17 98 T XLCD72
215/45 R 17 91 T XLCD72
225/50 R 17 98 T XLCD72
205/50 R 17 93 T XLCD71
225/45 R 17 94 T XLCD72
18 inch
245/40 R 18 97 T XLCD72
245/40 R 18 97 T XLCD72
235/60 R 18 107 T XLCD72
245/45 R 18 100 T XLCD72
225/40 R 18 92 T XLCD72
19 inch
235/35 R 19 91 T XLDD72
235/35 R 19 91 T XLCD72
20 inch
245/35 R 20 95 T XLCD72
255/45 R 20 105 T XLCD71
275/55 R 20 117 T XLBD72
View All Sizes and EU Label Scores for the Continental VikingContact 7 >>

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Size Price Range  
215/60 R16 $141.99 - $141.99 (2 Prices) Compare Prices >>
225/45 R18 $219.99 - $228.99 (3 Prices) Compare Prices >>
225/50 R17 $205.99 - $220.99 (3 Prices) Compare Prices >>
235/55 R18 $202.99 - $202.99 (1 Prices) Compare Prices >>
245/50 R20 $257.99 - $257.99 (1 Prices) Compare Prices >>
255/40 R19 $297.99 - $297.99 (1 Prices) Compare Prices >>
Available in 89 tire sizes - View all.

YouTube Review

Top 3 Continental VikingContact 7 Reviews

Given 63% while driving a BMW 5 Series 2007 (225/50 R17 T) on a combination of roads for 1,000 spirited miles
Best studless winter tire i have ever had.
Good allround. Low noise. Just take it a little easier on very wet tarmac, or very warm dry tarmac, as with all nordic winter tires.

Not as good as studded tire on ice, say for example nokian hakka 8, but what tire are??

Dont know wear rate yet. Continental are usually worn down after 1, tops 2 years. So that is the bad side. Will report later.
Helpful 105 - tire reviewed on October 4, 2018
Given 63% while driving a Jaguar I Pace (245/50 R20) on mostly town for 14,000 average miles
Tires have mostly worn out after only 20,000 km. Unacceptable! They’re great running tires but lifespan is too short to recomnend.
Helpful 34 - tire reviewed on February 18, 2023
Given 88% while driving a Chevrolet silverado 1500 (275/55 R20) on mostly motorways for 8,000 average miles
Have had these on my truck for 2 years now. Amazingly quiet, great ice/dry grip. No issues with wet grip at all so far. Only thing to note is tire wear. If you have a decent amount of dry/warmer driving these will wear (like any good winter tire) quite quick. Having to have winter tired on from Oct 1 to Apr 30 in the parts of BC i travel through yearly means i do a decent amount of dry/warmish driving. In 2 seasons i have lost 3-3.5/32nds of tread depth out of a starting 10/32nds. Also note my truck is quite heavy and that can only add to the wear (curb weight of 5300 lbs).
Helpful 33 - tire reviewed on December 4, 2022
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Latest Continental VikingContact 7 Reviews

Given 54% while driving a Ford Kuga (235/55 R18) on a combination of roads for 0 easy going miles
Strange, but this tire worked well 1,5 winter season, then they not like everywhere reviewed... My tires compound goes very hard, very uncomfortable to drive in potholed road(feel like car have sportcar suspension). In 2 season tire was good in dry, wet, snow, slush...but in icy road drive dangerous compared first season. Some people write they are low noise, no they like other winter tires! I never had that kind change with other tires, i allraedy thinking no more studded tires... But reality come back after 1,5 season.
Helpful 9 - tire reviewed on March 24, 2024
Given 47% while driving a Mazda MX5 (205/50 R16) on a combination of roads for 5,000 spirited miles
the VikingContact is most at home in snow. Dry traction is poor compared to non-winter tires, and worse than any other winter tire I have used. For example, I accelerated hard from 30mph and spun my rear wheels - in a miata (a miata is no mustang, and should never be unable to do this - 167 hp)
Snow traction is good, but ice traction is not nearly as good as a Blizzak ws-80. If you have ice, get Blizzak. Viking lasted longer than Blizzak, but was a worse performer in everything except soft snow. I would only buy these again if I lived in an area where the roads were always freshly snowed upon
Helpful 7 - tire reviewed on March 16, 2024
What to know the BEST All Season Tires for 2024? Click to find out!
Given 90% while driving a Mazda 121 (225/45 R18) on mostly country roads for 2,000 average miles
We have these tires on our electric mazda mx30 during winter in Sweden. Mostly girlfriend commuting 100km per day. Never had any issues on dry, wet, snowy or icy roads. She feel really confident during winter with these on and she drives like she stole the car most of the times. Good comfort and second winter with them and no excessive wear. Other than being pricey, no other downside. Recommend.
Helpful 10 - tire reviewed on February 20, 2024
Given 63% while driving a Mercury Grand marquis (255/40 R19) on mostly motorways for 1,000 easy going miles
I scored a used set of VC7’s with only 200 miles on them. They still had the ink stripes on the treads. I have them mounted on my mercury grand marquis which is identical to a Ford crown Victoria, a rear wheel drive open diff 2 ton behemoth. Coming from all seasons that were down to the wear indicators, snow was a white knuckle ride. I moved to a rural area that averages freezing temps 4 months out of the year and has roads that aren’t plowed clean during snow fall. I am a little biased because of what I paid for these tires and how good they are coming from all seasons. My car is horrible in the snow but with the vc7’s I was able to climb up my steep driveway with 4 inches of fresh snow with little to no wheel spin. I am blown away by how well these snow tires work, especially on a car that is notoriously bad in snow. I will be switching back to my all seasons soon as the winter is over, so hopefully I can get a few seasons out of these tires. All in all even if I had to pay msrp for these tires I would buy them again. They are buttery smooth, cruise well, and are very quiet.
Helpful 30 - tire reviewed on December 12, 2022
Given 40% while driving a Mazda mx 5 (195/50 R16) on a combination of roads for 3,000 spirited miles
Snow grip on these tires is good - nearly as good as blizzak ws-xx, but ice grip is considerably worse than the blizzak. Dry grip however is awful. My 167hp mx-5 spun the tires when I downshifted and hit the gas to pass someone at 40mph - something I would have considered impossible. Buy these tires only if you most often drive in loose snow - anywhere else is not worth the loss in grip. They are quiet and soft riding, but will suck all the fun out of driving your mx-5/miata or any other sporty car.
Helpful 25 - tire reviewed on October 7, 2022
Given 80% while driving a Nissan altima (235/40 R19) on a combination of roads for 400 average miles
Soft but stable handling. Very quiet and comfortable at highway speeds. Phenomenal snow and ice traction all over. Very quick braking even when ABS engages. Can carry quite a bit of speed into a turn before noticing a loss of traction. Even when traction is lost car is very controllable and will regain traction fairly quickly.
Helpful 30 - tire reviewed on January 29, 2022
Given 73% while driving a Lexus GX460 (265/60 R18) on a combination of roads for 10,000 spirited miles
As a snow tire these are unparalleled. To break traction on public roads I have to drive like an absolute maniac and they are very predictable once they lose traction. I've had these on a fwd hatchback and an AWD SUV and in four years I've encountered unintentional oversteer once on the road in my SUV and wife reports that she's never steered wide in her car. These tires are so good in snow they feel about as slippery as summer tires feel in the wet.
Helpful 26 - tire reviewed on December 28, 2021
Given 94% while driving a Mazda 3 Series (205/50 R17) on mostly town for 2,000 spirited miles
I bought VK7's to replace all season tires that came with my used car purchase. The all-seasons had snow siping but had very poor acceleration traction and bad braking performance. After one snow storm, I purchased these and it couldn't have been more different. These tires seem to have more grip in snow than my all-season tires do in the damp. ABS hardly ever kicks in when braking and there has never been an issue accelerating from a light. I feel very confident in these tires and also have peace of mind when either I or my wife is driving knowing that the tires are safe in bad conditions. I will likely only purchase these tires going forward for all my future vehicles that need them.
Helpful 29 - tire reviewed on December 7, 2021
Given 79% while driving a Volvo C30 2.0L Petrol (225/45 R17) on mostly motorways for 20,000 average miles
I have done about 20k km over the last 2 winters on my VC7s and I am pretty hay with them. they are really quiet and stable at highway speeds. I have not pushed their grip limit in the wet or dry very much but it takes a lot to get stuck with them. my only issue with them is the wear is not the greatest. tho i have to keep them on let into the spring because i run summer tires and don't want to get my self into trouble. my mom has had Michelin x ices on her car for the last 3 winters and they seem to have pretty minimal wear.
Helpful 47 - tire reviewed on March 24, 2021