Continental WinterContact TS 860

The Continental WinterContact TS 860 is a Premium Touring Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

Tire review data from 49 tire reviews averaging 84% over 464,171 miles driven, and 38 tests with an average result of 2nd.

Dry Grip 89%
Wet Grip 92%
Road Feedback 84%
Handling 86%
Wear 83%
Comfort 86%
Buy again 87%
Snow Grip 80%
Ice Grip 71%

First On MarketApril 2016
Wheel Size13 - 17"
Width155 - 225mm
Profile40 - 80
Rolling ResistanceC - D
Wet GripB - C
Noise (dB)71 - 72
Winter Rating3PMSF Rated

The WinterContact TS 860 is ranked 24th of 68 Winter Premium Touring tires.

This tire replaced the Continental WinterContact TS 850 and this tire has been replaced by the Continental WinterContact TS 870.

Tests Included

38

Best Result

1st

Worst Result

7th

Average Result

2nd

Latest Tire Test Results

2021 ADAC 17 Inch Winter Tire Test
5th of 18 tires
  • Good in the wet, snow and ice.
  • Weakness on dry roads leading to devaluation.
View Full Test >>
2021 ADAC 15 Inch Winter Tire Test
6th of 16 tires
  • Top marks in wet and on snow.
  • Slight weakness in the dry.
View Full Test >>
The Best Winter Tires for 2020
3rd of 19 tires
  • While the Continental WinterContact TS860 should have now been replaced by the TS870, the TS860 is still an excellent rounded winter tire with good grip in the snow and wet.
  • Slight weakness in the dry.
View Full Test >>

2021 Tire Tests

2020 Tire Tests

2019 Tire Tests

2018 Tire Tests

2017 Tire Tests

2016 Tire Tests

Reports

  • Continental WinterContact TS860 - Preview
  • SizeFuelWetNoise
    13 inch
    155/80 R 13 79 TDC71
    155/80 R 13 79 TDB71
    14 inch
    165/70 R 14 85 T XLCB71
    175/65 R 14 82 TDB71
    185/60 R 14 82 TCB71
    175/65 R 14 86 T XLDB71
    185/70 R 14 88 TCB71
    165/70 R 14 81 TCB71
    15 inch
    185/65 R 15 92 T XLCB71
    195/65 R 15 91 TCB72
    195/65 R 15 91 HCB72
    195/55 R 15 85 HDB72
    195/65 R 15 95 T XLCB72
    185/65 R 15 88 TCB71
    195/55 R 15 85 TDB72
    16 inch
    205/55 R 16 94 V XLCB72
    205/55 R 16 94 V XLCB72
    205/60 R 16 92 TCB72
    205/55 R 16 91 HCB72
    205/55 R 16 94 V XLCB72
    205/55 R 16 91 HCB72
    205/55 R 16 91 TCB72
    205/55 R 16 94 H XLCB72
    17 inch
    225/45 R 17 91 HDB72
    225/45 R 17 94 H XLCB72
    225/45 R 17 94 V XLCB72
    225/50 R 17 98 H XLDB72
    225/50 R 17 98 V XLDB72
    View All Sizes and EU Label Scores for the Continental WinterContact TS 860 >>

    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 tires?

    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 tire on test.


    2018-09-15 - Hello, I have watched your videos regarding Winter tires recommendation and also the latest one talking about All Season tires. 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 tire ? 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 tire. Expect a full winter tire video in the near future!


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    YouTube Review

    Top 3 Continental WinterContact TS 860 Reviews

    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!
    Helpful 258 - tire reviewed on October 12, 2016
    Given 94% while driving a Volkswagen Polo 19.TDI Sport (195/50 R15) on a combination of roads for 2,000 average miles
    I had these fitted in November 2021 but never had a chance to test in real Wintry conditions. They were refitted in Nov to my Polo and this week Sun 11 Dec 2022 we had our first snow in SE UK. I went out in the car the following day and here are my thoughts: Slushy roads - good grip and will get you out of problems but be careful - no hard breaking or accelerating as they will slip but still give traction Ice - good grip but again be careful with breaking / accelerating Pristine snow - wow, excellent - hill starts, downhill and general grip is fantastic. Overall feel very safe with these tires on.
    Helpful 43 - tire reviewed on December 16, 2022
    Given 96% while driving a Volkswagen Golf 1.9 Tdi (195/65 R15) on a combination of roads for 17,000 spirited miles
    Over 17,000 miles in 3 seasons. I drove on the highway (130 - 160 km/h), expressways, city driving. Excellent handling in the wet, primarily aquaplaning and braking in the wet. On snow, the quality of the Continental comes to the fore. Absolutely flawless! Very good dry performance. Fuel consumption with these tires is good. Given that after 3 seasons there is still 4.3 mm of tread left, I consider tire wear to be just one of the excellent indicators, among others. Honestly, after 2-3 seasons the tires should definitely be changed regardless of how much tread is left and whatever brand it is. I will buy these tires again, of course the next generation, TS 870!
    Helpful 32 - tire reviewed on July 30, 2023
    Have you driven on the Continental WinterContact TS 860 tire?

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    Review your Continental WinterContact TS 860 >

    Latest Continental WinterContact TS 860 Reviews

    Given 100% while driving a BMW 3 series (255/40 R18) on for 15,000 miles
    Although my car is rear-wheel drive, the performance of the tires in winter conditions is very good.
    Helpful 7 - tire reviewed on August 22, 2024
    Given 84% while driving a Mercedes Benz CLK 220 CDI Sport (225/45 R17) on mostly town for 7,000 average miles
    These were on my car when i bought it used, so the tires that i had experience with were about 30-40% worn. I mostly do city driving but here and there are some longer distances on the highway. They don't wear down quickly. Never had any grip problems during the winter. Even took the car to icetrack and these performed exceptionally well, i was impressed. When buying my next set of tires, they will be also not studded from continental. I have to point out that there were some places where the rear of the car's tires spinned a bit, but that's normal because of winter.
    Helpful 28 - tire reviewed on March 7, 2023
    What to know the BEST All Season Tires for 2024? Click to find out!
    Opel Astra K 1.4T 150 (205/55 R16) on mostly town for 12,000 average miles
    Fited this tires in 10/2017 and for first 4 winters they were awesome in dry and wet. Very good grip and safe breaking in both conditions. Road feedback was average but this is touring tire, not UHP one so didn't expect it to be any better. Road noise also on average, not very silent but also not very noisy. On 5th winter (2021/2022) tire started losing drip on wet roads, noticed slight lost of grip on places/situations where I never lost it before. As car is daily driver and used for going to work it was easy to notice such grip loss on places I never experienced it previous 4 winters. Also, ABS/TC did kick a bit more than previously. I fited them this winter also (2022/2023) as their 6th winter and they are now horrible and dangerous to drive. Even slightly agressive throttle pressure will result with TC kick in and complete loss of grip. Cornering on wet/moisture surface and lowish temeparatuers have to be done with maximum care as car do tend to slide. ABS is working overtime. I ordered new set of Michelin Alpin 6 because car was almost undriveable and often my wife drive my kid to school so no way I would keep them and risk my family safety. Keep in mind that tires still have lot of thread left and than when they are not on car (summeer season) they were stored in dry and dark place, on wheel holder (I have separate winter/summer wheel sets) so no pressure put on them and before being stored entire wheel were completely washed and dried. I didn't experience much snow during my time with this tires so can not comment on that. CONCLUSION: very good tires for 4 seasons but after that their performance start dropping significantly.
    Helpful 26 - tire reviewed on December 23, 2022
    Given 33% while driving a Renault (185/65 R15) on a combination of roads for 10,000 easy going miles
    Premium tires for one season, I put on 185/65r15 tires in December 2021, removed them in March 2022. Traveled 10,000 km, during this time excellent grip on snow and wet. When I put them back on in December 2022 I felt a huge difference in their performance, minimal traction on packed snow, zero on ice. Driving even on a level stretch was excruciating, I was forced to keep a huge distance from the car in front of me due to the risk of a collision, the slightest touch of the brake pedal would activate the ABS. Before buying new winter tires, he installed the summer BRIDGESTONE, which were on another set of rims and had significantly better grip than the winter ones. I strongly DO NOT recommend the TS860.
    Helpful 38 - tire reviewed on December 12, 2022
    Given 83% while driving a SEAT 1.4 TSI (225/45 R17) on mostly town for 8,000 average miles
    I have used them for one winter season now and I can say that they grip well on dry,wet and snowy surfaces. It doesn't excel in any particular area but does the job well enough in all of them. They are more silent and equally comfortable compared to my summer tires (Goodyear Asym. 5). Ice grip is adequate even though they are not for Nordic Winter conditions. Only thing I'm not satisfied about them is the braking feel in wet conditions, especially braking hard in heavy rain. They just don't give me enough confidence in such conditions, almost aquaplaning in the entire braking distance. I'm sure this aspect is improved for the new TS870 model. For my next winter tire set I'm thinking of getting the TS870.
    Helpful 47 - tire reviewed on September 27, 2021
    Given 79% while driving a Ford Focus MK3 (205/55 R16) on mostly motorways for 35,000 average miles
    I've driven around 50-60k km on these tires. I didn't get to experience much snow because I live in Croatia but I was very satisfied with these tires. The only complaint is that the comfort was not great and road feedback was suboptimal. I would recommend buying these tires.
    Helpful 38 - tire reviewed on May 14, 2021
    Given 61% while driving a Hyundai i30 CRDi (195/65 R15) on a combination of roads for 25,000 spirited miles
    First joy, then sorrow. I read a lot about tire tests and according to what I read, Continental brand products are always among the best winter tires. That’s why I chose the TS860 in 2017. Safety comes first. I am willing to buy an expensive tire, but my expectations are also high. The tires were manufactured in September 2017 and fitted to my car in November. I live in Austria, where there is usually a lot of snow in the mountains. My first experiences were extremely good. The tires had outstanding aquaplaning resistance. Very, very good handling in snow. It was safe to drive at 80 km/h in snowfall with 15 centimeters of snow on the road. The tires had very good cornering properties on wet and dry roads. A good grip made you feel really safe. Although there was no traction on pure ice, but on ice other tires don’t have traction either. The tires were very quiet and comfortable. I was really extremely happy with the TS860... for the first 2 winters. During the 3rd winter, my experience began to change. It wasn’t a problem on dry roads, but it was in snow. Although the tread depth of the tires was still 6 millimeters, snowy grip, cornering, traction, and most of all braking deteriorated a lot. There was a situation where I thought the car would never stop. At the end of the winter, the tires were 2.5 years old and were marked "cracked" on the roadworthiness test. It was like they were old tires. The legal requirement is a minimum pattern depth of 4 mm. Because it was still 5mm, I also fitted them to my car last November. The grip in snow had gotten even worse, but what’s worse was that the braking distance had grown extremely long on wet roads. On a wet road, you would barely press the brake, the ABS would already be working yet the car would barely slow down. Now it is dangerous to drive with this 4-year-old tire in rain and snow. I think any new budget winter tire is better than this 4 years old premium tire. It’s true that Continental makes great winter tires when we look at new tires. But people don’t buy new tires every 1-2 years. I have never had a tire that has aged so quickly. I drove about 40,000 kilometres (25,000 miles) with these. I recommend these tires only to those who buys a new ones every 2 years.
    Helpful 44 - tire reviewed on March 14, 2021
    Given 90% while driving a Mercedes Benz C320 cdi (225/45 R17 V) on a combination of roads for 8,000 spirited miles
    For me the best winter tire to date. I recommend it to anyone asking me which winter tire to buy and so far no one had a single complaint. Dry and wet grip is very good for a winter tire, but what's even more important for me, this tire has thick, strong sidewals and therefore awesome road feedback and stability at higher speed cornering. Comfort is good.
    Helpful 41 - tire reviewed on March 9, 2021
    Given 92% while driving a Ford Fiesta mk7 (195/50 R15 T) on a combination of roads for 12,000 spirited miles
    I had a set of these tires on an Incident Response vehicle for 2 winter seasons, November-May 2019//2020 (was delayed putting summers back on because of the first lockdown in the UK) and November-January 2020/2021 before selling the car. There's not enough good things I can say about these tires. Where I live we don't really get that much snow, maybe 5 days a year but we get lots of ice. I needed tires that would take me safely up rural hills in the ice and occasional snow locally, and from time to time get around rural Mid Wales, usually heading in the direction of the worst of the weather. I was most impressed by their ice performance, the tire would constantly surprise me in the best way possible because I wouldn't expect it to drive certain roads I would make the car go on, expecting to need studded tires in lots of occasions. Working around floods with lots of standing water I was also very impressed by their wet handling. I even ran the tires in temperatures up to 25C which wasn't ideal and I could always tell I was on winter tires in terms of the dry handling in the heat, but it really proved they would work if needed. After about 12,000 miles of pretty aggressive driving the tires still had loads of tread, I would expect at least another 10,000 out of them at least.
    Helpful 42 - tire reviewed on February 21, 2021
    Given 74% while driving a Acura TSX (225/50 R17 H) on mostly town for 4,000 spirited miles
    One of the best when it comes to driving in the wet, or breaking in the wet conditions, aquaplaning resistance is impressive, but as soon as the snow comes in this tire just disappears, my 2.4l petrol engine(not a lot of torque at the bottom) can spin those tires all day long without even having to give much gas... Grip.. there is just none, i believe it's a great central european winter tire, but if there's a chance that you will see snow on the upcoming winter just go for the nokian wr d4, the difference on the wet is miserable and when it comes to driving on the snow wr d4 is on another level
    Helpful 31 - tire reviewed on January 25, 2021
    Given 74% while driving a Volvo V50 estate (205/55 R16 T) on mostly town for 20,000 average miles
    Tires are extremely stable o wet in a motorway. You can even compare them to summer tires on dry and wet. Less impressive on a snow. Its our first winter tires on our Volvo V50 and we found it often to understear on a dry snow in more sharp turns. We don’t know who to blame, the car or the tires. Although braking and accelerating on snow is good enough. On icy conditions the tires are more predictable and on extremely low temperatures can compete with some soft compound tires. Overal i found tires recomended for wet climate and high speed driving on motorway, but can be tricky on dry snow on lower speeds.
    Helpful 38 - tire reviewed on January 18, 2021
    Given 84% while driving a Renault Clio 1.5 dCi 86 (185/65 R15 H) on a combination of roads for 10,000 spirited miles
    I'm using this tire for 1 year with aprox. 15000 km I think it is successfull and worth to buy bcz. I had no problem on hardest snowy motorway conditions, wet streets, muggy town roads
    Helpful 32 - tire reviewed on January 1, 2021