Continental WinterContact TS 860

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

This tyre replaced the Continental WinterContact TS 850 and this tyre has been replaced by the Continental WinterContact TS 870.

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

Tyre review data from 48 tyre reviews averaging 84% over 449,171 miles driven.

The WinterContact TS 860 is ranked 27th of 65 Winter Premium Touring tyres.

Reports

Latest Tyre Test Results

2021 ADAC 15 Inch Winter Tyre Test - 6th of 16 tyres

  • Positive - Top marks in wet and on snow.
  • Negative - Slight weakness in the dry.
View Full Test >>

2021 ADAC 17 Inch Winter Tyre Test - 5th of 18 tyres

  • Positive - Good in the wet, snow and ice.
  • Negative - Weakness on dry roads leading to devaluation.
View Full Test >>

The Best Winter Tyres for 2020 - 3rd of 19 tyres

  • Positive - While the Continental WinterContact TS860 should have now been replaced by the TS870, the TS860 is still an excellent rounded winter tyre with good grip in the snow and wet.
  • Negative - Slight weakness in the dry.
View Full Test >>

2021 Tyre Tests

  • 5th: 2021 ADAC 17 Inch Winter Tyre Test (225/50 R17)
  • 6th: 2021 ADAC 15 Inch Winter Tyre Test (195/65 R15)
  • 2020 Tyre Tests

  • 1st: All Season vs Winter vs Nordic vs Studded Tyres (205/60 R16)
  • 2nd: 2020 Auto Zeitung Winter Tyre Test (205/55 R16)
  • 3rd: The Best Winter Tyres for 2020 (205/55 R16)
  • 4th: 2020 ACE Winter Tyre Test (225/50 R17)
  • 7th: 2020 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 205/55 R16 (205/55 R16)
  • 2019 Tyre Tests

  • 1st: 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test (225/45 R17)
  • 1st: 2019 Auto Express All Season Tyre Test (205/55 R16)
  • 2nd: 2019 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test (225/45 R17)
  • 2nd: 2019 Auto Center Winter Tyre Test (205/55 R16)
  • 4th: 2019 ADAC 185/65 R15 Winter Tyre Test (185/65 R15)
  • 5th: 2019 Winter Tyre Test Market Overview (225/45 R17)
  • 2018 Tyre Tests

  • 1st: 2018 51 Winter Tyre Shootout (195/65 R15)
  • 1st: 2018 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 205/55 R16 (205/55 R16)
  • 1st: 2018 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 175/65 R14 (175/65 R14)
  • 1st: 2018 ACE All Season and Winter Tyre Test (185/65 R15)
  • 1st: 2018 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test (205/55 R16)
  • 1st: 2018 AMS All Season Tyre Test (225/45 R16)
  • 1st: 2018 AMS Winter Tyre Test (205/55 R16)
  • 1st: 2018 Auto Express All Season Tyre Test (225/45 R17)
  • 2nd: 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (195/65 R15)
  • 4th: 7 of the best all season tyres (205/55 R16)
  • 2017 Tyre Tests

  • 1st: 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test (205/55 R16)
  • 1st: 2017 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 195/65 R15 (195/65 R15)
  • 1st: 2017 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test (225/45 R17)
  • 1st: 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (225/50 R17)
  • 2nd: 2017 50 Winter Tyre Shoot Out (225/50 R17)
  • 2016 Tyre Tests

  • 1st: 2016 AZ Winter Tyre Test - 205/55 R16 (205/55 R16)
  • 1st: 2016 Winter Tyre Market Overview (205/55 R16)
  • 1st: 2016 AutoBild Winter Tyre Test (205/55 R16)
  • 1st: 2016 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test (205/55 R16)
  • Size Fuel Wet Noise Weight
    155/70 R13 75T   E B 71 5.31kgs
    165/70 R13 79T   E B 71 5.77kgs
    155/80 R13 79T   E B 71 5.70kgs
    185/55 R14 80T   E B 71 6.81kgs
    165/60 R14 79T XL   E B 71 5.97kgs
    185/60 R14 82T   C B 71 6.47kgs
    155/65 R14 75T   E B 71 5.59kgs
    165/65 R14 79T   E B 71 6.01kgs
    175/65 R14 82T   E B 71 6.44kgs
    175/65 R14 86T XL   E B 71 6.43kgs
    185/65 R14 86T   E B 71 7.10kgs
    165/70 R14 81T   C B 71 6.17kgs
    175/70 R14 84T   E B 71 6.64kgs
    175/70 R14 88T XL   C B 71 6.65kgs
    185/70 R14 88T   C B 71 7.30kgs
    175/80 R14 88T   C B 71 7.52kgs
    195/50 R15 82H   E B 72 6.80kgs
    195/50 R15 82T   E B 72 6.80kgs
    185/55 R15 86H XL   E B 71 6.94kgs
    185/55 R15 82T   E B 71 6.94kgs
    185/55 R15 82H   E B 71 6.94kgs
    195/55 R15 85H   E B 72 7.48kgs
    165/60 R15 77T   E B 71 6.34kgs
    175/60 R15 81T   E B 71 6.66kgs
    185/60 R15 84T   E B 71 7.43kgs
    185/60 R15 88T XL   C B 71 7.43kgs
    195/60 R15 88T   E B 72 7.52kgs
    195/60 R15 88H   E B 72 7.52kgs
    205/60 R15 91T   C B 72 8.04kgs
    205/60 R15 91H   C B 72 8.04kgs
    155/65 R15 77T   E B 71 5.72kgs
    165/65 R15 81T   E B 71 6.16kgs
    185/65 R15 92T XL   C B 71 7.59kgs
    185/65 R15 88T   C B 71 7.27kgs
    195/65 R15 95T XL   C B 72 7.70kgs
    195/65 R15 91H   C B 72 7.68kgs
    195/65 R15 91T   C B 72 7.53kgs
    205/65 R15 94H   C B 72 8.61kgs
    205/65 R15 94T   C B 72 8.61kgs
    215/65 R15 96H   C B 72 9.43kgs
    195/45 R16 84H XL   C B 72 7.08kgs
    195/45 R16 80T   E B 72 7.08kgs
    205/45 R16 87H XL   C B 72 7.53kgs
    215/45 R16 90V XL   C B 72 7.73kgs
    185/50 R16 81H   E B 71 6.60kgs
    205/50 R16 87H   E B 72 8.45kgs
    185/55 R16 87T XL   C B 71 7.18kgs
    195/55 R16 91H XL   C B 72 7.56kgs
    195/55 R16 87H   E B 72 7.57kgs
    205/55 R16 94H XL   C B 72 8.58kgs
    205/55 R16 91H   C B 72 8.69kgs
    205/55 R16 91T   C B 72 8.24kgs
    215/55 R16 93H   C B 72 8.93kgs
    215/55 R16 97V XL   C B 72 8.66kgs
    215/55 R16 97H XL   C B 72 8.66kgs
    185/60 R16 86H   C B 71 7.30kgs
    195/60 R16 89H   C B 72 8.08kgs
    205/60 R16 92T   C B 72 8.81kgs
    195/65 R16 92H   C B 72 8.66kgs
    205/65 R16 95H   C B 72 8.78kgs
    195/45 R17 81H   E B 72 7.50kgs
    225/45 R17 94H XL   C B 72 9.36kgs
    225/45 R17 91H   E B 72 9.36kgs
    225/45 R17 94V XL   C B 72 9.36kgs
    225/50 R17 98H XL   E B 72 9.85kgs
    225/50 R17 98V XL   E B 72 9.85kgs
    205/65 R17 96V   C B 72 10.20kgs

    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  
    Available in 3 tyre sizes - View all.

    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 243 - tyre 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 tyres on.
    Helpful 29 - tyre reviewed on December 16, 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 26 - tyre reviewed on December 12, 2022
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    Latest Continental WinterContact TS 860 Reviews

    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 15 - tyre reviewed on July 30, 2023
    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 tyres 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 tyres, 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 10 - tyre reviewed on March 7, 2023
    What to know the BEST All Season Tyres 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 tyres 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 tyre, 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) tyre 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 tyres 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 tyres so can not comment on that. CONCLUSION: very good tyres for 4 seasons but after that their performance start dropping significantly.
    Helpful 13 - tyre reviewed on December 23, 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 tyres (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 tyre set I'm thinking of getting the TS870.
    Helpful 29 - tyre 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 tyres. I didn't get to experience much snow because I live in Croatia but I was very satisfied with these tyres. The only complaint is that the comfort was not great and road feedback was suboptimal. I would recommend buying these tyres.
    Helpful 23 - tyre 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 31 - tyre 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 tyre to date. I recommend it to anyone asking me which winter tyre to buy and so far no one had a single complaint. Dry and wet grip is very good for a winter tyre, but what's even more important for me, this tyre has thick, strong sidewals and therefore awesome road feedback and stability at higher speed cornering. Comfort is good.
    Helpful 21 - tyre 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 tyres 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 tyres. Where I live we don't really get that much snow, maybe 5 days a year but we get lots of ice. I needed tyres 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 tyre 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 tyres 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 tyres in temperatures up to 25C which wasn't ideal and I could always tell I was on winter tyres 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 tyres still had loads of tread, I would expect at least another 10,000 out of them at least.
    Helpful 29 - tyre 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 tyre just disappears, my 2.4l petrol engine(not a lot of torque at the bottom) can spin those tyres all day long without even having to give much gas... Grip.. there is just none, i believe it's a great central european winter tyre, 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 16 - tyre 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
    Tyres are extremely stable o wet in a motorway. You can even compare them to summer tyres on dry and wet. Less impressive on a snow. Its our first winter tyres 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 tyres. Although braking and accelerating on snow is good enough. On icy conditions the tyres are more predictable and on extremely low temperatures can compete with some soft compound tyres. Overal i found tyres recomended for wet climate and high speed driving on motorway, but can be tricky on dry snow on lower speeds.
    Helpful 14 - tyre 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 tyre 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 15 - tyre reviewed on January 1, 2021
    Given 92% while driving a Skoda (195/65 R15) on a combination of roads for 20,000 average miles
    I used these tyres for the last 2 winters. New set at the start of each winter. I can see why they win tyres tests as I found them perfect for any condition during the winter months. Driving on ice or black ice is like driving on a normal road conditions, Also snow, wet and dry grip were very good.
    Helpful 20 - tyre reviewed on September 14, 2020