Continental Reviews & Comparisons

With its strong reputation for icy and snowy roads, the Continental VikingContact 7 is one of best German manufacturer’s winter offerings. But are there better options? Well, you’re about to find out.

The Continental VikingContact 7 excels in winter conditions with superior ice and snow traction. It has good hydroplaning resistance and wet grip, moderate tread noise, and commendable dry road handling. While its tread durability is average, its design promotes longevity and enhanced fuel efficiency.

For Your Info: The Continental VikingContact 7 comes in 14 to 22 inches.

• These sizes have speed ratings of H and T.
• Load ratings comes in SL and XL (mostly).
• Tread depth is 10/32″ on all sizes.
• And weight ranges from 14 lbs and goes up to 35 lbs, (on the heaviest size).

Tread Structure

The Continental VikingContact 7 comes with a very packed up tread design, having a directional pattern.

So, it’s tread comes in two prominent sections.

One, it’s elongated shoulder lugs, and two, its central area consisting of squared off blocks.

Both of them together make very strong outer circumferential grooves, which are of course interconnected with others in the middle, allowing for superb resistance to hydroplaning (with efficient water evacuation capability).

The central lugs are intricately designed with wave-like sipes and chamfered sides, and have sharp edges.

Moreover, they are positioned atop secondary rubber layers, which act as reinforcing bases, so the spaces between these lugs function as in-groove notches.

Transitioning to the tread’s edges, the shoulder blocks are elongated and come in connected pairs.

These blocks, besides having sharper contours, feature a pronounced and dense siping pattern.

Moreover, they’re interspersed with broad lateral gaps, enhancing the tread’s self-cleaning capabilities.

Enhanced Winter Performance Overview

The efficiency of a tire in winter is largely dictated by its competence over two predominant terrains: ice and snow.

Let’s delve into each.

Ice Traction

Ice traction measures a tire’s proficiency in gripping and navigating icy surfaces.

Given the inherent slickness of ice and its minimal friction, achieving dependable traction is predominantly a function of the tire’s specialized rubber composition and intricate tread designs.

The key to exemplary performance on ice lies in a tire packed with numerous biting edges, while simultaneously maintaining flexibility even under severe cold conditions.

And this is exactly what the Continental VikingContact 7 provides you here.

The tire with specialized Nordic compound keeps its lugs thermally adaptive, while with varying interlocking siping throughout its tread combined with V-shaped in-groove notches (made by central squared blocks), you get ample bite.

Moreover, the tire also features a lighter overall structure as well, with a very composed tread, having foundational supports or as Continental likes to call them “solid linkage”.

These together basically keep the momentum force low, allowing for faster handling and steering responsiveness, and minimum slippage.

Though if you’re looking for the best tire here, you should check out the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 (review), this tire is pretty great, offering 5 feet shorter ice braking distance (on average), compared to VikingContact (which comes in at second place in my tests among all premium winter tires).

Snow Traction

When it comes to snow-covered roads, it’s all about a tire’s ability to effectively penetrate, grip, and subsequently release extra snow (accumulating in the tread).

Put simply, tires must foster an efficient snow-to-snow connection here to provide decent overall performance.

But why this contact is important?

The answer lies in the unique structures of snowflakes, which enable them to interlock with each other, facilitating a stronger bond with one another, compared to rubber.

Now, here the Continental VikingContact 7 offers pretty great results, where it’s inter-connecting grooves everywhere offer ample and efficient snow to snow contact, enhancing grip.

To give you an idea, its overall snow braking/handling is just as great as the best winter tire here.

For Your Info: Out of all it’s direct competitors, the Michelin X-Ice Snow (review) offers the best overall snow performance.

Wet Traction

Wet traction hinges on both the tire’s tread configuration and its rubber formulation. These elements influence the two pivotal facets of wet performance: wet grip and hydroplaning resistance.

Now the Continental ranks on top in all these aspects. In fact, I added this tire as the top wet performer, in my list of best studless winter tires.

Wet Grip

Wet grip is also determined by the volume of rubber interacting with the road, but the thing is water comes in the way, if it’s not cleared out in time.

So overall it depends on how well tire takes out water.

Enter grooves and sipes.

While grooves shoulder the responsibility of discharging most of the water, ensuring hydroplaning resistance (which we’ll explore in the next sub-topic), sipes tackle residual water at the microscopic level.

These sipes, embedded with air, exert it out, creating a vacuum effect. This mechanism draws in and removes water particles beneath them, facilitating clearer surface contact for the tire rubber.

Now, the Continental VikingContact 7 is one of the best tire in this domain, as it incorporates a very aggressive siping pattern that combines dual wave-like patterns (varying in thickness).

Moreover, as these sipes have multiple orientation/angles to them, they effectively grip in all directions.

Though most of its traction is coming from its hydroplaning resistance. Let me explain it in a separate section.

Mitigating Hydroplaning

Hydroplaning happens when water intervenes between the tire and the road. This is because water is incompressible and it fails to escape, it can potentially lead to total traction loss, or the tire to hydroplane or float.

To combat this, tires are designed with grooves, specifically tailored to channel water away and prevent this hazardous event.

Now the Continental VikingContact 7 excels, here, as throws out water very efficiently.

This is all thanks to it’s directional pattern, having voids running in all directions, thanks to it’s squared off lugs in the middle.

Moreover, the tire also has the advantage in terms of its well engineered contact patch. It’s tread is basically designed in a way, so it could put more pressure on the water, so it could leave out with greater force/push.

But how is helping its overall wet performance?

Well, this is because most of the water already passes out through grooves, and sipes, which come in later have less work to do, to begin with.

Comfort Parameters

The degree of comfort a tire offers stems from its ability to minimize road noise and adeptly absorb vibrations. And here, factors such as tire composition, tread design, and sidewall structure play pivotal roles in ensuring a serene ride experience.

Let’s break down these elements.

Tread-Induced Noise

Now when it comes to tread noise, the Continental VikingContact 7 offers just an okay performance here, where it’s open shoulders allow air particles to easily move in and hit around causing noise.

Basically noise is the main cause of noise, where the impact of the air particles striking with the walls, produces primary noise, which then leads to in-groove resonance.

Now although the Continental is a little louder compared to other winter options, its still not that bad.

I mean, its noise is could have gotten worse, if it wasn’t for its special Nordic compound and ContiSilent technology (as Continental likes to call them). It basically keeps the in-groove resonance limited, relatively.

Shock Absorption

When it comes to overall ride experience, the internal and outer construction of the tire has a lot to offer.

And the Continental VikingContact 7, although gets to be louder, it still features better performance in this, other half of overall comfort.

The tire offers a mix of needed softness and rigidity here, allowing for efficient shock absorption, with a control as well.

Dry Road Performance

Overall dry performance is two parts, grip and handling. The grip is fundamentally about the rubber’s interaction with the road and is divided into two segments: directional and lateral adherence.

Let’s start with directional.

Directional Dry Grip

This type of grip pertains to the tire’s linear adhesion, and it’s efficiency predominantly lies in the tire’s central tread engagement with the road surface.

Moreover, as the central tread area bears maximum weight when the tire rolls linearly, it’s intuitive that its traction directly influences braking effectiveness.

While most of the premium winter tires feature continuous central ribs for persistent road contact, the Continental VikingContact 7 lacks with that. Though the tire still features a more enclosed pattern, extending even to the peripheral lugs.

And it’s this uniformity of its tread that still allows it to have above average directional grip, as seen by its appreciable braking distances (on tests).

I mean the tire only lacks by a mere 2 feet in overall braking tests (on average), compared to Blizzak WS90.

Though it still takes the lead in overall handling. Let me explain why in the separate section.

Dry Handling Proficiency

When it comes to dry handling, you should know that it’s a synergy between a tire’s overall traction and its feedback during steering.

Now we have already seen the directional traction, whereas lateral traction, which tells you about tire’s side-to-side grip, is greatly influenced by the tire’s shoulder components.

This is because as the maneuvers, its shoulder or sidewall regions increasingly engage with the road. The precision and extent of this interaction play a crucial role in determining a tire’s handling capabilities.

Having said that it can be explained why the Continental VikingContact 7 offers best dry handling times among all premium winter tires out there, even outperforming Blizzak WS90 (which comes in at the 2nd place).

This is mainly because of the tire’s stiffer internal nylon cap ply, which keeps its shoulder firm as its cornering, adding to its better overall steering responsiveness.

Tread Durability

Tread durability primarily hinges on two intertwined factors: rolling resistance and tread depth. And interestingly, there are two things to note here.

One, the tread depth has a direct relationship with tread lifespan, meaning, a tire with more tread depth is likely to last longer before hitting the standard minimum tread depth of 2/32″ (as required in places like the U.S.).

And two, it has an inverse relation with rolling resistance. Meaning deeper treads tend to flex more, resulting in heat generation and amplified rolling resistance.

And that’s where the Continental VikingContact 7 comes in, with it’s good enough tread depth, with a mixture of reinforced foundations.

So get a good average tread depth of 10/32″, where lugs aren’t prone to flexing, and you get decent overall mileage.

Moreover, its rubber is also not too soft, (which of course prevents it from negatively impacting wear).

And yes, like already explained, the tire has the edge of even distribution of weight among its lugs, or as Continental likes to call it ContiForce, so its overall tread longevity remains above average compared to other tires in the category.

Fuel Efficiency

A tire’s contribution to fuel efficiency is intricately tied to its mass and grip, both of which impact rolling resistance.

So what I mean by that?

Well, notably, a bulkier tire with pronounced tread gaps often undergoes enhanced lug flexing during maneuvers like turns, stops, or accelerations. This additional flexing, rather than aiding in propelling the vehicle forward, expends energy in restoring the lug’s shape or as heat, thereby slightly diminishing fuel efficiency.

With this in mind, the Continental VikingContact, being lighter, performs better in this regard. Its reduced weight relieves pressure on its lugs, resulting in lower rolling resistance.

Further, the tire’s streamlined and uniform tread pattern facilitates smoother rolling compared to most of it’s competitors.

Though being winter tires, you can’t expect too much out of them, of course.

To Sum Up

The Continental VikingContact 7 is a versatile winter tire that exhibits great performance across a range of conditions.

On icy terrains, its Nordic compound ensures adaptability, and the tire’s intricate tread design provides significant traction.

For snow-covered roads, its design promotes efficient snow-to-snow contact for enhanced grip.

Wet conditions see the tire delivering satisfactory performance due to aggressive siping patterns and effective hydroplaning resistance.

And on dry, it offers you with a reliable grip and superior handling.

Lastly, its lightweight construction and efficient design yield good enough fuel efficiency, as well.

In the winter tire spectrum, the Barum Polaris 5 and the Continental WinterContact TS860 stand tall with their impressive performance credentials. But which of the two stands the test of winter roads better? Let’s find out!

Key Takeaway

• Wet Performance: WinterContact outperforms its counterpart due to versatile siping design, improving grip on damp surfaces. Its peer, however, exhibits less aggressive siping with a stiffer rubber compound, affecting performance.
• Snow Grip: Barum Polaris 5 (review) takes the lead in light snow due to its effective tread design, capturing snow and ensuring better contact.
• Vibration Dampening: The Continetal shines in absorbing road disturbances, offering a smoother ride. On the flip side, its counterpart provides a stiffer ride due to a harder rubber compound.
• Noise Generation: The Barum wins with superior pitch sequencing technology that reduces overall noise, while its counterpart experiences higher in-groove resonance levels, so it becomes noisier.
• Ice Traction: WinterContact leads, providing faster braking and handling on icy surfaces, while its counterpart lags due to fewer ice-biting features.
• Dry Gripping: Both tires perform similarly, but Barum 5 slightly edges out if one can tolerate road stiffness.
• Dry Handling: Polaris 5 outperforms the other with superior lateral g-forces and lap times.
• Tread and Fuel Usage: The Continental WinterContact is more fuel-efficient due to streamlined lugs and less aggressive tread voids. Whereas the Polaris 5, exhibits longer tread life thanks to a tougher rubber compound and deeper tread.

Snow Grip

When it comes to snowy conditions, the Barum Polaris 5 takes the lead, particularly when navigating light and fluffy snow.

Though it should be noted, however, that its performance falls short on icy or compacted snow, which will be discussed separately.

So the Barum Polaris 5’s superior performance in snow can be attributed to its tread design, which features abundant in-groove notches and voids.

These design elements act as snow trappers, enhancing ground contact by capturing the snow.

Basically what’s happening here is that the tire is utilizing the snow sticking effect to its advantage.

You see, snow has better adherence to itself than to rubber, contributing to the tire’s excellent performance.

So with lodged snow, the tire is making better contact, and yielding superior results.

On the other hand, the Continental WinterContact TS860, with its less spacious and simpler tread design, fails to offer as effective snow-to-snow contact, especially in heavier conditions.

Wet Performance

When it comes to wet surfaces, the performance of tires heavily depends on their design features. One crucial factor is the number of grooves or sipes present on the tire, as well as the ability of the tread rubber to absorb water.

Both of these go hand in hand, as sipes basically suck water particles in (by flexing), and so they need to be malleable, to properly contract or expand.

Having said that, although both tires feature ample grooves and sipes to displace water and prevent, slipping and hydroplaning, I would still go with Continental WinterContact here.

This is because this tire

incorporates diverse types of sipes that are adept at absorbing and channeling water, thus enhancing its grip on damp roads.

The tire’s design includes numerous tightly-packed, sturdy yet flexible sipes, which greatly bolster its performance around corners.

On the other hand, the Barum Polaris 5, while not lagging too far behind, exhibits less aggressive siping and a stiffer rubber compound.

So it’s sipes aren’t giving us as great of the overall handling and braking capabilities.

Road Vibrations Dampening

Tires play a vital role in dampening road irregularities and act as supplementary suspension systems for the vehicle, if you will.

And to cut the story short, in that aspect, the Continental WinterContact takes the lead with its superior, and innovative tread compound.

Its rubber basically offers a better managing of uneven surfaces, absorbing road disturbances, and resulting in a relatively more smoother ride for the driver and passengers.

Whereas on Barum, you don’t see as much bumps absorption, and it makes sense, as the tire offers a comparatively stiffer rubber compound (to basically improve tread life).

Ice Traction

When it comes to traction on ice-clad surfaces, the WinterContact TS860 shines, thanks to its angled slits and multi-directional in-groove notches.

These combined with the tread’s robust siping, facilitate faster braking and enhanced handling on icy surfaces, allowing for 2 seconds faster handling times, and 4 feet shorter braking.

So why the Barum Polaris 5 is lagging here?

Well mainly due to the wider tread gaps, limited notches, and less aggressive siping pattern, resulting in fewer “teeth” biting into the ice.

Therefore, the winner in terms of ice traction is the Continental.

Noise Generation

Tire noise primarily originates from two sources: air colliding with the tread walls, mainly entering through shoulder voids, and in-groove resonance caused by echoing noise within the tread.

And Continental here, is taking the back seat. Basically the tire’s shoulder voids restrict a lot of air entry, reducing noise from that source (as that’s where most air come in). But the problem emerges from within, as that noise echo more, creating higher in-groove resonance levels.

In contrast, the Barum Polaris 5 manages to be quieter, thanks to its superior pitch sequencing technology.

This technology modifies the tread block geometry, causing various tones to be produced as air particles collide with the tread.

And then, these different tones then work to cancel each other out, resulting in reduced overall noise.

Tread and Fuel Usage

The relationship between tread life and fuel economy primarily depends on rolling resistance, which is significantly influenced by the tire’s weight, tread composition, and design.

In terms of fuel efficiency, the Continental WinterContact TS860 emerges superior, with its more streamlined lugs and less aggressive tread voids.

This design minimizes obstacles during linear rolling and enhances fuel economy.

However, when considering tread life, the Barum excels, due to its harder tread compound and deeper tread.

The Barum Polaris 5 basically, resists wear more effectively, thanks to its lighter weight and tougher rubber compound.

And of course, its deeper tread also implies a longer duration to reach the legally required 2/32″ tread depth, extending its lifespan.

So in essence, the Continental is better in fuel (though only marginally), while the Barum does better in case of treadwear. Though both tires don’t offer any warranty, if you are wondering.

Dry Gripping

The effectiveness of dry grip depends predominantly on the central tread area, where the majority of the tire’s load is concentrated during linear cruising.

And so it makes sense why both tires are on par here. Showing up with similar braking distance values.

Though if you still have to pick one. Go with Barum, if you don’t mind the road stiffness, otherwise Continental should be considered.

Though note that its only half part of the overall equation, and the other, handling, can be a deal-breaker for you if you consider Wintercontact (for dry road, of course).

Dry Handling

The tire’s ability to handle or maintain lateral grip depends largely on the shoulder lug design and overall tread “flexibility”.

Now the thing both tires offer very closed up shoulder lugs, but still you see superior lateral g-forces and lap times on Barum.

This is because the WinterContact has a softer rubber which flex/bend more as the tire corners, this results in lagging steering response, and greater susceptibility to oversteering and understeering.

Take Home Points

This rigorous comparison has highlighted the strengths of both tires, with each outperforming the other in different categories.

The Continental WinterContact TS860 excels in wet traction, vibration dampening, and ice performance. On the other hand, the Barum Polaris 5 dominates in snow performance, noise reduction, and dry traction. Interestingly, both tires present stiff competition in dry handling.

Moreover, while the Continental’s boy also excels in fuel economy, the Barum Polaris takes the prize for tread life.