New in 2024: Continental VikingContact 8 Studless Winter Tire

[camrydriver111]

No way? Every tire has different performance based on climate and vehicle. It may be better in Canada, and worse in the United States depending on where you are.

It the WS80 better than WS90 in some conditions? Is the Pilot Sport 3 better than Pilot Sport 4 in some conditions?

Usually for new iterations of the same tire, there is no advantage of the old version.

We'll see when the tests come out, but I expect it to be better or equal to VC7 in all aspects.

 

[KevinMalone]

Tire Rack data shows the AS4 literally runs a circle around the CC2. Snow and longevity is something else entirely.
View attachment 204372

So if we ignore winter traction, NVH and tread life, then the high performance tire outperforms lower performance tires...

 

[Vercingetorix]

So if we ignore winter traction, NVH and tread life, then the high performance tire outperforms lower performance tires...

Yes, by a large margin.

 

[edyvw]

So if we ignore winter traction, NVH and tread life, then the high performance tire outperforms lower performance tires...

NVH? Michelin Pilot A/S4 for example will be better in all categories except winter, and not by big margin.

 

[KevinMalone]

Pretty significant differences in wet braking distances, although the test was done at 17c. Do you think the X-Ice would be closer at winter temperatures?

 

[SubLGT]

....thanks to Test World in Northern Finland, we've been able to test summer, CrossClimate, all season, winter and nordic winter tyres in dry and wet braking at 0c, 2c, 6c, 10c, 15c! We've also tested the snow performance of all the tires.

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/Summer-All-Season-and-Winter-Tyres-Tested-at-0c-15c.htm

 

[camrydriver111]

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/Summer-All-Season-and-Winter-Tyres-Tested-at-0c-15c.htm

Great video.

They use European terminology so All-Season is actually All Weather. Their winter tire is also a Central European winter tire.

 

[KevinMalone]

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/Summer-All-Season-and-Winter-Tyres-Tested-at-0c-15c.htm

Summer = Continental PremiumContact 6
CrossClimate = Michelin CrossClimate+
All season = Continental AllSeasonContact - also an all weather tire like the CC
Winter = Continental WinterContact TS 860
Nordic = Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3

Time to sell my VC7s and rock CC2s all year...

 

[DirtyGary]

Interesting point about poor wet braking and traction with winter tires. We deal with a lot of rain and the occasional snow day in the PNW - I wonder if we would be better off with good all seasons? Temperatures are still consistently below 7C during the winter though.

Or just get Michelin CC2 and don't think about it...

View attachment 204617

Summer = Continental PremiumContact 6
CrossClimate = Michelin CrossClimate+
All season = Continental AllSeasonContact - also an all weather tire like the CC
Winter = Continental WinterContact TS 860
Nordic = Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3

Time to sell my VC7s and rock CC2s all year...

I have run Blizzak WS90s in 2 very mild Chicago winters and can confirm that winter tires are not good when temps are in the 30s and 40s. Grip is noticeably worse than a good set of uhp all seasons and braking can be a legitimate hazard in rain.

That said, we did have one pretty brutal cold snap/snow storm this past January and suddenly all my complaints about the WS90s went out the window and they were fantastic when in that element.

But yeah, if you're not seeing real winter weather (temps below 30 with snow)... all seasons are superior.

 

[SubLGT]

For the Canadian market only, Continental has introduced the UltimateContact Winter studless tire.

.... This new tire will be sold exclusively through Canadian Tire, and will replace the Continental WinterContact SI Plus when it debuts in stores in August 2024.

https://autosphere.ca/tires/2024/02/27/continental-tire-ultimatecontact-winter-debut-let-it-snow/

 

[Pew]

I have run Blizzak WS90s in 2 very mild Chicago winters and can confirm that winter tires are not good when temps are in the 30s and 40s. Grip is noticeably worse than a good set of uhp all seasons and braking can be a legitimate hazard in rain.

That said, we did have one pretty brutal cold snap/snow storm this past January and suddenly all my complaints about the WS90s went out the window and they were fantastic when in that element.

View attachment 206224

But yeah, if you're not seeing real winter weather (temps below 30 with snow)... all seasons are superior.

I've been running my DM-V2s in the 60-70s we've been having because of a nail in my A/S set. The tread squirm on the highway is crazy; makes me feel like I'm driving drunk.

 

[DirtyGary]

I've been running my DM-V2s in the 60-70s we've been having because of a nail in my A/S set. The tread squirm on the highway is crazy; makes me feel like I'm driving drunk.

I know that sensation. When I went from worn summer goodyears to new michelin pilot sport all seasons on my Focus ST, I had so much squirm on the highway that I thought my rear sway bar was disconnected. Had to lift up the car again just to make sure everything was tight because it felt so loose.

Took a while to get used to it.

 

[edyvw]

I've been running my DM-V2s in the 60-70s we've been having because of a nail in my A/S set. The tread squirm on the highway is crazy; makes me feel like I'm driving drunk.

DM-V2 are particularly bad in warmer weather. Even in cold they are not confident in dry.

 

[SubLGT]

First test of the Continental VikingContact 8, from the Norwegian magazine Motor. Google Translate does a good job with the Norwegian language.

Motor 2024 Test Studless

The VC8 scored 2nd overall. The Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice 3 won 1st place because it had better wet traction and hydroplaning scores, albeit at the price of significantly lower ice traction scores compared to the VC8. In third place was the Nokian R5, and fourth was the Michelin X-Ice Snow.

Their summary comment about the VC8:

Plus:​

Safe and easy to drive under pressure on all surfaces.

Minus:​

Hydroplaning.

 

[edyvw]

First test of the Continental VikingContact 8, from the Norwegian magazine Motor. Google Translate does a good job with the Norwegian language.

Motor 2024 Test Studless

The VC8 scored 2nd overall. The Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice 3 won 1st place because it had better wet traction and hydroplaning scores, albeit at the price of significantly lower ice traction scores compared to the VC8. In third place was the Nokian R5, and fourth was the Michelin X-Ice Snow.

Their summary comment about the VC8:

GY was always strong in Europe in winter tire category. When I lived there, I mostly used Ultra Grip.

 

[SubLGT]

If you want to see test data from the MOTOR test, instead of test scores, they are on this page:

https://www.motor.no/aktuelt/piggfrie-dekk-alle-tall-og-delresultater/288230

 

[Thebigm]

to me it looks like the tread voids are less than half the size. Time will tell. I bet its better in an ice rink will it be better in a turn on 4-6" of fresh snow?
or crossing the slush hump on the highway?
I am sure they will be good tires. They just may have improved them in other areas at a small cost of some winter performance.. that I mentioned.
Which many people who buy performance winter tires (vs max traction) may welcome the changes (including me).

Looking forward to seeing professional reviews.

I bet they performed terribly in slush

 

[krzyss]

I want to emphasize that this tire has the Ice Grip (Nordic) Symbol. That means it is largely unsuitable for anywhere other than the Nordic countries. Don't expect this tire in North America or continental Europe.

Isn't it the new test to "weed" tires that pass 3MPSF test thanks to thread design (like AT tires) as it is just snow traction test but fail short on ice. I think "real" winter tires will pass both tests. I wonder if performance winter tires will be able to get both.

Krzyś

 

[SubLGT]

One more test, this one from Sweden:

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/The-Best-Studded-Friction-Winter-Tyres-for-2024.htm

....The 2024 winter tyre test conducted by Teknikens Värld, a Swedish automotive magazine, evaluated 18 different tyres across various categories, including studded, Nordic non-studded, and Central European winter tyres. The test also included two used tyres to demonstrate how performance changes over time.

....The overall winner of the test was the Continental ContiVikingContact 8, a Nordic non-studded tyre that demonstrated excellent all-round performance...

 

[SubLGT]

The VikingContact 8 will be available in Canada around late August 2025.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-...W-The-First-Continental-All-Weather-Tire.html

I believe Continental is having a "press event" today at Circuit ICAR in Montreal to introduce the 2 tires.