Viking contact 7 or wintercommand ultra

[jalikaria24]

Wondering which winter tire will last longer out of the two? And which will be better in dryer weather? Price is pretty similar I know the Viking will be better for snow and ice etc but it’s just a smidge better. Wondering treadware wise and longevity

Thanks

 

[JimPghPA]

OP, where are you located? Total life for one tire in Arizona may be totally different than in Northern Canada.

 

[jalikaria24]

Chicago

 

[edyvw]

Viking 7.
If we were talking European Good Year, that would be different.

 

[dnewton3]

There are three tire review sources I typically look at when going to buy tires:
- Consumer Reports
- Tire Rack
- Tyre Reviews (YT channel)
And what I've noticed is that the top three or four rankings every year are very, very close to each other. Meaning all the top performers are "good enough" to be worthy of consideration.
CR rates them in back-to-back blind tests. So does TyreReviews.
TireRack uses customer surveys. The upside is that there are litereally hundreds of thousands of reviews. But ... it's just one customer's opinion of their tire choice and a survey; it does NOT reflect a customer who had all 7 tire brands and then rank-ordered them.
So ... it's Caveat Emptor when it comes to reading ratings from different sources.

Per CR, the Conti ranked 3rd while the GY ranked at 5th. Ironically, TireRack puts the GY at 2nd and Conti at 3rd. (I find that a bit dubious as they don't have any data yet on the GY, but they "expect" it to place there.) Another example, the Michelin IceX Snow is rated #2 by CR, but it's #4 in TireRack.

I'm sure both the Conti and GY are both good winter tires. The issues you ask about (lifespan and dry grip) are hard to discuss because nearly all companies don't give tread-life ratings on winter tires; that's because they have no idea about the winter conditions in any one specific use area. Winter could be very dry one year and then heavy snow the next winter, all the the same zip code area. Snow tires are very soft, and the tire company has no idea how easy or agressive you'll drive. You really have no practical idea to know if one is going to outlast the other under the same conditions. No one I can find (not CR, or online tire reviews) ever discusses the longevity of snow tires; it's simply a topic that's ignored. As for dry grip, that also is somewhat vague, but CR does rate them equal in dry braking (they don't rate dry handling).

I think the following three statements are accurate regarding winter tires:
- Any winter tire that places well in multiple rating systems (CR, TireRack, TyreReviews) is going to be a good performing tire for the desired application (if it places in the top there or four positions in three different ratings systems, it's probably a well-rounded very good tire)
- It's improbable you'll ever find a consensus on what's the "best" tire (any more than a best oil, or best filter ...)
- YMMV.

 

[Rand]

I have run many winter tires in the past.
I have the Viking contact 7 on a 2020 Elantra currently and really like them.

Really good in the bad stuff and handle dry and wet better than the OEM tires.

 

[jalikaria24]

sorry to keep adding on , it seems like in chicago it wont be snowing 247 and i bet i need some half decent dry traction as well. so ill also add the general altimax arctic 12 into the mix too. i can get all these tires around the same price range, ofc ill save some money with the altimax arctic 12. wondering out of the 3 tires which will give me good dry traction as well?

thx

 

[edyvw]

sorry to keep adding on , it seems like in chicago it wont be snowing 247 and i bet i need some half decent dry traction as well. so ill also add the general altimax arctic 12 into the mix too. i can get all these tires around the same price range, ofc ill save some money with the altimax arctic 12. wondering out of the 3 tires which will give me good dry traction as well?

thx

Continental will be better.
If you want good dry traction for a winter tire, go Michelin.
Continental is go to winter tire in Europe, which consumes much more winter tires than North America. GY is close second, but we don’t get those GY tires.

 

[Sequoiasoon]

Of the above and noted Michelin X-ice Snow is the only one to actually offer a treadlife warranty "
Treadlife Warranty:
6 Years / 40,000 Miles (when worn to 2/32" depth) Half mileage for rear if different size than front Must be used during winter months only 9/1 to 4/30

The Michelin was usually noted as one of the best choices for cold dry roads as it was a bit more "all season" but was also very good in ice and snow. I know many that have had that and others and they now stick with the Michelin. The X-ice Snow is the latest version that was revamped to be more aggressive because they were losing sales due to the "mild look" not performance.

I'm on Long Island in NY, but travel upstate NY and Massachusetts often. I have the Viking 7 on my kids cars who go to school in CT. I have the previous version WinterContact Si on my wife's Pilot. My Accord is on Winter Command Ultra as the price could not be passed up due to Goodyear prorating my Assurance WeatherReady due to sidewall separating.

I don't know what size you have but in my Accord size 205-65-16 the Winter Command has a 6.1" contact patch and forum member who runs the Michelin checked his and same size is 6.9" so more rubber on the road for dry ground etc.

My kids old CRV had the Altimax Arctic 12 and it was great.

I don't have snow experience yet on the Goodyear but wet traction is less than my all season Pirelli P7 (they are larger size 215-55-17) with a 7" contact patch.

You really can't go wrong with any of the ones listed above for your winter use and safety. Michelin is only one with the treadwear warranty.