Review of Continental TS800s from TireRack:
Vehicle:
2014 smart fortwo passion coupe
Not Rated
- Miles Driven on Tires:
50
Location:
GALENA, IL
- Driving Condition:
Mostly City
Driving Style:
Average
50 Miles on Tires
February 04, 2015
Horrible Horrible Horrible HORRIBLE.
Don't waste your money. We only bought these as they were the only tires available for the Smart car.
My son slid - SLID - off the road doing less than 20 mph on a FLAT Surface!!
He got stuck in a Cleaned, snowpacked driveway.
If I could I would return these as they are no better than the all-season's we removed.
DO NOT BUY
The Continental VikingContact7s seem to have better reviews, and are cheaper.
Myself, I've got 3 smarts - 2009 Passion, 2015 Pure, and 2015 Brabus.
I've got a set of 185/55R15 Bridgestone Blizzak WS90s, a set of 175/65R15
Bridgestone Blizzak WS80s, and if things ever get really crazy, a set of 185/60R15
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9 Studded Winter Tires.
The Blizzaks are among the top rated, from what I've seen. The 90s are supposed to have better tread life than the 80s, but wet/snow/ice performance looks comparable, and the 80s are cheaper. I haven't had a chance to really test any of mine yet, as we had no appreciable snow last year.
Keep in mind that winter tires have cold weather rubber formulations that summer tires don't have, and that all-seasons have to a lesser extent. The one notable exception seems to Vredestein's Quatrac 5 Grand Touring All-Season tire, which is severe snow rated. I suspect that a lot of winter accidents are attributable to inappropriate tires.