Review: Continental Extreme Contact DW
05-31-2011, 09:21 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Review: Continental Extreme Contact DW
see post#25 for an update after a track day at the Streets of willow CW
see post#24 for an update after 6k miles and a small track event
Hey guys, I finally decided to write a mini review now that Ive logged a few miles on these tires. I was looking for a tire that had similar grip to the stock bridgestone s02's but with wet handling abilities and better tire longevity.I purchased the Continental Extreme Contact DW in stock ap1 sizing and as you already know and I am extremely impressed with this tire. Now keep in mind Im no novice/expert so take what I tell you with a grain of salt. After putting a few thousand miles on the old bridgestone re050s and another few thousand on some hankook ventus v4's, I now had a basis to which I could compare this tire to. I can clearly say that the DW's are clearly the winner without a doubt. When I first put them on I had to drive through a HORRIBLE rain storm and while other cars around me were slowing down to 35mph on the highway the s2k still felt very comfortable going 50+ and felt safe doing so. And again, a few weeks prior to purchase I got stuck in another horrible thunder storm with the re050s and the drive to my gf's house was completely nerve racking even going 40mph on the highway, so nerve racking I exited off the freeway and took an additional 30 minute detour using side streets just so I could get off the highway. Now Ive read enough posts on s2ki over the years that when you even begin to question the tires on an s2k that it is time to replace them ASAP before the unthinkable happens. The s2k is primarily a weekend car and alot of the logged miles have been in the canyons with spirited driving/highway, I havent gotten the tail to step out yet but so far the tire has great traction in the dry. The hankooks and bridgestone had very little warning as to when the tail would want to step out and when it did it was very non linear, the ventus's were definitely not confidence inspiring when it came to dry grip (it is an outclassed tire though) and the bridgestones were pretty decent for what they were.
Other tires I was cross shopping were the Dunlop sport maxx TTs, Hankook RS3, yokohama s-drives, bridgestone re760s, and the Dunlop star specs and DZ101s. Out of those listed the next in line for me to purchase was the Dunlop sport maxx TT's but when I was ready to buy, the rebate had run out, they were rated very highly by other S2k owners and tirerack customers and were very similar to the DW's (just cheaper). The RS3's, and star specs were just too high of a performance tire for me to utilize to its fullest capabilities and when those tires had worn down to 50% most had complained about losing alot of wet handling abilities and its ability to combat hydroplaning in standing water. Also I wasnt about to spend a few hundred dollars knowing that I would have to replace the kooks/starspecs in a few thousand miles. The bridgestone re760s, dunlop dz101 and yokohama s-drives while being in a different category just were lacking in the wet/dry handling department and were still priced similar to the continental DW's which are a higher performing tire. If I were more concerned about tire life I would have went with the yokohama s-drives or 760s. While this car is only a weekend driver and I try to avoid rain at any cost, its nice to know that if I do have an encounter with mother nature my mind will be at peace knowing that Ive got the continentals and not the hankook RS3's/star specs.
The continentals are also much more quieter than the bridgestones on the highway but are about on par with the Hankooks I had, from what Ive read, people have complained about the DW's soft sidewalls but so far I have no complaints, if ever they feel just as stiff as the old re050s which were fine by me. The DW's soak up bumps very well without that bone jarring feeling you get in your stomach. I have yet to autox (just waiting on a helmet) but when I do ill be sure to add another update. Cost came out to approximately 490$ after shipping, taxes, and mounting fees, the tires shipped fast and were well packaged. Not only that I got a cool flip mini HD cam outa the rebate offer that tirerack had going on (2-3 month wait), so all in all it was a great experience purchasing the tires from tirerack, and Jims customer service was excellent! The tire rack website offered way more information that I could think of and was also very easy to navigate. Another cool feature about the DW's was that they have "DW" (D=dry W=wet)imprinted into the tread design, when any of these letters wear off it is implying that the tire has lost its optimal handling capabilities in either a dry or wet situation and that replacement should be in the near future. For the price they cant be beat (they did not have hankook v12evos at the time in ap1 sizing), and the results on tireracks surveys are proof of the many content customers, this tire is currently ranked 2nd only to the well known michellin pilot pss but at a few hundred dollars more. Im definitely a continental convert and the daily driver will soon be wearing continental DWS for snow capabilities. So if your looking for a tire that handles great in the dry and the wet, has great daily driver characteristics and is priced extremely reasonably, look no further, the Continental extreme contact DW is for you. If you want all out grip on the other hand and maximum dry performance it looks like the star specs, pilot sport pss, hankook rs3s or bridgestone re11s are up your alley. Thanks Continental and Tire Rack!
Just mounted
you can see the "DW" imprinted in the tread design.
and here is a pic of the older bridgestone re050s I was using, pic taken right after the rain storm, these were replaced 1 day after
see post#24 for an update after 6k miles and a small track event
Hey guys, I finally decided to write a mini review now that Ive logged a few miles on these tires. I was looking for a tire that had similar grip to the stock bridgestone s02's but with wet handling abilities and better tire longevity.I purchased the Continental Extreme Contact DW in stock ap1 sizing and as you already know and I am extremely impressed with this tire. Now keep in mind Im no novice/expert so take what I tell you with a grain of salt. After putting a few thousand miles on the old bridgestone re050s and another few thousand on some hankook ventus v4's, I now had a basis to which I could compare this tire to. I can clearly say that the DW's are clearly the winner without a doubt. When I first put them on I had to drive through a HORRIBLE rain storm and while other cars around me were slowing down to 35mph on the highway the s2k still felt very comfortable going 50+ and felt safe doing so. And again, a few weeks prior to purchase I got stuck in another horrible thunder storm with the re050s and the drive to my gf's house was completely nerve racking even going 40mph on the highway, so nerve racking I exited off the freeway and took an additional 30 minute detour using side streets just so I could get off the highway. Now Ive read enough posts on s2ki over the years that when you even begin to question the tires on an s2k that it is time to replace them ASAP before the unthinkable happens. The s2k is primarily a weekend car and alot of the logged miles have been in the canyons with spirited driving/highway, I havent gotten the tail to step out yet but so far the tire has great traction in the dry. The hankooks and bridgestone had very little warning as to when the tail would want to step out and when it did it was very non linear, the ventus's were definitely not confidence inspiring when it came to dry grip (it is an outclassed tire though) and the bridgestones were pretty decent for what they were.
Other tires I was cross shopping were the Dunlop sport maxx TTs, Hankook RS3, yokohama s-drives, bridgestone re760s, and the Dunlop star specs and DZ101s. Out of those listed the next in line for me to purchase was the Dunlop sport maxx TT's but when I was ready to buy, the rebate had run out, they were rated very highly by other S2k owners and tirerack customers and were very similar to the DW's (just cheaper). The RS3's, and star specs were just too high of a performance tire for me to utilize to its fullest capabilities and when those tires had worn down to 50% most had complained about losing alot of wet handling abilities and its ability to combat hydroplaning in standing water. Also I wasnt about to spend a few hundred dollars knowing that I would have to replace the kooks/starspecs in a few thousand miles. The bridgestone re760s, dunlop dz101 and yokohama s-drives while being in a different category just were lacking in the wet/dry handling department and were still priced similar to the continental DW's which are a higher performing tire. If I were more concerned about tire life I would have went with the yokohama s-drives or 760s. While this car is only a weekend driver and I try to avoid rain at any cost, its nice to know that if I do have an encounter with mother nature my mind will be at peace knowing that Ive got the continentals and not the hankook RS3's/star specs.
The continentals are also much more quieter than the bridgestones on the highway but are about on par with the Hankooks I had, from what Ive read, people have complained about the DW's soft sidewalls but so far I have no complaints, if ever they feel just as stiff as the old re050s which were fine by me. The DW's soak up bumps very well without that bone jarring feeling you get in your stomach. I have yet to autox (just waiting on a helmet) but when I do ill be sure to add another update. Cost came out to approximately 490$ after shipping, taxes, and mounting fees, the tires shipped fast and were well packaged. Not only that I got a cool flip mini HD cam outa the rebate offer that tirerack had going on (2-3 month wait), so all in all it was a great experience purchasing the tires from tirerack, and Jims customer service was excellent! The tire rack website offered way more information that I could think of and was also very easy to navigate. Another cool feature about the DW's was that they have "DW" (D=dry W=wet)imprinted into the tread design, when any of these letters wear off it is implying that the tire has lost its optimal handling capabilities in either a dry or wet situation and that replacement should be in the near future. For the price they cant be beat (they did not have hankook v12evos at the time in ap1 sizing), and the results on tireracks surveys are proof of the many content customers, this tire is currently ranked 2nd only to the well known michellin pilot pss but at a few hundred dollars more. Im definitely a continental convert and the daily driver will soon be wearing continental DWS for snow capabilities. So if your looking for a tire that handles great in the dry and the wet, has great daily driver characteristics and is priced extremely reasonably, look no further, the Continental extreme contact DW is for you. If you want all out grip on the other hand and maximum dry performance it looks like the star specs, pilot sport pss, hankook rs3s or bridgestone re11s are up your alley. Thanks Continental and Tire Rack!
Just mounted
you can see the "DW" imprinted in the tread design.
and here is a pic of the older bridgestone re050s I was using, pic taken right after the rain storm, these were replaced 1 day after
07-17-2011, 01:45 AM
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I have them on my daily civic on the rear. I have to admit that the tire didn't seem so agressive when it arrive to my home. Even that the tires were mounted on the rear I feel more grip, less noise, more wet traction that the OEM michelin exalto of my daily civic.
I have RS-3 on my S. But if I consider to have two sets (track/street) DW will be my street tire
I have RS-3 on my S. But if I consider to have two sets (track/street) DW will be my street tire
07-18-2011, 11:28 AM
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I recently mounted my 225/255 DW's and I couldn't believe how big the grooves were and how little rubber actually seems to touch the pavement. The tires dont have but 200 miles on them, so I consider them still breaking in and wearing off the "mold release juice". The car just seems very squirmy on interstate. I know the taller tread blocks are going to have more squirm than my old worn out tires, but I felt uneasy about this. I'm hoping after a few hundred miles, they will tighten up. I plan on having the alignment checked out to make sure it isn't that as well.
07-19-2011, 11:55 AM
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Also, ever since I put these tires on, the car pulls to one side under load and pulls the other way under decel. It gets much worse with interstate speeds. Could this be a bad tire?
I've checked the pressures and set them at 32PSI all around and also tried 35PSI. Checked with 2 tire gauges to verify as well. I thought I was imagining it at first, but after more driving, Im sure it is pulling to one side on every upshift. All four tires are brand new, mounted properly and balanced out.
I've checked the pressures and set them at 32PSI all around and also tried 35PSI. Checked with 2 tire gauges to verify as well. I thought I was imagining it at first, but after more driving, Im sure it is pulling to one side on every upshift. All four tires are brand new, mounted properly and balanced out.
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07-20-2011, 02:43 PM
#8
Thread Starter
hmm what you seem to be describing is uneven tire psi, have you tried using another gauge? You have the exact symptoms of low psi, Pulls to one side during accel and pulls the opposite during decel. Ive got mine at 38psi and they dont "wander" around at highway speeds at all.
07-21-2011, 01:30 AM
#9
I recently mounted my 225/255 DW's and I couldn't believe how big the grooves were and how little rubber actually seems to touch the pavement. The tires dont have but 200 miles on them, so I consider them still breaking in and wearing off the "mold release juice". The car just seems very squirmy on interstate. I know the taller tread blocks are going to have more squirm than my old worn out tires, but I felt uneasy about this. I'm hoping after a few hundred miles, they will tighten up. I plan on having the alignment checked out to make sure it isn't that as well.
Also, ever since I put these tires on, the car pulls to one side under load and pulls the other way under decel. It gets much worse with interstate speeds. Could this be a bad tire?
I've checked the pressures and set them at 32PSI all around and also tried 35PSI. Checked with 2 tire gauges to verify as well. I thought I was imagining it at first, but after more driving, Im sure it is pulling to one side on every upshift. All four tires are brand new, mounted properly and balanced out.
I've checked the pressures and set them at 32PSI all around and also tried 35PSI. Checked with 2 tire gauges to verify as well. I thought I was imagining it at first, but after more driving, Im sure it is pulling to one side on every upshift. All four tires are brand new, mounted properly and balanced out.
.
07-21-2011, 10:58 AM
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Still need to have an alignment check, but it was done just a few months ago. Also, this problem occurred immediately after installing the new tires.
Tire pressure was checked with 2 gauges.
Tire pressure was checked with 2 gauges.