Continental Extreme Contact DWS

[interceptor]

I have a 2013 SHO and live in eastern Washington State, which gets a pretty decent winter with snow and ice.  My car sees a lot of highway time in the winter.

I had a set of 17" Blizzaks that I ran on my 2010 Taurus, which don't fit on my '13.  I found myself not using the Blizzaks much and pushing to use my all seasons, because the ride was so much smoother and quieter.

So, I was looking at a less aggressive snow or more aggressive all season for my '13, only for the winter season.  I want a smooth quiet ride, but still decent in snow and ice when I run into it.

I've read good things about the Continental Extreme Contact DWS on some of the SHO forums.  I checked out some of the reviews on Tire Rack and am confused.  A lot of people complained about noise and a rough ride with vibration.  Some people raved about the quietness and smoothness.  Its like they are rating 2 different tires.

For those that have these, are they much better than my stock Michelin all seasons in the snow/ice?  Are they really quiet and smooth or loud like a dedicated snow tire?  Do they last? Do you recommend them as a winter tire for the SHO?  Should I be looking at anything else?

Thanks for any input.

[Scott13SHO]

While not an SHO, I've had two sets of Continental DWS tires on my Mustang and I loved them for a street tire. I'm planning on replacing the Eagle F1 tires I have now with them next year (should be interesting driving the F1s this winter lol)

[SHOdded]

The DWS's are a great tire for the price.  One of the top picks for all-season, high-performance tires for me.  Turnin response/steering response can be a teensy bit numb, but I have driven them through all kinds of weather (and quietly) with no issues.  Don't expect Bond-like traction on ice though

One thing to remember is that they are directional tires, so that limits rotation choices. Incorrect rotation will cause uneven wear a lot more easily in this case.  That MAY be a reason for some of the vibration complaints also.

[BBOX]

I don't have personal experience with these tires just yet but I'm about to, based on the rave reviews I see from people on various Taurus/MKS/Flex etc forums as well as two people that I have a ton of respect for their opinion, one of whom drives a 350 FWHP supercharged 1999 Mercury Cougar year-round in Wisconsin, another who drives a 2006 C63 AMG that's tuned, also year-round. Both of these guys swear by these tires and feel they are the best compromise of winter and summer performance available. Since I don't really want to do the winter/summer two-step, I'm looking forward to getting these tires and seeing what's up with them.

[mjhpadi]

I used Continentals many years ago on my motorcycles and they were always very good tires.  The Continental Extreme DWS...don't know much about them.  What kind of mileage warranty do they carry and how are their temp and wear ratings?  I could just go look, just wondered if you guys know and what is your experience with them?

[Scott13SHO]

The last pair on my mustang lasted about 40k miles. They have a pretty high tread ware rating. They where even decent in the snow at the times I was forced to drive it in it


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[Needmoreboost]

A set you should look into is General Tire GMAX.  Had a set on my SRT4 and they awesome.  Quite and very grippy.  Reasonably priced too.

[SHOdded]

All DWS tires:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ExtremeContact+DWS
245/45/20's:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ExtremeContact+DWS&sidewall=Blackwall&partnum=44YR0ECDWSXL&tab=Specs

Comparison of similar tires in category:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=UHPAS&width=245%2F&ratio=40&diameter=20&tireSearch=true&filter=y

[Shonuff1140]

Running General G-maxx tires on my 2011. So far I have only about 500 miles on them. NO NOISE, and they are DRAMATICALLY smoother riding the the Eage F1 Supercraps. They are also lighter by about 4 lbs of rotating mass each.

I was a red twat hair (I hear they are thinner than dark ones) away from pulling the trigger on the Conti's but the Discount tire guy informed me that Continental makes General. So I went the mess less expensive route and so far am really happy.

[geswek]

GMAX is not an all season tyre.

Go with the DWS, BPD runs them on his car in Chicago snow with no problems. I'm getting them in November for mine here in PA.

I am not running two sets of wheels thus my DWS will be my year round tyre.

[Shonuff1140]

General G-max AS-03 are listed as ultra high performance all season, please look on tirerack to confirm.

Its one of the reasons I bought them.

[geswek]

  Check again.  The are not snow tires, all season yes.  Get ur shitz together gesweeker!

I was half asleep; I went back and looked--the tyre still sucks.

Conti DWS are the best--proven.

Get GMAX in winter, but don't cry when you face plant a snow filled ditch with them.

[mjhpadi]

Running General G-maxx tires on my 2011.

Running General G-maxx tires on my 2011.   

So I went the mess less expensive route and so far am really happy.

.

Not sure I know what "the mess less expensive route" means.

[BBOX]

Running General G-maxx tires on my 2011.

Running General G-maxx tires on my 2011.   

So I went the mess less expensive route and so far am really happy.

.

Not sure I know what "the mess less expensive route" means.

Going out on a limb but he probably meant "much less expensive route" as the Conti's are $68/corner more expensive than the Generals. It does appear the Generals represent a good value as they place sixth in Tire Rack's rankings out of 28 tires in the UHP category, but the Conti's get the top spot. I admit I do feel a little perceived pressure in regards to tire choice with the MKS - I usually shop tires pretty hard and focus on value and performance over name brand and am often picking from the "cheap tire" bin as I've found Falkens, Kumhos and Firestones to be a pretty good value over the years, but I don't wanna look like some corn cob with a big, expensive car and off-brand tires. Some may say that's silly and I'm fine with that, everyone's gotta do their own thing, but for me, it'll be the Continentals for sure.

[g03svt]

Running General G-maxx tires on my 2011. So far I have only about 500 miles on them. NO NOISE, and they are DRAMATICALLY smoother riding the the Eage F1 Supercraps. They are also lighter by about 4 lbs of rotating mass each.

I was a red twat hair (I hear they are thinner than dark ones) away from pulling the trigger on the Conti's but the Discount tire guy informed me that Continental makes General. So I went the mess less expensive route and so far am really happy.

I need to order some, my friend has been selling a bunch of them lately with great feedback.