Continental ExtremeContact DW - Feedback Please

[Todd15Fastback]

Off the wall question: if these are your DD tires and you don't plan to track them, why so wide?

I think this car looks great with 11" wide wheels out back with 315 rubber. Just compliments everything.

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[BmacIL]

I think this car looks great with 11" wide wheels out back with 315 rubber. Just compliments everything.

Fair enough, it certainly does look good! I'm just not sure I'd want the negatives associated with really wide tires for a DD package (follows road cambers worse, generally decreased ride quality, worse fuel economy, potentially more road noise, worse in the rain/standing water)

 

[Todd15Fastback]

Fair enough, it certainly does look good! I'm just not sure I'd want the negatives associated with really wide tires for a DD package (follows road cambers worse, generally decreased ride quality, worse fuel economy, potentially more road noise, worse in the rain/standing water)

Valid points. I work from home 100% of the time, so I don't put a lot of miles on my car at all. 80% of the miles come from weekend trips.

 

[OppoLock]

Kind of, LOL. I was curious of the competition to the MPSS and started looking around and these were better in wet vs. MPSS but a bit behind in dry traction. The price difference when shopping on Tirerack is over $500 by going with the DW's. As I mentioned before. If my car is going to the road course, I will buy tires that fit on my stock PP wheels. So that has no bearing on my daily driven setup.

I am just trying to determine if the MPSS are worth that price difference for my usage. Right now, I can't see how they are

I see I see . I dug this guy's post up that I'm friends with over on Bimmerpost. He has a C63 which he ended up buying DWs for. He never stopped recommending them to others so that's saying something:

Summer is here again (hallelujah) so I figured I would post this for any of you considering purchasing some new summer tires. I left the review here as the tires I chose are applicable to any performance-oriented coupe or sedan.

I wanted to try out some new tires this summer. I liked both the stickiness and responsiveness of the OEM ContiSportContact 5Ps I had but wasn't thrilled with the ride comfort they provided. Initially, I sold them because I wanted to go wider but after doing some research, I determined that wider isn't necessarily always better. I didn't want to sacrifice performance but I did want to secure a better/softer ride for cruising during daily driving.

I've had all kinds of summer tires. On my BMWs, I mainly utilized either Pirelli P-Zeros, Michelin Pilot Super Sports, or Bridgestone Potenza Pole Positions. For the C63, I considered these aforementioned options along with several other brands, models, and sizes (OEM, 265/245, 275/245, etc.). After a lot of reading and plenty of deliberation, I went with the Continental ExtremeContact DW (Dry/Wet) in 255/35 and 235/40.

First off, I like the way the DW's look. They've got a nice, extra wide profile and a pretty cool tread pattern. There are D and W indicators in the tread that disappear when the tire is no longer suitable for a particular condition. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Dry Performance: They're ZR(Y)-rated max performance summer tires (186+ mph). Steering feel is good and turn-in has remained sharp. While the tires provide plenty of feedback, they soak up road imperfections and rough pavement much better than my old 5Ps. The tires are also very, very quiet. Since installing the tires, I have been driving exclusively in S+ and whenever I smash the throttle from a dig, they hook up wonderfully (ambient temperatures of about 80-86 F). There isn't much squealing or fuss, just plenty of traction. I didn't measure my stopping distances or anything like that but generally, pedal feel during braking is also excellent.

Wet Performance: Wow, this is where these tires really shine. We've had some soaking rain recently and the DWs handled the wet conditions flawlessly. Whereas the 5Ps felt a little squirmy/skittish during spirited wet-weather driving, the DWs felt planted (especially at higher speeds on the interstate). There was minimal ESP interference during reasonable acceleration in the wet. Braking on the soaked road surface was also very pleasant and stable.

I'll add more feedback to this post as I rack up more miles but thus far, I have been thrilled with the ExtremeContact DWs. Michelin Pilot Super Sports they are not but they offer excellent dry/wet performance and outstanding ride quality for a bargain of a price. I actually looked up some DW reviews after I bought them and found that they outperformed the PSS with respect to wet track testing.

http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=994809

 

[Todd15Fastback]

I see I see . I dug this guy's post up that I'm friends with over on Bimmerpost. He has a C63 which he ended up buying DWs for. He never stopped recommending them to others so that's saying something:



http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=994809

I found this thread when I was Googling this evening. Found good feedback from the E92 folks as well.

I think I am sold on the DW's

 

[BmacIL]

Valid points. I work from home 100% of the time, so I don't put a lot of miles on my car at all. 80% of the miles come from weekend trips.

Enjoy then! I'd do similar if the car were mostly my play toy and not my day-to-day transport. If it were me, I'd stick to 295 or less though, as I have it on good authority that while the 315s can technically fit, there are an awful lot of dynamic clearance zone violations that the engineers would never sign off on. The GT350 has changes to accommodate wider rears much easier.

 

[OppoLock]

I found this thread when I was Googling this evening. Found good feedback from the E92 folks as well.

I think I am sold on the DW's

Right on, be sure to post your thoughts here bud! I'm curious to see how they fair coming from P Zeros.

 

[RubyRed15]

I have it on good authority that while the 315s can technically fit, there are an awful lot of dynamic clearance zone violations that the engineers would never sign off on. The GT350 has changes to accommodate wider rears much easier.

Please elaborate.

 

[BmacIL]

Please elaborate.

Which part? ;)

I'll get some details. That was based on an in-person conversation with someone involved with the vehicle dynamics and suspension of the car.

 

[RubyRed15]

Which part? ;)

I'll get some details. That was based on an in-person conversation with someone involved with the vehicle dynamics and suspension of the car.

Specifically this: "there are an awful lot of dynamic clearance zone violations that the engineers would never sign off on".

 

[Proudgeek]

The last 2 sets of tires on my s197 Bullitt were the DW's and they are the best bang for the buck. I now have PSS' on the s550 and they are a better tire for sure. Bottom line, I am most likely not going back. They inspire much more confidence on a car with over 100+ hp out of the hole and in twisties. Don't save the money unless you absolutely have to.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

The last 2 sets of tires on my s197 Bullitt were the DW's and they are the best bang for the buck. I now have PSS' on the s550 and they are a better tire for sure. Bottom line, I am most likely not going back. They inspire much more confidence on a car with over 100+ hp out of the hole and in twisties. Don't save the money unless you absolutely have to.

Very interesting feedback. Thanks for sharing.

 

[101charley]

Hey Folks - I thought I was set in my tires that I wanted but now, maybe not?

Anyone out there running these tires? I had my mind on Michelin PSS's but came across these and their performance is equal or better in what appears to be all areas but lateral G's. Just a tick less. But a quite a bit cheaper with a bit better treadware. I bet a set of 4 is about $400 bucks cheaper running 275/35/20 and 315/35/20's.

Thanks for anyone that has real world experience. This includes our vendors

I have the Continental Extreme Contact DSW tires on my 2006 Mercedes E55 AMG. Excellent tire. No complaints at all. 245/45/18 F and 275/40/18 R.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

Which part? ;)

I'll get some details. That was based on an in-person conversation with someone involved with the vehicle dynamics and suspension of the car.

Clearance zone violations? Anything you can share would be awesome:cheers:

 

[BmacIL]

I'll talk to him today about it. What I do remember was that during most daily driving you won't see an issue but if you hit a good bump or two, you'll definitely rub/crash.

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