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[bennye90]

This is just my opinion and review thread for the Continental Extreme Contact DWS06. Hopefully it will be to some use to current/future buyers looking for tires. Everything stated in this is my opinion and thoughts, I will try to connect my driving style to the review of the tire.

Daily Commute:
I currently commute 140km's a day from work and back, including weekend errands the totally weekly range is 800km average. Didn't plan on driving this much but new opportunities come with sacrifice and that is sadly on my e90 The commute is mostly highway driven with a 80/20 split with city including the weekends.

Driving Style:
A conservative driver going at constant speeds including both highway and city. At one or two times a month I would take it down spirited roads for 10km or so.

Conditions:
Driving in Toronto that currently tackles all four seasons. We are shortly entering the fall season so I will see how the rain and cooler temps will go about. Otherwise I usually take the car up to the ski hills weekly in the winters and drive to cottage country in the summers.

Current Setup:
Front: 225/40/18 | 8" width
Rear: 255/35/18 | 8.5" width
Rims: BMW BBW STYLE 197
Drivetrain: X-Drive
* Done an alignment right after wheels were mounted, balanced and installed. Shop found misalignment in my camber and toe which resulted in some wear in my old tires but nothing to excessive.

Previous Setup:
Front: 225/40/18 | 8" width
Rear: 255/35/18 | 8.5" width
Rims: BMW BBW STYLE 197
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZP
* Had to change them since I blew a hole in the tires after hitting a pothole on the highway. Tire was still holding air but obviously unsafe under pressure.

Stock Setup:
Front/Rear: 205/55/16 | 7" width
Rims: BMW STYLE 156
Tires: Bridgestone Driveguard RFT

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Initial Review:

The comparison I do between the Michelin Summers and Bridgestone RFT vs Continental A/S is personally not a good judgement due to its different class.

Look: The current size does look well on the rim but has alittle overlay over the edge of the rim. It looks good overall with the CONTINENTAL in big writing over the circumference. Pushing the sidewall with my thumb, I can apply a bit of pressure to flex the tire, which may be concerning but we will see how that plays out. The traction pattern looks like a hybrid with aggressive pattern in the middle and summer like attributes on the outer. Overall good looking and fitted tire.

Noise: Conti's are quieter than the Bridgestone RFT and at the same noise level as the Pilot Sport ZP. It is a significant difference in noise which is a plus and why people usually switch from RFT to non-rft. When hitting a pothole, the impact is more subtle and the noise is not a bang anymore, but again with BMW suspension, you will feel the bump. The Conti's take the pothole a lot less harshly. Overall quiet ride and takes potholes less harshly

Traction/Feel: Hands down the Michelins beat the Conti's but both are way better than the Bridgestone RFT. In morning dew road conditions at 6AM, the Conti's give a level feel when driving and turning but have alittle more play than the Michelins. As well as the traction is good enough for commuting and little spirited driving (taking on corners etc.) Overall a comfortable ride with little play in morning dew cornering.

In the end, I am overall satisfied with the purchase due to the cost and functionality of the tire. It is still early with the usage but hopefully it plays out along with my satisfaction. Though the sidewall may be a concern by initial hand feel, the comfort and traction as well as overall ride seem to be the reason behind it. Hopefully it is a durable tire. Again switching from rft to non-rft is recommended.

To be continued with more KM intervals driven.

[bennye90]

Driven 400km's on the new Conti's and here is my continuation:

The temperature has dropped from high 30 humid weather to mid 20's cool weather with a short storm that brewed into the city. Got to test it in both conditions. I can say the tire confidently handle in a level and controlled way in both dry and wet conditions. The wet conditions was heavy rain fall with puddles and what not. Taking the 360 turn onto the highway, the car still feels as leveled with minimal play and stays within the steering direction. Definitely more confident in wet than the Michelin PS2 ZP.

Furthermore, the noise is becoming a bit more evident at low speeds (up to 60km/h) but it may be dependent on the road material. I found it was off and on at sometimes but could not really conclude it to being an environmental issue. Otherwise no noise complaints at speeds above 60km/h (tested up to 150km/h). Again the tires still take potholes alot better than the run flats but I still dodge and carfully go over elevation changes due to 18" wheels and 3.5" tire profile.

Tire pressure is constant so far but need more long term data on that.

The only issue I have with the tires so far is the steering response. Though BMW steering system is probably one of the better ones I have driven in my experience, the tires is what gives that response into contact with the road. When making slow or quick lane changes, the response is a bit delayed (compared to the Michelins). I can not put my finger on what the cause is because in high degree turns, the response seems to be alot better. It may be my steering wheel/system that may need tuning up but I'll keep you guys posted.

I will try to get pictures of the tires for reference. Hopefully I can take the car down Snake Road/Hamilton Escarpment/Ancaster Road in the next couple weeks to give input on the spirited driving. As well can not wait to the start of light winter snow fall to see how these tires perform!

For pricing reference:
225/40/18 - $161CDN/tire
255/25/18 - $215CDN/tire
*As well Continental has a promo for $70 rebate in Visa Prepaid Gift Card to add ontop (until Aug 31st)!

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by bennye90

Driven 400km's on the new Conti's and here is my continuation:

The temperature has dropped from high 30 humid weather to mid 20's cool weather with a short storm that brewed into the city. Got to test it in both conditions. I can say the tire confidently handle in a level and controlled way in both dry and wet conditions. The wet conditions was heavy rain fall with puddles and what not. Taking the 360 turn onto the highway, the car still feels as leveled with minimal play and stays within the steering direction. Definitely more confident in wet than the Michelin PS2 ZP.

Furthermore, the noise is becoming a bit more evident at low speeds (up to 60km/h) but it may be dependent on the road material. I found it was off and on at sometimes but could not really conclude it to being an environmental issue. Otherwise no noise complaints at speeds above 60km/h (tested up to 150km/h). Again the tires still take potholes alot better than the run flats but I still dodge and carfully go over elevation changes due to 18" wheels and 3.5" tire profile.

Tire pressure is constant so far but need more long term data on that.

The only issue I have with the tires so far is the steering response. Though BMW steering system is probably one of the better ones I have driven in my experience, the tires is what gives that response into contact with the road. When making slow or quick lane changes, the response is a bit delayed (compared to the Michelins). I can not put my finger on what the cause is because in high degree turns, the response seems to be alot better. It may be my steering wheel/system that may need tuning up but I'll keep you guys posted.

I will try to get pictures of the tires for reference. Hopefully I can take the car down Snake Road/Hamilton Escarpment/Ancaster Road in the next couple weeks to give input on the spirited driving. As well can not wait to the start of light winter snow fall to see how these tires perform!

For pricing reference:
225/40/18 - $161CDN/tire
255/25/18 - $215CDN/tire
*As well Continental has a promo for $70 rebate in Visa Prepaid Gift Card to add ontop (until Aug 31st)!

I would have gone 235/40/18 in the front. Other than that. Nice write up

[muncie21]

Hope your Conti's last longer than mine. No complaints about handling, traction etc. however I was only able to get ~10k miles from mine. I'm now down to the wear bar on the right rear and about 1.5mm left on the DS rear.

[bennye90]

Giving a short update and review after 10,000km.

The tires are holding up well and the weather has dropped down to the range of 0-6 degrees celsius. Tire pressure has dropped about 10 psi (34/36psi to 24/26psi) all around, which is a good indication. Furthermore, the tires include 2 sets of indiciators, one being the DWS symbol which notifies the driver visually if the tire is still capable of driving in dry, wet and snow. The other indicator are 3 rectangle bars along the outside of the tire. Looking all around, these wear indicators are wearing pretty evenly amongst all four tires. Cool little features on the tire to help the consumer determine the life of the tire.

It has lightly snowed about two times reaching into the end of December, and the tires did phenomenal on the local and highway roads. I did not recognize any difference between dry and light snow conditions in terms of handling and traction. I am pretty impressed as I use these all-season tires for light snow use and then transition into snow tires when it snows constantly and below 0 degrees celsius.

There was also one day of constant rain and then temperatures reaching 0 degrees which is a combination for icy and slick roads. Again, I had absolutely no issues driving normally on the roads as well as over taking car in the passing lane.

On my comment for tire noise when I initially bought the tire, the noise gradually went away after 5K km. It is overall quiet and responsive tire to the road.

As for driving down the spirited roads, the sidewall is a bit squished on the turns and I do feel a reduction in leveled turns compared to the summer dedicated Pilot Sport ZP. Somewhat makes me feel uneasy on the turns but it is still highly capable of taking those windy roads as well as straight. Through visual observation, there is sidewall dirt or marks after the spirited driving, and i believe its an indication of the sidewall softness hitting the road. It is not entire on 100% of the sidewall but closer to the edges where it meets the tread.

Overall, I am satisfied with my experience after 10k with the tires so far. It has done its duties as an ultra performance all-season tire during the season and temperature changes. I am due to swap into my winter tires (Bridgestone WS70) as of this week and will lay off the review for the winter season.