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[Raikkonen]

Greetings fellow e90 Posters,

After tons of research for a new summer non-RFT tire, I decided upon the new Continental Extreme Contact DW, as many people here have put on their all-season counterpart, the DWS, and have ranted and raved about them.

Coming from the Michelin Pilot RFT's, which are excellent for a RFT, the Continentals are amazing. Like the all season DWS, the DW is essentially mute, I really can't hear the tires at ANY speed. I’m dead serious when I say this. It really is eerie....

As far as road feel, they feel like super soft rubber (in a good way) and absorb bumps and road imperfections beautifully. Like most other Summer tires, night and day when compared to RFT’s. Handling wise they are amazing, with a very sharp and precise turn in. Mind you, I'm NOT an aggressive or expert driver, and I never track my car…

Something else that I feel is really important about tires is their weight. Just by swapping tires, you can save a boatload of unsprung weight. My stock Michelin's were 24lbs up front, and 29lbs in the back, whereas the Continentals are 20.2 lbs up front and 21.8lbs in the back. That’s a 4lb reduction in unsprung weight up front and 7lbs in the rear, per corner, JUST FROM A TIRE SWAP!

Although I'd like to say that they're flawless, even though they have a great tread wear rating (340) for a summer tire, and were under $800 delivered, they are a little "weak" on straight ahead feel. It's sort of a vague feeling, and lacks a little precision that my stock Michelin Pilot's had.

Please keep in mind that this is ONLY in comparison to the best RFT out there, and when compared to any other car in it class, my car would probably feel like an F1 car. I only drive my e90, so I have nothing else to compare it to on an everyday basis, so I'm really splitting hairs...

For me, as my daily driver, the tires are perfect, and I'm glad I got them. Super soft and super quiet.

Also, Continental’s new design theme may not be to everyone's liking, but you get used to the sidewall design, and now that they've been on for a week, you can see the "Continental" script from about 10ft. away, and it looks VERY aggressive. Cool bonus.

Lastly, I ordered H&R spacers, and had the dealership install them during the tire swap. I'm super conservative when it comes to mods, but I wanted a slightly more aggressive stance. I went w/ 5mm up front, and 10mm in back, and again, for me, I think it looks perfect.

For those of you that are “paranoid” about doing mods like adding spacers, I highly recommend this set-up on your stock 18 inch rims. It’s just noticeable enough to give the car that more aggressive stance I was looking for, and not crazy wide like some of the younger folk around here are running!

Here are some pics I took today.

Thanks everyone!

[02themax]

I'm seriously considering buying these to replace my rear Generals. Are these a "square tire or more rounded"? I'm looking to go to a wider tire 275/30/19's as opposed to my current 265/30/19's and don't want rubbing issues.

Have you had a chance to push these tires yet, how do they hold up? I heard these have a softer sidewall, whats your take on this?

I'm on the fence between these and the Hankook Ventus!?!? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

It's ironic you posted this thread, I've been on the computer for the past 2 days trying to make a decision.

[MassBimmer]

Sweet car, really looks good. I have the Conti DWS and they appear to be more of a rounded sidewall

[02themax]

Originally Posted by MassBimmer

Sweet car, really looks good. I have the Conti DWS and they appear to be more of a rounded sidewall

Thx for the info! Anyone else want to chime in? I think I may pull the trigger on these.

[Raikkonen]

Thanks guys.

They’re definitely a rounded sidewall. I tried to show that in the tread pattern picture. I could have EASILY gone with much wider spacers w/ no rubbing. The side walls “curve” towards the inside of the car, as opposed to squaring off at the top of the tire.

O2, the side wall is soft, but by no means mushy. It’s still a Max Performance Summer tire. They handle amazingly well, but as I said, their on center feel isn’t as locked in as the Michelin RFT’s. In full disclosure, I haven’t pushed them too aggressively…yet.

I know I’ll get flamed for this, but I was about to pull the trigger on the Hankooks as well because of all of the great reviews, but I figured I’d just spent close to $50k on the car, so why risk it for $300 bucks less than the tires I got???

My deciding factors were a well-known reputable manufacturer who’s supplied OEM’s for decades now, coupled with their race history and manufacturing and quality standards.

I’m sure Hankook is well on their way, and will be there soon, but I’ve decided to wait a few years until I try some of the more “budget” minded tire brands. I mean no offense to anyone who’s gone this route…..

Tires are a slippery slope: you can start doing some harmless research, and then find yourself 4 weeks later surrounded by performance charts, test results, prices, weights, user reviews, etc., all floating around in your head!!! It was a relief to finally just purchase a set to be honest…..

[E90 Skye]

Originally Posted by Raikkonen

Tires are a slippery slope: you can start doing some harmless research, and then find yourself 4 weeks later surrounded by performance charts, test results, prices, weights, user reviews, etc., all floating around in your head!!! It was a relief to finally just purchase a set to be honest…..

haha, this is so true.

They are the only part of the car that touch the ground, and one of the only things that consistently will need replacement. At the premium you're paying for max performance summer tires it is vitally important to get a good set, otherwise whats the point in driving a finely tuned performance oriented machine. I'm about to order these as well. It was a toss up between these and the Sumitomo HTR Z IIIs.

[02themax]

Thx for the write-up I think I'll take the plunge!

[Patsfan123]

I am looking into getting the DW's myself. What size tires are you running?

[Gary@TireRack]

Thanks for posting the review and pics. We have had very good feedback on these so far..glad to read you are happy with them as well.

Tires
http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AH8&...ires/index.jsp

[02themax]

Put my order in last night! I'll post some pics and a review once they're on.

[remmib]

Nice.
Are those all-season tires, just wondering because we don't get those here in Norway.

[Patsfan123]

I went to a local place and they seem to be nationally backordered for the 235/40 like the DWS. If I can't get them I am going with Hankook V12's as backup.. I really want these guys though

[Raikkonen]

remmib, they're summers only..

I'm on my stock rims, so my tires are 225/40/18 and 255/35/18.

I noticed when I ordered these a few weeks ago, that my fronts and rears came from different warehouses, as stock was very low (Tire Rack).

I've found that when tires start getting great reviews, like the DWS all seasons and the Hankooks, dealers start running low on stock sizes pretty quickly, as so many people start pulling the trigger!

[E90 Skye]

just got mine mounted today. Initial impressions are that they are very quiet, do a great job at soaking up rough roads, but still maintain a good amount of lateral "flatness" through corners. My only concern so far is that you do tend to lose a little bit of the edgy handling feel (in terms of steering weight, it lightened up the steering, and inputs seem quick)

[Raikkonen]

Skye,

I totally agree. You do loose some slight steering feel, and they're still great in corners, but my God, they have to be some of the quietest, softest riding performance tires I've ever driven on, perfect for a daily driver.

They'll get better once you get about 500-750 miles on them...

[kugasman]

Just got these tires in 235/35zr19 and 265/30zr19 on a set of alufelgen cs7. I chose them over the hankooks simply because of the good reviews and to go with more of a
'major' brand. I would agree with the above posts: they are super quiet and ride really smooth. I was concerned about harshness since I was going to 19", but they are less jarring than stock rft on stock 18" rims. Handle great and I think they're a great choice for a daily driver.

[GreenPlease]

I'm on the fence between these and the Hankook Ventus!?!? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I have both the Hankooks and the DWSs (not the OP's DWs). If you want tread life and daily driver silence, get the continentals. If you want something with sharper turn in and better grip and don't care about tread life that much, get the Hankooks. At my current wear rates, I'd estimate that my DWSs will make it 40,000 miles. My Hankooks will make it 20,000.

Are these a "square tire or more rounded"?

Definately rounded. I could run 245/30-19 275/30-19 with room to spare.

[E90 Skye]

Just another quick update. Had to do some emergency manuevering to avoid a possum who decided to turn around half way out of the street and come back to the middle of it in the middle of the night, and the Conti DW came to life, i thought the initial inputs make the steering feel light, so of course i was worried about steering input response. However to my surprise the response was very quick, much quicker than the oem RFTs. and once again I'm amazed at how whisper quiet these tires make the inside of the cabin at all speeds, now all you hear is engine note, and thats fine by me.

hope all these postings help ppl who are the fence about these and other tires, i know these reviews helped me make the decision a little easier.

[Gary@TireRack]

Just to clarify : Raikkonen is referring to the summer version the DW. A couple of other posts refer to the all-season tire, the DWS.

Tires
http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AH8&...ires/index.jsp

[rayguy24]

What are the offsets for your wheels?

Originally Posted by kugasman

Just got these tires in 235/35zr19 and 265/30zr19 on a set of alufelgen cs7. I chose them over the hankooks simply because of the good reviews and to go with more of a
'major' brand. I would agree with the above posts: they are super quiet and ride really smooth. I was concerned about harshness since I was going to 19", but they are less jarring than stock rft on stock 18" rims. Handle great and I think they're a great choice for a daily driver.

[Maestro]

I am about to pull the trigger on these same tires but just notice that Tirerack does not offer hazard insurance on these tires, on Conti website they say they offer hazard insurance on "select" tires and it only cover them for the first year or 2/32 of tire wear, they just do not tell which tire, it seem none of the Conti tires on Tirerack have it

I generally never pay for things like this, I been driving for almost 30 yrs now and only had one flat tire until I got the 335i, I had to replace 3 tires so far, I am not interested in doing it again.

Any one know why Conti tires are not covered.

[cb4]

I ordered the Conti DW (245-40-18) from tirerack last week. Still waiting on the wheels to mount. I will post my review as soon as I can.