Continental ExtremeContact DW Review
 

At over $100 per tire cheaper than the Pilot Super Sport, the Continental ExtremeContact DW is a fantastic tire for the price. Although they are currently on sale for $700 a set in the ideal size for the sport Rays wheels, I bought them prior to this insane deal and still consider them a bargain.

Mileage: ~14,000 currently, with at least 10,000 left.

Street: Much quieter than the BF Goodrich G-Force Sport 2 tires that came on the car (do NOT buy these) and a smoother ride. Comfortable over bumps and they don't tram-line excessively on a grooved/under construction surface. Sharp turn in for accident/pothole/debris avoidance, but smooth with softer inputs.

Autocross/spirited driving: Highly capable with very predictable breakaway. The limit isn't abrupt, and the amount of grip is translated to the driver extremely well. the sidewalls offer the right amount of give without rolling/collapsing. If you reach the limit of these tires on a back road sprint, you're going too fast for the safety of the public. Not as much of a track tire as the Pilot Super Sport or RE-11, but the wear rating is much higher, the street experience is more comfortable, and they are more than adequate at the track - meaning more visits before you'll need to replace!

Wet traction: Better than the Pilot Super Sport. the grooves in the tread are exceptional at channeling water, and even driving in standing water on the highway there wasn't even a hint of hydroplaning. When you want to slide and be a hooligan you can, but it will take a greater amount of pedal than you'd think and they are happy to retain grip around corners in the wet.

Overall: Highly recommended. I'm not going to give them a number because that's kind of subjective to the class of tire, but for the weekend warrior who doesn't want to keep a dedicated second set of wheels/tires, and those who don't want to replace their tires every 10-15K but need something that can put up with abuse, look no further :tup:

Although on a different car, I run these on my daily in 245/40/19 and 275/35/19 and agree with all that is said above. This tire is a great value

I run these on my daily set of wheels. So far, I'm satisfied with the performance. They have enough grip for back roads, and I won't die in the rain.

265/35R18 275/35R18

Agreed. I loved the grip in the rain. I was actually pretty shocked that they were THAT good.
Mine got real noisy before I got rid of them because of cupping.
I switched to the DWS partly because they last longer and the guy sold me a set aligned, road force balanced and mounted for just under $1100.
I've been pretty happy with both models.

+1 For Continental EXTREMECONTACT DWS

+ more except I have the DSW, these tires are awesome.

My Co-Worker just put a set on his BMW. For the price and performance they are great!

I'm glad to have found this thread. I just bought a set of Nismo wheels last night with some used tires on them, Goodyear Eagle LS2's in the front and Eagle F1's in the rear. The F1's are absolutely slick, down to the wear bars and the a$$ of the car sliding around corners in normal driving. Very dangerous. The LS2's have some decent tread on them still, but they just suck. They may be decent tires on a sedan or SUV, but they have no place on a Z. I'm actually surprised they make these tires in a 245/40-19. They look stretched like crazy.

Anyway, I was on TireRack and saw that they were running this excellent special on them. At $745 shipped for a full set with the reviews they get, I couldn't pass them up. :tup:

has anyone tried these tires in the light snow in their z? I am considering it. tire rack rates them pretty good in snow traction but not sure if that's just for the 370z or all cars.

You're thinking of the DWS, this thread is about the DW. The added 'S' stands for snow. The DWS are all season tires and could likely get you through a light snow with no issues as long as you don't drive like a moron. The DW are horrid in snow. Ask me how I know.

I never had any problem driving on light snow with the EXTREMECONTACT DWS

DWS....Tire Pressure?
 

My OEM's , Potenza 050,with tread wear rating of 140, the recommended PSI is 35#. Now, with the Cont DWS, tread wear rating 560, should the tire pressure be tweeted a little, + or - ?

u can use 35psi, but the sidewalls are softer so i usually ran 37-38 on my DW (not the DWS).

Treadwear ratings vary a lot between manufacturers so I wouldn't pay too close attention to that, depends on your driving style more than anything. I usually keep mine at 36, but of course they warm up with driving and end up around 38. Higher pressure gives better highway mileage, but sacrifices some grip.

Also I fear this thread has gotten derailed. These were about the Continental's summer performance tire, the DW (dry, wet) which differs from their all season tire, the DWS (dry, wet, SNOW).

Another note: the DW has been discontinued in favor of a new design, the "Sport", which I'm guessing they did partly to combat this confusion.

yah, i waz looking at tires da other day on tirerack and noticed dey dont sell DW's no more..

sure was confusing.. even though the new DWS are now called DWS06. i run those in the colder months on my dd and STI. works real nice. quite better dan the DWS i use to run previously.