Continental ContiExtremeContact Thoughts/Opinions

[92saturnsl2]

Looking for a new set of tires for my '01 Jetta GLX VR6. Needing something with good dry/wet performance comparable with most summer tires with a little winter ability mixed in. This tire looks like it will handle all of the above. Anyone have any experience with these? Any thoughts / opinions / shared experience / recommended alternatives would be appreciated Specifically looking at the 225/45/ZR17 93W. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ContiExtremeContact

 

[spingdaddy]

I had those tires on my previous Passat. Very good tire for the money.

 

[Quattro Pete]

From all the reviews and comments that I've read, this tire is in fact a good all-season compromise, if you can find a non-defective set. Apparently, there have been a lot of issues with them being "out of round", hence impossible to balance properly. They also appear to have a tendency to flat-spot. If you want an all-season that's nearly as good as a summer tire during summer, also consider Pirelli PZero Nero M&S. However, their winter/snow performance is marginal, so you have to be careful. The CEC would be better in winter, but not as good during summer.

 

[Razl]

QPete, I was one of the unfortunate people that got a bad set from Tirerack. I couldn't wait to get these things off my Saab 9-5. Dry and wet performance was very good, but snow performance was just OK. This is compared to other All-Temp tires, not snow tires of course. They wore very uneven and had constant vibration issues. I replaced them with Avon summer tires and use Nokian WRs for the winter. I'll probably replace the Avons Season with their All-Temp version. I had high hopes for the Contis, but was severely disappointed.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Razl, is it the Avon M500 that you have? How do you like it? Do you drive on it in spirited way? What tire size? Just curious.

 

[SVTDoood]

"Looking for a new set of tires for my '01 Jetta GLX VR6. Needing something with good dry/wet performance comparable with most summer tires with a little winter ability mixed in." Then you need to look elsewhere. They may be a good A/S tire, but they are in now way comparable to any summer tire. Too much sidewall flex, too much tread flex, and the tire compound itself is not sticky enough.

 

[Audi Junkie]

"Too much sidewall flex, too much tread flex, and the tire compound itself is not sticky enough" ...I can tell you have not actually owned them. Maybe you can recommend a summer tire that works in snow? FTR- the CEC is a Z-rated tire, no sidewall flex...dude. imo, they are the best tire on the market. Best I have used, to be more precise. I've had a LOT of all-season tires. The only reason I did not buy another set is that I switched since and they don;t come in the size I now use. I stil have my mounted set with 3-4/32nds. I just put them on as snow is not in the forecast. Still working quite well, better tire than the G-009s I took off, and they are not bad.

 

[92saturnsl2]

After looking at these reviews, and those on tirerack, these tires seemed too good a price to performance ratio to pass up. They are ranked third on Tirerack in their category and are available locally reasonably priced. The other two I considered were the Pirelli Pzero M+S, and the Kumho Ecsta ASX, but both were reviewed as having very marginal snow handling capabilities, and living here in Colorado, I'd be willing to sacrafice a bit of summer performance for some traction in the winter. I purchased a set of four at Discount Tires for 129$ a piece. Got to experience them in the snow (snowed 4" so far today), and I am so far impressed.

 

[SVTDoood]

"...I can tell you have not actually owned them. Maybe you can recommend a summer tire that works in snow? FTR- the CEC is a Z-rated tire, no sidewall flex...dude." Actually...I have owned them. Put them on a Saab 9-3 SE after the Bridgestone SO3's wore out. And they are def a step down. Lane changes were an exercise in bound...then rebound. Just look at the reviews (track tests and times) on Tirerack.com to see that. "Needing something with good dry/wet performance comparable with most summer tires with a little winter ability mixed in." The original question was reccomending an A/S with COMPARABLE dry/wet performance with most summer tires with a LITTLE winter ability mixed in. There is no way that the CEC compares to any summer tire, unless its a CrapMart special, in dry/wet performance. Period. You may think so with your aspect increase ride, but you'd be wrong. The closest you're gonna get is the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S. The bottom line is that A/S's are a compromise by their very nature. They don't have comparable summer tire performance, nor do they have comparable winter (snow) tire performance. Do you challemge that as well? The real answer is: Have seperate wheels/tires. Your summer will be 3 season, and your winter will be more specifically aimed at snow/slush/cold rain. And gee...that's what I do. So there..the Doood has spoken.

 

[crheinish]

hi, i have a set of ContiExtremeContact on my vette right now. no complaints, they are good tires. they are less noisy than the goodyears that came off and traction and handling are excellent too. cheers chris

 

[Audi Junkie]

Those must be SOME lane changes. I wouldn't expect full-tread CECs to handle the same as bald S-03s. I also wouldn't expect them to be the same in rain...or snow for that matter.

 

[Razl]

Yep, I have the Avon Tech M500 size 215/55WR16. They are on par with Yokohamas AVS ES100's in terms of grip and handling. Not the stickest tires out there, but definitely a high bang-for-your-buck kind of tire. I run these at 42psi, the max for my car, because I like to drive fast and hard, plus there is only marginal effect on ride comfort versus the standard 32psi. They give good feedback, and are forgiving enough for you to recover if you push them past their limit in the turns. On the highway, they are smooth, typically do between 75-90mph depending on traffic and location. I’ve gotten them up 125mph+ from time to time and everything feels tight and predictable. In a blind test for tread noise, you’d swear these were all-season or a grand touring, not summer tires. They ride that quiet. Steering response is average, definitely not as good as the AVS ES100. Tracking tread wear, I should get 25,000 to 28,000 miles before they reach 2/32”. I’d would like to try PZeros but they don’t come in this size, so I’ll go with the Avon M550 A/Ss next.

 

[rjundi]

I would give them an ok for dry performance. They are very soft sidewalled and mushy for a tire billed ultra high performance. However they are great in wet and decent if you need to get through snow (but not a snow tire). They get noisy with age, they flat spot and little bit harder to balance. I dumped them after 15k due to noise and put used Nokian WR's for the winter. I will be trying Avon 550 AS.

 

[tweeker43]

i had a set of cecs, then prior to snow flying this season replaced them with the avon tech m550 m/s. i really liked the cecs, but they did get progressively louder and at 40k miles the wet grip was far worse than the remaining tread would have indicated (still fine dry). the techs have been extremely impressive in all conditions except the ice storm we had last week. i don't have tons of miles yet so i don't know about wear. they are both good tires. my initial impression would go to the techs though.

 

[flyboy4947]

I had a set of the Extreme's and replaced them with Michelin Pilot Exalto. These are hand down the best tires I have ever owned. They are great in the wet and dry and do okay in 4 inches of snow. have them on my Audi and Honda Accord, you can't go wrong with the Exalto. They stick as good as the Conti Extremes and are quieter and have better steering feel.

 

[Sid]

They are great all-season tires. BUT they are not dry handling performance tires. They do pretty well in dry handling, excellent in wet conditions and pretty well in snow (I have a very thin sidewall and I still haven't gotten stuck in Chicago weather). They are a bit loud depending on the material you're driving on but not bad. I've had them for nearly 20K miles with very little wear. For the price you can't go wrong.

 

[turbodevil]

I bought a set of CEC's for my weekly snowboarding trips up north last year. I have never driven on snow tires, but these + quattro awd = fun. I never lost control in the snow, even in "blizzard-like conditions" where other cars were pulled over on the shoulder. That being said, I am not getting another set because I can no longer afford the time/expense to go riding every week. They are a good compromise tire, but I am going to get something more suited to my year round summer climate. Think about not compromising.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Turbodevil, keep wear ratings in mind. Few "performance" tires will wear as well as all-seasons. I'm loooking at a tire with 700 wear rating, Yokohama TRZs. That means they will wear 2-3 times longer than a 200-300 rating tire. The Yokohama performance all-seasons, the V4S is not far behind. On hot pavement, soft tires wear FAST, I'm just not ready for tires that last me only 6 months. The Z speed-rated CECs are indeed a good compramise. The only reason I'm not using them again is I changed sizes and they are n/a in 206/60-16.

 

[Blue_Goose]

Flyboy..those are Exalto A/S's correct?

 

[flyboy4947]

A/S correct, all season not the summer only