Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 Plus

[d00df00d]

Family member just went from Pilot Sport All Season 4 to DWS 06 Plus. Similar experience to others' here: less NVH, squidgier/number/vaguer handling with the Contis; differences are noticeable but not earth shattering.

Michelins tend to be shockingly good at retaining their performance as they wear, and we have seen that in spades on our cars. We haven't yet seen whether the DWS 06 Plus can do similarly.

 

[Kantaro]

Check out this tire and the test video, test summary, and especially the spider charts. Seems to me like it ticks all boxes, except for snow.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Falken&tireModel=Azenis+FK460+A%2FS&partnum=54YR9FK460ASXL

Tire Rack and their customers really liked it. Would be interesting to see it compared to the DWS 06+ and other more popular UHP tires.

Thanks for bringing this up. The Falkens seem to be a contender based on this Tyre Review comparison

2023 Tyre Reviews UHP All Season Tyre Test - Tyre reviews and ratings

In this test I'll be comparing 7 of the most popular ultra high performance all season tires to find out which tire is best for you.If you've read any of my previous all season tests, you'll be happy ...

www.tyrereviews.com

 

[SubLGT]

Too bad there is no Michelin UHPAS tire in the Tyre Reviews test.

 

[Volvohead]

This is a pretty good tire, generally. I've run the predecessor versions of this one on many vehicles going back into the mid 2000s (... it's been almost 20 years, hard to believe).

The early ones had sloppy sidewall behavior on a performance platform, which contributed to a vague feel at times, and was a mixed blessing. But I understand the latest version has cleaned that up, a bit.

Its forgiving sidewall behavior made it a great choice for very low profile street vehicles in the pothole-infested Northeast, where a more rigid sidewall might take out a wheel on a big one. That can matter when it's sitting on a $500 or $600 rim.

At the price, it's a great value, and one of the only UHP tires I've ever had that behaved decently in the snow. Being US made makes them even more attractive. As long as you don't mind a slightly veiled road feel compared to the best in class. Again, on the LIE during rush hour, that might not be such a bad thing.

Still, if I am offered a choice between a Michelin Pilot Sport and one of these, on a serious vehicle, I'll take the Michelin every time. Not so much because of any particular ride, performance or durability factor, but because the Michelins typically balance far better than these Contis do. These Contis can be a real PITA on a RF machine, and I've seem them struggle with 8 or 10 weights on occasion.

 

[SubLGT]

.......the Michelins typically balance far better than these Contis do. These Contis can be a real PITA on a RF machine, and I've seem them struggle with 8 or 10 weights on occasion.

8 or 10 balancing weights on a single wheel? Why?

 

[ammolab]

8 or 10 balancing weights on a single wheel? Why?

Because it’s a Road Force machine, and not one in a hundred teen age tech has the slightest idea how to properly run one.

 

[Volvohead]

8 or 10 balancing weights on a single wheel? Why?

Because that's how many stick on weights are sometimes required on these Contis to get them to balance.

And no, this is not with a teenage tech. More like a 55 year old shop owner who has been doing it for 30 years.

 

[d00df00d]

Because that's how many stick on weights are sometimes required on these Contis to get them to balance.

And no, this is not with a teenage tech. More like a 55 year old shop owner who has been doing it for 30 years.

This seems so weird to me given that Continental is, by any reasonable measure, a tier-1 company in this space.

...And also not weird at all given that this particular tire is significantly less expensive than the equivalent Michelin.

 

[Volvohead]

This seems so weird to me given that Continental is, by any reasonable measure, a tier-1 company in this space.

...And also not weird at all given that this particular tire is significantly less expensive than the equivalent Michelin.

It is what it is, at least on the upper performance tier models. Still a good tire, if not as precisely made as the Michelins. With the latest Michelins, they're not broke, so I don't try to fix them with something else. They do drain the wallet much harder. These Contis are a $200 high performance tire that have nothing to be ashamed of. That's just a few dollars more than a Cooper or other second tier brand.

I've also heard some similar balancing complaints on some of Contis highway all-season models in the larger sizes. I've not run Contis on my trucks, so have never seen it personally on those. Still, it's not that big a deal. It's a truck. A good Continental highway tire is about $65 less than the newest Michelin Defender LTX models. And today, that means a lot to a lot of people.

 

[edyvw]

It is what it is, at least on the upper performance tier models. Still a good tire, if not as precisely made as the Michelins. With the latest Michelins, they're not broke, so I don't try to fix them with something else. They do drain the wallet much harder. These Contis are a $200 high performance tire that have nothing to be ashamed of. That's just a few dollars more than a Cooper or other second tier brand.

I've also heard some similar balancing complaints on some of Contis highway all-season models in the larger sizes. I've not run Contis on my trucks, so have never seen it personally on those. Still, it's not that big a deal. It's a truck. A good Continental highway tire is about $65 less than the newest Michelin Defender LTX models. And today, that means a lot to a lot of people.

I never had issues on Conti with balancing, and I use DWS 06+ on BMW from Mid April to November.
There is nothing to be ashamed in performance? They outperform all tires in wet, including PS A/S4. I love Michelin tires, and I would give them a higher grade in this department over Continental (IMO, Continental is a better snow tire manufacturer than Michelin), but we are talking about two top-notch manufacturers.
Now, the sidewalls are a bit softer than Michelin. That has its advantages, too. In 225/40 R18 I run DWS06+, they are more comfortable than Yokohoma Advan V601 in 225/45 R17 I run on track or Bridgestone Blizzak 205/50 R17 I run in winter.

 

[Kantaro]

These Contis can be a real PITA on a RF machine, and I've seem them struggle with 8 or 10 weights on occasion.

As bad as Nokian?

 

[Volvohead]

As bad as Nokian?

View attachment 204575

No. Not that bad.

I would be looking at the wheel more closely on that one.

 

[SubLGT]

These Contis can be a real PITA on a RF machine, and I've seem them struggle with 8 or 10 weights on occasion.

And at how many positions on the wheel are these 8-10 weights being applied?

 

[Volvohead]

And at how many positions on the wheel are these 8-10 weights being applied?

I don’t know. At least at 2 points.

Should we ask the 55 year old mechanic to video it for you and put it on TicTok? He’d laugh you out of the shop as he showed you the door.

You of course understand that we are talking about adhesive weights used on better alloy wheels, and not the clip on ones.

I get it. We have some Continental fan boys here, and my balancing comment ruffles them. Yes, they’re good tires. They’re fabulous tires. They’re the greatest tires ever conceived. They can pull 2Gs in three feet of snow after 60,000 miles. You can all feel comfortable in your purchase now.

 

[Kantaro]

I have noticed that the DWS06+ are lighter than its competitors with a lower load rating. For 225/45R17:

1. Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus - 22 lbs - 91W SL
2. Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 - 23 lbs - 94Y XL
3. Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus (discontinued) - 23 lbs - 94Y XL
4. Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ - 24 lbs - 94W XL

 

[SubLGT]

I don’t know. At least at 2 points.

Should we ask the 55 year old mechanic to video it for you and put it on TicTok? He’d laugh you out of the shop as he showed you the door.

You of course understand that we are talking about adhesive weights used on better alloy wheels, and not the clip on ones.

I get it. We have some Continental fan boys here, and my balancing comment ruffles them. Yes, they’re good tires. They’re fabulous tires. They’re the greatest tires ever conceived. They can pull 2Gs in three feet of snow after 60,000 miles. You can all feel comfortable in your purchase now.

Did someone pee in your cereal this morning?

 

[14.1 Grms]

Two sets of DWS06+ and one set of PS4AS so far...

Neither set of DWS06+ made it to the mileage claim (35-40k on both sets, and that was running closer to the wear bars than I should have), and performance - especially wet performance - dropped off significantly as they wore. Sidewalls seems a bit softer than PS4AS with the same pressure and the shoulders seemed to wear a bit quicker. Utterly, absolutely worthless in the wet snow/slush on a FWD car.

PS4AS made it to 40k, handling in general seemed more linear than the DWS06+ as they wore, especially maintaining consistent wet handling/traction even with worn tread. No experience in the snow, although reviews tend to rate them as very good (for a performance tire), but I wouldn't unreservedly believe that as it seems most snow reviews are done in nice, light, fresh powder rather than the heavy sludge that is generally east coast snow.

CC2s will be the next set going on.

 

[Volvohead]

Did someone pee in your cereal this morning?

No. But some of the responses and questions to my original comment I find a little nonsensical.

As I mentioned above, I've been using this particular tire series for nearly 20 years now on a variety of vehicles. In total, we've probably been through at least a couple dozen of these tires over all that time. I'm extremely familiar with the tire, and what's good about it, and what's not good about it. And I am willing to share that, in an unbiased way.

One of the things that is not great about this tire is they are not as uniformly well balanced from the factory as some others. I have a trusted older mechanic who I've used for decades, that knows his business very well, telling me over the years that some of these Continentals are a tough balance.

And we have one guy arguing in response about how great they are in the snow. And you asking where he put the wheel weights on a particular tire, out of dozens balanced over two decades. Like anyone would remember that at this point.

Nonsensical.

 

[vavavroom]

Had I not liked the DWS 06 I would not have put them on several vehicles since 2013 and I would not have put the Plus version on the Mini. I'm not a glutton for punishment. I have never had problems getting the DWS 06 balanced and I have only seen small weights on my wheels. Tread life has been below what's advertised but that's more my than the tires' fault. Despite driving on many winding roads the shoulders also hold up well and last until the tread has worn across the contact patch. I'm certain that others may have different experiences due to vehicle type, vehicle weight, driving style, type of driving, tire size, etc.

 

[d00df00d]

Did someone pee in your cereal this morning?

To be fair, it can be hard to convey/read tone on the Internet, and you weren't the first to question him in this thread. If I were in his shoes – if I had posted thoughtful commentary based on real expertise, and a bunch of people respond by trying to find flaws in what I had said – I can't say I'd have an easy time interpreting everyone's posts charitably.