Tire Review - Continental ExtremeContact DWS

[sycd]

Originally Posted by Jacky

Well they are All Seasons so the handling will not be the same as the Summer Tires. Regular driving, the difference is not huge but i'm sure you will feel the difference if driven on track or very agressively. I have not experienced any vibration issues or noise.

I did switch between summer runflats RFT to conti's all season non-RFT on a 335i a few years back, and it was a night and day difference. The conti's feel was terrible in that car, you could feel a difference every day, no need to go on a track. I went back to the runflats summer after a couple of thousand miles and never looked back. Granted it's not the same car, but the difference in tire feel was very noticeable, so with the higher power X5 I'm pretty sure it will be noticeable as well. I was also reading similar good reviews on the 3er forums about the conti's back then, but after this bad experience I'm now very skeptical of these types of reviews, and will stick with summer tires (RFTs if the car came with it) unless weather absolutely requires something else.

[ndabunka]

Originally Posted by sycd

I did switch between summer runflats RFT to conti's all season non-RFT on a 335i a few years back, and it was a night and day difference. The conti's feel was terrible in that car, you could feel a difference every day, no need to go on a track. I went back to the runflats summer after a couple of thousand miles and never looked back. Granted it's not the same car, but the difference in tire feel was very noticeable, so with the higher power X5 I'm pretty sure it will be noticeable as well. I was also reading similar good reviews on the 3er forums about the conti's back then, but after this bad experience I'm now very skeptical of these types of reviews, and will stick with summer tires (RFTs if the car came with it) unless weather absolutely requires something else.

I actually use to track cars as well and one thing we all know is that individual tires are different based on platform. A 185/45-16 DWS is not the same as a 275/40-20 DWS that is used on these trucks. Read the TireRack reviews and you will see that for these SUV's, the DWS is one of the best out there.

The run flats that came on my X5 diesel were unnecessarily harsh and a bit noisy. The DWS's ride SIGNIFICANTLY smoother and a bit quieter. At speeds of 55MPH down an exit ramp there is some difference but since these are the exact same size & profile, it is minimal and well beyond the control and handling 95% of the population would require. I could probably have went 65MPH around that same exit ramp with the Run Flats but the reality is that few drivers are going to try and go 65MPH down a 35MPH markered exit ramp. Rather, most will probably drive it at 45MPH and still have a significant buffer.

If you are driving a X5M, I would say "stick with the RFT option" but for any other driver, the Conti DWS's are an exceptional tire regardless of summer or winter weather conditions.

[dunderhi]

Originally Posted by sycd

I did switch between summer runflats RFT to conti's all season non-RFT on a 335i a few years back, and it was a night and day difference. The conti's feel was terrible in that car, you could feel a difference every day, no need to go on a track. I went back to the runflats summer after a couple of thousand miles and never looked back. Granted it's not the same car, but the difference in tire feel was very noticeable, so with the higher power X5 I'm pretty sure it will be noticeable as well. I was also reading similar good reviews on the 3er forums about the conti's back then, but after this bad experience I'm now very skeptical of these types of reviews, and will stick with summer tires (RFTs if the car came with it) unless weather absolutely requires something else.

I did the same switch on my 335d Sport and had the opposite conclusion, the All-Season Conti DWS handling was much better than the RFTs. After 30kmi I still happy with the DWS on my 335d.

I plan to swap the stock Bridgestone RFTs on my X5M with the Conti DWS. As per Tirerack, the DWS is actually in a higher performance category than the Bridgestones.

[shayne54]

I put the DWS's on my 335i and loved them. I drove the car one winter and before I replaced the stock run-flats with the DWS I couldn't even make it up my driveway if there was 1/2" of snow on it. Once I switched I never looked back.

I swear those tires had so much traction. I was running a JB4 tune on the 335i and I never had issues even in the rain. It was almost like there was no rain. I will probably replace my X5 tires with these in the next few weeks.

[JNoSol]

My DWS on 20" staggered now has 3k miles on them and still running strong. I drove on 3" of snow/ice covered road today, my X5 rolls around like a tank even on steep hills.

These are the tires BMW should've put on all their cars out of the factory.

[dcvibe]

I'm getting these tomorrow! Thanks for the review and advice. I recently picked up some 22 inch wheels with pirelli all seasons but I want to have some all season "good for snow" on my 19 inch wheels for predictable snow storms.... These seem to fit the bill. I also like the fact that I don't have to be in a hurry to take these off if it gets warm outside. Kansas City has crazy weather....

[JNoSol]

Continental, where's my referral check?

[Kzang]

My problem with DWS is the side wall is too soft and makes the turns too squishy. I actually prefer harsher and firmer ride for a sporty, performance oriented feel.

[JNoSol]

Originally Posted by Kzang

My problem with DWS is the side wall is too soft and makes the turns too squishy. I actually prefer harsher and firmer ride for a sporty, performance oriented feel.

Do you have the 20" staggered wheels or the 19"? I have the DWS on my 535i with the 18", the sidewalls feel a bit softer compared to the RFTs. With DWS on the X5 SAV with 20", the sidewalls are thin enough where the difference in feel isn't significant.

RFT sidewalls are supposed to be thicker and firmer, since it's reinforced by kevlar and thicker material so you can drive w/o air. With thicker sidewalls, you're also getting more unprung weight. RFTs feel about twice as heavy, compared to DWS off the car. Plus, having the set of DWS on is like wearing a set of Bose QC15 on the plane. It's ridiculously quiet compared to the stock RFTs. You will feel the lighter unprung weight and hear the difference when it's mounted, a fair trade-up IMO.

Overall, DWS is a very "good" replacement for the money compared to other non-RFTs in its class. It's the best "jack of all trades" tires, but it's not going to be "great" in any particular categories (maybe noise, it's great there). I wouldn't mount these on track days.

[JLed79]

Originally Posted by supra_stan

I see a few posts for touting the Toyo Proxies. I may not need the all season features here in Houston. Any comments by those running tires other than the Dunlops on the 20" staggered rims??

I have the bridgestones on mine. Basically the same crappy tire. Completely toast after 15k. I'm replacing mine with the Nitto Invos. They're a new tire that's supposedly quieter while remaining very sporty and good in wet weather. Here in Syracuse that's a must. Once I've put some miles on them ill post a review.

[JNoSol]

Originally Posted by JLed79

I have the bridgestones on mine. Basically the same crappy tire. Completely toast after 15k. I'm replacing mine with the Nitto Invos. They're a new tire that's supposedly quieter while remaining very sporty and good in wet weather. Here in Syracuse that's a must. Once I've put some miles on them ill post a review.

The Nitto Invos cost the same as the Continental ExtremeContact DWS. DWS is superior on wet/snow and I can tell you it's quiet, almost too quiet. The service life of the DWS is 540A vs. Invo 260AA, so you're not going to get many miles out of the Nitto. All the reviews I've seen doesn't favor the Nitto either.

[Rez90]

I have them on my Jeep. Great tire.

[JLed79]

Originally Posted by JNoSol

The Nitto Invos cost the same as the Continental ExtremeContact DWS. DWS is superior on wet/snow and I can tell you it's quiet, almost too quiet. The service life of the DWS is 540A vs. Invo 260AA, so you're not going to get many miles out of the Nitto. All the reviews I've seen doesn't favor the Nitto either.

I don't care about snow performance at all. I only want a high performance summer tire. I have a separate set of winter tires/ rims. Asking as they last longer than these crappy bridgestones I'll be happy.

[JLed79]

Originally Posted by JNoSol

The Nitto Invos cost the same as the Continental ExtremeContact DWS. DWS is superior on wet/snow and I can tell you it's quiet, almost too quiet. The service life of the DWS is 540A vs. Invo 260AA, so you're not going to get many miles out of the Nitto. All the reviews I've seen doesn't favor the Nitto either.

The reviews I have read on the Invo aren't bad. It's the NT05 that isn't being reviewed well.

[JNoSol]

I got the DWS non-RFTs on my X5 Sport for over 10k miles now. They still ride smooth as silk and the treads look brand new.

[markE90]

Any problems with lease returns because its a non-run flat tires?

[doug_999]

Originally Posted by markE90

Any problems with lease returns because its a non-run flat tires?

I'm 90% sure they have to be RFTs on the lease return. I'm 100% sure they have to be a matching set.