All Weather Tires

Initial Review, 62000 Miles on Tires
January 12, 2012

I'm not sure why there are so many complaints about these tires on Honda Accords. These tires came on my fiance's Accord Coupe which now has 62,000 on it (original tires) which some treadwear remaining! The tires never became noisy and I plan on replacing them around 65,000-66,000 miles. In comparison I am expecting 18,000 miles of life out of my OEM Dunlops on my Subaru WRX STI! (Comparing Apples-Oranges here, I realize)

So with that said, these tires are fantastic if you want a set of tires that will be whisper quiet, round, and last forever. I can't really answer about performance because her fairly basic Accord Coupe is not really meant for performance but we take the car on lots of trips and all kinds of weather and the tires have never been in question or even a thought in our minds (a good thing!).

I find it hard to believe people aren't getting much life out of these tires on similar Accords. The driving that her car sees is not spirited but it's certainly not ginger and about 50/50 highway and city. I even admit I haven't rotated them as much as I should have (I've done every other oil change). For those of you complaining about needing to replace them at 30k miles, change your driving habits!!

It's a shame these tires are rated a "6," my review is an 8.5 overall.

Initial Review, 700 Miles on Tires
January 31, 2012

Changed out Proxes 4's for the new Kumho 4X's. I needed a real multi-tasker, and I got it. It's now my all season street tire. Works wonderfully for me in dry,wet,light snow( up to 5 inches ). It's stable, comfortable and responsive at any speed. I use mine for street and winter autocross in all weather conditions in coastal British Columbia. My car has upgraded suspension, but
I'm sure the tire would perform as well with a stock suspension. It's the best performance all season I've driven. Highly recommended.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
February 02, 2012

An top choice for mid-sized sporty sedans. I've run Michelin MXV4's and Goodyear Eagle GT/HR - these Bridgestones handle, corner and ride much better. Excellent wet weather traction. No increase in noise noted. Much cheaper than the Michelins and a better value, even though they probably will not last as long.

Initial Review, 8000 Miles on Tires
November 09, 2010

This is my second set of oversize (225/50-17) tires, but compared to the same-sized Yokohama S4 the Continental DWS has a lot less dry weather grip and sloppy corning manners. The taller sidewall really does not work; perhaps more than just the "soft sidewall", judging from other reports, the OEM 215/50-17 would have been a better choice.



Wet weather performance is better, but the DWS hydroplanes - something the S4s never did until they had 25,000 miles! The change between the S4 (a tire with no wet or snow traction, according to me) was so noticeable I added a larger rear sway bar, which got rid of much of the car's new-found understeer and the low-speed cornering tire squealing. Then I had an alignment, which help a bit, with balance, but there was still no real grip. A couple of months ago I replaced the shocks and springs (A-Spec) and THAT has changed the car a lot, but there is still not a lot of dry cornering grip; severe axle tramp (on moderately-normal starts) in the wet in 2nd gear is now gone.



Originally, driving on DWS tires on dry summer roads was like driving on snow tires in summer - sloppy, mushy, with no cornering grip - but generally predictable - and tire squealing when starting and stopping. Now that it's turned cold (30-50F), however, these tires have changed: it's easy to balance the car (yes, a new suspension helps), steering response is good, turn-in is OK,...everything seems to work: is that sidewall flex or tread compound, or both? And of course, when it's wet the roads are cooler too, which seems to help this tire perform.



The tire is, however, noticeably lighter than the S4; the car accelerates better, and I find myself downshifting a lot less on the highway, when needing to move through traffic.

Initial Review, 1500 Miles on Tires
February 05, 2012

Inspires confidence in all weather conditions. Vehicle handles like new.

Initial Review, 10000 Miles on Tires
May 05, 2011

A decent tire. Very good in wet and dry conditions. And quite good in snow and ice (I live in NH). I really only have two issues with this tire: After sitting overnight (or even just a few hours) in any type of weather, it takes a mile or two before the tires begin to run smoothly. They seem to be very susceptible to flat spots, even when only sitting around for a number of hours. This "out of round" is VERY noticeable. Additionally, the noise coming from the tires is unacceptable - probably the noisiest tire I have ever owned on a sedan or wagon. To sum up, if you are looking strictly for performance then this tire will work for you in most situations. But if you are looking for a quiet smooth ride, then stay away from this tire.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
January 20, 2012

I had my tires installed on 12/31/11 and we had our first real snow fall shortly there after of about 6". My previous set of tires never handled as well as these tires do and they were Eagles, High Performance. I want to say 'thank you' to the designers of this tire. I have never been happier with a new set of tires than I have been with these. I have driven on dry pavement, snow, ice and in sleeting conditions on not just highways and county roads but the back roads and up steep hill inclines. We live out of town on a backroad and our driveway is nothing but incline and turns and not once has the car slipped or have I had to back up and take a second run at the driveway. Something I have had to do every winter with my other tires. I can't say enough about the ride, the quietness and how safe I feel no matter what the weather maybe. I live in Wisconsin and everyone knows our saying 'if you don't like the weather wait 10 minutes and it will change' and this is so true. The best thing I think is that my husband has no worries about me traveling anywhere alone with these new tires because all I do is rave about how well they are handling no matter what the road conditions are.

Initial Review, 3000 Miles on Tires
January 20, 2012

The main reason I bought this tire is because I'm poor. I couldn't shell out for a dedicated set of winter tires, so I looked for the best all-seasons I could find, and these fit the bill. I was most apprehensive about our Chicago blizzards; I hoped these tires would cut it. Well, today we got hit, and hard. Now, my car has wide OEM M5 wheels... that's 275 in the rear. And it's RWD. And stick. It shouldn't have gotten anywhere in this weather. Cabs were being pushed along as they were sliding all over the place, FWD cars were getting stuck on uphill inclines. Yet my 5-series soldiered on. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't dignified. But these tires got the job done, and I'm home. Well done, Continental.

Initial Review, 8000 Miles on Tires
January 17, 2012

The first thing I noticed when I got these tires was the tread pattern. It has a great combination of street vs lug tread design. The only fault I have with this tire is that I think it will only be good for severe weather for only half it's tread life. Otherwise I really love this tire and would buy it again if it is still around the next time I need them.
My comparison is with the original BF Goodrich T/A's which s--ked big time. With he Kumho's bouncing between expansion joints disappeared, turing the steering wheel is finally a joy, and I can actually hear my radio at a normal level. Yes the Kumho have made driving the truck so much fun even the wife is no longer afraid to drive it.
I waited to write this until I experienced every traction situation. For a truck dry traction is extremely good. Taking a spirited corner doesn't inspire white knuckles.
The next traction comments about wet, ice, and snow are based on the bed being empty. In the rain these tire hold the road very well and find pavement very quicly when the need arises. Taking off from a dead start will cause the tires to spin, but let off the gas and they'll bit the road. This is true in snow driving too. The tread pattern shed water quickly making puddles, large and small, seem non-exsistent.
Fresh deep snow is not nearly as challenging as light or packed snow. These tires behave very well in fresh snow. If I mind-my-manors the latter stuff presents no problems while out accelerate everyone. Yes I can get the backend to let loose, but it is very quick to straighten out and not wip side-to-side. I do love the fun things a vehicle can do in the snow. I have yet to push these tires beyound their limits which so far is pretty high. Yes I'm the guy you'd say going to end up in the ditch, but I still haven't found that one with my name on it.
My last comment is about the tires Rev's per mile. It's less the OE tires and therefore your speedo is going to be off.

Initial Review, 3000 Miles on Tires
January 29, 2012

Great Tire so far and handles perfectly in the Pacific Northwest's all around weather. So far great stick in the Seattle rain and did excellent during our recent "Snowmageddon," including an early morning ice storm. Probably shouldn't have been driving, but with these tires I felt more comfortable. MPG's are okay. I would like to get more, but I'm getting between 18-21mpg while driving mostly city and some highway. Seems to me like a good all around tire and depending on how long they last, I will probably get another set.

Initial Review, 50000 Miles on Tires
January 30, 2012

this is my second set for this vehicle. original tires lasted 30,000 or so, then got the Bridgestones. all around great tire. i have a steep long driveway & live on a dirt road in a hilly rural area of Connecticut. lots of WEATHER & always changing. last year a couple of storms of a couple of feet & drive right through it, dirt road a mud bog a few times a year with no problems. lasted 50,000 miles with no front end alignments & a few rotations. new tires at 95,000 & a front end alignmnet with camber reset makes straight, smooth riding a breeze.

Initial Review, 15000 Miles on Tires
January 16, 2012

After 15000 miles, they show minimal wear. 100 times better than the Toyo Open Country ATs these replaced. Very stable when towing, and great in all weather conditions.

Initial Review, 5000 Miles on Tires
January 23, 2012

2nd review - now have 5000 miles in all types of weather - great tire - wonderful ride -fabulous traction - best tire I have driven on - will not hesitate to buy in the future or suggest to anyone

Initial Review, 5000 Miles on Tires
January 28, 2012

So far these tires have exceeded my expectations. In my lengthy commute, they have proven to be extremely quiet and smooth riding. They have performed well in a variety of weather conditions. I have not had them in deep snow yet. my fuel economy remained stable as these are replacement for another energy effiencent tire.

Initial Review, 1000 Miles on Tires
January 10, 2012

These are my first high performance all-season tires. I did a driver skills day recently. It was 39 degrees and raining.
The tires' cold, wet weather grip was truly amazing. Great grip in the wet skid pad, figure eight, autocross, and slalom. Very progressive and even at the limit. No surprises.
Strong breaking in the wet.
Hasn't been dry enough in the northwest to judge the dry performance.
Recommended for wet climates. The other cars on summer tires were noticeably less balanced and struggled from grip.

Initial Review, 37000 Miles on Tires
January 24, 2012

I have had these tires on my car for 2 years, or 37,000 miles. I drive highway, city, and all weather conditions. I have never felt unsafe with these tires on the car. They are stable, have grip in every situation that I have driven, and retain their appearance for the life of the tire. My only desire with this tire is longer treadlife and a little better noise reduction. Compared to other tires the tread life is a little less but the noise reduction is about the same. The main purpose of a tire is to maintain safe driving and these tires have definitely done that. I will be buying another set becuase of the peace of mind that they give me in all types of driving conditions. I live in the northeast and these tires got me through one of the worst winters ever last year even with only 50% treadlife left. For the specifications in this tire, it is truly a value purchase given what other tires cost with the same specifications.

Initial Review, 68000 Miles on Tires
January 10, 2012

I've put quite a few miles on these tires, and they are still kicking. Still a couple of 16ths to go till they reach the "change" mark. For what its worth, I bought these mainly for longevity vs comfort and they defiantly deliver. I'm not sure what a "comfortable, smooth, low noise" ride is like, so it makes no difference to me, however these tires ride very smooth going down the road. The road noise is pretty bad, however I have no sound dampening in my car. Going over bumps can be painful, but I generally ride with +5 pounds in my tires to help with traction/MPG. In terms of traction in wet weather, these blew me away. Its nice doing 65 in a downpour while passing all the non-drivers out there, and hardly tell the difference in traction. Snow is also surprisingly good. Doing 40 in the slush that we get here was great and hardly affected the tire (can't say much for the car though). But ice, as with any tire, you will lose traction.

However, once you get up to about 60k miles, that's when you start to tell the age in the tires. Traction starts to drop quite a bit in very wet weather, and even worse during turns. They also don't quite grip as well as they used to at their age, however I only paid $55 a tire at the time, and couldn't pass the price up for such an excellent tire. There is one other flaw in this tire: Weak side-walls. They are very thin for a car tire, and should have been much thicker. I have had one tire blow out the side-wall on me around 50k and not with much extra PSI (only 2 at the time). Also, I don't really like how the edges of the tires are rounded. Its very hard to tell if your car is starting to over wear on one side. Other than these few flaws, you can't beat this tire. I believe these tires will make it to 80,000, not the 85,000 rating, but for the price, and other great features, they can't be beat.

Pros: Great dry + wet traction, good snow traction, longevity, price

Cons: Weak sidewalls, weak traction at 60k, noise

Initial Review, 2000 Miles on Tires
December 28, 2010

Great tires! Korean tire company installing them was cussing when they found out the price. Funny, the other customers were wondering how I got them for roughly two thirds the price of theirs. Need to sign that FTA as soon as possible!!! Tires arrived in time for wet weather, snow and ice in Seoul. Roads are rough but the tires are handling the potholes well. I've noted no problems with handling in the wet/snow conditions. They handle very well on dry pavement and are quiet. I noted others concerned about the noise but I'm not having problems. I have an 08 Focus getting close to needing shoes too. These are very well priced and I'll buy again. Maybe I'll take them back to the Korean installer again. Nahhh, but it's a thought.