Track Tire

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 03, 2013

These came stock on the 19" x 8.5" rims of my 2011 Mustang GT. I drive 6-speed with 3.55 gears, so the rear tires get a bit more shock treatment than that of an automatic.

Brand new, the tires are great. You almost can't get them to break traction short of turning the traction control off and dumping the cluth after reving up to red line. But after doing that a few times, you will find the traction/stickiness of the tire will have depleted.

They are still good all-around tires, but after a few months of driving, they lose their launch traction.

I have already replaced two sets (four tires total) in the two years that I have had the car and am about to replace another set on the rear. That would mean that about every 10,000-13,000 miles, they need replaced. The tread is not down to the cords or anything, but you can feel a major difference in the performance at the 10k wear point.

Road noise is pretty minimal for a low-profile tire and the ride is comfortable as the suspension on the GT with these tires rides very well. There seems to be a bit of roll/softness in cornering, but if you know your car well enough, you know what you can and can't do and the tires stay fairly firm. I will buy them again for all year tires, but I will probably switch to something stickier for Summer track action on street tires.

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
March 12, 2013

Have these on my Mach 1 that sees a LOT of spirited driving. These tires HOOK!!! I've had M/T drag radials and these far out performe them for much less money. I was very surprised with how long they lasted as well, over 12k miles and they still hook. They are on my weekend car so havent seen rain with them but I think the tread design is good enough for a little rain.

At the track, these things are AWESOME! Very consistant launches and GREAT 60' times as well. My car makes 400rwhp 500rwtg on nitrous and these dead hook out of the hole on the bottle. Constant 1.5x 60's with minimal suspension and weight reduction mods. The sidewalls will even wrinkle like slicks. Will for sure be buying another set of these some time this summer!

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 13, 2013

i replaced the oe michelan pilots with these. big mistake. we recently got 4 inches of snow here and the car wouldn't pull out of its tracks. i never had that problem with the pilots. next time i will go with the more expensive michelans.

Initial Review, 750 Miles on Tires
April 04, 2013

This is basically a fun HPDE / Autocross tire for me. I plan to switch to a different set of wheels/tires for daily driving. Last year I used Conti DW and Michelin Supersports for daily, autocross and HPDE use, howevever that was with a different car, so I can't make a direct comparison.

Ride quality is actually pretty reasonable given the "extreme" nature of this tire. Actually, ride has improved over the oem Dunlop SP Sport 2050 tires, however, some of that may be due to the smaller and lighter wheels. I'm sure a more recent max performance summer tire will ride better, and a gran touring tire better still, but these are quite reasonable for what they are, and not at the level of harshness of a run flat tire.

Noise is deeper and a little louder than oem, but still not bad. It is more noticeable at lower speeds (40-50mph) now. Smooth tarmac is still quiet, but rough tarmac, or concrete is where you will hear them.

OK, now for the performance aspect. So far I have just 2 days on track with these tires, 1 dry and 1 wet. I was very happy with them in both conditions. In the dry, these held up well for a 25 minute session. They did get slightly greasy feeling after a few hot laps, but much less so than the Supersports I last ran at this track and adjusting tire pressures helped dial that out. There is another comment on here saying that the traction is harder to judge for the beginner due to the lack of audible feedback. I did find it hard to judge traction in my first session, however once I had learned to understand the feedback after that first session, I found them to be very communicative and was able to push up to the limit of traction. I'm not a complete beginner, but neither am I that experienced yet. In the wet, they worked well on track and I also drove through some storms on the way home with no aqua planing.

Overall, I am very happy with these tires and would recommend them for anyone who wants an aggressive street tire.

Initial Review, 1,500 Miles on Tires
February 19, 2013

This is a preliminary review of the Continental PureContact with EcoPlus for the Mazda5. We have put 1500 miles of Pacific NW winter driving on these tires since our purchase. They are significantly quieter when driving on both concrete and asphalt highways, especially at freeway speeds. The Mazda5 is not a quiet, touring car, but these tires are a dramatic improvement over both the OEM tires and the Goodyear Eagles that we have previously had mounted. Our Mazda5 has a 5sp manual and so far, the Purecontacts have not lost their grip during normal 1st gear starts. About 80% of our driving so far has been in damp and wet weather and the Purecontacts track predictably at all speeds. Fortunately, the Mazda5 has not been in snow this winter, so no feedback yet on their snow performance. Only time and mileage will show how these age, but we are extremely satisfied with these tires so far.

Initial Review, 9,000 Miles on Tires
March 21, 2013

I have 9,000 miles on these tires and they have just started to show a little wear. I think they will last me at least another two seasons. Best snow tire I have ever used, at least on the Mini Cooper S. The traction was incredible in the snow overall. Once the tires got moving, I rarely lost traction, and most of the time I was trying to lose traction to see how they handled. Acceleration in light snow was the only "little" complaint. It usually took a second or two to get going. All other acceleration was great. When the temp is under 30F, the tires handle great for a snow tire. I took it onto a dry track at 15F, and even at high speed it was extremely stable. Even cornered well. Once the temp gets above freezing, the tires get soft at around 75mph. Overall the best winter tire I have used because you will tell a difference. Highly recommended.

Initial Review, 20,000 Miles on Tires
March 30, 2013

The Goodyear Assurance Tripple Tread All Season is the next best thing to a performance tire. It is also the next best thing to a snow tire. It is also the best all season tire I have ever purchased in my 46 years of driving. I've got the originals and am extremely satisfied witht their performance. I can't imagine how Goodyear could have improve the performance with the new version of these tires. I am sure that Goodyear did and cannot wait to purchase a set whenever these tires need replacement. When traveling down the road I get the impression that the car is traveling in a track. Straight as an arrow when I'm on the go. Cornering is like the suspension has gotten a major upgrade.

Initial Review, 15,000 Miles on Tires
March 16, 2013

Have used this tire on my Genesis 3.8 GT for tracking. They have at least 20 track sessions of 25 minutes . Very responsive and pleasant to drive. Best tires for this car without R compounds. When threads are used this is not a tire for tracking in the rain. Otherwise I will get the same tires for this car for sure. The tires have a nice thread pattern. Look nice and racy.

Initial Review, 4,500 Miles on Tires
March 19, 2013

This is my first ever set of winter tires, so I can't really compare them to any other tire, except all-seasons. My first misconception was that the tires would make my car invincible in the snow - they didn't. You still have to be mindful of how you're driving. Having said that, I've only driven a handful of times in the snow with these tires, and I fully enjoyed all of them. I could drive twice the speed of the other cars, in a lane that was still snowed in and had barely any tracking. I've also played around in a parking lot with about 2-3 inches of fresh snow and the responsiveness of these tires is very good. You will still slide if you're braking too quickly or turning too sharply, but much less than with the all-season tires that I've had in the past. I had one experience with deep snow, and it wasn't a good one. I tried to plow through a foot of snow in my driveway and got stuck. Not really the tire's fault, but I did notice that FWD with an open differential is not very good for those instances. That's why I think that your drive train will play a big part in the overall performance of these tires. Last thoughts - they look nice and meaty, noise level is low, and ride comfort is great. Not recommended for spirited driving, but excellent for everyday use. I would like to compare these to the Bridgestone Blizzaks, if I ever get the opportunity. Snow tires are fun!

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
March 17, 2013

Deep snow In 4WD mode: Good traction for take off, cornering and braking are not as good as take off. To be fair braking and cornering are far better than the other traffic on the road in deep snow, it's easy to accelerate past other traffic and to stop and turn. It's just the traction afforded during take off doesn't match the cornering and stopping (probably the 4WD engaged vs 2WD mode). I found my self sliding off the road in deep snow when traveling much faster than traffic. If I slowed to slightly faster than the average traffic I didn't slide in corners and had no braking lockups at all.
Wet conditions 2WD: No hydroplaning through the life of the tread, good braking and cornering in the wet, take off will spin the tires pretty easily but it's a pickup truck so that's expected.
Dry conditions: Good traction for take off, good braking and cornering. In the dry it's a very good tire. Under emergency braking to the point of activating the antilock system the tires tracked straight with no extra input needed maintain directional control. To be fair stability control in the Tundra may have played a part but, in the particular instance a lady pulled out of a gas station in front of me and the guy in the lane next to me. We were both a 40 mph and slammed on the brakes as we fully expected to hit her. She froze when she realized a truck and car were coming at her and that she was about to be hit. We both stopped about 3 to 8 inches from hitting her. The Tundra and Bridgestones didn't slide or slew and no one was hurt. I heard the tires from my truck and the car next to me skidding as the antilocks pulsed on both vehicles.
Ride comfort is very good, steering response very good, tire noise is good but sometimes on concrete the noise is a little louder than asphalt. Tire wear has be good 50,000 miles and there is still some left before the wear bars. Now that they are near the wear bars there is some hint of hydroplaning but they are all but worn out. Light Offroad good

Initial Review, 7,500 Miles on Tires
March 16, 2013

I am starting on the second season with these tires. My car is stored most of the cold months. I am happy with how these tire hold up to rough roads and very aggressive driving I do. These are very low profile tires in a staggered formation on my AMG- 245/35/19 front and 275/30/19 rear. The quietness and traction they provide is outstanding. I have been in a few hard rain storms and maintained 75-80mph to test the traction, hydroplaning, and they felt very capable. The Michelin's feel very confident at high end speeds. I believe the warranty on these is 30,000 miles. I don't expect them to last that long with my driving style, though if i were to get 20,000 on them, I'd be happy. I will most likely try these tires on a track day in the future. They are worth the money!

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 16, 2013

I purchased these as a year round alternative for my Saab. These tires are towards the bottom end price-wise so don't expect otherwise. They performed very well in all areas, except for winter, which was okay. Dry and even wet conditions they were better than I expected. This vehicle has had all new suspension installed. The tires seemed to harden up in the cold temps. Getting that initial "bite" to start off is where these lacked. I do have a manual transmission so it is tricky to get traction at times. I have had snow tires and know that all seasons will never be the best. With that said, they tracked okay in the snow once moving. There are better options out there for all season winter use. But after 10k, these tires still have 7/32" tread depth and should last me 40-50k.
They ride quietly and feel very solid, yet smooth. The steering response was sharp. Overall satisfied with these tires.