Wheels With Tires

Initial Review, 75,000 Miles on Tires
April 15, 2013

I have 205/55R16 size tires on my car. Brand new they're no better in the snow than my 97,000 mile old OEM Michelins that I replaced! Sliding and spinning everywhere no matter how slow you go. I had them "road force balanced" when new and rotated them every 4000 miles along with watching how they were wearing to adjust tire pressure accordingly. Longevity is excellent but they're absolutely terrible in the snow. I now have 75,000 miles on these and they're at 3/32". They handle corners better now that they're almost slicks. I've been driving on these through 2 winters now. Was hoping to get a good compromise between cornering and snow capability. I'll just get a set of performance tires to get me through the next 4-8 seasons. I might as well get the tires I want if all-seasons don't work any better! I'm not about to waste money on winter tires.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
February 04, 2013

There was no snow for the first month of the tire use, so when we got a few inches, I took the Miata to a parking lot to see how the tires would perform. Donuts, quick stops, quick acceleration were all tested. It's a rear wheel drive roadster so there was fishtailing, but the Miata does that with the forecast of snow. I was really impressed with the Continentals. I was able to control the slides and was able to recover every time, no matter how hard I pushed the car. I have had all season/mud & snow tires from Pirelli (P Zero Nero's), Dunlop, Goodrich (Super Sport M/S)...the Continentals beat them all. We'll see how they do in deep snow, but so far, so good!

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 12, 2013

Excellent winter tires for my truck. They performed well in all conditions (dry, wet, snow, ice and slush, as well as cornering, acceleration and stopping). In deep snow, my truck did some fish-tailing as I had no weight on bed and I could feel it pushes the front wheels through the snow. Once I turned the 4x4 on, the truck went like a charm through the snow and didn't flinch a bit. After one winter with 10k miles, there is a noticeable tread wear on rear wheels compared to front wheels which still looks like new. Will have to rotate them after 5k miles next winter.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
January 24, 2013

I have these on a Rear Wheel Drive V8 Caddy and I could not be happier. I live in NE Ohio, so snow is not an uncommon occurrence, and dedicated snow tires make all the difference in the world.

Keep in mind, these are snow tires, so don’t put them on too early or leave them on too long. Know that even ½ throttle will over power them if you have a real motor and corners should be taken with a little more care than with the summer shoes.

Noise is no issue, it is winter – your windows should be up anyway – and if noise is a problem, it’s not the fault of the tire - you just need a Cadillac. I
I would definitely buy these again, and this is a much better solution than buying an AWD car with their lower MPG and heavier handling.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
April 02, 2013

Went from the OEM 225/45/18 Hankook Optimo H431 on OEM 18x8 to 245/35/19 Michelin PSS on 19x8.5 wheels. I'm very ocd when it comes to proper air pressure. I use nitrogen and run 38psi, 3psi over oem to optimize for proper load rating. Even though I drive a 4-door sedan, I drive it spirited! The PSSs in my honest opinion is an incredible tire in all aspects. I use to race BMWs and Mazdas in SCCA and know a little about racing. Hence, this tire has great turn-in and allows for sustained control cornering with little push. The variable contact patch seems to just bite the harder I engage cornering and handles the car's weight transfer during cornering, maximizing lateral grip. Wet weather handling is great, however our rainy season has yet to hit us down here in central Florida. In the rain that we have had the tire does very well in both handling, hydroplaning, and breaking. I've driven on Goodyear's F1, Bridgestone's S04, and Conti's Contact DW & DWS. Looking forward to updating this review after I put some mileage on the tires. Stay tuned!

Initial Review, 12,000 Miles on Tires
April 06, 2013

These came as original equipment on my Acura TL with all wheel drive and stick shift. I did not switch over to winter tires this year, and in light snow, I detected no loss of traction at all. I normally run separate winter and summer tires, but these tires with the all wheel drive are a good compromise for year round use.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

These tires were on my WRX when I bought it so I'm not sure of the mileage. The previous owner said they have 1 or 2 seasons left. They are awesome in the snow. I can start from a dead stop in the middle of a 2 foot drift with no wheel spin, stop on ice, drive right over tall snow banks. I've tried to get stuck and failed numerous times. A lot of the credit goes to Subaru but these tires are great.

Initial Review, 3,000 Miles on Tires
April 10, 2013

Excellent snow tire especially when paired with an all wheel drive sedan. The car stuck to the road like super glue(TM) in every winter driving condition. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Initial Review, 500 Miles on Tires
April 09, 2013

Bought these to replace my worn out Pirelli Scorpions. Thinking spring had arrived I pulled off my Blizzak WS-70's and put these on. As luck would have it, 3 days later we got hammered with almost 2 feet of snow. Very quickly found out how good my Blizzak's really are. Calling these "All Season" tires is being optimistic. Traction in loose snow (after roads were plowed) is marginal at best. Cornering in loose snow caused the front end to plow and the traction control to activate immediately. Deep snow (unplowed roads) resulted in lots of wheel spin and darting. To be fair, I didn't buy these for winter driving and I did get a chance to evaluate them on dry roads prior to our spring snow. Road noise is low to moderate. Not as quiet as my Pirelli's but not annoyingly so. Haven't seen wet roads yet so I can't comment on how these do on them. Dry traction feels good but there is a small amount of sidewall squirm that you can feel in cornering. We have a lot of rutted roads thanks to the use of studded winter tires and these tires wander around when you get in a rut. It's not uncontrollable but it does make me feel a little loose compared to the OEM tires. I only have 500 miles on the tires so maybe they will get better as they break in and the roads warm up. I'll write a followup review in another 1000 miles to see if this is the case.

Initial Review, 22,000 Miles on Tires
April 11, 2013

I like to drive! I only used these tires from April through November and they made driving a delightful experience. It's the best word I've got for tires that let me drive (appropriately) aggressively even on wet asphalt. I felt confident they would keep the car on the road and experienced controlled turns and no hydroplaning. I didn't have expectations for treadware but it wasn't great for me. I didn't communicate well, apparently, and these directional tires wound up on the same wheels for two seasons. So I have two good and two shot/cupped. With better care on my part I could have gotten another 10K miles from the set. They are a sport tire and I guess if you drive like you mean it 35K miles is OK. I would definitely buy them again. Oh - they do pick up a lot of little stones. I'll be buying another set when I don't live on a dirt road any more :)

Initial Review, 250 Miles on Tires
April 13, 2013

I have a 1998 Mustang Cobra with 280 HP at the rear wheels. I had a set of BFgoodrich g-force sports in 245/45/17 and would spin through 1st and 2nd gear and slide in most hard corners. To be fair, I impacted weight transfer with an Eibach kit that included lowering springs, sway bars etc.(Love the kit) and then I added caster/camber plates and set camber for cornering. That said, the 255/40/17 Potenza RE-11 is a dream come true. Better ride, no wheel spin, no slide in corners. If tread wear isn't a concern (no wear claim or warranty.)Then this is the only tire to consider. I went from years of un certain launches and corners to feeling like a pro behind the wheel. This is the only street tire I will purchase.

Initial Review, 1,000 Miles on Tires
March 12, 2013

After 12 years of all season tires on a 2001 Prelude, I purchased the Winterforce pre-mounted and balanced on steel wheels. These things grip like asphalt magnets!! Almost frustrating to drive in snow now! Everyone else is creeping along like they're driving in snow. I live on the edge of the city at the top of a hill. Too many times I had to take a run to get to the top, and sometimes didn't. The worst part of my drive was thinking about the last 1/4 mile on the home drive. They're quiet and the ride is excellent. I can't say enough about this tire. I went straight off the recommendation, and got the black hubcaps. Everyone thinks I got new black wheels, they even look great! Thanks Tire Rack. You guys are great! These things will drive up the side of a building. I can't remember the tire losing grip. Push the pedal, and they bite. Pull the trigger on these now. You won't be sorry.

Initial Review, 2,000 Miles on Tires
March 19, 2013

Purchased these to replace Bridgestone 960A/S that lasted 73000 and no longer had tread depth for any snow. The Conti DWS tires really offer a far superior winter experience. In icy slush last night I had no wheel slippage on fairly steep hills. Something the 960A/S could never have done even when new. The trade off is in dry handling: I notice more roll in turns and less on center feel. So far tire seems to be a little quieter. Overall very happy and after experiencing the winter performance would highly recommend.

Initial Review, 36,000 Miles on Tires
April 03, 2013

Bought this car new. Tires rotated per owners manual and they became LOUD at 20k miles. Sounds like a wheel bearing gone bad, but it's the tires. They grip well, decent in rain and snow and wear pretty well. They are just really noisy. Will go with another brand when these are done.

Initial Review, 5,000 Miles on Tires
March 26, 2013

I've been a long time skeptic of all season tires. Having spent a decade switching between dedicated summer and snow/winter wheel sets, I decided to give the DWS a try. My previous set of A/S tires, RE960 AS's were a huge disappointment. The dry weather in early January gave ample opportunities to test traction and stability and although the DWS' are a little less responsive than say the SportContacts it's certainly enough for a small AWD sedan. The snow storms in February/March however have made me a believer. Braking on snow is as expected. Ice performance is as well (since nothing is "great" on ice, "OK" performance is acceptable. The light/heavy snow traction though is what impressed me. This does have something to do with the fact that I drive an AWD with a manual transmission, but the tires rocked the snowy roads. I actually found myself detouring down unplowed streets just to keep the smile on my face!

Initial Review, 7,000 Miles on Tires
March 14, 2013

Great wet and dry traction..very good handling....but the road noise is unacceptable!
Have tried all diff pressures..still far to much noise!! Always had great success with General Tires, but these are terrible to live with.