Shout out X 2!!!

Some of you might recall that in anticipation of driving throughout winter - and a bit more aggressively at that - I purchased 4 Continental Extreme Contact DWS All-Season Tires (along with brand new OEM Propeller Wheels from Midwest Wheel & Tire), the same excellent tire I have on my Audi A8L. I swapped out of my summer wheels/tires during my initial service at my local Jaguar dealer early last month. At the time of purchase they were, overwhelmingly (with over 47,000,00 miles logged), the #1-rated Ultra-High Performance All-Season tire on TireRack.com. And, thus far, have performed as such. (I've had them on my Audi for many years so I know they are continually outstanding performers).

So I was mildly surprised, while shopping for new All-Seasons for a female friend of mine, to discover that the newer version of the same tire - Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 - took over the top spot very recently (actually, BF Goodrich g-Force COMP-2A/S is number one but since I am a fan of Continental Tire...). I then recalled that Continental has a 60-day Customer Satisfaction program, and while I was completely satisfied with my original purchase I thought that perhaps they would allow me to swap out into their newer 06 version. And they did. And while it's far too early to determine whether the new 06 version is markedly better/improved than the old - plus it's raining today (when I did the swap) and needless to say there's no sense in rushing out, pushing the envelope, in real-world testing on brand new tires, my sense is the old is brilliant and the new 06's are [gonna be] that much more so.

So...shout out #1 goes to Continental Tire for outstanding customer service and satisfaction (and for producing such a fabulous tire)!

My second shout-out, and this is going to come as a surprise - if not shock to many of you here (granted, this shout-out is purely local) - is that I needed an authorized Continental Tire Dealer to do the exchange and since Midwest Wheel and Tire is...well...in the Midwest, local. My Jaguar dealer isn't and it's not like anyone of us are about to take our F-Types just anywhere. My first thought, naturally, was get a tire dealer who has the proper equipment and, much more importantly, a tire guy who knows what the hell they are doing. Pretty damn obvious. So imagine my surprise when I called Cahill Tire in nearby Bath, Maine and spoke with the manager who, after I asked if they have a Corghi Artiglio machine [no] immediately said that he's worked there for 13 years and never put even a single scratch on any wheel, and that he'd handle my car personally. Those are strong words indeed but he sounded so utterly confident that I asked him/them to do the exchange (and they handled everything). Which he did this morning to my complete and utter satisfaction. He couldn't have handled my wheels and tires in a more professional and proficient manner. $60 for the exchange + an extremely well-deserved $50 gratuity and I couldn't be more satisfied. (Wait until you check out the photo below).

So...Shout-out #2 goes to Cahill Tire in Bath, Maine and Matt Ventry for an absolutely perfect job! (And proof that sometimes you can't always judge a book by its cover).

P.S. I may be mistaken - but I don't think so - but the newer tire appears to be a slightly lower profile?

 

I was seriously leaning toward replacing my P-Zeros with the same Contis because I think these make a lot of sense for a 100% street, all-season, daily driver. Alas, according to Tire Rack, they don't produce this tire in either front or rear OEM 20" sizes.

 

That's unfortunate Clay as I think you would really love these tires. While I'm not tracking my car, for real world applications - including spirited driving - they fit the bill beautifully in my opinion. And, as you know, I'm looking forward to pushing the winter envelop of these UHP tires...well...before you know it.

 

I'm interested to hear how many seasons it takes before the "S" is worn off on those tires. I was reading some reviews that indicated they might only be good for one winter.

 

Hi Nati. I'd be interested in seeing which review(s) you're referring to, although "my own review" is what matters most to me. While quite a different car, I've been running those tires (the previous generation and not the "06") on my 2004 Audi A8L for as long as I've owned the car - about 10 years - with tremendous success.

Unless one drives their car like a maniac - all the time - "good for one winter" sounds questionable if highly doubtful. IMO.

 

I just got off the phone with Continental Tire, and asked whether the newer 06 version of the Extreme Contact DWS could have a lower profile than the previous generation - same size tires of course - and the answer, after the helpful gentleman on the phone looked up this and that, was no. I didn't think the same size tire would but it/they certainly give the apperance of a lower profile. Unless I'm delusional (always a possibility), he was as perplexed as I was/am.

So my question to you - and I'm perfectly satisfied with the look [and feel] - is do you think it's [still] possible that they are a lower profile (and before you mention tire pressure; all @ 36 psi and my tire guy, who did a thorough and excellent job mounting and balancing them, then added 2 psi more for good measure)?

Thanks!

 

The profile (or "thickness" or "hight" of rubber from ground to the rim) of the tire is given in % of the width.

For your rear tire (if it is 295/30*20), the profile is 30% of 295 cm.

For your front tire (if it is 255/35*20), the profile is 35% of 255 cm.

There might be minor differenses, as some 295 tires might actually measure 300mm or 290 mm in width, but that should not be noticable by the eye.

However some tires might look wider or with lower or higher profile, but that is probabely because their shape and construction make it look that way.

The easiest way to control it is by physical measurement

 

When you and your beautiful wife come to Maine Arne, I would appreciate you doing just that.

By the way - and I get the aspect ratio bit - my fronts are 245/40/19 with the rears being 275/35/19. Don't get me wrong, I love the look (and, thus far, the performance, and that goes for the previous generation too) and have an excellent discerning eye so while I might be delusional, I could swear that there is a noticeable difference. Oh well, when you get here we'll determine that for sure.

 

It would be a pleasure Jay. The Main lobster would be a nice bonus as well

 

Jay,
In order to enhance traction under certain conditions, they may have modified the sidewall construction which might allow the sidewall to bulge more under the same tire pressure. Also, actual dimensions of the "same size" tire varies slightly from one manufacturer to another. Why not also from one model tire to another?

 

That does make sense U. Not unlike - and I'm not trying to be funny here - trying on two pairs of the exact same pants (or shirts, sweaters, etc.) in the same size and there's an ever-slightly-different fit?

I actually have a call into their executive offices - mostly to thank them for the swap and commend my installer - and will ask them, again, what they think. And, report back.

Thank you U.
J

 

You can get pretty close though, according to: Continental Tires Online For Sale which lists all available sizes.

OEM is F 255/35R20
OEM is R 295/30R20

Extreme Contact DWS

F 255/35ZR20
R 285/30ZR20

Extreme Contact DWS 06

F 245/35ZR20
R 285/30ZR20

 

Yes, I saw that, and you're right it probably would make no noticeable difference because of the size difference, per se. I know that the same size tire can vary across manufacturers by a similar amount.

 

No, I'm not a paid spokesperson for Continental Tire but after a 120 mile spirited drive yesterday - still early for a full assessment - I LOVE these tires.

 

Had my wheels retorqued this morning; a good practice I believe after a few hundred miles on newly installed tires.

Speaking of new tires...

My Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06's are performing incredibly well - although I think I might have pi$$ed off one or two drivers coming into work this morning; and I rarely if ever do that - in spite of bitter cold and vicious winds (and a bit of snow and ice). It goes without saying then - although I will anyway - that I LOVE these tires!!!

Best regards and Happy Motoring boys.
Jay

 

Fantastic. Good to hear. And good for you for using the 60 day satisfaction guarantee to upgrade. That was brilliant quick thinking on your part, and good customer service on Continentals.

 

Outstanding customer service StealthPilot and, as I've just PM'd you, I will let you and everyone know how well they do during a snow-storm as it's snowing like crazy here, even as I write.

Should be loads of fun in loads of snow! What is life without adventure?

Best regards,
Jay

 

Sergeant Phil Esterhaus: "Hey, let's be careful out there."

 

Belker: "Sit down, dog breath!"

 

Out of respect for the wife and dog - and the conditions of the road - I had little choice but to put the F-Type in "D" with "snow-mode" on. Initially I tried keeping it in "S" but the roads were far too slippery (cars were all over the road) and that just wasn't going to do. (No dash-cam StealthPilot, but here is a picture of the "after-math". It doesn't look like much but you can't see my front license plate can you? What a minute...I don't run with a front plate!). With judicious - firm, steady, and constant - use of the accelerator - and just about everyone else in the "slow" lane, I pretty much had the "fast" lane all to myself. And...made it home in one piece!