Continental extreme contact
 

I was thinking of buying continental extreme contact dw for noise reduction to replace the stock Bridgestone Potenza (yes i have corrected a previous error saying Pirellis). anyone have any experience with these? Are they really quiet and smoother and do they reduce handling/

your car came stock w/pirellis?

Pirellis don't come stock on the 370 that I'm aware of - probably the cheaper all seasons that some dealers use to make people want to buy from them.

If I were replacing my tires today, that is the tire I'd get. There really are very few tires available in the sizes needed for the 370Z. The Extreme Contact DW's have done extremely well in tests. I'd say you can't go wrong trying them.

If you want to take no chances and don't mind spending the coin, I guarantee you'll be happy with the Michelin PS2's.

I run those Conti tires. I can't really compare them to your stockers but I can say they have good grip on hard accelaration and corner well. 285/30 19 and 325/25 20 is what I'm running.

I was thinking about getting those tires, and trying to decide if I should switch to 19's in order to do it.

Anyway I found this

YouTube - Tire Rack Tire Test - Testing Max Performance Summer Tires Tuned for North American Drivers

Here is a better test... this time the DWs best the PS2s...

Testing Max Performance Summer Tires

That certainly does go into much more detail then the other so I would be inclined to believe this more, but I always wonder how you can have such a drastic change in the results when testing the same tires. Their opinions seem weigh greatly on the final results, which obviously are subject to change.

Either way the continentals win and that's what I wanted to hear :rofl2:

MY STUPID MISTAKE.. the car came with Bridgestone Potenza and not Pirelli.. damn I will have to cut down my drinking to only one martini before breakfast!!!:icon18:

I'm thinking REALLY hard about getting these in as 275/35s up front and 305/30s in the rear. Both at an XL rating... with like 45PSI in them... my guess is that resposiveness that Tire Rack talks about is negligible.

crash,

If you get them, post some pictures. I'm curious on how they look on the stock wheels. I'm also curious how they handle on a car that is built for that sort of thing. I tried them once on my SRT-4 and the sidewalls felt pretty soft, which is the reason I haven't pulled the trigger on these this time. It could've been because i was driving an SRT-4 but it could also be the tires. Let me know what you think

I had Continental Conti-Sport Contact 2's on my Volks on the G35 and Evo I had. Liked them a lot. They were the stock tires on my M3 as well.

My stock Yokohama's (Nismo) are getting low on tread especially out back. I did a comparison on TireRack of some of the brands and popular models I like and kept coming back to that new Conti-Extreme Contact also. It rates quieter than any of the tires I checked. Something new I've had to consider with the noise in these cars. The grip is up there with the best and I believe they were the lightest of all and by pounds compared to the Bridgestones. I remeber the Contact 2 was a light tire also.

I'm thinking it's a good choice and probably what I'll get too.

And this is just an observation but I remeber looking at my Conti's and looking at other people tires of the same size in other brands and they seemed to have a smaller side profile. Not sure if I'm describing that right, but like comparing a tire that looks like it has a small stretch versus a squared wider side wall look. It may help if you have an aggeressive wheel fitment. I remeber the Volks on my G just barely clearing and being glad the Contact 2 was shaped how it was. Hopefully that design is the same on the new Extreme.

I'm thinking about it. It wouldn't be until summer though, obviously :rofl2:

I want to take my car to the track and see how it does with the OEM tires, which are only on 18's. You need 19's for these tires, which it seems like I'll probably end up getting since it will handel better but they will be some nice light aftermarket wheels

Unless something else new/gotta have comes out between now and when my Bridgestones need replacing, I am also going with The Extreme Contact DWs :tiphat:

Look forward to seeing more info here as more of us migrate to them.

Keep us informed :tup:

Here is my thinking on this matter which constantly gets revised according to who I talk with. I had a serious issue with the noise in my car but now after dynamatting the hatch and doors its under control.. but for me the quieter the better so I was thinking of getting new tires BUT now I am wondering and here is why.. The salesman told me the tires would reduce wind noise in the wheel well but I realize that its not the wind in the wells but the tires on the road that creates the noise.. I realized this when I noticed that on smooth roads noise is no issue and since the wind must be the same on smooth or rough roads..the problem must be the actual rubber on the road and not the wind generated in the wheel wells.. Also two other tire salesmen told me there really would not be much of a difference in noise but a fourth said there would be! So I am really puzzled... To make matters worse, the sales people all told me that I had nothing to fear as I did not have to keep the tires if I did not like them. They said they would take them back.. I thought that meant I could go back to my old tires but NO it only means you get to chose another set of tires they sell... you dont get a refund.. very clever!!
So all this leaves me no where except to think that since the matter is not that bad I might invest in further dynamatting under the floor..and just save the new tires until the old ones wear out..

Keep us informed!

These are on my list for my next tires. Only complaint I've heard are the sidewalls are bit soft. I put the ExtremeContact DWS on my wife's car recently.

Have you noticed any noise reduction? Any loss in control?

I'm going to try the conti's myself.

Salesman want your money... regardless of what they are selling. There is a LOT of tire info on the internet, I'd read up. You'd know wind noise if you heard it. You are likely hearing the tire tread on the road.

On my previous set on DWs I had, they were VERY quiet. But I think you should figure out what is more important, comfort or handling. If you are planning on taking either tire to the track, I'd think again on your choices. The DW might be more comfortable than stock, but rarely is a "comfortable" tire a top performer (read the reviews on PS2s).

Also, remember you drive a sports car. Things have been spared to enhance performance and certain dsound deadening features might not be there.

She had bridgestone runflats before this. Sidewalls were very stiff of course...so turn in was very precise...and she lost of on that...I warned her that she would. On the bright side the softer sidewalls make the car easier to drive on uneven surfaces....you're not fighting to steer the car straight as much. The highway she drives to work everyday is very uneven. So this is a huge advantage for her. It is always a compromise when you go from a stiffer sidewall to a softer. She has a 2006 325i E90.....remember she has the DWS. My friend has the DW tires on his 350z and he loves them....he pushes his car pretty hard too.

So we can agree they are a somewhat softer tire for a 19" wheel, would you say their about the same as a stiffer tire on 18's would be then or is it not that drastic?

I had a set of Conti DWS 19" installed last night, 19x9 and 19x11. They're much quieter than the stock 18 inch'ers. I am very pleased with them.

EDIT: Just an FYI - my profile pic is of the stockers.

I currently run these tires and love them. Handle excellent and road noise has decreased considerably [or that could just be the radio :shrug:].

Update us after you've got some time on them. I'll be very interested to hear how they compare.

Any immediate thoughts, did you notice any difference in the ride, handling, etc?

My immediate thoughts on the ride difference is that the DWS tires are significantly quieter on the road, in both city and highway speeds. They're also as smooth as James Bond picking up strange. The tires are worth every penny.

:rofl2: So smoother and quieter then the bridgstones on 18's, good stuff. Does it feel like they handle any better though or is it about the same?

It's a night and day difference. The car feels like it's on rails now. The tires come with a lot of grip.

Cool thanks, since your the only guy who seems to be able to compare these I am going to have to pester you some more :D

I would expect them to have more grip, sounds like it's a nice improvement there. But I've seen allot of reports claiming soft sidewalls, which doesn't seem to be a problem though. So you said these offer a smoother street ride right, is that at the expense of handling though? (excluding the new found grip) Do these feel like the respond as quickly, or quicker then with the 18's?

If I can step up to 19" wheels and actually get a better street ride while also improving my handling and responsiveness that would be a no-brainer... besides pretty impressive

Thanks for the help :tup:

out of curiosity, anyone have the experience to compare these to a set of Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT Tires?

Well now lets see how they hold up over time.. keep us posted but I think I am going to take the plunge and buy them.. car is great but the less noise I hear and the smoother the ride over this crap NEB roads...the better!
Thanks for your input

I feel an improvement in all areas of handling and ride performance. No aspect of the tire seems to "take away" from the others. In my opinion, it's an upgrade in all areas and they end up feeling very well balanced in every aspect. The tires have ample grip, ride very smoothly, offer decent feedback, respond well, and actually decrease the overall cabin noise. They come with a 50,000 mile warranty to boot.

I'm not a tire expert by any means, but I know that tire selection depends on your style of driving. Once you know how you'll drive your car, you can decide on a proper tire for your car. From there, it depends on your tastes (customer feedback, costs, brand, past experiences, etc.). I tend to drive conservatively, but I enjoy sprinting along the countryside from time to time. Overall, I feel like I made a good decision for my driving style. Plus, identifying a specific tire that would fit my wheel size was a challenge in its own rite. There wasn't a wide array of options available in lieu of selecting two different brands. :tup:

That was exactly what I wanted to know. :happydance:

I hope you realize you will now be directly responsible for causing me to spend a crap-ton more money on my car for wheels and tires now :roflpuke2:
I hear you on the size, that was how I found them in the first place. Our choices of tires are pretty limited in these sizes. A high performance tire that will last 50k, and actually has some grip, Plus a warranty is crazy. :rock:

Continental makes a good tire, have been used in Europe for years on high end sports cars. The 2009 Nissan GT-R by AMS is riding on Continental ContiSportContact 3 tires ......... not available in our exact size, but the Extreme DW is similar in design :

2009 Nissan GT-R by AMS Performance Full Test and Video

I just dropped my car off to get a set of the DWS installed on the stock sport wheels. Unfortunately they'll be sitting a week while I go out of town, but I'll report back when I get a few miles on them. This winter I should have an opportunity or two to report how they handle some light snow as well.

Price was a little over $1k out the door with tax and installation. I actually came out a little ahead (and certainly faster) going to a local Merchant's instead of Tirerack (sorry, AK).

Well you sold me! But I only bought my car about two months ago so the tires are new and all the dynamatting has had a good effect.. I am not rich enough to just ditch the original tires while they are still good and get new ones ones unless the noise was intolerable but the noise level is now down to acceptable levels but when the time comes I know I will switch to these. I dont drive like an Indy driver but I do appreciate the control at higher speeds and sharp corners and dont want to lose that.
Your review was very helpful

I want to mention that my wife's DWS have been on her car for about 6 months and are still showing no signs of wear. DWS have 540 tread and DW have 340 I think? Her previous bridgestone runflats have a 140 tread and were pretty bald in the rear after a year. She drives maybe 50-60 miles a day 5 days a week. My friend has had the DW on his 350z for months and I don't see any wear on them either. These tires come with some pretty thick tread compared to other brands. They do have a bulge for rim protection and front sizes seem to have a curve or slop in the sidewall. They are not square like a hankook...they are curved more like a track tire. For a car with as much camber as ours, a square tire doesn't make sense.

So this post is more about my review on tread wear...I think most people will be pleased with the result. I can compare the looks of these most to a Michelin PS2. I had the Michelins on my Z06 and planned to replace them with these.

Tread wear ratings are estimates from the manufacturer...so they can lie all they want. Toyo and falken are know to wear pretty fast. I think the continental and Goodyear are in the category of lasting a long time. If you like changing tires all the time and dropping $1k every year or 18 months these might not be for you. The DW are on my list for my next tires, but I have a ways to go since I just rotated my hankooks.

245 has no rim protection on 19x9 , 275 barely any rim protection on 19x10.5...

I run the DW's on my weds. Not bad, im not a fan of the round sidewall visually but lately not bugging me.