Continental Extreme Contact DW
 

Just wanted to share with those who care to read this, and know the struggle:

I've always had traction problems. 1st was a joke and 2nd was just to heat up for 3rd gear prior to racing. Spinning through 3rd wasn't uncommon at all on E85, especially if the road wasn't perfect and hot; all it took was 1 little bump or crack.

So after winter, I set out to find an 18 inch tire that will grip well. I looked at many R compound tires; the RE-11, NTO5, Z2, Proxes R888, etc.. However, I drive my car daily for a decent commute, so the thoughts of a fast wearing tire being my only solution was a bit frustrating. Though, wanting an 18" tire to grip well in a straight line was kind of stupid anyways, as we all know a short/stiff sidewall is terrible for straight-line grip.

Out of frustration with the fact that I have to drive 50+ miles a day and knowing tires likes that only come with 7/32s tread, and will wear fast as is; I decided to go with an extreme summer tire over an R compound.

Well knowing that Continental generally has a softer sidewall on their tires, I went with the Continental Extreme Contact DW (not to be confused with the all-season DWS). They're a 340AA tire, that comes with 10/32 tread depth. They have a very soft sidewall for an 18" tire, which is definitely noticeable. Its not like driving on my 16" winters, which can be sketchy as fuck, but its definitely not rigid like a typical 18". With that said, they're very predictable IMO, and they hook like a motherfucker.

(not my tires BTW)
http://media11.dropshots.com/photos/...1/b_023606.jpg

Proof of said sticky-icky:

^^^ that was on a 225/40R18. Going slightly wider than factory spec caused a steep increase and price, and my jewedness said, yeah well fuck that.

These days, I have my 2nd gear neutered a little bit because of traction issues prior to these tires, but even with this tune I was able to kill my 18" Dunlops and rape my 16's. So I was stunned the first time I nailed it in 2nd, and I actually went somewhere. However, with how well I hook now, I believe that there is some room for a little more aggressiveness in that gear once again.

Again, these tires have a soft sidewall, and while they're sloppier than a rigid tire like the factory Dunlop, they still handle pretty well. If you're really into aggressively turning, like auto-x or some shit, then these tires aren't for you. With that said, IMO, they're the perfect tire. They don't wear very fast, they still handle well, they grip hard in a straight line, and they're pretty damn cheap.

So I highly recommend them to anyone looking for dat traction lyfe on an 18 without going to an R compound.

I think I might get some of these.

LOL, I was going to mention you and the fact that my 16s are contis, but failed to find a way to word it so that my OCD would be satisfied. So I said fuck it and moved on. Haha.

I've been writing that since like 8am but between OCD and work interruptions it took 2 hours. lol I rewrote that shit like 2 times.

I am planning on picking up a set of 235/40/18's this friday, trying to still get the rebate that they are offering.

235 Is the size I wanted to get, but it was a decent bit more per tire for that little bit extra. I just didn't see it paying off. But it can't hurt, if you're willing to pay.

I second the op.

Went from the oem 225 dunlops to 245 conti dw and I have traction again. I would agree that cornering is a bit sloppier. But I expected that and also lost some steering feedback from the wider wheel. But I like traction.

Now for more power to force some r-comps...

I'll be picking up a set of 245/45/17s soon. My nitto invos have been absolutely fantastic but they were dead at 20k miles (1 year of driving). Glad to see the good review

If you guys want a $80 ViSA Gift card as well, lwt me know, I will give you a code to the Conti Club. Program Overview


You an get the tire from any dealer and then you can submit your paid receipt and code and receive an $80 ViSA Gift Card.

BTW, these tires are great in the rain, one of best IMHO, I have used them on a Auto-X on a wet track! PM me if you want a code

I've been running Conti EC DW in a 245/40/18 for the past 3 years or so. Great tires.

The land yacht (merc) has these. They are not bad. Def better then the RE-11's I had on the speed3 (they are also 18's although I am running p295 in the rear atm).

The only thing I dislike about them it that when they get warm they shed tread like a leper sheds skin

I have the conti dws 235/40/18 and its a pretty good tire and even as an all season it grips pretty damn well srt8 line and i can agree about the cornering being a little sloppy but since i put my coilovers on that sloppiness has going much better.

I have these tires as well. Had them for about four months and traction issues are gone. They are wearing good so far. I've not had a chance to get on the strip with them yet but I'm sure they will be much faster than the stock tire.

I have these tires, and really like them. Easily the best I have had on my '07 over its 186,000 miles.

Continental was 2nd on my list to Michelin. Great tire. Interested to know how these hold up for you long term.

IMO sidewall flex can be mostly dialed out with a mild bump in PSI.

Thats what i did i am runing 36/38 up front and 34-36 in the rear

Thanks for the review. I won't be getting new rubber until next year, most likely but I'll keep these in mind. Where did you buy them from? I was looking on discounttiredirect and they were about 20 bucks more per tire for the 235s. I definitely want a straight line trip tire because I don't autocross. If I had the money, I'd ditch the 18s and get 16s or 17s in a wide rim. Fuck 18s. I can't justify buying new rims when the after market rims that came with the car are nice and I like them and I also just bought some nice 16s for my winter set up. I've got other plans for my mod money

I bought some of these because they are supposed to exhibit similar characteristics, and no one to my knowledge has reviewed them yet:

http://i.imgur.com/muu8EsCl.png

I put the RS3-A's on my wife's V6 Camry and they kick ass, so we'll see if the summer tire is up to snuff as well. $138.50 shipped each after some chat haggling with DTD for 235/40/18s.

Like I said, going to a 235 added a decent amount to the price. $20 per tire is a lot for 10mm that probably won't gain you much better grip.

My winters are 16" rims, and I imagine if they had better tires, they'd be boss. They just have the regular conti pro contacts on them, and I hook really well with them. However, they take away from handling a LOT. It will eventually become something you'll miss, even if you do hook well. Gotta find that middle ground.

Yeah, I don't know how much the extra 10 mm would add to grip but I imagine it would be a little. I wasn't saying an extra $80 is chump change for a set but I was just thinking it was more the way you were talking about it.

As far as 16s for a summer set up, I'd try to go 255 45 R16. That tire is almost the same size in diameter and would grip like a mothafucka! I don't think it would be too bad in the corners either. Plenty good for what I'd want it for.

Trust me son, I looked into this shit more than anything else after being on my 16" rims. lol 205s hooked hard because mad sidewall. However, when you start searching, you're going to find that the only tires you're going to be able to find are drag radials, like the NT555Rs, that only come with like 4/32s tread on them.

For me, it was impractical to try to commute 50+ miles a day on tires like those. I'd be replacing them every season at least, and that's without me driving like an asshole. lol

Full traction in 2nd is good enough for me, I guess. Like I said, I may want to up the power in 2nd again, at least until it gets back to where it almost breaks loose; so I can get as much power possible to the ground. Really though, I don't do many 2nd gear rolls, so its not a priority.

I can agree with the other people commenting about these tires. Straight line grip is great but the soft sidewall is noticeable when you start ripping it through the twisty backroads. They are actually pretty quiet too, but this is coming from someone who just switched from the OEM Dunlops. Overall I'm impressed with the tires. For $131 a tire its well worth the money IMO

I think they're just a great alternative to R compounds and radials.

Drag radials are not practical for me either as I drive 60+ miles a day going back and forth to work. However, there are a few options that would last longer than a season in that size tire. Not sure how great they'd be since they're all season tires though. EDIT: I was actually looking at 245 50 R16. You're absolutely right about 255 45 R16. There is nothing worth getting in that size. LOL

Like I said, I can't justify buying new rims for my summer set up at this time so I'll be sticking with 18s for a while longer.

Anyway, I've strayed off topic. So how long have you had these bad boys on your car then? I noticed that they don't have a mileage warranty. I put close to 20k on my car a year so it would be nice to find a tire that would last a couple seasons and would still provide good grip.

I only put them on 3 weeks ago. @Vader; can speak more on their behalf about life expectancy.

i haz teh tractionz XD
 

I have about ~3k miles on my set (225/40/18), and love these tires :) 2nd gear hooks up well, with the exception of a small amount of wheel spin at the top end but barely noticeable. For the record, Im on BNR S3 (50:50 mix) 23psi @ 16.5* max timing, with 2nd gear not limited (i ramp boost up a bit later @ 3500). Im very impressed, ride quality is second to none imo.

So who has put these on OEM Pu wheels with 235s? I see @blackms3_71; is running the DWS, but I'm curious if this summer variant is too wide for the 7.5"s.

They should be mounted on sn 8" wheel.

235's would fit the wheel, possibility of rubbing would depend on your setup. I intended to go with the 235's originally (im on pu wheels) and had done a fair amount of research to check fitment. Although an 8" wheel is recommended they will fit with minor/almost no buldge. If width is not a huge concern, imo I would just stick to 225's.

I am picking up mine today but wont get to drive them until I can get my fenders rolled.
@MOCO MS3; can you send me the code?

I went with 235s Neo Gens on my Pu wheels, they fit completely flush. I was trying to get every bit of contact patch I could for straight line grip and they've worked pretty well. I'm just hoping the Coopers I ordered are similar, or the DW's that replace them in up to 30 days will fit decently also.

Sure, here it is. It is case sensitive


TV2FV-ADA-000000001



Program Overview

Thanks for the review, these are what will be replacing the OEMs once they are gone. Which will more than likely be by the end of summer or sooner. Was either going to get them from DiscountTire or TireRack, just don't know yet.

Tirerack is $524.00 total before taxes for them or Discount is $568.00 total before taxes +$10 disposal fee and a $64 install fee but I do get lifetime rotation and balance...

So thanks for that code, I went ahead and downloaded that coupon and saved it for when I purchase the wheels.

I have had these on my car for about 15k miles so far, working great and show no signs of wear. Grip is just as good as the Michelin pilot super sports they replaced and ride comfort is better. Steering responsiveness is less than the michelins, but you get used to it pretty quickly.

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I am running DW also. Have had them for about 4000 miles and love them. For $580 after tax, they are hard to beat.

dat traction lyfe

Damn I wish I had seen this sooner.

I just put on some Nitto Motivos A/S. They're actually a bit taller than stock, but even with slightly slower acceleration they'll still break loose. The selling point was the 60k warranty. I drive 120 miles a day at the moment. :disappointed:

They are quiet and more comfortable, but definitely more sketchy than my old potenza pole positions which were great in the handling department.

I'd still go with NT05s, I got my set for $640 - 235/40/18. Life span isn't as bad as everyone thinks.
They are not "R" compound unless you were referring to the NT05R @CWP_MS3;

They hooked great, but not as good as the NT01s that you can take a chunk out of them when their ice cold because their so gummy.

For the price and performance I believe the NT01 takes the cake.

@MOCO MS3; Thanks I just submitted my rebate.

-Nick

does 245/40/18 fit on the stockers?
don't know much about tires and i'm getting close to 20k on my dunlops so I might go with these. not sure if I should stay stock size or go with the 245 you guys are goin with.

I think stockers are 225, so if you were to go up it would be to 235. Keep in mind that the profile number is actually a ratio to the width, so 245/40 is gonna be taller/softer than 225/40.

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