Former favorite cedes top spot to the Michelin Pilot Super Sport
- Performance on wet and dry roads
- Inexpensive, for a max-performance tire
- Quiet overall
- For summer driving only
- No tread-wear warranty
- Noisy over bumps
The Continental ExtremeContact DW, reviewers' former favorite summer tire for high-performance sedans and sports cars, has been dethroned by the Michelin Pilot Super Sport (*Est. $195). Experts at TireRack.com find the Continental a bit quieter and easier-riding than the Michelin, but owners find no difference -- and both experts and owners say the Michelin out-grips and out-handles the Continental on both wet and dry pavement.
Continental offers the ExtremeContact DW in both W (maximum 168 mph) and Y (186 mph) ratings. Like other max-performance summer tires, it would slide on snow and ice, and it carries no tread-wear warranty (the Michelin Pilot Super Sport does carry a 30,000-mile tread wear warranty). The Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position (*Est. $185) trades some of the DW's elite summer performance for winter grip and a 40,000-mile tread-life warranty, and it's the Best Reviewed performance tire for year-round use.
ConsumerReports.org and TireRack.com both test the Continental ExtremeContact DW head-to-head against other high-performance summer tires on wet and dry roads, but ConsumerReports.org tests more rival tires and adds rolling resistance and tread-wear tests. TireRack.com also posts more than 350 owner reviews for the ExtremeContact DW. About.com tests the ExtremeContact DW against other performance tires, but in some tests it substitutes the all-season ExtremeContact DWS. At SaferCar.gov, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website, you can look up government tire ratings for traction, tread wear and heat resistance.
| Featured Stores | Store Rating | Notes | Total Price | |
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Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.org
ConsumerReports.org tests the Continental ExtremeContact DW alongside 22 other ultra-high-performance summer tires. Editors rank the tires according to their performance on wet and dry roads, as well as their rolling resistance, comfort and tread life.
Review: Ultra-High-Performance Summer Tire Ratings, Editors of ConsumerReports.org
2. Tire Rack
The Continental ExtremeContact DW places third in this comparison test of four max-performance summer tires. Testers find the Continental quieter and more comfortable-riding than the other tires in the test, but the champion Michelin Pilot Super Sport delivers better traction and handling on both wet and dry roads.
Review: Clash of the Titans: Testing Two New Max Performance Summer Heavy Hitters, Editors of TireRack.com, June 14, 2011
3. Tire Rack
The Continental ExtremeContact DW is the second-place max performance summer tire in user reviews at this retail website, with more than 350 ratings posted. Again, the Michelin Pilot Super Sport places first.
Review: Continental ExtremeContact DW, Contributors to TireRack.com
4. About.com
Jonathan Lamas, About.com's guide to Mustangs, tests several performance tires on wet and dry pavement, a road course, an oval and public roads. The Continental ExtremeContact DW wins the road course testing, maintaining its grip lap after lap while tires from Goodyear and BFGoodrich begin to fade. In some tests, Lamas substitutes the ExtremeContact DWS all-season variant; the Continental tires always perform well. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: Mustang Tire Comparison: Continental, Goodyear and BFGoodrich, Jonathan Lamas
5. SaferCar.gov
In National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tests, the Continental ExtremeContact DW earns the highest possible ratings for both traction and heat resistance. Its relatively low tread-wear rating is normal for a summer-only performance tire.
Review: Tire Rating Lookup, Editors of SaferCar.gov
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Best Reviewed
Tires
- Best all-season tires Goodyear Assurance TripleTred All-Season *Est. $150
- Budget all-season tires Hankook Optimo H727 *Est. $90
- All-season tires for performance cars Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position *Est. $185
- Budget high-performance all-season tires Yokohama Avid Envigor *Est. $140
- Max-performance summer tires Michelin Pilot Super Sport *Est. $195
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