Best Reviewed
Tires
- Best all-season tires Goodyear Assurance TripleTred *Est. $140
- Budget all-season tires Hankook Optimo H727 *Est. $90
- All-season tires for performance cars Continental ExtremeContact DWS *Est. $155
- Budget high-performance all-season tires Sumitomo HTR A/S P01 *Est. $115
- Max-performance summer tires Continental ExtremeContact DW *Est. $160
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All-season tires for performance cars
- Best-in-class traction on winter roads
- 50,000-mile tread-wear warranty
- Molded D, W and S show remaining tread
- Occasionally beaten in dry and wet tests
For the best possible winter grip -- short of switching to winter tires -- experts recommend the ultra-high-performance (UHP) all-season Continental ExtremeContact DWS. This tire far outclasses other all-seasons in tests at the Arctic Circle, and it gets great reviews from owners slogging through real-life ice and snow. Winter aside, reviews say the ExtremeContact DWS is an outstanding all-around tire, impressing experts in dry and wet road and track tests, even when pushed to its limits.
The Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season (*Est. $135) and budget-priced Sumitomo HTR A/S P01 (*Est. $115) run neck-and-neck with the Continental in two top tests, but owners rate the Continental much better on snow and ice. The ExtremeContact DWS carries a 50,000-mile tread-wear warranty (most UHP tires offer no tread warranty at all), but another performance all-season tire -- the Michelin Primacy MXV4 (*Est. $160) -- comes with an even heftier 60,000-mile tread-life warranty and also finishes a very close second to the Continental in reviews, although in a slightly lower performance category.
ConsumerReports.org tests the Continental ExtremeContact DWS against 16 of its competitors. Experts at TireRack.com run two separate head-to-head tests involving the Continental ExtremeContact DWS -- one on wet and dry roads, and one in ice and snow at the Arctic Circle. TireRack.com customers add more than 1,100 reviews of the tire's real-life performance. Edmunds Inside Line, About.com and Eurotuner magazine all test the ExtremeContact DWS against other tires at the same Continental press event, and all come to similar -- but not identical -- conclusions.
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Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
ConsumerReports.org includes the Continental ExtremeContact DWS in its latest test of 17 ultra-high-performance all-season tires. Editors rate each tire's grip on wet, dry, snowy and icy surfaces, as well as its ride quality, quietness, rolling resistance and tread life.
Review: Ultra High Performance All-season Tire Ratings, Editors of ConsumerReports.org
2. Tire Rack
Winter-driving tests at the Arctic Circle show that the Continental ExtremeContact DWS is "a league above" other ultra-high-performance all-season tires. Experts test it head-to-head against competitors from Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone and Yokohama.
Review: Winter Testing at the Arctic Circle: Ultra High Performance All-Season, Editors of TireRack.com, Sept. 6, 2009
3. Tire Rack
TireRack.com experts test the Continental ExtremeContact DWS, this time on regular wet and dry roads. It finishes a close second to the Pirelli P Zero Nero All Season, which wasn't included in the snow test.
Review: Raising the Bar -- Testing New Ultra High Performance All-Season Tires, Editors of TireRack.com, June 10, 2009
4. Tire Rack
For the second straight year, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS tops the ultra-high-performance (UHP) all-season tire category in reviews by TireRack.com customers. With more than 1,100 reviews posted, owners say it's the quietest, most comfortable tire in the category, with the best grip on wet and snowy roads. A link leads to an easy-to-read chart that shows how all UHP all-season tires rank.
Review: Continental ExtremeContact DWS, Contributors to TireRack.com
Edmunds Inside Line tests the Continental ExtremeContact DWS at a Continental press event against competitors from Bridgestone, Goodyear and Michelin. After testing the tires' wet and dry handling, braking and skid-pad performance, Albert Austria says the Continental rides better and at times handles better than the others.
Review: New Tire Tech: Continental ExtremeContact DW and DWS, Albert Austria, April 14, 2009
6. About.com
About.com guide Jonathan Lamas attends the same Continental comparison test as Edmunds Inside Line. He ranks each tire's performance on both dry and wet surfaces, with tests on an oval, public road and time-attack road course (in a time attack, cars individually race against the clock for the best overall lap time). The Continental ExtremeContact DWS wins more often than the others, and it never comes in last on any test, but Lamas doesn't pick a favorite. (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
7. Eurotuner magazineDetails/Subscribe
Eurotuner magazine attends the same Continental press event, and testers are just as impressed with the Continental ExtremeContact DWS as other reviewers. After "pushing the DWS to the max" on a BMW 328i, Mazda3 and Mustang GT, testers say they feel more confident with the DWS, and they find it quieter than its rivals.
Review: Driving the New Continental ExtremeContact Tires, Editors of Eurotuner magazine, March 11, 2009
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