I thought this video may help people see the benefit of having a tire such as the Conti DWS:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=124

 

Both will ride better than runflats. DW's are the better choice for HPDE, or Auto X - but their grip really begins to roll off below 40 degrees.

Pilot Sport AS can work in the colder temperatures, may ride smoother, and brings 85% of the dry grip the DW's offer.

Cross compairing customer surveys is hard for a myriad of reasons. When you cross compair our tests across catagories you get tricky as well. A 7 in dry grip isn't as grippy on a passenger all season, as the same 7 may be awared in a ultra high performance all season 7 rating.

Alex

 

On what basis do you state that the A/S has 85% as much dry grip as the DW?

DW average tested dry cornering g's = .94
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=120

A/S average tested dry cornering g's = .93
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=119

 

1st hand seat of the pants perception.

Grip to me isn't just lateral G's its also the ease of working around the slip angle. You achive the slip angle quicker on the MPAS+.

I also like the throttle modulation @ the slip angle with the DW. MPAS+ likes a full blown turn in style correction.

I also feel the MPAS+ will not deal as well with heat , as the DW if you were to use them for instance on a 6 run auto X, or a 20 minute lapping session.

While grip on our skidpad are very close - bear in mind when we test the tire gets 2 laps (30 seconds a lap) and sits for atleast 3 minutes before it runs again.

Let me know if I can clarify further,

 

Excellent info and insight as usual Alex. I'm considering the DW to replace the stock Dunlop runflats on my 09 JCW. I also have a set of dedicated winters I picked up from you last year that I run from November to March, so I'm trying to determine my best option. I don't track or autocross my car, just some occasional spirited driving in the twisties. The JCW is my daily driver, so I'm willing to give up a little ultimate performance for ride comfort since I never really take it past 8/10th on the street.

That being said, any suggestions (tire/size)? I thought about maybe a 205/50/17 to get some extra sidewall for the terrible roads here (can't go to a 16 on the JCW). Or is 215/45/17 really the best option?

 

Thanks. Sounds more like drivability or handling preference than grip.

 

Pathy, that's one of the reasons I went up to the 215's on the DWS's...besides the fact that Alex was out of stock on the 205's :-). After 125k miles of North Jersey/New York City potholes with various run flats, all 4 of my OEM wheels were bent to some extent. Before I put the DWS's on I spent about $150 per wheel to have them straighened and refinished, and with the 215 DWS's I don't expect more wheel problems unless I hit something rather extreme. I also think these tires will protect my car from the mushrooming strut towers, which fortunately my '03 MCS did not suffer from.

 

I think what i'm hearing here is that the DW has a good bit more "performance headroom" than the MPAS+, but that this additional performance is very unlikely to come into play on the street. Now, I just have more questions, or maybe just one. I don't do skidpads, x-cross, or any kind of track. I want a really good street tire that will give me the most performance that can be expected on the street from my MINI. Is that tire the MPAS+? I think that that is what I'm hearing?

 

I think the clear cut consensus is that a summer tire like the DW will not provide really good performance when the temperature drops to near or below freezing.

 

I'd like to try the Continental DWS 205/45/17's but they seem to be backordered everywhere. Tire Rack doesn't have them and my local guy doesn't have them either. I see Shark715 put 215/45/17 on. Tire Rack has them in stock. I realize they are a little bigger, do they fit the Mini S ok? I want to get rid of my runflats which have > 21k on them. I have stock rims and the 215's are wider with a heavier load rating. I'm trying to get a better ride and expect the 215's to have a stiffer sidewall. So I have a few questions:
1. When will the 205/45/17's be in stock?
2. Will the 215/45/17 fit my stock rims? and if so,
3. Will the 215/45/17 have a harsher ride?
4. Should I just be patient and wait for the 205/45/17 to become available? (not a patient person)

 

I have and like the 215's. I'd suggest getting those.
Another cool thing I found was they aren't directional. I would have hated this but it will improve the life and wear of the tires. If you're looking at these tires you'll probably appreciate that too.

 

jrcsh6, thanks for the quick reply!
I called my tire guy this morning and he can have them tomorrow. I'm going for a 200 mile trip this weekend and I'm tired of bouncing up and down the PA turnpike on these runflats! I'll let you know how it goes next week. Thanks again.

 

they are a lot softer, squirmy at times however 80-90% of the time they are perfect for me as most of my driving is on less perfect roads. you'll learn as you do with any car/tire where the good and bad is in terms of performance. from what you say you're looking for this tire makes sense.

 

Greg, my car is an '03 MCS with the same OEM wheels shown in post #108, and they fit fine, no rubbing. I can't comment on whether the ride would be rougher than the 205's since I never tried the same tire in the smaller size, but see my posts above. Please let us know what you think as there's definitely a split jury here...some of us love the tires, and some are not happy at all. I'm really happy with my decision thus far...except...my tire pressure light came on yesterday even though the tires are less than two weeks old. UGH! One of the tires is losing 3-4 lbs of pressure per day. I cannot find any signs of a nail or other damage. It might be a valve issue, or it might be a leak in the wheel. As I have a spare wheel, I ordered a 5th tire this morning from Tire Rack. I'll have that mounted, and then try to sort out what going on with the tire/wheel that's losing pressure, and as I rotate the tires I'll use all 5 rather than 4.

 

can someone comment on their experience with these in the snow Especially if you have driven on winter tires also). I would love to have these over dedicated snow tires, but I am worried that any all season tire is just not a good option for some mild snow driving.

 

I don't have first hand experience in the snow as I just installed the tires 2 weeks ago, but judging from the tread design I would expect these to be decent on most front wheel drive cars in light to moderate snow (so long as the "S" is showing on the tread). Tire Rack rated these tires quite good in the snow, and that's one of the reasons I bought them. See the following video:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=124
My previous tires were Conti all season run flats, and I drove in snow up to nearly a foot and never had a problem (but the tires were fairly new and had more than 50% of their tread depth remaining). Previous to that I has summer tires, and even with those, given that the Mini has so much weight over the drive wheels, I was able to drive in several inches of snow with little trouble. On the other hand, I've driven cars with winter tires, and they are far, far superior in the snow...no question about it. They are worth the trouble of switching them out if you expect to drive more than a handful of times a year in anything more than 3-4 inches, especially in hilly areas.

 

On my way to MITM/MTTS, I had to replace a Dunlop run-flat because I ran into a moderately sized pot hole. Since I was in the middle of nowhere, I called Schomp and they quoted me a million for the replacement, as did Discount Tire in Colorado Springs. While en route, I decided to get two non-runflats instead and called Discount Tires with my desire-best puncture resistance, long wear, great traction in most weather, relatively low price. They recommended the Conti DWS in 215/45 ZR17 and said the had them in stock. Out the door, I paid $329.00 which I couldn't complain because I was on the road. I only have them on the front right now but I will eventually go all 4 when I have the bucks. A tire guy I know was really impressed when I told him what I got, especially how good they are for the price. I highly recommend them for general mid to high performance motoring, not necessarily for the track though.

 

Background: I have a 2009 Clubman S that came factory with the 16" bridgespoke rims and the Continental Run Flat tires (195/55r16) I purchased a set of Konig Illusion 17" wheels and Continental ExtremeContact DWS (215/45ZR17) from discounttiredirect.com. I found out that the cost to mount and balance said tires and wheels and pulling the TPMS from he old wheels is no cheap task.

First impressions: WOW! I should have gotten rid of the run flats when they had 10 miles on them. It is truly a night and day driving experience. The smaller bumps in the road are almost fully absorbed by these new tires. The larger bumps no longer make the car seem like it will rattle apart. The ride was a lot quieter as well. I no longer have to crank up the freshly installed MTX speakers to fully enjoy them. As for the rumors of them having super soft sidewalls... well my impressions are... that may be true on the 16" Continental ExtremeContact DWS but the 17" is not too soft. Yes they seem a little squishy but they are brand new and will need to be heat cycled.

Overall: These tires in a 17" do probably have a firm enough sidewall. Some of the squishy feeling I feel is from the brand new tread and not enough runtime on them as of yet. If you are looking at these tires for a 16"application you may be better looking for something else like the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S.

I will update more once I get more mile on them.

 

I replaced my 205/45/17 Continental runflats with 215/45/17 Continental DWS tires last week. Wow, what a difference! I took a trip 200 miles up to northcentral PA and back this weekend. The Northeast extension of the PA Turnpike would just jar me when I hit the bumps from the paved over expansion joints. Now their just a bump, much smoother and now I can enjoy the ride. When I had the runflats, I couldn't wait to stop driving. Definitely made the right choice!

 

How much difference is there in the speedometer readings going to the 215/45/17 Continental DWS'?

 

 

Taru, according to my GPS equipped radar detector, when I had the 205's, a speedometer reading of 60 mph was an actual speed of 58 mph. With the 215's, it's dead accurate at 60 mph.

 

Thanks for the feedback, I went ahead and ordered a set of DWS' in 215/45/17 mounted on ASA Black AR1s on Sunday evening from TireRack, and they arrived today. Great service!

 

Thanks for the input! Anyone else with real world experience with the DWS in the snow??

 

Guys, this is very simple math! The difference between the 215 and the 205 is about 1.9% or less than 2 mph faster than indicated on the speedo at 100 mph with the 215's. That translates to about 61.2 mph at 60 mph indicated with the 215's. In the real world, I don't know that the speedo installed in the car is that accurate. In other words, I wouldn't worry about it.