Just bought Conti ExtremeContact DWS!!

[ShrinerMonkey]

I also took mine out in the Xmas eve snowstorm here in Iowa and they performed admirably. I had no problems with braking or accelerating, I was driving very conservatively as it was difficult to gauge what the traction level would be on many of the surfaces. Very confidence inspiring A/S tires in the snow and slush. ABS didn't even need to engage on some snow covered hills that have proven difficult in the past with previous cars and with the old Yokos on the Subaru.

[mossman05]

these tires are fantastic 10 plus inches of snow here in the mtns of NC and never got stuck once i feel very confeindent in the DWS. paid 126 per tire best money ever spent! this is my first subaru and loving every chance i get to drive it

[korpsepatrol]

Here is my amateur review of these tires, hope it helps.

Wheels: 04 sti bbs:

My previous tires: Kumho Asx (225/45/17), Dunlop M3 Winters (235/45/17), Bridgestone Re050a's RFT (225/45/17).

 

DWS 225/45/17's

NVH: VERY quiet ride so far the quietest tires i have used. It has a bit of a squishy sidewall which to some it might bother but i found it to be a godsend in the un-kept roads with patches from winters here in my area. All the bumps seem to sound dampened so it actually gives an impression of a comfortable ride.

 

Dry: The grip on the dws for the dry are considerably better then the asx's and the m3's, but not RE's of course. They have a squishy side wall so you will kinda feel like the suspension is a bit sloppier than normal(especially coming from a RFT summer tire)

 

Wet: In the wet the DWS are superb they have again better traction then then both Asx's and M3's and in some cases the RE's(deeper water puddles). I have not had any hydroplaning at all. They take turns very well.

 

Light Snow: In the light snow, they start as good as the m3's and way better than the rest of course. They do not stop as good as the m3's though. That i tested out several times to see if it was just underlying ice, but no they just don't grip to stop the same. Keeps grip fairly well in controlled corners.

 

Deep snow: As of yesterday's(12/26) snow storm Excellent traction i would have to say comparable to the m3's the stopping in packed snow again comparable to the m3's. In this aspect it leaves the ASX's in the dust. I was able to throw my car into a unplowed parking spot and come back to it still buried with more snow after work and had no issues driving right out. The look on coworkers faces as they try to shovel and rock back and forth out was priceless.

 

Overall I definitely recommend these tires for those living in the northeast or any light to moderate snow. Heavier snow fall areas might benefit from the dedicated snow tires.

[LegGTLT]

Curious to see if anyone here has these on spec.B rims in a 225/40/18 setup. I'd like to stay close to stock diameter on my '05 and I just bought '06 spec.B rims. Trying to see what the 225/40/18 looks like with this particular tire. I'd like to bump up to the 225 size as long as it doesn't look mismatched. Thanks!

 

Bump.

 

Just curious if anyone has pics of these on 18x7 or 17x7 so I can see what the 225 looks like on a 7" is all.

[StoplightAssassin]

Bump.

 

Just curious if anyone has pics of these on 18x7 or 17x7 so I can see what the 225 looks like on a 7" is all.

 

They look proper. I'll snap a pic when I can.

 

225/45/17

[Bolksey85]

They look proper. I'll snap a pic when I can.

 

225/45/17

+1

Much meatier look than the 215's on a 17" wheel. I can grab a pic or 2, as well. And these got me out of my driveway yesterday morning. Granted, it was only 6 or 7" or dry, powdery snow but there was not even a hint of trouble. I when it just rolled through.

[LegGTLT]

No 225/40/18 shots huh?

 

 

 

 

And Bolksey.... get back in that online dating thread, people need updates!

[scoobydoobie]

225/45/17 DWSs:

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/502/fall04.jpg

http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/372/img0621t0.jpg

 

Definitely fill out the wheel wells a good bit, its a meaty looking tire. Pretty happy with the tires, dry traction and wet traction are great. In the little bit of snow driving I've done on them, they have been very predictable. Much more so than the RE960AS I was on last winter.

[landark]

Anyone have a source for a single 225/45 18? They are on nationwide back order and I had a blow out yesterday.

[greg_mitch]

Anyone have a source for a single 225/45 18? They are on nationwide back order and I had a blow out yesterday.

 

Check Sears, TireRack, DiscountTireDirect, etc.?

[SpecBGuy]

need to check these out for next wheels

[Bad Chariot]

Just got the car back from Town Fair Tire, cost me $644 for everything. I got them in 215/45/17, I asked them to set the PSI at 35lbs. The tires feel solid and I didn't really hear any road noise, the sales rep was really stressing that I be aware that they were a loud tire. I am not sure if slightly over inflating them is the difference but having the radio on #4 which is pretty low, I heard nothing.

 

BRING ON THE SNOW! l:)

[citka]

I just had a set of the Michelin X-Ice's put on last night for $135 each. Limited time in the snow and ice, but so far, they are a spectacular tire. I'm stoked to find some deep stuff.

[LGT For ME]

Denver is getting its first good snow storm of the year and I'm actually excited to drive home in the snow to see how these tires perform, will have a first impression posted in a few hours after I play a bit

[LGT For ME]

Ok guys after my first drive on these tires in the snow I must say that I am not too impressed w/the total performance in the snow. Definetely better than stockers but not what I was expecting. My tires are about 400~500 miles old so hopefully they will get better once the factory crap wears off will will keep you posted

[seiyafan]

Just ordered mine today, went with stock size 225/50/17.

[Burock]

Tried out my relatively new Conti DWS's during the Blizzard on Sunday. I wasn't too impressed but then again I was driving around in 11" of snow with sleet and freezing rain on top with 60mph winds. A bit better than the stock Bridgestones. I think the improvement is much more noticeable in heavy rain/ hydroplaning with the DWS tires. With heavy dense snow, not too big a difference. Might be adding Hakkapakellita dedicated snow tires as I have an extra set of rims and the DWS is certainly not a true snow tire. If you live south of NYC, probably sufficient, but for New England, Upper Midwest, or Rockies, they aren't going to cut it with a good safety margin.

[LGT For ME]

I drove my wife's stock 09 Outback w/ stock tires Potenzas and her car is a fair amount better in the snow vs my car w/ DWS. I thought this would be the exact opposite. I wonder if the DWS get better after the break in period, I hope so.

[Bolksey85]

I drove my wife's stock 09 Outback w/ stock tires Potenzas and her car is a fair amount better in the snow vs my car w/ DWS. I thought this would be the exact opposite. I wonder if the DWS get better after the break in period, I hope so.

Which BS's are on the Outback? Remember, they are not only an AS tire, but a high performance one at that. They were in no way optimized for snow. I'm willing to bet that against most other UHPAS tires, they are right there with the front runners like the Pilot Sport AS and others.

[Pinter]

I drove my wife's stock 09 Outback w/ stock tires Potenzas and her car is a fair amount better in the snow vs my car w/ DWS. I thought this would be the exact opposite. I wonder if the DWS get better after the break in period, I hope so.

 

I don't think they will. They are horrible in snow and I feel bad for others who thought this tire would do decent in snow like I did. Great tire in rain and dry but as soon as the snow comes, it's one of the worst tires I have ever owned.

[rtbrjason]

I don't think they will. They are horrible in snow and I feel bad for others who thought this tire would do decent in snow like I did. Great tire in rain and dry but as soon as the snow comes, it's one of the worst tires I have ever owned.

 

I have to agree with this again after a total season snowfall of over 50 inches so far. This is a good tire but it is not really snow capable. In the wetter slushy stuff it's not bad and even in the snow if you take it really easy you will get around, but I continue to be surprised that the last generation of conti extreme that I ran the last 2 winters out performed this tire though it had a lesser snow rating.

 

That tire (older extremes) did have what appeared to be a more agressive (almost off road) tread pattern compared to this newer version which is a bit more traditional in style. I'm not going to go out and get winter tires at this point as I just bought these, but I will likely look into a dedicated snow for next year.

[RedDawg]

took an ~800 mile trip to visit family over xmas. Love how much quieter these tires are compared to the stock 92s, especially on the highway.

 

I didnt have any problems with 12"+ of unplowed snow over the holidays. Odd how diff people think they suck in the snow while others don't seem to have any problems with them. I'm running ~38psi all around.

[scoobydoobie]

Guess it depends on where you are, how much snow you get, and what you are used to driving on in the snow. If I lived anywhere in New England I would have a set of dedicated snow tires for sure. The DWSs have been great for me in the little bit of snow we've gotten this year in central VA. Same with my buddy who has a set of them on his FWD Mazda3.

[Bolksey85]

I don't think they will. They are horrible in snow and I feel bad for others who thought this tire would do decent in snow like I did. Great tire in rain and dry but as soon as the snow comes, it's one of the worst tires I have ever owned.

Seriously? Because you can't do 65mph in snow you don't like them? OK, put snowmobile treads on and then report back if you want to do that.

 

People need to realize that this IS NOT A SNOW TIRE. Do not buy them expecting effortless snow capability. They will not and they never will perform as well as a dedicated snow tire. If you live in an area that sees substantial snow falls each year, here are your options. 1, don't be cheap and buy a dedicated set of snow tires. 2, buy these and get it though your head that they will not perform as well as snows. 3, stay home and complain during the snow.

[MY99 2.5GT]

I purchased a set of 215 45 17 Conti DWS's at the same time I purchased my 2005 Legacy GT about a month and a half ago. I immediately took the car for allignment.

 

Since purchasing car/tires I noticed a whirring noise, almost like what you would hear from a dog box or a trans with worn syncros. I took it to the dealer to have them check out the rear wheel bearings since so many have complained of failures. Sure enough 1 bad rear wheel bearing. That particular noise cleared up once it was replaced.

 

Now that the rear bearing is fixed it sounds like I'm running a set of off-road mud truck tires, but muffled. The noise level isn't unbearable but I'm concerned it will get worse as the tires wear.

 

So far Ive gone up and down in pressure and cross rotated them to try and get rid of the noise, but its still there. I took it back to Subaru to have them check for bad bearings on the front. The service manager road tested it with me and very confidently said its the tires.

 

Still skeptical I'm going to replace both front axles because I see some grease globs on the shaft where it appears the boots have leaked. At the same time I'm going to swap trans fluid with a combo that includes shockproof (shockproof is good for dropping trans noise down quite a few db). I'll change the rear diff fluid as well.

 

Long and short of it, I would be perfectly happy with these tires if it weren't for that droning hum. I still can't beleive its the tires making the noise since everyone speaks so highly of them. However it seems to be pointing in that direction.

 

My 60 days is nearly over. So I need to decide soon whether I'm keeping them or sending em back. If I send them back it will be in exchange for Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus's.