downtoearth Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Initial reaction to Continental DWS i got put on today after 150 miles of driving 0____0 make a quick jolt with the steering wheel and the rear of your car will fish tail a couple left and rights turning into a turn very iffy, once your into the turn and steering wheel is set I feel very confident to accelerate into the turn. Coming out of the turn with a snap of the steering wheel, rear of car begins to fish tail for a half second straight driving very nice, tracks true, quiet, no tram-lining on crack, or crack-sealed pavement and smooth i don't know if I will keep these. may take advantage of continentals satisfaction warranty and have them put the DW's on tires are 215/45/17 psi is 40/40 stock 08 legacy rims Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaze741 Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 2008 models also don't have traction control, which may explain your fishtailing. I can't even get mine to fishtail on dry ground. Car won't let me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tito_b0y Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 You should set them at 38/40 F/R to keep the PSI ratio. They also need to be broken in (500 miles) before they perform optimally. 2006 SWP 3.0R 5EAT VDC BBQ 2008 OBP 2.5i 4EAT BBQ [RIP] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNVAR Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 your tire pressure's kind of high... check the door jamb sticker. for 05/06 it's 35/33 front/rear cold inflation (car sitting out overnight IN THE SHADE and checked first thing in the morning before ANY driving or starting of car) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tito_b0y Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 The high PSI compensates for the soft sidewalls of the DWS'. I'm running them at 40/38 F/R myself on 215/45/17s 2006 SWP 3.0R 5EAT VDC BBQ 2008 OBP 2.5i 4EAT BBQ [RIP] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNVAR Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Why do you have the rear set higher than the front when stock pressure calls for rear to be lower? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tito_b0y Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 D'oh! I meant the other way 'round 2006 SWP 3.0R 5EAT VDC BBQ 2008 OBP 2.5i 4EAT BBQ [RIP] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordchilly Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Just placed a order with Sullivan tire for Kumho 4x. They beat tirerack's prices with shipping by $21.76. Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downtoearth Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 its official, i'm getting away from the Continental DWS's ASAP the wind out in Arizona today was gusting around 35 and driving on the highway was bull. The sidewall flexed with every gust and made it feel like i was driving on ice and the car was pivoting left and right on a central axis. The back of my car also wandered with the wind. I do not know if any of you guys fly, but it would be like moving the rudder left and right on an aircraft and yawing. I lost all confidence in my car with these tires Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigTDogg MA Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 its official, i'm getting away from the Continental DWS's ASAP the wind out in Arizona today was gusting around 35 and driving on the highway was bull. The sidewall flexed with every gust and made it feel like i was driving on ice and the car was pivoting left and right on a central axis. The back of my car also wandered with the wind. I do not know if any of you guys fly, but it would be like moving the rudder left and right on an aircraft and yawing. I lost all confidence in my car with these tires So glad I didn't get them. The low weight was attractive, but after looking into it more, the effects on MPG is minimal, and secondary to rolling resistance. On a positive note, I've been very happy with my PZero Nero All-Seasons. Only had rain and dry driving, but they've been stellar. Quiet and ride smooth too. 1500 miles and no complaints thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfred_Buchi Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I'm in socal. I wanted a tire that would give me enough dry performance that I could have fun in the summer, low sidewall flex, and perform great in the snow. Budget was of no concern because I'm a baller like that. Haha, not really, but I do believe in buying the best tires you can afford. If I'm gonna put premium gas in the car and change my oil every 3000 miles I may as well spend some money on tires. After doing a crap ton of tire research, I decided the extra life of the MPSUHPAS's justified the extra cost over the Goodyear, Pirelli, or BFG. The continentals, while seemingly a little better in snow, didn't seem to have the stiff sidewall or dry performance that I wanted. Also the 70 dollar rebate was helpful, though I almost threw it away when it showed up! Thought it was a credit card offer haha. So far I've only driven them on the dry and in moderate rain. I got the car used with some older proxes 4 tires on it, and while they still had decent tread, they were crap. Maybe they were old, I don't know, but I hated them. These tires are exactly what they claim to be. While they obviously aren't an ultra high performance summer tire that will grip till you pop your eyeballs out, they have very respectable dry grip. The sidewalls are stiff enough to keep me happy, and I really really hate sidewall flex (kuhmo, here's my middle finger). Wet traction is great, I am still figuring out the limits, but every time I expect to lose traction around a wet corner it just keeps gripping. I can't wait to report on snow traction. I'm in socal but most weekends I get up to big bear, with a few mammoth or tahoe trips each year. My dad runs Michelin hydro edge on his outback and I've flogged the hell out of those in the snow. Grip on the hydro edge was way better than the falken all seasons he put on after, and he got like 70-80k miles out of them. If my snow traction is as good or better than the hydro edge (which every rating seems to say they will be) I will be one happy dude. Had these tires through winter thus far. Still very happy with them. Snow performance is at least as good as the Hydro Edges I had used with my dads outback. Had it in the biggest storm of the season in big bear. No issues at all with starting/stopping/general tooling around. The car slides very predictably when I want it to and tracks pretty well when I don't want to pretend I'm rally racing. Only limitation was unplowed roads and ground clearance. I don't know if I could have kept going but I got a little scared and worked my way back to plowed roads. I felt very confident driving around on these tires. They impressed me in the snow and I'm happy with my purchase even though they were pretty expensive. They are wearing fine, I've got maybe 15k on them now rotating every oil change. I think I'm most happy with these in the rain though. They really shine in the rain. I've yet to hydroplane or ever feel an ounce of doubt with these in the rain while driving anywhere close to responsibly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08LGT80 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 The high PSI compensates for the soft sidewalls of the DWS'. I'm running them at 40/38 F/R myself on 215/45/17s Be careful not to run it too high! I cracked one of my rims with the DWS! Hate that tire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08LGT80 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 2008 models also don't have traction control, which may explain your fishtailing. I can't even get mine to fishtail on dry ground. Car won't let me. Drive a little more aggressively and use the handbrake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanjk3 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Be careful not to run it too high! I cracked one of my rims with the DWS! Hate that tire! I thought running higher pressures is supposed to help the tire absorb more impact and decrease the chance of damaging a wheel. I doubt running an extra ~5 psi is what damaged your wheel. Usually the sidewall would bubble or blowout before the wheel cracks. Friends don't let friends drink cheap beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Well back to the drawing board for me then, as I was going to get the Continental DWS. My sister has them on her 3 Series and loves them but then again ANY non-runflat was a vast improvement over OEM. How are the Michies Pilot Sport A/S? In order of importance for me the aspects are noise, ride comfort, traction, cornering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08LGT80 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 I thought running higher pressures is supposed to help the tire absorb more impact and decrease the chance of damaging a wheel. I doubt running an extra ~5 psi is what damaged your wheel. Usually the sidewall would bubble or blowout before the wheel cracks. that's what i thought! i ran my stock 17s @ 40psi front/ 40psi rear and i guess the impact of the pothole cracked the rim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08LGT80 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 How are the Michies Pilot Sport A/S? In order of importance for me the aspects are noise, ride comfort, traction, cornering. That's what I'm running right now! Love them so far about 7700 miles. Had a snowstorm in December in Seattle/Bellevue and got around just fine. noise is quieter than stock RE92s, ride comfort is better, traction great on dry and wet, water dissipation is great due to the center water channels and side groves, cornering is direct and stable. i went from stock RE92s to DWSs to the pilot sport a/s and love the pilot sports! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 What got me settled on the DWS was the fact that per tests they are worlds above the rest of the pack in winter driving performance (all other things being equal). Tire Rack said they are in a class of their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenva Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Fishbone, Are you saying that if they were priced the same as Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, (whichyoudonthavetoincreasethepressureon) you would get the DWS? If winter performance was so important why not snow tires. RIP 96 Legacy 2.2 4EAT lost reverse @ 374,000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tito_b0y Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Actually, I blew out both my driver's side DWS on a huge pothole on the NJ Parkway using Subaru's PSI specs in their first 3k miles. I've had no problems using 40F/38R PSI with my current set of DWS in the ~24k miles/3 years I've driven on them. And I've hit some pretty nasty potholes since then. With that said, when these go, I'll be trying on the MPSAS next. 2006 SWP 3.0R 5EAT VDC BBQ 2008 OBP 2.5i 4EAT BBQ [RIP] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Fishbone, Are you saying that if they were priced the same as Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, (whichyoudonthavetoincreasethepressureon) you would get the DWS? If winter performance was so important why not snow tires. It's not a matter of price, but everything else, meaning it's a sacrifice in winter performance for stiffer sidewalls. In other words the Pilot Sports have stiffer sidewalls but not as smooth(?) or good in the snow. I basically don't want to deal with swapping tires, having to worry about the next day being in the 20s in the AM and 50s in the PM, etc etc that's why for now I'm staying away from dedicated winters. I am perfectly fine with a jack-of-all-trades sort of compromise as long as the all-season set is one of the best performing but not at a great expense of comfort and especially noise. These GoodYear F1s are absolutely unbearably loud around town. I have about 20K on them in 2.5 years, AFTER they were replaced for me under the silent recall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 I will say that my wife has a set of Bridgestone G019 on her Mini and I think they are a pretty good tire. They're pretty quiet, comfy and perform just fine for our needs. I am not sure how they are regarded by consumers/community/etc but they have decent reviews on Tire Rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris GTO TT Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 The high PSI compensates for the soft sidewalls of the DWS'. I'm running them at 40/38 F/R myself on 215/45/17s IMO high tire pressure is a crutch for a poorly constructed tire. I had conti DWS on my last car... response and feel was horrid. I ran nearly 10 psi over recommended and was still not happy with them, and at that point they rode more harsh than a tire with stiffer sidewalls. 2003 Baja 5MT 2016 Outback 2.5i Premium w/Eyesight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krzyss Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 fishbone, give winter performance tires a chance. They are the closest to all seasons from all winter tires. If you have a chance try Continental TS830 (available in Canada but not US yet) or Dunlop 3D (4D is available in Europe). Krzys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoplightAssassin Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 lol @ every bad review of the DWS on this page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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