bigigg

I have the 18" AMG wheels on my car with the Continental pro contact tires.
Well two weeks ago was a bubble on my sidewall front driver side tire, today was a blowout on my passenger front. It's my fault I hit a pothole at highway speed, but these roads are currently destroyed. I spent $350 at the dealer for a new tire,mount balance. Could I have gone elsewhere and spent less.. yes but its convenient that the service department at the dealer is open late. Im currently on a doughnut(80K car and no full size spare). I'm just curious if any1 else is having problems with these tires. I called and was told the wheel/tire protection is $1,195 for 2 years, that would be worth it if I cracked a rim, but that would amount to 4 more tires to make my money back.

OBP

I know what you mean Bigigg. Seeing more potholes here and there in Essex Co too. Where were you when you damaged your tire/wheel ? I'm going in for my first claim on my tire wheel protection package next week - not for a pothole problem but for a cosmetic chip caused by a flying rock on the highway. With potholes and stuff everywhere, I'm glad I have the protection pack. Covered for another 4.5 years.


I've done 4500 miles so far ( mostly on the Conti Pro Contacts, though more recently on Blizzaks ) and apart from the Contis being noisy when cold, I don't have any real complaints. Would prefer to be riding on Mich Pilot A/S though.

ilovemaui1

I have the Conti Extreme Contact DWS's on my 500E and my SL500 and love 'em. Granted neither vehicle is a daily driver, but I find them to be great on the Pacific Moist West roads and very quiet. Sorry to hear you're having issues. I sprung for the replacement warranties at America's Tire.

bigigg

OBP.. not sure where the bubble on the driver side front occurred, but the passenger front yesterday morning happened on rt 21 south getting onto rt 3 ramp. I should clarify also I'm not complaining about road noise or traction etc, my complaint is the weak sidewall of these tires, and how easy they bubble or tear. The somewhat good news is the service adviser told me since I bought two new tires from the dealer already they come with a two year warranty. So if this happens again in the front tires they are covered by continental, I just pay for mount and balance. I'm just hoping I don't damage a rim.

OBP

Bigigg: sorry to hear about the Rt 21 situation. Always thot that area had messed up roadways. On the 2 year warranty with Conti, they generally provide that with their tires. It may not be an outright warranty all the way through though. At some point they start to pro rate depending on tread depth. See comment below on soft sidewall.


Ilove Maui: I have Conti DWS on my other car ( tires bought from a Lexus dealer with the 2 year warranty deal described above ). I like them but I would say they have a softer sidewall than some other tires I have used ( Mich Pilot Sport A/S, Mich Pilot MXM4 ). It's a known issue with the Conti DWS but if you want good all season performance with decent snow traction for an all season at a reasonable price, DWS works well. It's just not the best tire for hard cornering due to the soft side wall but hey, not sure how many of us bought our cars to be track cars anyway.

ilovemaui1

I have read the same complaints with Michelin tires. Those complaints were mostly about cracking of the sidewall.

bigigg

Another blow out yesterday, this was my 3rd!! This is getting ridiculous.. Hit a pothole doing about 20mph, front driver side. MB covered the cost of the tire I just payed for mount/balance, since I already purchased a new tire from them about 2 weeks ago.

OBP

Sorry to hear Bigigg. Where were you ? Was driving around the RT 22 area near Springfield and conditions were bad. What inflation pressure do you use. I run about 4 psi above recommended. More protection from potholes.

bigigg

I was on a county rd in secaucus, getting onto turnpike.. I noticed the dealer likes to fill up the tire to about 36psi, I agree with you I bump it up to about 40.

OBP

Yes, running 40 psi on my winter tires. So far so good.