Brian McL

I have a set of 4 ContinetalContact tires on my 400E and they have to be the worst tires I have ever owned. And of course the problem is with the car according to the customer service people at Continental. Funny how there was never a problem with the car while the Michelins were on it.
Oh...and maybe this will help explain the poor product quality...all 4 were made in the USA.

ZorroAMG

Contis are standard equipment on Porshes. Can't be as bas as you think.

enderw88

I have Conti's on my E420 with no complaints. What is your specific complaint with them?

CDP

and what model Conti's do you have...

Brian McL

CH95 ContinentalContact. 205/60/15 91H. Perfect for the car. Bought at the Mercedes dealer in South Orlando.....and paid huge for the priviledge. They produce a constant "drumming". Not an out of balance high speed vibration, but a resonance that you almost "FEEL" in the air in the car. BUT, the biggest complaint is that the customer service people (when you finally find one) offer only limited help. The warranty is useless. THAT is my biggest complaint. But these tires are aweful, too.
Oh, and re the Porsche crack...I guarantee you those tires are NOT made in the USA by General, oops, I mean Continental and probably Z rated....a whole different animal. Apples and oranges....so don't even go there!

HAL STEINER

I have to vote FOR the conti tires
great ride took off cooper tires with better than half life left
now there is a questionable tire

my E320 coupe Sportline rides good on the conti's

Brian McL

Well...that's good to know. Maybe I can sell them to my brother inlaw for his Sportline coupe.....or do you need a spare set? Say $150 with 8/32 rubber left. New they have 10/32.

Eliot

You can always get a bad set of tires thems the odds and more often than not Customer Service means the exact opposite.

Brian McL

Yeah....I know...and that is really discouraging.
There was a time when.....oh, never mind.
Anyway, it seems as those I will just become another unfortunate casualty of corporate greed.
In the long run it would be comforting to think that they loose, but they don't care about one custom...gee, their idea of increasing the profits is to find a cheap place to make them....tradition be damned....along with quality.

spmbass

got toyos on my w124 their awesome cept in the rain have to have all 3 hands on wheel or else i do 360s all down the road

CDP

Continential's are really good tires. Just because you're having a bad experience with them doesn't mean the quality, tradition and overall the Continential Company is bad.

You're just one of the few who they can't satisfy.

Get new tires and make yourself happy again. You should of invested in ContisportContacts to begin with.

CDP

All three hands?

Anyways, what model Toyo's do you have?

ZorroAMG

I don't think it's the toyo's making you unable to control your car, bud....not everyone really knows how to drive in the wet..

gamjccdad

I have had bad luck with Conti's as well on my A6 could never get them balanced and get a 55-60mph wobble fixed. I just repaced the Conti's on my E320, with Kuhmos. Very poor wearlife. I have talked to a couple of shops here in Atlanta that have a very poor opinion of Conti's, I don't think your experience is very unusual.

Brian McL

Yeah....I've already concluded the tires are crap...

myfirstbenz

I was thinking about Conti's for my replacement tires, but after reading reviews on Tire Rack, I decided against them. I have some Barum's (a Conti Brand) and I am not happy with them at all. Uneven tread wear and short tread life.

Timeless

+1 for Contis being crap.

Had these on my 300C and when I bought new tires, the Goodyear Assurance tires I replaced them with were SOOO much better.

Brian McL

Michelins are probably the best on the W124. Minimum H rated.

Saijin_Naib

I have champiro sports, they were sick in the snow, and decent in rain. They are getting on in years now and are quite loud :C

KYBENZ

Have a tire shop pull the wheels off the car and run a road force test on the tires.
If there is excessive road force and the tires are fairly new then Continental or the dealer should honor a warranty claim as they are defective.
I have used and sold Conti's for years and never had a problem or a complaint.
However I have seen some tires with excessive road force problems from all manufactures.
Your best bet is to go back to where you had the tires installed.
Good luck.

neanderthal

generally speaking, how long your tires last/ wear is dependent on three things

how you drive
aggressive driver= quick tire wear. accelerate, brake, corner hard, your tires and brakes and engine and transmission, every mechanical system associated with driving are workign harder. so the cooling system, the charging system, etc all are being worn out quicker. tires are just the contact point for all that braking, turning and accelerative power.

conversely, drive like an old lady, and your tires will last a long time.

where you drive
city streets, hills, canyons, wear tires out much faster than long boring rides on the freeway. even driving 100 plus on the freeway is less stressful than the constant starting and stopping and turning on city streets. drivnig fast on freeway just means they get hot. they get hot accelerating, braking, and turning.

how you maintain your vehicle.

poor maintenance, not checking tire pressure, not rotating tires, not getting alignment checked, bad springs/ shocks/ suspension bushings etc will affect tire wear.

some vehicles, especially those designed for carrying heavy loads, will just wear tires unevenly. most wont. tire wear is most dependent on the driver.

Yacht Master

Continential tires, not so good, first thing I burned off my E55.

alpinweiss

I have been told the German made Continentals are good quality, but the US made Continentals are not.

If you can ensure the tires you are buying are made in Germany (marked on the sidewall), I think you will be happy. Most Continentals that come as original equipment on German made cars are decent. Unfortunately, most Continentals sold aftermarket in the USA are made here in the old General tire plants, and IMO not good.

I have had good luck with the Continentals that came as OEM equipment on German-made Mercedes, BMW's, and VW's. I replaced the tires on one of my BMW's with aftermarket German-made Continentals, and they were fine. Then I bought a set of Continentals that were US-made, and they were terrible. I ended up returning them (after several attempts at balancing, etc.) and replacing them with Michelins.

The tire store was very helpful and sympathetic, but I won't make that mistake again. Thankfully, they carried both brands, and were able to exchange them for customer satisfaction.

Based on my experience, and what I hear from others; if you are unable to verify the Continentals are made in Germany, I would avoid them.

YNVDIZW124

Tires I would recommend are the Nitto 555, Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, or Falken GBR FK 451. I've had these and they where great until i sold the wheels. Right now i have Michelins PS2 and i have no complaints...

Lancelot

Overhere in Europe we have Continental Eco contact, Premium contact and Sport contact available. I've had Continental Premium Contacts under my W124's and right now Continental Sport Contacts under my W210 and no complaints. But they are German made ones ofcourse. I know in road tests Conti's score below average under wet conditions. Michelins are always good all rounders in all areas. When my sportcontacts wear out I'm considering Michelin Pilot Premacy, these are a 'harmonic' between comfort and sport...