whiteongrey

The facts on this tire are:

1. N. American only product

2. Not sold in Europe ( no approvals - does not meet standards)

3. Conti website tire search does not spec this tire for W204 with 17s

4. Not W204 type approved in Germany by MB or TUV

5. Not TUV approved for Euro

This tire is posing as a Z rated performance tire under inferior standards of DOT.

IT IS NOT a Euro standard Z rated performance tire.

Buyer beware...

Luke@tirerack

Mercedes does not offer any "approval" for any tire unless they use it at the manufacturing facility as an OE option.

Continental does not offer specific vehicle use approvals either.

many people like the tire for it's bad weather ability and good ride characteristics. Some people have mentioned, like you, that it should have better steering response which

The Extreme Contact DWS is produced in France, Portugal, Brazil, Czech Republic, USA, Mexico and Germany.

in reality there is very little interest in an all-season tire in Europe

whiteongrey

In Germany only certain tires are approved with certain car models. Type Approval

Fact: You do have the option to put another tire on but in the case of accident you with have 100% fault and zero insurance coverage.

DWS is not sold in Germany see their German website

Check their other euro sites in France and Italy - Not Sold

This tire was created for N. American market - Conti even stated this upon product launch.

Interestingly TUV states one aspect of tire testing is cornering ...weblink

Kreuzfeuer

Sooooo you hate them, we get it. Many other members (myself included) have noted the shortcomings but also noted the masterful blend of many all-around attributes that will make us buy again.

I love the tire for what it is: a great multi-purpose tire for my daily driver that gives wonderful traction in all temperatures.

I doubt anyone purchased this tire with competition in mind.

Having said that, I've been down the road of attempting to drive Michelin PS2's in the light snow. It was a horrifying experience.

Luke@tirerack

yes, it was developed for the North American market and it is not sold in Europe. A majority of all-season tires are not sold in Europe because people do not want them.

yes, we understand you do not like it but, many people do.

yes, you can change the tires, wheels and suspension components on your car in Europe

here's proof ... I took this picture of an obviously modded Porsche Turbo in Nurburg Germany on a trip to the 'Ring a few years ago.


The TUV insures that you are not doing anything unsafe when making those modifications.

as a whole the people in Europe are much better, more attentive drivers with more developed driving skills.

whiteongrey

TUV ensures components are safe on the car - so the consumer is safe. You can change but if not TUV type approved 100% accident fault and zero insurance by default.

Ring is cool but to get the most out of GT2 or other ultra hi performance car really need to hit the autobahn between 1AM and 4AM so you can do 280 KPH+ for more than a few seconds.

My wife sees no problem with the tires on her commute and I'm embracing the retro feel around off / on ramps. Until I sell them anyway.

i_am_amused

best bumper sticker I've seen in a long, long time.

Luke@tirerack

Understood but IMHO really fast on the autobahn is no where near as intense or as fun as a really fast lap or 10 on the world famous Nordschleife.

Yuille36

I have purchased these tires back in June, and they are wonderful. Wet and dry traction is outstanding, definitely worth the price, and the E63 loves them. One of the tires strong points is that, they have a high wear rating and their all season. They will definitely out last my previous General Exclaim UHP. And when the tires wear out on my C63, I will definitely buy these tires to put on, as the OEM wear rating is crummy at best, and strictly a summer high performance tire. I would definitely recommend these tires, great price and great value.

kenpho10

nice tires, have them on my CL55 and rides like a champ. would buy again.

whiteongrey

Yesterday while turning from a traffic light, hit a big bump (depression)

- 45 series side wall FOLDED scrubbing sidewall all the way over Extreme Contact lettering.

Very windy yesterday also, at 60 MPH car was being tossed all over the lane due to sidewall flex.

These tires are dangerous on W204 with 17" wheels!

Luke@tirerack

what air pressure are you running???

whiteongrey

Door sticker specs 28 / 32 but 28 way too low for the front with DSW so running 32 fr, 34 rear

kenpho10

maybe the DWS is not the problem but your w204 is

whiteongrey

I have driven pick up trucks with huge sidewalls and they never folded in the corner under any condition! It is not the car.

Philly Single

Sweet Jesus...I literally lol'd at this thread. Chaulk it up to a bad set of tires that you got, if they're *really* that bad. There are simply too many other users of this tire that have nothing but good things to say.

This tire is an all around great performer on my heavy 'ol S65 - never any sidewall issuse, even with all this weight pushing. Do not compare it to a dedicated summer tire...I can honestly recommend this tire without hesitation.

As for big pickup tires - size of the sidewall isn't 100% of the story - big truck tires have very, very robust sidewall for hauling, weight, etc.

Jay

whiteongrey

I'm laughing too - this tire is a complete joke at 45 series on the W204 and useful for commuting only.

It is not a German standard Z rated tire - FACT.

Conti's customer satisfaction guarantee is laughable too. Cost to return them to Tire-Rack is half the price of the tires or more LOL

My wife will drive this car to work now at avg speed of 20 MPH and winter is coming so will keep DSW until switch to Dunlop 3D unless a local buys DSW off me.

I've learned my lesson - only buy euro standard (TUV approved) tires.

I should have known this was a scam (Z rated) when my shoes cost more than these tires LOL.

Just like the TV I'm looking at that's marketed as es 240 hz when in fact it's a 120hz LOL.

Benz-O-Rama

I've had my DWSs up to 140 without as much as a wiggle. The car was stable enough to drive with 2 fingers on the steering wheel, if I so desired. Not sure the cost for your W204, but I paid about $900.00 before the $125.00 I paid to have them road-forced balanced.

255/40/18 up front 285/35/18 in the rear, running +5 PSI more than recommended.

I have no clue how your experience could be this bad. It's rated #1 in customer surveys on tirerack:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...jsp?type=UHPAS

RedG

The DWS isn't a ZR-rated tire, nor was it ever designed for VMAX requirements.

The cost of returning them to Tire Rack (which has a excellent return policy) has nothing to do with Continental. Which, they stand behind their product, so had you dealt with a local brick and mortar business you'd see this.

whiteongrey

I got them because the ratings were so good - even though I saw some reviewers that returned the tire because did not like.

Might be the 17" spec and the 45 series in particular. I am +4 psi right now. More than that and the ride turns to crap over seams etc.

Paid $550 +/- + $100 install. Too cheap - that's the bottom line.

Read the Conti return guarantee before I bought and said "return to the Conti dealer" if no likey. Between the lines this meant: to the dealer you purchased from, at your cost - which is $250-300 in my case.

From now on I will be sure to check for TUV approval before I buy any tire.

jvanbrecht

Whiteongrey... do you work for a competing tire manufacturer... because you certainly come off that way..

That said, has anyone ever tried to track these tires I do not do racing, but every now and then I do like to hit the track (no passing unless instructor tells you to), so its really just WOT and cornering to my best ability (which is by far no where near close to being as skilled as an actual racing driver). Being in the DC area, we get snow, in my previous post, I noted I was getting summer tires and chains, but I might also consider these if I can atleast hurl my C63 around a track every 2 or 3 months....

Benz-O-Rama

I've drag raced on these in 18" flavor on my SL600 at Maryland Int'l Raceway. I'm pretty sure I hold the record for the best 60' time on all-season tires with a 1.79.

These tires are beyond remarkable.

jvanbrecht

Sweet.. now the only problem is that I was looking at 245/35 fronts and 275/35 rears.. the DWS don't appear to come in 245's for the front, only 235's..

And Benz.. damn those tires look huge (in the SL pic of your signature)

(Although.. I still may go with summer and use chains for winter)... as I posted in the thread in the C63 forum.. tire choice seems to be harder than picking out an actual car... *sigh*

Benz-O-Rama

Yeah, Those are my 305/25/30 ContiSportContact 3's, not the DWS. That's my summer setup. The DWSs I have are 255/40/18 and 285/35/18 on my stock wheels for winter months. The car doesn't see snow, but what most people fail to realize is the even in dry weather, summer performance tires should not be used in winter temps that fall below freezing.