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Thread: Conti's vs Michelin Advice

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    Question Conti's vs Michelin Advice

    Picking up one takeoffs for my e39. Both are practically new, I here with a gauge. They are 225/45/17 Continental Pro Contact and another set are Michelin Pilot Sport. So which woul dbw th ebetter choice in regards to durability, noise, handling, etc.

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    I'd get the Michelin Pilot Sports, great tire with tons of traction. Not noisy, they just won't last 30k on the rear if you've got a V8 with a staggard setup.

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    Well it is a 525 so I should be Ok? Just curious why not the Conti's?

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    E39s call for 235/45s. Go here and evaluate the two tires: www.tirerack.com.


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    I run Michelin primer a/s because there symmetrical not asymmetrical which means they can go any direction and can be flipped on the rims ands they have a high wear number too

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    Try the new ExtremeContact Sport that is supposedly on par with Michelin PSS and is cheaper too.



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    The Michelin is the better tire of the two if money is no object. Probably one of the best choices over any. You will be extremely happy with Michelin but you will burn through them twice as fast and @ almost twice the price.

    Summer tire for me means: cheap, quiet, rain tire.
    Had a set of Continental Pro Contacts. They gave off a bit of noise, traction approached good on dry pavement but they were over the moon horrible in the rain.
    Could not wait to get them off the car. They were so easy to out drive..I wouldn't put them on grandmas Buick.

    On my second set of Pirelli Cinturato P7s for summer. About the same amount of noise as the Continentals (I think less), dry traction is excellent and the Pirellis have almost zero hydroplaning. First set went past the wear bars before I noticed any wet weather slippage.

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    This car is just for cruising no happy foot intended. I am interested in longer life than hi performance. And these are new take offs. And I re-checked and I currently have 225's on my style 42 rims. Tire comparison shows virtually zero different, eg 1/4" difference in radius. So any more thoughts?

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    Quote Originally Posted by juststeve View Post
    The Michelin is the better tire of the two if money is no object. Probably one of the best choices over any.
    This.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by auaq View Post
    Try the new ExtremeContact Sport that is supposedly on par with Michelin PSS and is cheaper too.
    Aquaman that's basically the new version of the DW. Which is honestly what I run on the 540 and my wife's car, and is a perfectly decent tire at a lower price point that the typical Pilot Sport, but its certainly not as high performing. That said they last a good bit longer.

    I know Conti is trying to claim the new ExtremeContact Sport (the old DW was technically an "ExtremeContact" also... I think they realized the DW vs DWS was confusing and crappy brand names...) is as good as Pilot Sports but I'd be very skeptical - even as a DW/ExtremeContact - well, not 'fan', but at least 'supporter' or 'satisfied buyer'.
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    I've been a fan of the Continentals for a pretty long time, mostly because I'm a cheapskate. Im not about to pay $1000 for tires on a car that's valued at like $4000... plus I like doing burnouts way too much to have expensive tires.
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    Re: Michelins
    Which Pilot Sports are they? Michelin has over ten tires with "Pilot Sport" in the name. Perhaps I missed something and you mentioned specifically which tire it was.

    Re: Size
    Just cause that is what is on the car does not mean it is the correct size (although it appears you check a tire calculator and it is within 3%). Check the tag on your door jam it will have several recommended sizes on it.

    fyi the OEM sport package setup for a 530i sport was 235/45/17 I am 99% sure the 17" wheel/tire option for the 525 was the same. My guess is someone put 225s on there cause they got a better price on them than 235s. I suppose if the 225s are within the 3% then it is fine to run them.

    3% Rule
    General question does the 3% rule apply to the e39s or you can go outside it? If it does apply do you use the tire size your car came from the factory with or any of the optional sport sport sizes? Because depending on your starting point the calculator will give different results. For example with the OP's car comparing 235/45/17 to 225/45/17 yields different results versus 225/55/16 to 225/45/17.

    If op's car came from the factory with 16" wheels then 225/50/17 would probably be a better size if you want 225s instead of 235.
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    I've always been a Michelin guy. This past fall I bought style 65s and planned to get either super sports or PSAS3 but I found Conti ExtremeContact DW on tire rack for half of the Michelins and about half of their original price. I ordered them and have been very happy with them. Quiet, smooth, sticky, and for me they handle great. Are the Michelins better? I think so. Is it worth the price difference on a car that flashes the ASC light at me almost every time I drive it? That's your choice.


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    Yeah, at least the old DW would get complaints about sidewall stiffness, so if you're really thrashing them around or tracking or auto-xing or whatever apparently that can be a downside, however in my case w/ 35 aspect ratios, I've found that not to be such a big deal. Must be just for taller-sidewall tires that it's a notable thing?

    And supposedly that was one of the things Conti was going to 'fix' when they came out with the new replacement DW.
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    On bigger aspect ratios the DW sidewalls were soft.

    Just thought of mentioning of the new DW replacement cause it's a cheaper alternative. So far reviews say they are actually good.



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    I mean it also depends on how you drive your car. If you drive it like a gentleman and have lots of money to blow then by all means buy some Michelins. But if you're a broke, burnout-obsessed redneck like I am, then Continentals get the job done for much less.
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    I have conti DW's (not DWS's) on both of my cars. They are good, from what I have seen they don't compare to the Michelin PSS tires. However they do stack up to them in the rain, which is why I have them. They are predictable and very good tires. Especially for the price point. But not to confuse you.. I will probably be getting some PSS's on my next tire purchase.. just to see what all the hubbub is about. There was a review that motor trend or grassroots motorsports did 5 or so years ago on sport tires for autox. The Conti's were rated at like an 8.5 in the dry compared to the PSS's at a 9. However the Conti's did do better in the wet overall.

    My thinking is I don't "race" the car on the street to get "max performance".. in fact I have a whole wall of tires for the track. BFG R1's to be exact.. what I do want is a great tire for when it's great.. and an amazing tire for when it's not "rain". So that's why I have these tires... you're pretty much hydroplaning at 55mph anyways.. these tires do help mitigate it as much as possible.

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    Quote Originally Posted by speed7 View Post
    I have conti DW's (not DWS's) on both of my cars. They are good, from what I have seen they don't compare to the Michelin PSS tires. However they do stack up to them in the rain, which is why I have them. They are predictable and very good tires. Especially for the price point. But not to confuse you.. I will probably be getting some PSS's on my next tire purchase.. just to see what all the hubbub is about. There was a review that motor trend or grassroots motorsports did 5 or so years ago on sport tires for autox. The Conti's were rated at like an 8.5 in the dry compared to the PSS's at a 9. However the Conti's did do better in the wet overall.
    Yeah I have both tires on cars in the driveway right now. Not same cars by any means but enough to get a lot of day to day comparo. In fact w/ the DWs on the heavier car you'd think it would accentuate the weaknesses, but indeed for even pretty fast or 'spirited' or whatever dumb car magazine adjective you want to use - street driving, the DW's are very good. As good as PSS, esp if you're tracking? No... But the DW's do have a really nice smooth linear release, which is incredibly good idea for the street (aka your predictability factor). Unlike some other high performance street tires I've had, they don't break loose at the high dry limit suddenly (neither do the PSS BTW... just saying some do...) And really for 99.9% of driving and drivers, the dry performance difference is meaningless, its going to be more bench racing bragging rights. OK maybe a hint of driving feel behind the wheel but I'll tell you its not a huge difference, anybody who suggests otherwise is exaggerating or extremely sensitive or thrashing the heck out of their car.

    The DW's do last longer, although on the SC 540iT, it eats rear tires of course like a dog with a bag of liver biscuits, so its not like I get 60k out of them, but I know the PSS would be worse with the bigger price tag to boot.

    On downsides, I have found also the DW's tend to take a set - park a car for a week and you'll have a little vibe that runs out over first few minutes. Contis never do that. I've been through a good number of them at this point so seems consistent and not just bad-batch or tire-damage on mine, however it's not a huge deal. Again you might speculate that its the purported softer sidewalls taking a set from long-parks.

    So in conclusion, after a number of years, I am perfectly happy w/ the tire strategy I started out on some years ago, specifically...
    PSS on the lighter driven, lighter weight (ha not by much...) lighter HP 'weekend car' that will last a good number of years...
    DW's on the 'daily' tire eater that needs at least 2 new ones every couple of years

    BTW I imagine the DW's would last ages on an I6 E39...
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    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    Yeah I have both tires on cars in the driveway right now. Not same cars by any means but enough to get a lot of day to day comparo. In fact w/ the DWs on the heavier car you'd think it would accentuate the weaknesses, but indeed for even pretty fast or 'spirited' or whatever dumb car magazine adjective you want to use - street driving, the DW's are very good. As good as PSS, esp if you're tracking? No... But the DW's do have a really nice smooth linear release, which is incredibly good idea for the street (aka your predictability factor). Unlike some other high performance street tires I've had, they don't break loose at the high dry limit suddenly (neither do the PSS BTW... just saying some do...) And really for 99.9% of driving and drivers, the dry performance difference is meaningless, its going to be more bench racing bragging rights. OK maybe a hint of driving feel behind the wheel but I'll tell you its not a huge difference, anybody who suggests otherwise is exaggerating or extremely sensitive or thrashing the heck out of their car.

    The DW's do last longer, although on the SC 540iT, it eats rear tires of course like a dog with a bag of liver biscuits, so its not like I get 60k out of them, but I know the PSS would be worse with the bigger price tag to boot.

    On downsides, I have found also the DW's tend to take a set - park a car for a week and you'll have a little vibe that runs out over first few minutes. Contis never do that. I've been through a good number of them at this point so seems consistent and not just bad-batch or tire-damage on mine, however it's not a huge deal. Again you might speculate that its the purported softer sidewalls taking a set from long-parks.

    So in conclusion, after a number of years, I am perfectly happy w/ the tire strategy I started out on some years ago, specifically...
    PSS on the lighter driven, lighter weight (ha not by much...) lighter HP 'weekend car' that will last a good number of years...
    DW's on the 'daily' tire eater that needs at least 2 new ones every couple of years

    BTW I imagine the DW's would last ages on an I6 E39...
    This is all true. 99% of people won't use them to their extent. They do have a smooth linear release, and there is a small vibration if the car sits for a few days. Seems like geargrinder and I have the same tire strategy. =)

    Cars I've had or have with Conti DW's:
    09 Rx8
    03 540iT
    06 AMC C55

    All have felt the same as far as tire predictability, and the C55 ate them up in the rear as expected. The 540iT is the heaviest car I've had them on and I can drive with confidence with them. Plus they look cool! Lots of rubber on the ground with hidden tread.

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    Love the C55. That's such a great car. Somebody should make a C55 wagon with a manual tranny...
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    I looked into the manual setup for the C55. In theory doable but expensive. Closest anyone got was a manual clk 550. In the end the problem they had was too much power for the clutch to handle. And that wasn't even an AMG.

    Now a C55 wagon is a whole different story. I have the blueprints on how that is done. And is actually on my radar for a future project. When I'm done with this wagon, and my track car, and also have a truck. I'll be stating on that one. I suspect I can get it done for arinbd 15-20k... and this includes the price of the wagon. =)

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    Quote Originally Posted by dannyzabolotny View Post
    I mean it also depends on how you drive your car. If you drive it like a gentleman and have lots of money to blow then by all means buy some Michelins. But if you're a broke, burnout-obsessed redneck like I am, then Continentals get the job done for much less.
    lol I know this is off topic so please forgive me. Where I sit which is a NNW suburb of Houston, "redneck driving a Bimmer" is bit of a stretch; a comical oxymoron of sorts. This is the land of TRUCKS better known as "redneck sports cars". There's some lifted trucks out here that could hold their own in a quarter. Just poking fun...

    Btw, I got roasted by an AMG when I 1st returned to the state back in '11. I need to SC! lol
    Last edited by txkawboi; 04-26-2017 at 02:09 PM. Reason: Add AMG info

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    Quote Originally Posted by txkawboi View Post
    lol I know this is off topic so please forgive me. Where I sit which is a NNW suburb of Houston, "redneck driving a Bimmer" is bit of a stretch; a comical oxymoron of sorts. This is the land of TRUCKS better known as "redneck sports cars". There's some lifted trucks out here that could hold their own in a quarter. Just poking fun...

    Btw, I got roasted by an AMG when I 1st returned to the state back in '11. I need to SC! lol
    Yeah, tons of trucks out here in Arizona too. I've gotten raced by F-150's quite a few times too. I'm gonna indulge my redneck tendencies by building my Mustang GT into a tire-roaster/drag racer.
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