matt21484

TireRack has these on closeout and the wife's '10 RDX is due for some new tires. We got a dedicated set of winters this past year so I'm not really concerned about the Snow traction. Really just looking for confirmation that these are still a good buy. I understand the sidewalls are a bit soft, which is OK. The wife's usual route is to her parents to drop the kids off and then on to work. Mostly back roads & rural routes with the occasional highway stint every few weeks. I'm reading a few mixed reviews, but it seems like these are a bit quieter than the stock Michelin MXM4, which is a huge plus. With the current rebate, seems like a no brainer, but I'm not much of a tire expert, so would like to get the consensus of the board. Thanks!

x2lacrosse

It really depends on your priorities....handling or quiet/comfort.
Never had the originals on, but I have the DWS06's (OEM 18" size) on. They have the 'sport insert' to make the sidewalls stiffer, but they are still pretty soft. I have mine set to 35 PSI front and 33 back. In long, continuous sweepers, they do an admirable job. But in rapid transitions, you can really feel them give in and the car feels pretty floaty/numb. They do great in rain, decent in snow and average in dry. If you already have dedicated winters, I'd say to pass on these and go with a better handling all-season. Tire Rack doesn't have summer tires in our size (18") or that would probably be the best route to go.
As far as noise, they were very quiet when new but have gotten louder as the miles have racked up. But you can say that about any tire.
Once broken in, I still get same MPG's as the stock Michy's.

matt21484

Thanks for the response. I actually found a place (BigO) that has the DWS06 and PureContact in stock for a bit less than TireRack, so I'll probably end up going there. I've looked at the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S, but at nearly $200 a pop, I just can't justify that. Those seem to be the top recommendations on all the threads so will probably end up with one of the conti's.

mrgold35

I'm on my 3rd set of Conti DWS on my RDX (2nd set OEM size of conti on TSX and almost ready for my 2nd set of 20" size of Conti for my MDX). I live in the southwest and it is usually dry with temps extremes from below freezing in the morning and +60 by the afternoon in winter. We also get heavy weather extremes (rain, snow, ice, slush) just driving 10 miles to work. A dedicated winter or summer tire wouldn't cover me during the weather extremes year round.

I drive my RDX pretty hard (hondata, ETS intercooler, K/N filter, progress RSB) and the Conti DWS is a big step up from the OEM Michelins. I wouldn't have any reservations with the older Conti DWS since they have served me very well in the last +5 years and they support my driving style and conditions perfectly. The only issue I have with the older DWS are I can only get about 32,000-35,000 miles from the tires on my RDX. I can get the full 50k on my TSX and MDX; but, for some reason my RDX loves to eat these tires. The Conti DWS 06 have a little longer treadlife and rate higher in every category against the older Conti DWS. I think they started using the Conti DWS 06 on the +17 MDX tech/adv as a standard tire.

I would consider the older Conti DWS if the price was +$200 cheaper than the Conti DWS 06. My next tires all around will be the Conti DWS 06.

karlmax

Spend a little more and get the newer DWS06 for improved sidewalls and better cornering response.

matt21484

Updat for anyone still following along, getting Continental PureContact installed today. Will update again after some miles are on them. Cost is ~$700 OTD. $153.99/ea + install, disposal fee, yadda yadda