05tlguy

im really close to choosing continental extreme contacts--245/45-17 . Can anyone who has had them tell me more about them as far as : Noise, Treadwear , Snow traction. Also, was the handling a dissapointment=[ sidewalls too soft} thanks..

ps--ive read MANY "tire reviews' , but need honest feedback

DanL

iTrader: (2)

I don't have the Extreme Contacts but do have the ContiProContacts and have been extremely happy with them. The reviews are all over the chart but they seem to be a good fit for the TL and I like them much better than the Toyo Proxies 4's I had before. They don't handle quite a crisp nor do as well in heavy rain, but they're much quieter, ride better, balanced out perfectly, and track like an arrow. Also, unlike the Toyo's, they seem to be wearing very well. I'll probably sell my car before buying another set of tires, but if I did have to buy another set, I'd probably go with the ContiProContacts again.

Mike 06 TL

I'm also considering the Conti's as well as the Kumho ASX's. Here's a comparison...

Tire Rack Comparison

Pretty close overall but it looks like the Conti's have better snow traction. We had them on my wife's old 2001 Cougar about 5 years back and they were pretty good in the snow.

I've run Kumho's (summer tire) on previous cars and loved them but never tried the ASX. Reviews on tire rack look good.

One odd thing, Tire Rack doesn't offer road hazzard warranty on the Conti's???

thuffner

I replaced Michelins (MXM4s?) on my '02 GTI with Extreme Contacts and drove the VW another 30,000 miles before selling it. In my opinion the ECs were fantastic in the snow and rain. I remember testing grip on some 90 degree curves on a country road near work and pushed myself to the limit way before I did the tires. My guess is that I could've driven another 25,000 miles on the tires, but I was generally pretty easy on them and I made it a point to rotate with every oil change (not sure if this truly helped longevity, but it couldn't hurt).

This past May I put ECs on my "05 NBP and have only driven 1000 miles or so with them. I am very happy with them thus far, though. They are definitely more quiet than the stock Michelins.

Hope this helps.

T

thuffner

05tlguy

Give me a day or two and I'll post a picture. At least you can see what they look like on the TL. In my opinion the ECs have the best foot print of any performance tire out there. A buddy said the foot print made the car look a bit more aggressive.

T

GLowrdr

I bought a set of EC's last summer. They are very aggressive for an all-season, and they live up to their name. SNow and rain handling are great (is snow handling ever though?)

I came from a set of Kumho's that I didn't think were bad until I switched. Now I will definately be getting another set when I need them. Wears evenly, tracks nicely, and the sidewalls are stiff, not sloppy.

Get them and you won't be disappointed.

leedogg

I have the EC's as my 'snow' tires, they havent let me down yet. Plowed up a few snow covered driveways and over snow covered lots. good summer performance as well.

05tlguy

Thanks for all replies...pictures would be appreciated-- also if posting pics, can you please state tire size as well? ---- I wish they were offered in a 245/40-17, but since they arent im not sure about choosing 235or 245/45.. thanks

newps

The road hazzard warranty comes standard on the Contis... you don't need TireRack's warranty..

Tripnbeats

pirelli pzero nero ....barely any road noise....phenomenal road contact in the rain....even better on dry ground (duh) and decent in the snow...for a few extra bucks they are worth every penny. http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/home.do call and ask for jeff he'd cut a good deal on them....i really didnt expect much from the tires when i first started getting into tires n rims, but man am i impressed!

legionofdoom

+1

Got mine from Tire Rack.

Tripnbeats

yea man .... i was in fl in march headin to my house....i was going about 80...and i see nothing but black storm clouds in front of me and a wall of rain..... i GLADLY blew passed by everyone at 100 and jumped right in to the storm to test them out.....in n out of lanes like it was dry out....lasted about 5 miles....once i came out of the rain and was by my house i obviously slowed down..... but man it was a rush to feel the tires rippin through water the way they were at that speed.

leedogg

hmm probably not the smartest thing to do when visibility is shitty, and other people's tires are probably 100x worse.

Tripnbeats

yea i know....but i do have 6 hids running and everyone was slowing down giving me enough time to move in front..... i think i can read the road well enough to have considered it safe or unsafe to move in or not.... other wise i woulda kept it slow....but it wasnt like a monsoon where u couldnt see an inch in front of u.

05tlguy

[QUOTE=05tlguy]Thanks for all replies...pictures would be appreciated-- also if posting pics, can you please state tire size as well? ---- I wish they were offered in a 245/40-17, but since they arent im not sure about choosing 235or 245/45.. thanks[/QUOTE

anyone?

bgotani

Hi...have 225/55/16 and they great in rainy weather. Snow/ice wasn't much to speak about...bought snows for Toronto weather. The C-E's are quiet and handle very well on dry pavement. Have about 50% wear with about 50K Km. on them. Would buy again.
As a side, I had 245/45/18 Michelin Pilots on a 300M Special and the width caused a lot of wandering on the roads because the width follows the tracking caused by heavy truck usage. Hope you are more successful if you buy that width.

bgotani

[FONT=Times New Roman]I have the C-E's in 225/55/16 and they are a great rain tire. They were a little scary on snow/ice in Toronto so I bought Snows for the winter. The tires approx. 50% worn with about 50K km. on them. I am noticing some loss of adhesion lately (wear?) on wet roads. They are quiet and great on dry pavement.
As a side, I used to have 245/45/18 Michelins on my 300M Special and found from the start that they are very susceptible to wandering ie: tracking in the worn pavement. I hope you have better luck with them.

05tlguy

T-- thanks for the reply. Pics would be great if you can spare the time.. thanks