ChrisMc73

Ok let me first straighten out when we are talking wide, what is meant...?

There is width that I see when I'm standing in the back or front of the car looking at the tires, I see that they are 7" wide with what I have now (17x7) or 8" (17x8) with the OEM wheels.

Then there is looking at the car from the side, so the sidewall width, is it represented by the 35 or 45 number in the 235/35-17?

Now where is the "meaty" look you are talking about...sidewall or the other? Or both?

I don't know what size the tires are in this thread, but this look to me is fine, not sure if its meaty or not?
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-tires-wheels-suspension-97/continental-extremecontact-dws-installed-802874/

I have this same brand and style of tire, but again, not sure what size he's got on here.

nfnsquared

He's talking tread width, the part that touches the ground.

235 is the width of tire in mm, 45 is the sidewall height in % of width (45% of 235), 17 is the diameter of the wheel in inches.

ChrisMc73

Ok, so the tread width is the "meaty" part he's talking about, gotcha.
I don't like a real meaty tread. I've seen some pictures of these Continental EC DWS tires, on the OEM wheel, and it looks good. I don't know if they are the 235/35-17 or something else though. But if the 235/35-17 is the OEM tire size, then I will like the same size Continental tire on the OEM wheel, that look is good for me.

jsonkimz

iTrader: (1)

The OEM tire size is 235/45-17.

ChrisMc73

Yes sorry, I made this mistake on several posts, I meant 235/45-17, sorry.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Guess I can't stay away. The cross section width of the tire at the widest point when mounted, is about the same for all the tires within a specific size, but the difference lies in the width of the tread, the part that is making contact with the ground.

Example 245/45-17 cross-section width and tread width::
DWS...9.6" 8.1"
S.4.....9.6" 8.7"
P6......9.8" 8.1"
H105..9.6" 8.4"

So one can see from the above, the tires are very close in cross section width, and would look the same when mounted, but the tread width differs with each tire and that would make a difference when viewed on the car. The more narrow tread width, the more the tire tapers down to the tread. Hope this makes it a little clearer.

ChrisMc73

Yes, thanks Turbonut. Thanks.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I just had my first opportunity to try out my Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires in the snow today. We're getting possibly 3-8 inches of snow today in Kansas City. The tires worked very well in the snow. No traction problems, no sliding while braking either. The were as good as advertised.

jasonleary

Good to hear, we're supposedly getting snow up here in BC Canada, but we'll see, it usually melts pretty quick on the west coast..

I have yet to try out my Conti DWS in the snow.

ArthurL

iTrader: (4)

Just picked up a set of Continetals. Let me tell you, these tires are awesome in snow. It snowed last night and I've never been so confident driving through the snow in my TL. I highly recommend these tires. Picked up a set of 245/40/17 and they look great on the stockies.

Here's a pic:

ParaSurfer1979

What in the world... How did you scrap uo your rims like that? Thank god you dont have nice rims eh? lol.

jsonkimz

iTrader: (1)

I've had my Conti's (245/45-17) in the snow quite a few times in the last month or so and I can concur with both of these guys. If anyone is looking for a GREAT all around tire, DO NOT hesitate to pick these things up. Unless you're into very high performance driving you will not be disappointed in any area.

ArthurL

iTrader: (4)

Actually I was stuck in a parking spot and I ended up curbing my rims because my tires couldn't get me out of the snow. Probably going to sand it down, fill out the scratches and re-paint them in the Spring.

jasonleary

I drove with the Conti DWS for the first time in snow this morning, and these are almost as good as full on snow tires! Mind you, that's at full tread depth.

calgary2800

I got rid of my Pilot Sport A/S after 30k in them. They got to be too harsh and loud. So today I went and got 215/50/17 Primacy MXV4 and holy crap are these tires excellent. The steering feel has been made lighter, feels like my car lost 200 pds. And the smoothness has to be the top of any tire out there. I resisted for a week because of the high price but man I am glad had them.

I will never go Ultra High performance tires again, needless for most people, they grip so much they make the steering heavier. Dont care how much they stick like glue.

Try the Primacy MXV4 awesome!!

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Did you purchase the H or V rated?

smarty666

I have the same question as Turbo since the MXV4s do not come in a W speed rating for our tire size!

calgary2800

I got the H rated MXV4. I made sure it was not going to be V rated, I had to have the most luxurious ride this time. I never thought I would enjoy a Grand Touring tire as much as this.

Jackass

Steven, how have they been through the rest of the snow here? I have the PS+ and they get me around, but I do not think they are really that great on acceleration and braking. My wife's car (GrandAm) has new tires (Altimax HP) this season as well and her car just seems to stop much better than mine. With my OEM EL42s when brand new, my TL was amazing in the snow. Now once those got to past the first season, they were very scary. The PS+ are not scary by any means, they just don't seem to like any snow/ice combos too much. Kind of wishing I would have held out for the DWS now that we have had such a snowy season this year....again.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

^^^They've done really well. No overall issues, no traction problems-they seem to do very well.

These DWS' seem to be very smooth on acceleration and a sweet ride overall.

pttl

Lots of snow/sleet/freezing rain here lately. No issues with the DWS. Then again, I'm not trying to test the limits of the tire when I'm out in it. But when driving conservatively based on the conditions, I've had no slippage.

jsonkimz

iTrader: (1)

"Tested" the DWS's out in almost 10" of snow last night. They performed phenomenally. I am almost 100% sure if I had any other tire (except for a full blown winter set up) that I wouldn't have been going ANYWHERE.

Unfortunately, after sitting around/in/on top of a ton of snow overnight I think they flatspotted on me. They've sat overnight many times on much colder nights and I've never had a problem with them. At first I thought I had messed something up on my car (I did get stuck once briefly in about 12” or so but managed to work my way out ) but the vibration eventually went away so they must have flatspotted. It took a while for it to go away but it’s the only thing I can think of that would have caused the vibrations that I was experiencing. I was just surprised because it’s the first time I’ve had the problem and it’s almost February… there have been several nights in the low teens and it wasn’t even that cold last night. The only thing I can assume is that because of all the snow that was surrounding the tires that it made them freeze up more. Either that or I had some ice/snow stuck to some of my wheels which caused the vibrating.

Either way, I’m still EXTREMELY happy with the tires. I’m not going to let 1 occasion of flatspotting (in very extreme conditions) ruin the great experience I’ve had with them so far. I still highly recommend them.

And to reiterate: they did AMAZING in the snow.

nfnsquared

^^^could have gotten some snow packed in one or more of your wheels causing the issue. This happens to me sometimes when I have to "plough" through loose snow with a depth that exceeds the bottom of the inside diameter of my stock wheels.

jsonkimz

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, that was my immediate thought. I parked on more snow again and the car will sit all weekend so I'll find out Tuesday if it's the tires or was some snow/ice. I think that was probably the problem because the tires have yet to flatspot on me. I'll report back with what I find.

nfnsquared

I usually rely on my heated garage to take care of this, but I've been on the road away from home and have had to pull into a car wash to get rid of it. You may have to do the same....

Carbon Bronze S

iTrader: (1)

I have the conti extreme contact dsw ...i have them for a month now live in ny and we have the worst amount of snow in a long time!!! The tires are amazing though like them much better than the stock michelines and i have much more traction now than i did before!, but the other tires i had for a while and i did not compare the continentals to the brand new michelin tires, but love them handles well.

jsonkimz

iTrader: (1)

It must have been what we thought... I was parked on snow in cold weather all weekend and had no vibrations when I left for work this morning. So it must have been ice or snow packed inside my wheel(s). Quite a relief. So I can give the tires with complete confidence now.

graytl2006

I just Bought the Continental DWS, I got the size 245/45/17 because it is the closest match to the OEM tires that came with my car.
These are the specs from Tire rack:

OEM:
Michelin Pilot HX MXM4
Size: 235/45/17
Sect. Width: 9.6"
Overall Diam.:25.6"
RPM: 814

Continental DWS
Size: 245/45/17
Sect. Width: 9.6"
Overall Diam.:25.7"
RPM: 811

CousinJoey

Michelins +1

PSURob12

Those of you that have had these for a while, do you rotate every 6000 as usual with most tires?

nfnsquared

I rotate and have the alignment checked (Firestone lifetime) every oil change, which is 7500 miles and about every 6 months.

calgary2800

Every 7500 miles for an alignment is overkill unless you are driving in bombed out Iraq roads.

nfnsquared

Not when it's free....

spcslyusarmy

anyone ever hear of www.onlinetires.com?

Passing You

Just put a set of these on my '06 and have been very pleased thus far. Quick question though.. I live in Wisconsin and had to park my car outside (at my g/fs house) over night. It got -20F last night and this morning my tpms was indicating very low pressure. It was around 27psi. After a couple miles they warmed up and were at normal pressure. My question is what do you guys run your tires at for pressure? I normally just go off of the sticker on the door but wasn't sure if I should give them a little extra?

nfnsquared

Tire pressure varies according to temperature about 1 PSI for every 10 degrees F.

You should set your COLD tire pressure (after sitting overnight or driven less than 1 mile) at the OEM placard pressures.

After driving, it's perfectly normal for the tire pressure to be above the placard figures.

PSURob12

I noticed with these that they heat up quick. Doesn't take the pressure long to come up at all. I still need to reset mine to 36 in the front and 33 in the back. Seems to avoid any kind of "flat spotting" this way.

Basically +1 to the placard figures.

spcslyusarmy

went with the Pilot sport A/S plus in 255/40/17, getting them put on in the morning.

Tegnut

I just replaced my garbage Good Year F-1. and picked up the New Conti Extreme DWS. I have to say these tires are the best bang for the buck. I know the tires are still new but I hear a considerable difference in road noise. I couldn't stand the road noise my GY F-1 produced even brand new. The neat thing about the Conti's are it has DSW imprinted on the rubber. The DWS gives an indication to the tread. For instance if you are not able to see the S on the tire anymore it means your snow traction is at a minimum traction. I will report back after 5000 miles. The Conti's has a 50,000 mile tread life.

nfnsquared

FYI, I have over 9K miles on my DWS' and the S is still showing on all tires! Tread depth measured 10/32" at first rotation (8150 miles).