[tjbuggy2b]

Intro
As much as I would have preferred to go with a full summer performance tire, such as the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 or the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, practically it didn’t make sense for me. I have no plans to track this car, and I will almost guaranteed be subjecting them to below-freezing temps. Both of these summer tires prohibit freezing temperatures. So, an all-weather performance tire was a much more realistic choice for me.

Based on a lot of research and reviews, I suspect Michelin’s Pilot Sport All Season 4 would have been a marginally better tire, but at the time they were several hundred dollars more than the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus. Even now, they are a little over $200 more expensive. So, despite the fronts being on back order, I decided to go with Continental.

I went with 255/35r20 and 295/30r20 to fit my 20x9 and 20x10.5 wheels.





Packaging: 10/10
Not really any packaging to discuss here because… ya, know, they’re tires. However, since I bought them from Tire Rack, they shipped them direct to the shop of my choice. So, that was super convenient.

Fit and Finish: 9.5/10
Continental (and Michelin, for that matter) tires apparently have a reputation for running slightly on the large side. That works fine for me, since I was running a slightly lower profile that what I really wanted. Bumping the profile ratio up made them too big, though. The numbers showed the sidewalls being 9mm shorter. That is a pretty big difference and I was (and still kind of am) a little worried about potholes being an issue. I don’t have to deal with many big potholes where I live, but they do exist here. So, if the tires run a couple millimeters larger than what the math says, then great!

Technically, I guess that means they don’t size exactly as advertised. So, I’m taking a half a point away for that.

Visually, I’d say that potential extra couple of millimeters in the sidewall give them a nice beefy look that complement the sporty feel I want in my esthetic choices. Very happy with that!

Assembly: 10/10
No personal opinion about assembly, but the installers did struggle slightly with mounting. They said it’s mainly due to being such a low profile. Hard to count that against the tire.

Performance: x/10
I’m not giving these tires a rating on day to day performance, yet, and I won't rate or comment on high performance driving. I don’t have the experience to know how well they compare to other tires in performance applications. Also, keep in mind that I only have about 100 miles on them. I’ve barely worn the manufacturing dirt off.

I did find this video about their performance compared to their summer and track day tires helpful, though.

Having said that, I will comment on a couple specific characteristics I have already noticed. First, (compared to the OEM tires) these tires have made a noticeable difference in the steering feel. Steering is probably 10-15% firmer, now. It’s like, if the sport steering setting was 10% stiffer than comfort mode, then this makes it feel like 20% stiffer than comfort mode. I don’t know how much of that is rubber compound, the fact that it’s not a runflat (slightly softer sidewalls), or it’s due to it being 10mm wider than stock, but I like it! I suspect it’s a combo of all of those things. In case the thought of it being scrub radius occurred to you, since the old and new front wheels are the same offset the scrub radius doesn't change.

Second, small bumps (road irregularities, cracks, pavement seams, and even small potholes) are noticeably more absorbed. Of course, that makes sense coming from a runflat tire, but given the short sidewalls, I didn’t really expect it to make that much of a difference. I do expect larger bumps to maybe be slightly harsher, since there is more unspung weight now, but I haven’t had to deal with anything like that yet.

Third, although small bumps are absorbed better, I have noticed I feel MORE of the bumps. This is a good thing, though. It doesn’t reduce comfort but does give much more input regarding road surfaces. It’ll be interesting to see how feeling and comfort changes as the miles rack up.

Final thoughts
Visually, they look great. Comfort is improved. Steering feedback is improved. I can’t offer any weather related opinions yet. I’ll have to update as the seasons change. Rainy season is upon us. So, I should have some thoughts about that soon. Also, perhaps we’ll get one more snow, this season. Then I can give some thoughts on that. Being from Ohio, I DO have experience driving in the snow. So, I’ll feel qualified speaking on that topic.

BTW, I should be able to get some pics of the tires on the car this weekend.

[SoCal540]

Any updates on your experience with the DWS 06 Plus as I’m debating between the Conti’s and the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4. Both seem to have enticed reviews based on my research. I’ve had the DWS and the DWS 06 (non stop plus) and currently have the Michelin Pilot Aoort A/S 3+. Generally people seem to the DWS 06 Plus with critiques being softer sidewalls and lack of steering response being almost numb. With the Michelin’s it seems to be they’re very noisy to the point of being quite annoying. I’m sure most of the nit picking is minor. Also I’ve read some folks have have trouble balancing the DWS 06 Plus due to potential quality control challenges and the Pilot Sport All Season 4 appear to sometimes suffer from dry rot. My issue is I read too much but I’m definitely curious what your experience has been to far. Thanks for any feedback you have…

[SoCal540]

Sorry meant mixed reviews not enticed…

[tjbuggy2b]

I'm going to update this in a few days, hopefully. I'm waiting to get my car back from a pothole incident. Reason I want to wait is because, while it's in the shop, I'm having them install my lowering springs and I'm replacing the struts. I've been feeling some delay on turn-in, since putting those tires on but I can't tell if its the tires or if it's just some weird chassis behavior, with having grippier tires. I feel like I should be able to tell more after it's been lowered, and there is reduced movement in the chassis.

I will say the wet tractions is way better than my stockers, though.

[lanlilan]

I've ran my set of 06+ for about 30k miles and they will be replaced this fall. "D W S" is imprinted on the tire to show wear - S will disappear first, indicating it is no longer suited for snow-driving. Once W (wet) wears off, the tire is really not suitable to drive. S is barely visible on the rear tires now.

They've been good all-season tires. I wish they were quieter but understand the combination of 20" wheels and 275 section ultra-high performance tires makes the noise much worse. I've considered switching to Michelin PS4 all seasons but I think they'll be even noisier.

[TEF]

For the last 15 years, I've only purchased Continentals and Generals (a brand owned by Continental) on various vehicles. This includes the DWS's, winter and other tires. I've heard about soft sidewalls and poorer steering response, but that never seemed my impression. In fact, I've owned two Porsche Boxsters (one with DWS's and another with Extreme Contact Sport) and never noticed the degradation of steering. In fairness, if I spent my time doing track days, the Michelins might be superior, but in my case, not worth the added cost.

[kosmokratur]

I've had several sets of DWS on my e39 540/6, and 2 sets of DWS 06+ on my M550. I like them. Here in W. NY, we can have chilly temps even on summer mornings, so pure summer tires are not realistic. The Conti's have never disappointed me... but I am not a track rat (even though Watkins Glen is so close to my house that I can sometimes hear the engine sounds from my yard!).

[tjbuggy2b]

I got my car back yesterday and still feel that hesitation on turn-in HOWEVER!

I have not had it in sport mode until briefly last night. Is there progressive steering ratio built into it when it's in comfort mode? I remember feeling it quite easily on an M550i that I drove, this sort of slow steering right off center but quickly ramped to normal ratio at like 5% turn. When I put it in sport mode, the steering was stiffer (better) and there was no delay/slow turn in.

It seemed like last night, the steering was better, stiffer, and there was no delay when I put my 540i in sport mode. I thought I had my comfort mode set to use sport mode steering but maybe it got undone at some point and I didn't notice it. Not sure. I'm going to play with it over the weekend. I have a feeling the slow turn in I attributed to the tires may actually be related to the steering mode.

[SoCal540]

Thank you for all the feedback on the DWS 06 Plus, much appreciated!