I just had 4 new Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires put on the XFire in preparation for the Chicago winter. My choice was made largely based in reviews I read here, but that was supported by other reviews and every single guy working at Discount Tire commented they were great tires (they all very much seemed to like the XFire as well).

I went with the Gary sizes, rather than stock, because they look so good on his car. Stock size on the front 235/40/18, A little taller and wider on the rear 285/35/19. Man, they look good and fill in the wheel well nicely. The stance looks great, even though I don't imagine the 1/2" lift in the back should really be noticeable. It also seems it feels different, but, again, that is probably just perception.

The rubber that came off the car was, I believe, the stock Conti's that came with the car. It just turned over 40,000 miles. The rears were getting close to being slicks.

Having said that, I am comparing brand new tires, to well worn tires, but, OMG what a HUGE difference! The road noise is minimal. They feel great - smooth as silk. I even perceive there to be less rolling resistance - maybe not real. Corners like a slot car - I very much pushed the limits on some curves... well, passed them a bit a time or two.

Initial impression - I would definitely recommend these tires for this car!

 

Wow, I just replaced my stock Conti's in the rear with these. Like you mine were near slicks. The fronts will need changed soon. Anyway I went with 285/30's. I read the reviews and liked the old Conti's. I live in the twisties and have certain routes where I let it hang out and these new tires scared the hell out of me. After read'n your reveiews I'm gonna check TP in the morn'n. If it isn't high I'm gonna change to a much softer tire. What TP are you run'n in the rear?

 

With these tire sizes on stock rims, keep in mind that you've added a little extra contact-patch grip at the expense of the super-taut sidewall you once had with the 255's... in other words, the extra puff on the sidewall will give a slight "wiggle" feeling on initial turn-in, but you simply have to know how to get a feel for them. Once the lean is initiated, they lean no more, and simply STICK. The Dragon says so

I've had mine since June/July and am absolutely in love with them.

 

TP = Tire Pressure?

32 all the way around.

 

Man, I was hammering mine in the turns. 25 mph ramps at 60-65 mph... Stuck like a slot car!

 

Hey guys with 235's on the front and no spacers (at least not mentioned) be sure to check that you have adequate clearance between the inside sidewall and the upper control arm nut.
I don't want to see anyone shred a tire and wreck.

KrzyFast

 

I thought that was the stock size.

Just checked, I guess it's not.

 

** First update **

I rained like mad here today. My first chance to see how these tires perform on something other than a dry road. Pretty impressive, but, remember, I am comparing these to the nearly treadless tires I had on the car. Spirited acceleration from the lights - very rarely did the TC kick in. Pushing it in the corners and curves - handled much more than I would have imagined.

So far, I still like these tires very much. Everything good and nothing bad so far.

 

Just got mine put on two days ago and I couldn't be happier. The ride is much better quality; smooth and quiet. The coast-distance is far longer as well - less rolling resistance. Wet roads are no match for these tires.

 

~ ditto... i just had them put on my bmw and really like them... (500 miles and counting).

 

I also got over 40,000 with my stock Conti's (They had 29,00 when I bought it). I am now running General UHP's and can't complain. I was at both Gateway Raceway and the Dragon with them and was never worried about them letting go in the turns. Granted now that I am not dilusional about being a Formula 1 driver either.

 

I got the impression of less rolling resistance immediately, but I wasn't sure if it was real or just one of those "New Tire" illusions.

 

Larry, I hope that you get better wear out of your UHPs. I was lucky to get about 12,000-13,000 miles out of the fronts. I still have them on the rears and probably have another 5-6000 miles.

I replaced the fronts with the DWS's and I'm very impressed so far (installed in July).

 

Evan, So do I -- I'm at about 6,000 on the set now, had them installed in June right before CAA. There is not much noticable wear yet. At least the fronts are cheaper than the backs.

 

*** UPDATE *** FIRST SNOW!!

Woke up to about 2 or 3 inches of snow this morning, still snowing. The plows and salt, if there were any, had no significant impact yet. Drove about 60 miles on surface streets, rural roads and interstate. The car handled extremely well, all things considered. Mind you, I have never driven this car in the snow with any other tires, so I have nothing to compare to in that regard.

As for how it handles the snow compared to my wife's 91 Camaro? There is not comparison. The Camaro is all but underivable in the snow. Any incline will likely stop you dead in your tracks with the tires spinning and the tail end swaying side to side. Trying to start from a stop on any amount of incline - not gonna happen.

I had no problem getting going from a stop, even on some significant inclines. The car stopped well too. I was surprised at how little I saw the traction control light come on. On curves, the car held the road better than I expected. I even pushed it a bit here and there to test the limits. These tires stick extremely well in wet snow.

Loving them more every day!