Ramphex

So after 8000 miles my stock Advans became racing slicks, living in the Northeast and being in the current season, I needed to get a new set of tires. Unfortunately Summer Performance category is not an option around here.

After long hours of research, reading reviews, watching videos and comparing different tires. I ended up finding that Continental DWS and Michelin Pilot A/S 3 (Both Ultra High Performance All-Seasonal) were the best rated tires.

Out of the above mentioned two, I ended up getting Continental DWS in stock size (245/40/18).

Here is a picture of the tire and the specs from TireRack:



Size: 245/40ZR18
Sidewall Style: Blackwall
Serv. Desc: 97Y
Load Range: XL
UTQG: 540 A A

I had the tires installed on 02/12/2014. So far I got to experience driving with them in cold weather conditions only which included dry pavement, wet pavement, slush, packed snow and today's snow storm (over a foot of snow already).

Dry traction was good, no complaints. Sidewalls are softer than stock Advans but that's expected going from a dedicated performance summer tire to an all-seasonal tire. While it's softer in cornering, it offers more of a comfortable ride and for those who live in Northeast PA, they know that with our amazingly paved roads, a little extra comfort is never a negative thing.

Wet traction was good as well, no complaints. No pulling or hydroplanning.

Slush traction was fair as well, no pulling or sliding around.

Snow traction in light snow was very impressive. Even on medium throttle I still had no issues with traction, barely ever tripped traction control.

Snow traction in heavy snow was beyond impressive, exceeded expectations. On my way to work, I was plowing with my front bumper, the intercooler was jammed with snow but the tires ripped through the snow without an issue (in snow mode with traction control off).

Overall from 2 days of driving on these tires, so far they are excellent. I will do another review in a month as well as keep updated once the seasons change.

4 tires mounted, installed and balanced cost me $850. With treadwear 540 I hope they last a lot longer than stocks (with treadwear of 50, or at least that's what it felt like lol)

02/14/2014: Added a short video getting out of a snowed in parking spot.

diablo1

iTrader: (5)

I have the same tires and I love them, they are very good on rain and light snow, very quiet compared to the stock tires.

Ude Lose

iTrader: (8)

After seeing that video I should have saved myself $650 on blizzaks and just kept those tires on my car. Lol

Zerofour1223

iTrader: (7)

Good review. I use the same tires during the winter months and have been quite happy with the performance of the continental dws

Imprezme

iTrader: (1)

I love these tires, I just did a cross country road trip in them. Over 12,000 miles in 5 weeks and it saw a little bit of everything. Snow, rain, and dry. Tires performed amazing and best of yet the thread was like new after the trip. Im truly amazed.

3000GT-GTO

I been using those tires for 2 years in snow, nobody would believe me when i told them i was running All season tire. This tire paired with AWD it's best all season car! I have not once got stuck yet in my evo anywhere.

Neal@tirerack

iTrader: (25)

Great tire and review!

jayz32

I've driven considerably in the ice & snow here in New England this winter, and these tires have been excellent. I've not felt that they've been lacking for traction or performance in any way.

Although, I'm not driving at excessive speeds so really can't compare performance to pure winter tires. But for everyday driving they've been more than satisfactory.

Bodhi

I live in the Colorado mountains (~8000ft) and run these on my X. As mentioned, they're much quieter than the stock Advans & the wet/snow traction is good. Ice traction is noticeably worse than dedicated snow tires, so plan your stopping distances accordingly. Overall, I've been happy with the tires and would buy them again. YMMV.

Exhaustdd

iTrader: (1)

I bought a set of these in December, they have been just awesome. This Chicago winter has been relentless and I haven't had a situation where the dws had issues. Great, winter focused, all season tire.

Ramphex

Once this awful winter goes away, I'll be able to make a review based on warmer temperatures and dry pavement.

bstgsr

Exellent review. Im liking these tires and probably will be getting them after the stock ones wear out.

EvoG8r

iTrader: (31)

These are excellent in bad weather. Kind of suck in the summer as they have a tendency to suddenly loose traction in hard turns. I used to have these on a 2011 GSR. You will notice a bit of a difference between stock advans and these in the summer. They are much quieter and more comfortable though.

Lightsaber

I've been running on these tires in my other car. One thing bothers me is that the DWS seems to have very soft side walls. It feels like riding on very soft struts.

Anyone?

Imprezme

iTrader: (1)

I would totally have to agree