Earlier this week I replaced the OEM all season Pirelli P7's with all season Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 tires. These are go flat tires. The DWS model for Conti is their "Ultra High-Performance" all season tire. I ordered these from Tire Rack for $151.00 each plus shipping and had them shipped to a local installer that I know and trust. Total cost for 4 tires shipped, mounted and balanced was approximately $740.00.
My Pirellis had 39,000 miles on them. The rears were toast and I kept the fronts and will reinstall them along with 2 others at lease end. The front tread depth is enough that BMW will have no issue.
The DWS 06 is the newest version of this tire. My knowledgeable installer tells me there were issues with the soft sidewalls on the previous model and this has been addressed on the 06. Online reviews say they do everything better than their predecessors.
Now for my review after about 700 miles. The most impressive feature is the ride. I attribute this to the softer non-RFT sidewalls. Impact harshness is much more muted and the ride in general is smoother. It poured rain yesterday and the tires remained firmly planted. Feel just off center is in a different world than the Pirelli's which were designed more for fuel economy than performance with a hard compound for low rolling resistance. This translated into a lack of feel and a lot of slop off center. The car required a lot of correction just to go straight down the road. I didn't pay attention to this but am now aware of how much I had to work. I have not had much chance to flog the car through many twisty roads yet but on and off ramps show more grip and the added compliance helps keep the tires planted on our pockmarked Midwest roads.
To be fair to the Pirelli's they were at the end of their life and I can't remember if they performed better when new.
Last, the rough winters in Michigan and the horrible road conditions have done a number on my Sport Line wheels. All 4 have some damage according to the installer and 2 are in need of repair but not cracked. They want $125.00/wheel for this so I will shop around.
In conclusion, if you don't like the ride of your car with RFT's, as we all know, go flats are the best remedy. If you live in a climate where all season tires are your choice, the Conti DWS 06 is a great choice.
My Pirellis had 39,000 miles on them. The rears were toast and I kept the fronts and will reinstall them along with 2 others at lease end. The front tread depth is enough that BMW will have no issue.
The DWS 06 is the newest version of this tire. My knowledgeable installer tells me there were issues with the soft sidewalls on the previous model and this has been addressed on the 06. Online reviews say they do everything better than their predecessors.
Now for my review after about 700 miles. The most impressive feature is the ride. I attribute this to the softer non-RFT sidewalls. Impact harshness is much more muted and the ride in general is smoother. It poured rain yesterday and the tires remained firmly planted. Feel just off center is in a different world than the Pirelli's which were designed more for fuel economy than performance with a hard compound for low rolling resistance. This translated into a lack of feel and a lot of slop off center. The car required a lot of correction just to go straight down the road. I didn't pay attention to this but am now aware of how much I had to work. I have not had much chance to flog the car through many twisty roads yet but on and off ramps show more grip and the added compliance helps keep the tires planted on our pockmarked Midwest roads.
To be fair to the Pirelli's they were at the end of their life and I can't remember if they performed better when new.
Last, the rough winters in Michigan and the horrible road conditions have done a number on my Sport Line wheels. All 4 have some damage according to the installer and 2 are in need of repair but not cracked. They want $125.00/wheel for this so I will shop around.
In conclusion, if you don't like the ride of your car with RFT's, as we all know, go flats are the best remedy. If you live in a climate where all season tires are your choice, the Conti DWS 06 is a great choice.