ExtremeContact DWS06 is one of the best all-season tires in existence. It’s also in the costlier category, which explains the level of quality. They obviously gave these treads their best technological solutions, all to improve handling, grip and steering. Continental did a very fine job, resulting in a decent tire with almost no downsides.
This tire is actually considered an ultra high-performance variant. So, let’s see why this tire behaves so well in all situations where it’s appropriate to use all-season tires. There’s actually a lot, so buckle up.
DWS06 is made of a special composition that consists of silica and +silane components. As a result, they adapt extremely well to all sorts of road conditions, thus improving handling, responsiveness and grip on challenging surfaces, like snow or wet tarmac. And they didn’t sacrifice endurance by implementing this composition, either.
Given that you can actually race through dry or wet highways without losing much of your control, you will wear them out sooner than usual. And they are also less wear-resistant naturally, which is the main issue with them.
They don’t last much longer than 80,000 km if you use them as intended. It’s not a good result, considering you pay good money for a set of these. But then, you can actually check how long they have left due to the Tuned Performance Indicator.
See the three letters ‘D’, ‘W’ and ‘S’ on the side of the tread? Over time, they’ll start disappearing. When the ‘S’ vanishes, then the tire is no longer suitable for deep snow. The same goes for ‘W’ for wet and ‘D’ for dry.
Although the tread is surprisingly rich with various solutions, the structure is pretty simple.
It may not be so clear judging by the pattern design, an asymmetric and frankly weird combination of grooves. But don’t worry, they aren’t sporadic, but rather well-balanced and placed with calculated precision.
The first thing you notice is the huge central section. It is there to improve grip that is certain. The aggressive-looking grooves make for better handling and traction on all surfaces, including wet, snowy and icy. They are intertwined in an interesting way, but the result is the collection of claw-like shapes spread throughout a very wide rib.
Moreover, in-between these grooves Conti put multiple cross-shaped sipes that improve grip on slippery ground substantially. As you can see, the groove positioning is calculated to give maximum impact. That said, this much emphasis on the central rib could deteriorate steering and handling on the sides. But it didn’t happen.
The treads are wide enough to accommodate decently-sized shoulders to help steer the tires better. Furthermore, the handling is further improved by the multilayered rigid sidewalls designed to withstand more damage as well as help with handling.
And they didn’t save on hydroplaning measure, either. Despite the large contact area, there are three grooves that go all the way across the tires and help get rid of water. The central web of grooves also assists with this task, but to a much smaller degree.
DWS06 are balanced really-really well. They worked really hard on developing the way to accommodate solutions for all road problems. As a result, they don’t just grip the road very firmly, but also ride smoothly and quietly. And they don’t lose the effect over time, either.
So, you don’t have to compromise on comfort or performance. The tires are equally in good in both these departments. The price is reduced tread life and also, well, price. They aren’t the cheapest and can cost $100 apiece and more.
ExtremeContact DWS06 suit all riding needs perfectly, especially for an all-season tire. These usually compromise on at least something, but DWS06 treads are great in all sorts of weather. You might not want to drive them in deep snow, pure ice or off-road, however. In appropriate environments, they are superb.
It comes at a price, though. Conti may charge as much as $500 for a pack, and they will only serve for about 6 years (or 80,000 km, according to Conti), as the warranty says. It’s not the best investment efficiency-wise, but it doesn’t make them any worse.
195/50 ZR 16
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