Just had some Continental Extreme DW's put on my OE 17's to replace my OE runflats. Very nice handling tire, and great Customer Service from Tire Rack staff where I bought them!!

Question on mounting orientation though. I've just noticed that the little water sipes on the edge of the sidewalls are facing the wrong direction from the pic on Tire Rack's sight, damn distracted installer. So I'd like to know if this really matters that much to the tire's handling characteristics. Any Tire rack or Continental Tire staff online here? Or to those of you that have/ had these tires. Thanks in advance.

 

look at the sidewall of the tire for either a direction arrow or an outside label

my pirelli p7s have an outside label

i have seen tires with 2 direction arrows, 1 labeled front and 1 labeled rear

you may have to look on the inside of the tire if you suspect they are mounted wrong

scott

 

They're mounted the right way out, but there's no direction arrow on them.
There are two marks that resemble.....something, but they are in opposing directions. _\ /_ or something like that, but on top of each other.

 

There is the word "Outside" on that tire (they are bi directional tires) that needs to be, well, outside. If that word is out all the way around, you are fine, if not, then they are not mounted correctly and need to be remounted.

 

Yea, they are mounted correctly, but I just wanted to check on the direction. Bi-directional eh? They look like they would evacuate water better if the tread blocks just off the sidewall were facing the other way.

 

Flip tires from left to right? That would face them the way you want.

 

Yes it would. I just want to know if it really matters. The pics on Tire Rack's site show them facing opposite to how mine are as well as their face book page. Must be for a reason. Back to the installer.

 

Compare your right front tire to your left front tire. I'll bet you find that they are identical tires, meaning that the sipes point one way on the right wheel and the opposite way on the left wheel. That's pretty common. When tires are non-directional, they can go on either side of the car but in many cases don't have symmetrical tread patterns, so the tread looks to point different directions on opposite sides of the car. It's normal.

 

The tire can rotate either way. However, they do not sound like they are mounted correctly. The three "grooves" should be closer to the outside. If you have tires that are opposite of what is on Tire Rack, they are mounted incorrectly and need to be fixed. As I said, there is an inside and outside wall to that tire and that is how they should be mounted.

 

Yyyeaaaaa, wish I would've done that before going back lol They had a good laugh at me. that's strange though don't u think? Oh well, such is life and learning.

 

And how do you even know the pix on Tire Rack's site is "correct"? Are you looking at a tire from the back of the front? Which "side" of the car?

If the tires are unidirectional, don't worry about it. Just make sure they're mounted properly.

 

If you can see "outside" without getting under your car and looking in from the back of the wheel all is well

 

OK folks the picture on the tire rack site is correct as you can see the word "OUTSIDE" on the actual tire. The other side is likely labeled with "INSIDE" . You should have the three grooves to the outside of each wheel on each side. The three grooves should not be on the inside of the wheel. Being bi-directional does not mean that they can be mounted however they want as these are set to get the best grip in a certain setup.

 

All 4 tires are on correctly, with "outside" on the outside. BUT, on the driver's side(rhd for us) those sidewall sipes are facing the opposite direction of the left side.

 

Ah, I get what you are saying! Yes, they will look like they are going the wrong direction but you are fine as they are bi directional tires. Please let us know how you like them.

 

Ooohh I'm liking them!! A different feel from the immediate turn in of the Conti RFs, but once you get use to turning in earlier, they stick really well. I have 40psi in the front 38 in the back. I'll try different pressures through-out the first month to see what feels better. 42 may stiffen them up enough to feel like the RFs. We'll see. Like the quieter and softer ride too. I thought there may've been something wrong with my suspension when the Rfs were on, guess not lol.

 

They are mounted correctly. It does not matter which direction the sipes are oriented.

 

I may go for a set when my Grids wear out.

Dont over inflate them, you will cause them to wear faster. I found runflats to be crap at handling so I am not sure what you talking about. That being said, there is a little more body roll with regular tires.

 

Well, I don't know how the roads are for you, but ours are not always buttery smooth like in the states. We have alot of corners that you guys would consider very tight. In fact, if I had to describe them, it's like driving on the Dragon everyday So a stiff sidewall is a benefit. Unfortunately, their wear rating was very low compared to the DW's, but the response was instant and connected.

 

After living in Germany for several years, I can say that our roads are crap but I do understand where you are coming from. Enjoy the new shoes!

 

Thanks. Now I just have to find a space saver spare to keep in the trunk.

 

It seemed to me that the DW's took an extreem amount of time to burn off the mold release. After a couple thousand miles these tires really came into their own. They are not quite as sharp as a Dunlop Direzza Star Spec but have really good ultimate grip. On my GP I could not stand the roar of the Direzza, probably due to the lack of sound insulation. For a street tire the DW's give a very quite and comfortable ride.
I have found that the tire pressure needs to be bumped up a couple of lbs to give me the feel I like.
Steve

 

The Direzza's took top honors in a Car and Driver summer performance tire test a few years back. Second place went to the Hankook Ventus V12 Evo's which is what I run because the Direzza's aren't available in the size I needed. I think the DW's are newer than that test and it would be interesting to see where they might have placed.