I have an '05 MINI S Convertible (manual) and am replacing the original Dunlop runflats. I think I've settled on the Continentals, but wondered if anyone here has reported having problems with these all-season Continental (non-runflats)?

I'd like something that drives well in all weather conditions. I drive spirited sometimes, sometimes not (depending on who's in my rearview mirror)

Tire size 205-45-17

 

Twelve years on the original tires!

I have the DWS06 on the Countryman, handles well and less road noise than original RFs. For the winter we do switch to dedicated snows which was needed when my son took the car into mountain passes, etc.

 

For a sporty handling all-season tire DWS06 is an excellent handling option in winter conditions. Good choice, and very popular on the Mini.

 

I had them on my AWD Jaguar, quiet, handled well in all weather conditions.

 

I run the DWS06's on my '04 and they're a fantastic tire; grippy in the dry, equally great in rain, quiet, they wear great, and not bad if you run into a light coating of snow, although I'd refrain from 'spirited' driving on snow/ice road conditions.

That said, they (as with all-season tire) are not ideal if the winter conditions are worse; i.e., ice, deeper snow... If you're looking at driving in more harsh winter conditions, I'd recommend a second set of wheels with a dedicated snow tire. I'm partial to the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 (below) for that task. Night and day in the white stuff when compared to an all-season tire.

If you have a garage, you can do as I do and change to the winter wheel/tire setup only when there's snow on the roads (or forecast), and take them off when the roads are clear - thus preserving your winter tires, as well as getting more "quality time" with the DWS06's. With a small car such as the MINI where the jack brings up the entire side of the car, it's a 15-minute job to swap all-four tires out.

 

I'm running a set of DWS06's now and they've been great - we haven't had a lot of snow this winter, but they were fine when there was 3 to 4 inches on the road. My wife has been running some Hakkapeliitta's on her Cooper for the last few winters and they are fantastic.