I have about 63K on my 05' S.

Purchased these after having the stock Dunlop run flats, Dunlop Direz. Yokohama's. All these were satisfactory tires. I hate road noise, so I went searching for reviews. I am so happy with these Conti's. They are 1/2 as quiet as all the rest. They bring new comfort to my ride. They feel a little heavy at first, but they will shed the weight after awhile. I'm in California, so not too much rain or snow to be experienced as yet. Yes, the sides flex a little too much for aggressive driving. I am a go fast dude......and I'm pleased, but they are not Ricky Racer track shoes. It will be nice to enjoy them for the 50K I think I will get based on my driving style. Took a 300 mile ride, and it was like rolling on pillows. So I give them a big B+
CD

 

Finally got mine installed in the stock 205/45/17 size. The ride is amazing with these. Since I stuck with the shorter sidewall my handling has not been affected too much. If these keep this quiet, maintain the ride, and give good tread wear, I will be getting these again.

 

great to hear!

 

I thought @ least someone out there would trust me. The Mini in my opinion is a very finicky tire eater. Everytime I ride on the Conti's, I am soooo happy with my choice. Now I can really hear my Stevie Ray Vaughn without crankin' the **** to 15.
Crazydave

 

So far, so good!!

 

Double Trouble sounds SO good at higher volumes though..

Alex

 

Glad you're happy with the choice.

Quite few months ago I was in the same situation, I bought the Conti DWS based on the specs (there were few reviews at the time)

For me the DWS in the same size was to squishy and downright scary with the way I drive. A quick jerk of the steering wheel made the traction control kick in.

I ended up returning them to Tire Rack (a truly painless process) and went with some Pirelli PZero Nero. Never had Pirelli's before but i've been nothing but happy with them.

If anyone shopping for tires likes that MINI hand-to-road feel that you get from stock tires, i wouldn't recommend putting on the DWS

 

Alex - Does Conti have any mail in's/promo's coming up? i wanna wait if so. if you know

 

I've always run 205/50-16 tires (presently S.drives) in the summer around here because it's hard in my locale to avoid chance encounters with roads that are beat up from winter abuse. The higher sidewall is easier on the strut towers and the spine.

Given the Conti DWS characteristics of being quiet and somewhat softer in the sidewall, I'm wondering if I could expect the same or better ride quality and similar handling characteristics in the DWS 205/45-17 as I do with my present set-up. Any predictions?

Gee -- if I went from 16 to 17 I'd be forced to shop for some new wheels.

 

No need to shop for new wheels. I put 205 50 16 DWS on my 2010 MCS this past Friday. My run flats only had 7500 miles on them, but I hated them. On a round trip to the ocean this weekend, I had a totally new ride. The ride was smooth and quiet. I learned that I didn't had to cringe everty time I went over a bump in the road or a manhole cover. I could still do 80 mph through the turns on the backroads in Delaware. It's a totally different ride, and I love my car more than ever. Anybody want to buy a set of 195 55 16 runflats cheap?

 

Ditto on the ride. I sold my set of runflats for $35. Glad to get them off the car and out of the garage.

 

Rats...I thought I had a good excuse to do so.

Still wondering though -- how the 205/45-17 Contis would ride on less than optimal road surfaces...

 

There are some bad roads around here. No problem. Still going to hear and feel it but much less than before.

 

I was absolutely pissed when I first put the Contis on, but have bumped up the pressure to 40 psi and in the process of some burn-in. I am far less frustrated now, after about 300 miles. I had that perception problem, mentioned in an earlier thread, of coming off of absolutely bald run-flats. They were scary in the rain, but a total blast in the dry. "hand to road" feeling to the max, and lots of fun because of the controlled drifts.
These Contis stick great and getting better all the time. Exciting news for me is a new 22mm rear anti-sway install this weekend. Yeah Baby!

BTW, I'll do a different tire next time, maybe the MPAS.

 

good to hear. i'm finally ready to do some 215.45.17's with this. i'm excited...after some sketchy rain drives recently. fun but a bit dangerous

 

I forgot to mention, the Contis are incredible in the wet. I scare the crap out of whoever is in the passenger seat, while in the rain.

 

Does anyone know if there is an ETA on Continental making this tire in a 215/40/17 size? If so, they will be my next purchase. If not, then I will seriously have to consider the Kumho ASX again. The Kumhos have much better dry performance than my current Continental tire, but the Conti kills them as a true all-season tire.

 

I'm really having a tough time with this decision too......I have a mostly worn out set of Kumho ASX on my car right now and I have been leaning towards the DWS, mostly on wet/snow usage. The Kumho's have been excellent for dry and even cold weather use, rain was good till I got down to the wearbars, now it's downright scary, and snow was always just OK. The Conti's promise to be better in those ares plus last longer, but cost more and there's the "uncertain going into a corner" feeling that I'm concerned about.

Still, most of the miles I drive are just cruzin down the highway, so a quiet, smooth ride is paramount.....

One other thing about the Kumho's - I've never had to rebalance them in 30K of all sorts of driving - that's a plus to me! I've only had that kind of consistency from Michelin before.....I'm looking for a good excuse to pull the trigger on one or the other, but I'll have to get them no later than July anyway, with the MITM/MTTS trip coming up in August.

 

I also love my ASX tires on my 15 inch rims right now. They ride well, perform well, and overall, have lasted nearly four years of hard driving. I prefer to run them on highway trips over my 17 inch rims. Maybe that will change now I have my Continental tires!

 

I replaced the 205/45 r17 Dunlop runflats with Conti DW (not DWS) on my new MINI convertible before the 5000 mile mark. Initially I was disappointed by the smooth, quiet ride of the DWs. The MINI doesn't go down the road feeling like a stiffly sprung little sports car anymore. It's too quiet and smooth. I've stopped swerving around the little bumps and holes on my back road commute because they just don't rattle the car like they did with the RFs. I still have a sense of crisp handling, but a bit more controlled; it just goes where I point it with no drama or excitement at all. Long drives are no longer heroic epics of enduring noise and jolting. The twisties are no longer as thrilling, at least not at legal speeds.

The tire sounds and feels the same at 105 as it does at 65 and the lack of tactile feedback means I have to keep an eye on the dials or risk an expensive chat with law enforcement.

I got a second set of wheels to mount the RFs and use them for track days and solo. Those Dunlops cost too much to discard and they work well for that application.

All joking aside - the Contis are sweet.

 

Mini Dave. What's your wheel size. Seems the 16's don't do well with these tires but those with 17's all seem to really like them
all and all. Also what size tire did you get for either rim? I'm getting 215.45.17's installed tomorrow.

 

245? Izn't the stock size 205? I'm using the 215 and it's not much different in size or look but night and day in ride.

 

Woops. 215. 245 might rub a bit...

 

I purchased a set of DWS 3 weeks ago for my '07 MCS and have been very disappointed. BTW - I'm running 205/45/17 tires. Here's my take.

Pros: very quiet and comfortable. No comparison to the factory Dunlop RFTs. Makes a completely different ride. No snow or rain in Sunny California to test them out in, though this is supposedly a strength.

Cons: difficult to keep the car straight! The tires wonder around way too much on freeways and other straights. Had the tire shop check alignment twice but no improvement. Driving without Sport mode helps some, so it seems they don't do well with tight suspension/steering vehicles. Steering is also noticably different. Initial turn in is delayed and rear end wants to swing around. I've also driven on twisting roads - they seem to do better when constaintly being pushed through turns.

In short, the handling is so sketchy my wife is uncomfortable driving it. I've driven is about 3K miles now and agree with her about the freeway wondering - must look like a DUI candidate.

Anyone have other suggestions?? Is this only a problem for "S" models?

Tires were purchased from Tire Rack, through a local tire shop. I'll be talking to them about return options. Earlier post indicated Tire Rack would accept a return toward another brand tire - is that correct? I understand Conti offers a 60-day "trial" but restricts trade-ins to other Conti tires.

If I do go with the later, would the DW (summer tire) handle any better??

P.S. Also had a sidewall flat on day 4 of usage. Tirerack provided a replacement under warranty, but still cost me ~$120 with shipping, mounting, balance & alignment (again). Suddenly, these tires are not such a great deal.

 

I have absolutely no wondering at all with these tires. I used to have it before I changed from the factory alignment settings. Once I did that the car tracks dead straight, handles great, and doesn't wear out tires fast.