Hi Everyone:

I need to buy new tires. Since purchase, I've ridden on stock Pirelli Eufori 205/45/17 RFTs that have been the worst set tires I've ridden on since I started driving. I have had my 2010 MCS Camden Ed. for 1 year this March and the 2 front tires did not last. I had the right front blow out recently and the left is ready to do the same as the tread wear pattern is the same as the right. About 10K miles maybe slightly over.

My car is my daily driver, I live in L.A. and grind out the traffic and pound my hardtop every morning to get to work. I have to take the canyon roads in the Hollywood Hills every day, Mulholland Drive, Sepulveda Pass, and through Bel-Air on Roscamare most days (for locals who know the pain to get to the westside). I have a lead foot and I corner very hard and am a very aggressive driver b/c most in L.A. are not very good at any sort of driving so I am constantly driving defensively while trying to get to my destination. I need tires that will keep up with me. Thus far, I am considering the Continental DSWs and Michelin Pilot Sports, but need to know if I should try a different size on the stock 17" wheel or a high performance tire with short road life.

Any recommendations? Or any stock size recommendations I should seriously consider? Thanks in advance.

 

Here is a pic of the wear on the stock tire within a year on the road.

 

I have 16" wheels on my '12s" and have tolerated the Conti runflats for 30,000 miles. I could have easily driven them another 10, 000 miles, but I just could no longer stand the noise or the tramlining. I bought a set of Michelen AS/3's and I am completely satisfied. Michelens always seem so expensive, but their quality and durability make them a good investment for your car.

 

Bump your size to 215/45/17. It'll get a little better contact patch. The Michelins are great, best tire for their category IMO. DWS is good as well. Its not in the same performance category however. The DW would be.

Michelin doesn't last too long, but you can usually get warranty to help pay for another set. DW will last a bit longer, but comfort and overall performance are compromised a little.

DWS will last even longer. Have better comfort, but may not live up to your performance needs in dry weather. In heavy rains or snow yeah, but considering where you're from that shouldn't be a consideration of yours.

 

I recommend reading through the other 20 threads on here about switching from RFT to non-RFT. :D

Or, like they said, go with 215/45R17. Any tire will be better than RFT. Toyo Extenza HP, Toyo Proxe, Hankook Ventus V12, Conti DW.

 

That's a Picture of a Over Inflated Tire.

 

I am riding Continental DW (Not DWS) on my 2009 Clubman S, and they are awesome. Excellent ultimate grip, give plenty of warning when giving away at the limits, good life, smooth ride, inexpensive. I live near Simi Valley, and canyon carve Mulhulland, Latigo Cyn, etc. The first 1-2,000 miles the steering response was not what I was used to with the Continental SSR runflats, but now it is fine. The softer sidewall on the DWs gives a comfortable ride, but not super sharp steering response. Read the Tire Tests on Tirerack.com for more information.

 

PS: My wheels are 17x7.5 and the 215x45 fits well. The tire's sidewall doesn't stick out past the rim at all. I think they would fit a 17x7 wheel very well also. My speedometer is still off a little. 50mph indicated is 47mph actual, the same as the original wheels/tires I had which were 195/50 R16 I think. The speedo error didn't change at all.

 

 

which one is better actually?
Conti sportcontact 3(non runflat) or extremecontact DW? apparantly they are the same catergory but different origin.

 

I've never tried ContiSportContact 3 (the non-runflat Max Performance Summer tire), but I have tried the ExtremeContact DW (also a non-runflat Max Performance Summer tire). From TireRack.com:

ContiSportContact 3:
280 treadwear
AA traction
A temperature
205/45R17 = $158
225/45R17 = $160

ExtremeContact DW:
340 treadwear
AA traction
A temperature
205/45R17 = $99
215/45R17 = $108
225/45R17 = $116

I would probably stick with the DW because they cost much less and have a longer treadlife. Also the DW comes in a 215/45R17, whereas the CSC3 does not. Based on Tire Rack's test results, it's hard to see much difference between the two.

At continentaltire.com, the CSC3 is listed under the "OE" category, and has a feature, "Specialized Tread Patterns for Rear Wheel Drive Sports Cars and Customized Vehicles: Enhance vehicle performance through increased stability and steering response". This probably doesn't matter much, but in case it does matter, Minis are front wheel drive. The DW is listed under the "Performance" category.

If extremely sharp steering response is important, then I would not recommend the DW. I was willing to sacrifice some steering response for a more comfortable ride, and am very happy with the DW.

I am sold on the Continental brand. Even the ContiProContact SSR runflat handled and felt pretty nice, though they don't compare to the DW's comfort and ultimate grip. I'll be putting a set of Continental PureContact EcoPlus tires on my wife's Jetta when the time comes. They are rated extremely high for a Grand Touring All-Season tire.

 

I must admit procontact is a pretty good tire, even i am a die hard fans of strictly summer tires only. Still got no idea why most people in socal need all season rubber as it rarely snows in here.