blue44

the Ecsta XS's turned very noisy as they approached a year old, last winter upgraded to Michelin PS2's which have been great on the track and nice on the road. thinking of up-sizing like Miles this winter, to 235/45-17 and 265/40-17, probably PS2's. Have been thinking of going for a set of track wheels, trying to figure out whether to go to 18's - any DE guys like to weigh in on the 17 vs. 18 question ?

Donn

qball

Second vote on the Conti's, several hundred miles on them now and love them.


Item Description Availability Qty. Price Each Item Total

225/45ZR17 Continental ExtremeContact DWS IN STOCK 2 $127.00 $254.00
255/40ZR17 Continental ExtremeContact DWS IN STOCK 2 $142.00 $284.00




From the website..The ExtremeContact DWS (DWS for Dry, Wet & Snow) is Continental's Ultra High Performance All-Season radial developed for drivers of sports cars, sports coupes, performance sedans and sport trucks. The ExtremeContact DWS is designed to satisfy their year-round driving needs by blending dry and wet road performance with light snow and slush traction.

ExtremeContact DWS features an advanced silica-based, high-grip, all-season tread compound molded into a unique asymmetrical tread design with stable shoulder blocks and a continuous, notched intermediate rib on the outboard side to enhance responsiveness and cornering stability. The center of the tread features independent blocks separated by high-angle, crisscross grooves to provide the biting edges necessary to deliver wet road and light snow traction while independent inboard shoulder blocks help disperse water to further enhance hydroplaning resistance and foul weather traction.

The ExtremeContact DWS features Tuned Performance Indicators — visible letters molded into the second rib from the outboard shoulder to alert drivers of the tire's performance levels. A visible "DWS" indicates the tire has sufficient tread depth for dry conditions, as well as wet roads and light snow. After the "S" has worn away, the remaining "DW" indicates the tire only has sufficient tread depth for dry and most wet road conditions. And after the "W" and "S" have both worn away, the remaining "D" indicates the tire has appropriate tread depth for dry conditions only.

The tire's internal structure includes twin steel belts reinforced with spirally wound jointless nylon cap plies to provide long-term integrity under high-speed conditions while reducing weight and helping to provide more uniform ride quality.

RajDatta

I am a big fan of Conti Extreme DWS as well and they are excellent all around tires that don't break the wallet. I have not tried them yet on the 968, but have been very happy with them on BMW's.
I plan to purchase a set shortly since I now have a pair of correct Cup2's for the cabriolet.

Miles968

The Conti's sound good too. I am wondering about using the Conti Extreme DW vs the Conti Extreme DWS? Any Pro's/ Cons with these two?

RajDatta

If you never plan to drive it in snow, no point in getting DWS. DWS means Dry Wet Snow. The tread pattern is different and DW seem to have a much more aggressive pattern. I would stick with DW's.

Miles968

updated list
1.Conti ExtrmContact DW
2. Kuhmo Estsa XS
3.Michelin PS2
4. Sumitomo HTZIII
5. Falkin FK-452
still a work/research in progress, hopefully there will be some sales coming up

wilhelm

I had Kumho's on my 968 and will never buy them again. I read lots of good reviews before I bought them and they did ok on a couple of track days. They flat spot bad when my car sits, so bad that I hate driving it in the winter because it takes so long to warm up and smooth out. They don't balance well, seems like 1 month and not many miles the wheels are out of balance again. Had a good shop tell me they had the same problems with Kumhos coming out of balance.

I'm curious about the Nitto NT05, anyone have experience with them?

porsche_968

I am running the Conti DWs. Pretty quiet tire.

jlasuncion

Bridgestone re050 are nice all around tires

odb812

Also, the DW is a summer compound whereas the DWS is all-season. I crossed this bridge while deciding on tires for my DD and ended up going with the DWS for the longer treadlife. I'm really happy with the DWS on my DD. I've driven with them in snow once and have done a couple of track days and an auto-x as well.

Miles968

As I am talking about getting new tires, my wife reminded me that I have these Pilot Sports PS2 225/45/17 and 255/40/17 mounted on Red BBS RX 218's 17's. I almost forgot I had these sitting in the cornerng of my garage. While I prefer the white cup 2's, these are pretty fine wheels. I may, at some point, have them refinished to a different color

Miles968

So the tires on the white wheels are completely worn out, so I put on the Red wheels with the Michelin PS2 on them which are like new. Now my question is purely cosmetic, Do I continue to run them on the red wheels or go thru the trouble of having them mounted on the White wheels? The early observation on the PS2'S is that they are quieter and "smoother" than the worn out Goodyears they replaced. I am quickly becoming a fan of the Michelins....

StewHatch

I just purchased and mounted a set of BF Goodrich Comp 2's on my car and the improvement over the old Bridgestone Potenzas is phenomenal. There's a marked improvement in braking, the ride is smoother, and the car handles far better in the wet.

porsche_968

I try to be careful comparing old and new tires. The Contis now have about 4000 miles.
Its quiet and it is also light compared to other tires. Handling is fine tire wear seems ok so far.

mtnspeed

After having Michelins, Yoko's, Dunlop's, you name it. My current favorite is the Bridgestone Potenza RE-11's. Similar to the Dunlop Direzza (sp), but stick a bit better. I use mine for simple road driving and DE's in the Texas heat, and have loved them. Ton's of grip, meaty tread, decent wet performance and they last longer than the Michelin's. Always loved Michelin's, but in my experience, they have always worn out fast. Just my $.02. And I didn't see anyone talking about the RE-11's.