You are, of course, correct - you'll get no argument from me. But for the person who wants an all-season solution, these Continentals are an excellent choice (and perhaps the best choice) among the array of available all-season tires.

I don't think the original poster is getting the idea that Z-rated summer tires or winter tires are anything but superior for the use for which they've been made.

Rather, I think his question is: "If I want to buy an all-season tire, which one should I buy?" And a more than satisfactory answer would be: "Continental Extreme Contact DSW."

 

Exactly!

More like, "If I choose to compromise by getting all season tires, what is the best option for my non-tracking, mostly street and highway driving self?"

 

Correct, so when the 'W' wears off then you have a dry, summer type tire.

 

Yea, but it's only an all season tire for the first third of it's tread life......... so next winter you can buy a ..........snow tire...

And yes, I do own a set of DWS's for my DD, but, also have a set of snow tires for the white stuff and cold weather.

 

My dedicated snow tires are Pirelli Snowsport 240's that were manufactured in '02 - but used lightly, and still have all tread. Are they too old to use (or sell) or if stored properly, OK?

 

Porsche recommends replacing tires that are six years old or more.

 

Well, not exactly. Here's the tire's description from the Tire Rack 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.







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So by the time the S and W treads wear down, you are left with an all-season DRY tire, right?

 

I think it would be fair to say that, as with any tire, some of the DWS tire's capabilities become compromised as it wears. First would be the tire's snow performance, then its wet weather performance.

However, the all-season nature of the tire (e.g., compound softness, etc.) remains throughout the tire's life. But as the tread wears down, the tire's ability to perform at its previously high level begins to wane as noted above. Still a very good tire, however.

 

That's what I said......

 

Which is why I WILL be getting them, and selling my winter wheels/tires first.

 

As an owner of both the DW (on the 968 Cabrio) and DWS (a set I will use for Seattle "winters" on the 996 when the Auto X Potenzas come off) I really think these tires are a great choice for the Price for us Non Racer Boy everyday drivers. And yes I also have a dedicated Ice tire (for my A6 Quattro) for ski trips to the mountains. EVERY Tire made is a Compromise. The buyer gets to pick what works for their vehicle and weather and driving style. Modern tire tech has given us great options to pick what work for us. And I love the data and opinions we can get from Tire Rack - they make each of us look like an Expert on tires (no matter how "smart" we think we are :-)

 

Yup, that's me! A non-racer-boy every weekend driver!