stuntman

Hey guys,

Check out MotoIQ.com's tire test of the brand new Continental ExtremeContact SPORT -which debut earlier this month:


“Same level dry performance as a Michelin Pilot Super Sport”. That is a HUGE statement by Continental when the PSS is hands down the segment leading benchmark. Continental is extremely proud of their brand new ExtremeContact™ Sport tire that was just released earlier this month as a replacement for their ExtremeContact™ DW tire. We logged nearly a thousand miles on the new Sport in both the wet and dry, and put it up against the outgoing DW in a back to back test at Palm Beach International Raceway to see if it lives up to Continental’s claims.


In the article:

-In-depth analysis of the new (from the ground up) ExtremeContact Sport.
-Street review in the dry and wet.
-Track Test at Palm Beach International Raceway.
-Motec Data overlays back to back testing the Sport with the outgoing DW.
-Subjective Handling reviews.
-Deciphering Continental's product lineup.


http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticl...act-Sport.aspx




Enjoy!

brad@tirerack.com

I'm looking forward to the reviews. I think this tire and the new Pilot 4S are going to clean up this summer.

stuntman

Agreed. Michelin stepped up the (reduced) rolling resistance, increased tread life, and maintained the dry grip while improving wet weather performance.

Continental stepped up BIG TIME with the ExtremeContact Sport increasing sidewall stiffness, steering response, precision, dry grip, and on-track durability, while slightly improving wet weather performance and increased treadlife by 20% !

These two tires are very similar in performance and are starting to separate themselves from the rest of the tires in the UHP category.

trackstar

From haven driven both continental and michelin summer performance tires I would say michelin has dry handling for sure. I havent driven on the 4s yet.

stuntman

Is that a generic statement or have you driven the NEW ExtremeContact Sport?

trackstar

No I worked at Benz and the stock tire they put on there cars is pretty much all continentals. I myself was just more impressed with the michelin. The michelin seems to constantly stay gripping where the continental seems once it breaks loose it stays loose a little longer where it seemed the michelin would start catching grip again faster. it is hard to say without driving the same car back to back with the same tires. I just have had super sports on my daily and I had the continental comparable tire before I put the michelins on. I cant say on wet performance but from my experience continental makes a really nice all season tire that matches well with performance for the everyday. I worked at a firestone and goodyear and have went to tire classes. So a lot of the time just by looking at the design and feeling the compund for myself I can get a good idea of how good a tire actually is. There's a lot more to tires then just compound. How the slits in the tire are and tread design are huge for high performance street tires. Thats why now more and more high end tires are starting to have similar designs, there's a science to it. also michelins seem quieter all around which to me matters a lot when most of us here are driving cars that once cost from 40k to 250k and more. Nobody wants to get in a car that's droning cause of a ****ty compund. Also for the money the Falken azenis is a good tire for the money, its what I bought before I could afford nicer tires.

I'm not saying the continental isnt a badass tire, Its just when your spending $1200-1800 whats a few hundred for the best and the one that fits your needs best. Im also not spending the money on 2 different sets for a review lol.

stuntman

You have a lot of brand generalities that are as vague as saying "from my experience Mercedes handles soooo much better than BMW on track" without specifying you're comparing a CLK63 Black Series to a 330xi on snow tires.

Since the Continental in this thread is the BRAND NEW ExtremeContact SPORT, which came out last month, I don't think you're talking about the same tire and are likely referring to experience with the DW and SportContact line, which I wouldn't disagree with your generalities compared to the Michelin PSS.

However the new ECS is quite a big leap from the DW or SportContact tire. It appears you also didn't read the article. You might want to give it a try since it goes deep into the analysis of the tread design and compound.

Overall the new ECS is very similar to the PSS in every regard.

trackstar

They weren't generic statements and If you think I was comparing snow tires to high performance summer tires your obviously not all that intuitive. Not to mention your last statement agrees with my posting and is nearly exactly what i said about design and compound. Until you have the broad experience I have with the tire industry Id keep your generalities about my statements to speculation in your own mind. Plus if continental just starts to copy michelins exemplary design they get no respect in that regard since michelin got there first. Michelin has held the best track record across time from all season to race tires for quite a while, as far as brands go michelin leads the pack in 9/10 categories. They may get beat here and there but every year they damn near seam to reclaim the title and bridgestone I would say would be 2nd even know a lot of brands seem to be coming up with a lot of competition lately and the top to bottom is no longer separated by huge margins like in the past.

Also I read the article and If you didnt see, They wrote "the michelin PSS is the benchmark" and they were aiming for that. They basically admitted they weren't as good and are now giving it a shot to make there tire the copycat and be better then michelin. So yes I read the article and understand it better than most.

And you seem to be taking this kind of personal, Do you work for continental? Im impartial and I have driven 1000's of cars and thats not exaggeration, I was trying to be informative and not make personal statements towards other forum members. Not trying to start a keyboard war just an opinion like everybody else. Take it for what its worth or keep plugging continental, I dont care.

stuntman

It's a bit frustrating when people make vague generalities and comment on something they obviously didn't read, which you continue to do.

So do you admit that you don't have personal experience with the NEW ECS tire?

The article acknowledges the DW wasn't as good as the PSS in the dry (but better in the wet) and they used the PSS as the benchmark for the new ECS and believe they have bettered it in every regard.

You may be partial, but i'm impartial and this article was a review of the tire and comparing it to the old DW with data as well as my personal review based off of my background and experience. No I don't work for Continental but have worked with them a little and with Michelin a lot in developing tires.

trackstar

Im done wasting my time. working with a company would make somebody biased and im very impartial. I just happen to know whats what and the 4S michelin has claimed to take the wet performance back and yes i READ the article did you not read that part that I wrote about reading it. Dont bother continuing. I also believed I bettered micheal jordan in basketball but **** me if I have to play him one on one.

Matt Lane

Looks interesting.

For those closest to the retail market, I'm wondering:

- does Conti have a springtime sale like Michelin? With $70 off a set of 4, Michelin is almost identical to Conti non-discounted price. Am I right?

- how long will PSS even be available?

I am looking for a street tires for a 993 that does not see track anymore - I'd like to hope 3 years of use out the rears on street. If that's the case, what are the chances of sourcing PSS in 2020?.

I'd assume a new Conti design will be a safer bet.

Thoughts?

M

stuntman

It's pretty obvious you haven't. How can someone be biased when they work with both parties?

I'm not up to date on spring discounts. It would be best to google it, look at Conti's website, or Tire Rack.

Since PS2s are still available, I think PSS will remain on the shelves for years to come. Contis would be a safer bet but honestly, I wouldn't be in a panic if you decide on the PSS.

il pirata

Spring sale on now:

http://www.continentaltire.com/misce...self-promotion

My understanding is the PSS is being phased out now.

I just put the new Conti Sports on the 1996 C4S. They replaced the Conti DW, which had replaced the PS2. My view is the PS2 is the weakest of the three, Tire Rack tests also support this statement. The DW was a nice tire but the sidewalls where soft and the steering input lacked a bit. The Conti Sport is a much better tire than the DW, perfect for canyon runs. Have not got caught up in a rain storm yet but I would expect the Conti will still be stellar in the rain while much improved in the dry.

Michelin never made the PSS in OEM size for the C4S, but I had the PSS on the 2011 Spyder. Not a direct apple to apple comparison but I think the new Conti Sport is as good as the PSS. I will be putting the new Pilot Sport 4 S or Conti Sport on the 2016 Spyder later this year.

Be careful when buying tires being phased out, insist on knowing dates before buying, and make sure there a matched set (i.e. not BMW in the front and Porsche in the rear)

Matt Lane

This is great - the Conti Extreme Contact Sport on Discount tire Direct with a $50 online order discount and the $70 rebate is compelling. I will order and try them out - mid 600's shipped is a great price for what I hope to be a VG alternative to the outgoing PSS. On street, I don't need perfection, if the Conti is in fact close to the PSS, it's good value to me.

Thanks for posting the sale info, it just started today.

Cheers

Matt

Matt Lane

Ordered 4x18 265/235 for just under $650 shipped - great deal and high hopes!