With all the driving i do, and as great as Texas roads have become, some changes had to be made.

I still enjoy having all the braces, sways and the coilovers on the car, and still plan on doing some HPDE's in the coming months, but first and foremost it's the daily driver so some comfort would be appreciated 98% of the time behind the wheel.

It was time for new tires anyway, and there was no PSS available at the size i need, so i went with the Continental Extreme DW (not DWS) -- supposedly one of the comfiest tires available today. The best tire that balances performance, grip, response, weight and comfort for the price. It's also a great wet-track tire.

Compared to the V12s, having larger tread blocks, a non-directional tread, etc... should make for better ultimate grip and less noise as well.

Plus, it's nearly 4 lbs. lighter on each corner compared to the Hankook V12s. That's a lot of unsprung weight shaved off! It'll go well with the 2pc rotors and the Ake's.

Will be updating this thread in the coming weeks on how the DW compares to the V12s, which i've had for most of the G's life, in various sizes and uses -- including track.

For now, a little photo comparison of the basic make-up of each tire. Although plies are just one piece of the puzzle, it's interesting to note the noticeable difference between these two.

 

I completely understand. I went back and forth for a couple of weeks trying to decide between performance tires and all season tires for my sedan. It wasn't easy to convince myself that I was going to appreciate the ride and comfort more than I would ever appreciate the performance. A year later I'm more than happy with the decision, I'll probably never track my G. I enjoyed track days in my previous car, but 3 or 4 20 minute sessions were pretty exhausting and I've decided renting a car for a short session every now and then is cheaper and more enjoyable.

 

I had the choice between V12's and Continental Eco Plus. I ended up getting the Continentals due to long thread wear and better gas mileage. I know they are not as great as super sports but driving in the wost city roads with lots of pot holes aka Boston. I love my Continentals. So far I would give them 9/10. No Complaints on noise, grip, performance or thread wear.


Great choice I know you will love them!!

 

WOW, that's surprising. I don't know if that means the Kook's are heavy or the Conti's are light? Maybe a bit of both

It will be interesting to see how these do for you over time.

 

I looked into AS tires, too, but didn't find one that suited my criteria. But our goals are the same. Truth be told, on my old car, i tracked it on General Exclaims which are really more AS than Summer tires. It was fine for my, then, entry-level experience.

That's the bottom-line right there. Some tires will never be as great some of Michelin's offerings, but they offer a more balanced solution, IMHO. In a perfect world, i would've gone for the PSS. But living in large cities like we do...

Yep, about 25.1+ vs 29. Continentals are known for generally having softer sidewalls, but incredible grip (i guess to compensate) as well as lighter than average weight. The Hankook is about average in weight. Bridgestone's are generally know for stiff sidewalls, but also very heavy tires. A similar sized S-04, for example, weights in at a little over 31 lbs. We're talking 255/45/18s.

By comparison, these unmounted Conti's... i can fold and poke the sidewalls with ease. The S-04s, you really have to squeeze and put pressure on it. Even the Hankooks have stiffer feeling sidewalls, again unmounted.

Anyway, got them installed this morning. So far so good, and i can already feel the change in smoothness, and easier low-speed (i.e. parking lot) steering, over the V12s.

More on that as this breaks-in.

 

i switched from yoko s.drives to conti dws and could not be happier. very impressed with all aspects of the tire.

 

Mike, what's the treadwear rating on the Contis?

 

Glald to know!

340. At the least, i hope to get as much, if not more, life out of these over the V12s.