I wouldn't really attribute that to the Conti tires. I have Hankooks on mine and i had to turn VDC off to make it up hills in the snow this week as well.

Also make sure you look at the weight of the DWS tires. They weigh 23lbs for a 255/40R17, compared to 24-28lbs for all of the other brands. They are by far one of the lightest tires available, which will decrease your rotating weight and make the car feel more responsive.

I turn my Traction Control (TCS) off in slick conditions so that I can better feel the road and control my car. TCS is a great feature for reducing wear and extending the life of the tires on hard surfaces, but in an inch or two of snow, the TCS (or VDC) is really counter-productive.

As pointed out here quite often, there are no better tires than winter tires for driving in snow, but for those of us who are willing to slog through a few slushy days on all-seasons, the Conti DWS appears to be a better performer than the stock offerings.

Two winters going strong and had a lot of snow both years - best tires in 7 years with the I30t.

Great all around. Tread still looks great after 18K.

Tire pressure
 

I recently had a set of Continental DWS tires installed and have under about 100 miles on them. At the factory PSI of ~33, I noticed that the Max wondered a bit from the center at highway speeds. Where the stock RS-A's required almost no steering input to keep a straight line, the DWS's required a constant input. On center generally they felt very numb compared to the stock RS-A's. I also heard more tire boom over expansion joints.

I increased the air pressure to about 37 psi with some improvement, but it's still not as good as the Goodyears (still wanders a bit) and the ride is a little harsher. Also, the tire noise is louder than the stock tires - it's not nearly as quiet as I expected from all the comments here. While there is no vibration in the steering wheel it almost sounds like a tire is out slightly out of balance.

For those that have these tires, have your figured out an optimal pressure for the Conti DWS tires? Did you find any of these same qualities, and did a break-in period help them? So far I'm rather underwhelmed, although wet grip is better.

i have conti pros on my 2011 vw cc and they suck i have had a blown tire and my front right tire has absolutely no tread left theres only 7k miles on them :(

'conti pros'? Are those the same as the Extreme Contact DWS tires?

There is no way to wear out a Conti DWS tire in 7K miles unless the alignment is out, or they have been frequently used to 'peel rubber', or driven very hard in very difficult conditions, such as driving fast on a winding mountain road with a rough surface on the pavement. There are folks here with over 30K on their DRS tires with plenty of tread left.

Wel I hope you had them replaced via the warranty:


Treadlife Warranty: 6 yrs / 80K mi (T rated) 6 yrs / 60K mi (H rated)
6 yrs / 40K mi (V rated)
Uniformity Warranty: 1 Year / first 2/32" of wear
Workmanship & Materials Warranty: 6 Years / Free replacement first year or 2/32" of wear, then prorated until 2/32" remaining depth

Not sure why your commenting about ContiPros in a ContiDWS thread, you do realize not all tire models act the same way across a manufacturers line?

I purchased a set of 235-35-19's for my rims on my Scion XB and just love them. Smooth, All-Season, 50K Tread life, and for 167.00 a tire a discount tires. I will be changing the 11 Maxima RSA's to these in about 15k.

Trust me these are 10 times the tire that the RSA's are.....

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...SWTIRES2-1.png
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...FRONTWHEEL.png
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...SUPERWHITE.png

i cant wait till i can get a set of the DW contis on my max , i have heard nothing but good things about them from friends and for the price the reviews are very positive .

When I had these on my 2009 with the 19" wheels my opinion on them is that they sucked in the snow. Because of the low profile of the tire that are on the 19" wheels and how wide they are it really doesn't do much for you in the snow at all. If your driving your car in the snow I would recommend getting a set of 18" or 17" wheels and getting tires to make up for the lesser wheel size for winter driving.

Totally opposite experience for me, the DWS was light years better in the snow than every other performance low profile all season I have ever used, although I have not used them on my Max yet. Currently running the General G-Max AS-03's which I hope are close to as good in the snow, but have not had the chance to test them yet.

I put them on as replacements on my 08 Honda Accord coupe I just sold..my experience was great-very quiet, smooth riding tires. They did have a bit more sidewall flex, or maybe they just felt that way...overall I would buy them again.

At 43,000 miles, I put 4 Conti DWS on my '09 Maxima. Only 100 miles on them, but I am very pleased. The ride quality is so much smoother. They are very quiet. I have not gotten them to break loose yet, though I'm not too aggressive with the the throttle. I think the braking is better, too. The steering is not as crisp/quick and linear as with the RS-A's, but it is OK, and DWS is better than the Michelin Primacy MXV4's in this regard. They are a compliant tire - I noticed before mounting how soft the sidewall is. But I don't feel this sacrifice in cornering capability - the car seems pretty level and composed. All in all, I'm very happy. Will post an update when I have more miles.

I have those tires.. there great.. I have 225/235/50/17s on 17 inch 350z wheels.. had them about 3 months dont see no wear. Im lowered on kyb agxs and megan racing springs and to tell you the truth I love them. Here in virginia beach we rarely get snow so didnt try that, but it does well in the rain and dry. I dont hear road noise or anything. I would recommend these tires to everyone..

I have the 18" 245/45/18 stockers on mine. I was SOOO excited those horrible RSA's wore out on my 10 about 7000 miles ago. Got a set of 255/45/18 DWS. Aside from flat-spotting on cold nights, I love these tires. As far as snow traction, they have been absolutely the best all-seasons I've ever had. I live near Flagstaff, AZ (elevation 7200ft) and actually love at 5700ft elevation. Ive been on several trips to Flagstaff and got caught in some freak snowstorms. I drove through a blizzard about 3 wks ago where 4 wheel drives and subies were ditched (24" snow on ground)...roads had a good 4-6inches of untouched unplowed snow. I had no problems at all. Even stopped on a hill where I was certain I was gonna be stuck....no problems. Cant say enough good about them. Dry traction is phenomenal and wet traction is nearly equal to dry. The 255's were as wide a tire as the 18" rim can accomodate and speedometer calibration is not affected. Got mine from Discount Tire for $900 installed.

Late,
Trav

Silly question - when people are referencing tire pressure, are you looking at the PSI at a cold temperature, or are you looking at the PSI after the car's been running (warm temperature)?

I just downgraded from the 19's to 18's wheels, and got the Continental ExtremeContact DWS in 245/45/r18. At 100 miles thus far, it seems very smooth and quiet, but I have to admit that the ride feels a little too "bubbly." Not sure if that's the right term...

I can't really describe the "bubbly" ride other than that it seems a little too soft. I am happy that bumps feel less harsh, but I definitely don't "feel the road" as much as I did with the previous Michelin Pilot Super Summer UHP tires with the 19" wheels.

The tire shop said they put in 35psi in all of the tires. I may let a little air out and get the tires back into spec (around 32-34psi) if that should rectify my problem?

From what I read that is the downfall of that tire. They also say they get loud after 20,000 miles. There supposed to be the best all season tire for the snow. I wanted those tires but can't find them anywhere up north except for discount tire in the mid west and south. I would leave the pressure up at 35 unless snowing then I would drop it down to 32 or 33 for more area to grab. Lower pressure will make it worse for cornering. I just got a set of Michelin pilot sport a/s plus. Great ride except for frost heaves and cracks. I read now that they will get loud after 20,000 as well. I'm thinking of taking them back and getting the primacy mvm4. That's what I shoul have gotten in the first place. Hope that helps.

Resurrecting an old thread.

So . . . am getting close to changing out the RSAs this fall.

For those of you who have (or had) the DWS tires, how would you rate them; e.g. wear, tread life, snow/wet, etc.?

Thanks!

Just put a set of DWS' on my E55, hopefully that helps me get through the winter in Denver.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-e...2014-08-24.jpg

I am going to put a set of Pilot® Sport A/S 3 on the Maxima.
http://www.michelinman.com/mediabin/...a-s-3-hero.png

Its a very good all around tire. I had them on my 5th gen and they did well in dry, wet, & occasional light snow conditions. I never used them in heavy snow, just light snow in the local mountains.

Just put Those conti's on my car last week and what a difference. Better ride, more responsive, etc. I did read somewhere that they track and float for about 1k miles and then really break in nice. I'm very impressed so far but only a couple of hundred miles on them thus far. Really good tires since I had them on my other two Maximas as well.

I don't have them, but have been reading increasing reports of road noise as mileage builds and flat spotting. Would not be high on my list.

http://reviews.conti-online.com/7501...rating&dir=asc

I remember when I purchased these 2 weeks ago on tire rack that I looks at the reviews and the conti's had a bizillion more reviews because they have been around longer and have sold a lot more than any other tire. When you sell the most and have been around the longest, this means there is more data, which leads to more positive and negative results. Quantity is a simple byproduct of these reviews. It's a great tire and I have used these or it's predecessor for more than 10 years on 4 different cars. If it's anything like the others conti's I had they will be great. I did notice the bubbly comment and I would say they did float a bit more than the rsa. The wheel still feels good and tight but maybe a bit less feedback. They are miles better than the RSA's in almost all depts though.

I was very impressed with the DWS. For my last set of tires, they were very hard to find so I went with the Michel MXV4. So far if I had to choose again, I would have stuck with the DWS. Better overall ride, and especially wet traction.

I got about 50k from my DWS so they lasted as long as they should have. I drive pretty conservatively and rotated them about every 10k.

I am on my 2nd set of DWS's. I have had them for 44K miles. I can easily get another 6 or more out of them. They have been EXCELLENT. Road noise does increase as they wear - what tire doesn't??? Oh yeah - I have rotated them maybe 3 or 4 times....leaning towards 3. LOL.

Even at their near end-of-life, they still maintain great wet traction with standing water. And as posted earlier in this thread, deep snow traction is just unbelievable. These will be the tires I get next, for sure....well not really. I am considering the General G-Max AS03's, but I am leaning towards the DWS's.

Dry traction is something that is just unreal!! Nissan advertises this car as a 4DSC. Well - they are a little dumb for advertising the Max as that, but the DWS's could easily make you feel like you were in a sports car. I am a very spirited drive all the time and these tires handle beautifully!!

From someone who has wrecked due to hydroplaning before and is TERRIFIED of driving in rain, these tires are truly amazing!!

Late,
Trav

Great Review very informative thank you!!!

I just got my 2nd set put on today - woohoo! I love these things. I put close to 60K on those bad boys (frequent rotations) in about 2 1/2 years. Like Trav, I was looking hard at the G-Max AS-03s but after reading more reviews (wet and snow traction not as good as DWS) I stuck with the Contis.

I compared both Tirerack and Discounttiredirect. Tirerack was a little cheaper but they charged for shipping for a total of $815. I called Discounttiredirect to see if they would match and they did, plus their road hazard was 3 years compared to Tirerack's 2.

I had them shipped to my local Sears auto and they balanced, mounted and did an alignment for $125. Glad to have new shoes to keep the Max running like a champ.

If you have never run these, get a set. You won't be disappointed and your Max will love you for it!

And no, I don't work for Continental. :cool:

How well do they hold up in heavy rain conditions such as florida summers? Anyone have experience with this?

havent had the dws on the max, but we just put our 2nd set on the solera. We, especially my wife, loves them. Great traction, quiet ride. Ours are 245/55. The 55 helps fill in the wheel well gap and makes for a velvety ride.

I've driven in heavy rain with the DWS tires & they did great. Best performing tire in the rain that I have used.

Coming from someone who has recked a vehicle due to hydroplaning, the DWS's are phenomenal! Even after 50,000 on these, they still don't hydroplane with very little tread left on them. I had just got these tires put on when I came through a freak snow storm in Flagstaff, AZ. With 2 feet of snow on the ground and unplowed roads, I was passing ditched Subarus and 4x4 trucks. Not saying I didn't slip around some, but these tires were AMAZING in the snow! Be careful about overinflating these tires, though. I always bumped the pressure up for a little crisper response and better performance/fuel economy. But the center of these tires wear quickly if you do. I run stock pressures and all is well.

Awesome thanks guys! Will probably pick these up when the time comes for new tires.

Yep! I drove through a heavy downpour in the E55 with the DWS's on and they were very impressive!

Price ? I've always heard good things before I even bought my 11 sv max

See my post above - #108.

Paid $215 installed each at a local Nissan dealer. They threw in the alignment for free (18" Conti DWS on my 2011 SV). Had to take it back twice for high speed balance :mad: , but they eventually got it right. I noticed the max is very particular about balancing. Very smooth compared to the crap stock RSA's (which I got 22k out of). I've had the conti's a few months and put on 3k.....totally happy with the tires. Had them out in a driving rain the other day and was impressed with how well they performed. Won't be long in New Hampshire before I get to take a rip in the snow!

Well, I got these installed last winter and I have to say they are very quiet and smooth. Used in all conditions - snow, rain and dry - and they never skip a beat. Very happy with how they have performed so far. We'll see how they do as they accumulate more miles.