I just ordered a set of DWS's for my '03 GLE. I am concerned about the soft sidewalls in pothole-laden Boston. Anyone have DWS in an urban area with bad roads that can report on any problems??

 

I actually have those same tires. I live in Atlanta, and the roads here suck. I hit a pot hole one time that completely bent my rim to the point that the tire wouldn't seal to the rim and hold air anymore, but the tire itself was fine. Discount Tire was able to reuse the tire on my spare rim.

You'll have to replace your rims before the tires. Great tires for urban areas. You'll be happy.

 

It would really help to know what size you're using.

 

Thanks for the response. I just got the tires delivered from tire rack.
Boy are the sidewalls soft and pliable. I was worried that I could damage them with my finger. I was on the fence for a long time trying to decide between these tires and some Bridgestone's Pole Positions or G019 Grids. I just had the shop where I'm to have them mounted criticize them about the soft sidewalls saying I'd damage them easily with a curb and that I was better off with the Bridgestones. So now there are sitting here and I was half thinking I'd ship them back and get the Bridgestones.......

 

really?
i had these tires installed a couple of weeks back and i have nothing but good things to say about them. Yes, the sidewalk does tend to flex a bit on the front tires but someone on the board suggested to increase the factory psi recommendation to 35-36 psi.
I really don't mind the sidewalk flex that much to be honest. I drive 120+ miles every day in NYC and the roads here suck donkey ballz.

 

I think I was just surprised at the feel of the sidewall as being completely different from what I was used to in any other tire. There is a lot of comment on othe forums about the softness and how this contributes to less steering responsiveness, but I think I'm more concerned about the ruggedness on our bad roads. Continental has a road hazard warranty for the first year, but Tire Rack will not let you purchase their own hazard warranty, so after the first year you are on your own.....

 

I have them and love them. I drive in Philly and NYC all the time and they hold up well. Now, my OEM suspension bottoming out, well that's another story.

 

Ok, I guess I will keep them and make an appointment to have them installed.
Continental does have a 60 day return policy.

 

I bought my car used with 17k miles on it - had the original Bridgestone Potenzas on it. I hated them. I drive like a grandpa 90 % of the time, but they still turned into racing slicks at 25k miles.

 

I think you may like them. They also did really well in the crazy snow we had this past winter.

 

I have the grid G019's and previously had Michelin Primacy MXV4. The G019 has very stiff side walls compared to the Primacy. You can sure feel it in loss of ride comfort. The gains in performance are the trade off. I can power in & out of corners wilth ease with the 19's and I've never heard a peep out of them. I do sometimes miss the plush ride of the softer Primacy though.

 

With air in them, the sidewall seems more normal. I'll report back after I test them on the highway and around town.

 

Those Potenza's where down right horrible/scary, especially in wet/slick situations.... They are real expensive as well, not hardly worth the cost!

 

I have them on wifes 2008 x3 with sport pkg & 18's. She drives to NYC and hasnt had a problem....I am putting them on our Maxima next week..

 

For those with the Conti DWS's how loud are they?

They are the current my leading candidate for the next set of summer tires, for which I am willing to sacrifice some performance for a quieter, softer riding tire. For reference my current tires are Bridgestone RE-01Rs (great performance, loud and a bit harsh for a sedan).

 

Quiet. Very quiet. I used to run ContoExtremeContacts on my last car and thought they were good. These are even better. I'm very happy with them and will buy another set when the time comes.

 

If you're looking for some less agressive summer tires check out the RE760 Sport. Just convinced my mom to throw some on her Boxster, they are a very nice tire for the price. They quieted down the tire noise a good amount too.

 

I've got the Potenza RE-050 RFTs and they are very stiff and on the noisy side. On the other hand, they stick like freakin' glue. I'm a good 3-4 mph faster in cloverleaf off ramps than I was with the Yokohama YK-520s, Michelin Pilot HX MXM4s or the Falken ZE-912s. The reason I got the run flats was because I had a friend buy a 3 series BMW for parts and the tires were nearly new but wouldn't fit the 18" wheels on his other 3 series. He sold me all four for $300, couldn't pass it up. 2 of them have worn out and I replaced them with the Potenza RE-760 sports which seem to have a much better ride and as much grip. Plus, not being run flats with the super stiff sidewall, they don't ride as rough and the actual tread width is wider by nearly an inch with the same 225/45 size.

I thought about the Continentals but a few guys on another board say they wear out pretty fast. Could be their driving habits though, don't know for sure. When the other two 050s wear out, getting another pair of 760 sports.

Oh yeah, stiff sidewalls and the Dallas-Fort Worth area's crappy concrete roads mean a pretty bad ride.

 

Amen, our roads are horrible and only getting worse.........I think the worst stretch is on Lemmon between Inwood and Oaklawn, pot holes and cracks central the whole stretch.

 

Not to mention the lights are timed so you stop at every single one of them.

Arlington has a lot of terrible roads too, love the grip of the 050s RFTs, but due to the harshness over bad roads, I can hardly wait until they wear out and I replace them.

 

I just tried the tires on the highway, and they are out of balance *&*^. Got vibration between 60mph and 80 mph.
Have to wait till Monday for the guy who mounted and balanced them to redo them. This is a small one man garage, and I'm kicking myself for not spending extra on a shop that has the Hunter Road Force balance machine.

I just got my 2003 GLE 3 weeks ago. Seems to be a boat though compared to my '96 GLE. I think the turning radius might be worse than the '96...

 

I hear ya, and you are right about the light timing........bad engineering!

 

I had the fronts rebalanced by the guy who did the mount and balance initially. It is better but I still get vibration around 70. I'm angry I did not spend a few bucks more for a hunter road force balance at another shop. Now I have to pay $15 apiece to have them road force balanced.

 

Had the DWS's for about a month now. I really like them so far. No probs with the sidewalls. They ride much nicer than my previous Yoko's and have been great in the dry and wet. From what I have read they are VERY good in snow for an all season tire. I think you made a good choice.

 

I have the DWS's also. Good tire only bad thing is the SOFT sidewall. I was wondering what PSI you guys keep it at? 32 cold isnt doing it for me since I have decent suspension work done.

 

I've got mine at 34psi, probably could go higher. Finally got the tires balanced by a Hunter Road Force balancer, weights were way off from the previous installer. New installer uses a jig with 5 bolts that go through the lugnut holes in the wheel to center it on the Hunter. Said that Nissan wheels are particularly sensitive to centering. Now the car is smooth at any speed.

However, I don't think the tires are particularly quiet at speed, not noticeably better than the stock tires. Maybe this will improve with break-in.

 

Dunno what it is, but you just CANNOT use anything but a HUNTER RF machine to balance these wheels!!

Doesn't matter HOW good the tires are.....

gr

 

Its gotta be their driving habits. The DWS's have a 540 tw rating while the DW's have a 340 tw rating. Will be wrapped in these next week so I can toss my pennies in about them as soon as I get a chance to feel them out.

 

I am looking at getting these now too. I had the old conti extreme contacts. I want to put 235/50-17 on my stock 5th gen wheels.

 

All im gonna say is for my size this was the best tire and it had the best price by FAR. and after a few weeks its nice.

 

Well I ordered them. I will bring up road forcing them even though I didn't have a problem with the older ones.

 

This is the only tire we recommend at the shop as long as it comes in the size for the customer. Owner of the shop runs them on all his cars. I'm looking to maybe get a set here in the next month or two.

 

I was considering those tires before i settled on a set of Toyo Extensa HP's, and they are good. I read a ton of reviews, the sidewall is a bit soft so don't expect race car handling, but they handling and the grip is very very good for an all season tire. So I think you'll be happy with them. I haven't heard of any issues with the sidewall becoming damaged.

 

I felt the sidewall of them before they where mounted to my wheels. The sidewall is not that soft. It was about the same as the extreme contacts I replaced. Now I just need the snow I am not asking for it but I am ready for it. No issues balancing even with the fact they found I have a slight bend in one wheel in the inside which is on the rear. My tires are filled to 35PSI.

 

Any long term reviews? The two tire shops by me have them instock and it's getting time for a new set. I'm currently running 235/45 Proxes 4 on stock GLE wheels and thinking of switching over to 225/50 DWS.

Don't quite get into the twistys anymore with a newborn...

 

I originally post in 5th gen forum.

We have a 2002 Maxima with 225/50/17 tires. We have owned this car since new or about 9years. It originally came with bridgestones I think they were potenzas re92. In 4 years with these tires I had to replace one for a sidewall bubble failure. I then put Kuhmo's Ecsta which in another 4 years I replace another tire for sidewall failure. I then bought Continental Extreme Contact DWS on it in July 2010 and since then I have hade to replace 2 tires for sidewall failure. One was covered under warranty(Conti's have 1 year free roadhazzard the other not sure yet. Are Continentals more likely to suffer damage from potholes. I am aware of the size of tire 17's and poor roads New Jersey, but in 8 years replacing 2 tires isnt terrible, but 2 in 6 months is a little ridiculous. Did I run into some bad luck or should I switch to Kuhmo's after the free Conti's stopping coming. Also if I put extra air in the tires would that help or hurt the situation. I normally run 32-34 PSI

Anyone on NY metro area having this bad of a problem?

 

Im in NY, I travel into the city from time to time and I try to avoid the potholes. So far knock on wood I havent had a problem but I recently did two 1500 mile trips without a issue, well I had a puncture but nothing a little patch couldnt fix (Damn nails)