Greets, all. I know this is an old thread, but I had bookmarked it for reference while I was deciding to make the change...which I did. I had the Contis on 16" rims OE, and went with replicas of the split seven spoke Bistars, with Maxxis MA-Z1 Victra tires in 225-45. I don't think the overall weight of these is that much different. I weighed these and the originals but forgot to write it down.
As expected, handling is much sharper. Braking is also improved; what feels like shorter stopping distances with less effort or drama. Haven't had them in much rain yet, and rain behavior would be specific to this tire, not 16 vs 17s. Ride is
unchanged, at least in terms of quality. Maybe ever so slightly busier, but no harsher and actually quieter than the Conti 16s.
I was initially skeptical about any change in MPG, but heard that it would happen from respected sources here and elsewhere. Well, it's true. In my case, comparing the last mixed use tank with the first mixed use tank, I'm down about 3 mpg or so. With today's fuel prices, that's nearly a 10% drop, but overall I'm pleased.
One other thing; I would highly recommend the Maxxis-es. The price was reasonable, and during my search, there are lots of options in this size. HTH!