What tires did you replace your stock Conti's with???

lorge1989 said:

I'm looking for a tire with stock handling or near stock, with lower rolling resistance. I'm probably going to go with a 205 too. I do not want a total ECO tire, but something mid level, any suggestions? I've read through the whole thread, but no one has really spoken about any mileage increases.
I have dedicated snows, so this will only be for the summer months.

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As ATR mentioned try out the Pure Contacts. I just purchased a set a couple of weeks ago and I like them. So far my mileage has been about the same. I've only put on about 300 miles on them. Hoping as they break in some, the mileage will improve. I got the H rated version, but would have gotten the V rated if I knew. The tires ride nice but have some roll on the curves compared to my stock Continentals. The stiffer side walls of the V rated tires would probably solve this.

EJtdeye said:

......The tires ride nice but have some roll on the curves compared to my stock Continentals. The stiffer side walls of the V rated tires would probably solve this.

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That is the main reason I went for the V rated purecontacts. I couldn't stand the stock tires feeling of four marshmallows. The V rated pures solved that issue.
If you want to go back to the place you got them from and see if you can exchange them for the V rated purecontacts.

new shoes

Michelin MXM4 Primacy 90H $750 including tax from Tire Rack and a $50 mount and balance from Firestone. Noticeably quieter and the rubber protrudes to help prevent curb rash. The stock Conti's had 29k with a little more life left in them. One tire got a goose egg on the sidewall and it'll be nice to have new tires in the snow.

soINtdi said:

Michelin MXM4 Primacy 90H $750 including tax from Tire Rack and a $50 mount and balance from Firestone. Noticeably quieter and the rubber protrudes to help prevent curb rash. The stock Conti's had 29k with a little more life left in them. One tire got a goose egg on the sidewall and it'll be nice to have new tires in the snow.

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My '12 JSW calls for 91 load index, guessing your's do too. You should check, and then maybe try to return them if you need higher load index than 90 because if you do not, your current tires could be unsafe when carrying near the maximum load capacity.

When I went to Discount Tire, they put the wrong tires on my car (90V installed, 91H ordered). But I didn't notice it until the TPS went off and I checked the tires (the paperwork they gave me said they installed 91H). Fortunately they just grabbed the wrong tires and I was able to go back the same day and get the right tire put on.

Please take a look at the following link about load indexes:
http://www.tiresplus.com/shop-for-tires/tire-buying-guide/tire-load-index-chart/

That's my next tires

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Pirelli&tireModel=Cinturato+P7+All+Season+Plus

GVWR and load index, TireRack Road Hazard Protection in process

Jeremy43 Thanks for the concern. I used the load index chart and compared it with the GVWR of my 13 JSW MT which is 4,388lbs http://media.vw.com/doc/908/1953807316536a81198b65a.pdf. The 90 load index tires are rated at 1,323lbs/tire which is 5,292lbs in total.
You caught my attention with your email stating your concern that they might not be safe. I installed them two weeks ago and am replacing one under the Road Hazard Protection coverage because of a non-repairable puncture. My wife said she ran over something.
I was kinda upset a bit when I returned to the tire shop that mounted them, to have them inspect it and mount another tire. The desk person wasn't very helpful and stated that that they normally don't "jump through hoops" after I requested that he call the warranty number to verify that the tire is non-repairable so I could get a reimbursement. I was pissed for about an hour until I realized that I should kill them with kindness. I purchased a gift card to give to the technician for "all this trouble to make a phone call". The desk person expressed his dissatisfaction of mounting tires that were not purchased from them... really? Anyhow, I'm gonna pick up my new tire today and finish the transaction with them before determining how to proceed. I'll try to give the benefit of the doubt and not let one rotten apple ruin the bunch.

ATR said:

Check out the continental purecontacts... They are the tires that I have been running with since April. I hear winter traction is very good. Their tread should also last a bit longer than all the tires you are looking at. Looks like 70,000 is what you can expect from the purecontacts. I personally went with the V rated to get stiffer sidewalls. They are surprisingly quiet and comfortable.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...tireModel=PureContact+with+EcoPlus+Technology
The as3 from Michelin aren't that good for winter from what I've read. But they have the best 3 1/2 season traction bar none.
The extreme contact DWS is the best for true four season traction. But treadlife is not that good. Most who get them report around 35-50k miles.

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I am at 48,000 miles on the Conti Extreme Contact DWS and have 4/32 thread left. I will go through this California winter on them before replacing them in the summer. Depending on your driving style your mileage may vary. There is a reason why it's rated as an Ultra High Performance All Season tire. It is definitely an aggressive and grippy tire, with great wet traction (cannot comment on snow).
It offers plenty of stability and grip in high speed cornering or quick S turns on twisty roads with very little slippage and nearly zero noise. It is probably not the best tire for the Golf TDI as it does rob a little fuel economy that is paid back in terms of grip.

I went through the whole thread and this is sort of a summary for those not looking forward to 27 pages of information:

The top 4 favored tires from the posts above are:
- Michelin Primacy MXM4 (Grand Touring All Season) - 21 votes
- Continental ExtremeContact DWS (Ultra High Performance All Season) - 16 votes
- Continental PureContact (Grand Touring All Season) - 13 votes
- Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 (Ultra High Performance All Season) - 11 votes

The Continental ExtremeContact DW (Max Performance) garnered 6 votes, but this is really a summer tire and while it does well in the wet, the grip dissipates in the cold. I have personal experience with it on another car and I loved the sheer amount of grip, but I cannot suggest it to the TDI crowd (that is mostly concerned with fuel economy and tread life).

The newcomer to the party is the Pirelli P7 Cinturato All Season Plus (Grand Touring All Season) with 5 votes that I have seen as standard equipment on the newer Jetta sedans and gaining popularity with the JSW and Golf crowd.

secteur_cyclist said:

I went through the whole thread and this is sort of a summary for those not looking forward to 27 pages of information:

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Someone needs a hobby!

Thanks for doing that. I'm about to replace all 4 tires on my Golf and somewhat undecided on which tire to go with. Tirerack has the Prelli P7 Cinturato's for super cheap on closeout special. I've been thinking that I'll go with the Pure Contacts tho

I went with the P7 Cinturatos about a year ago and couldn't be happier.

I opted for the Pirelli Cinturato P7 Plus (205/55-16). The grip level is a bit better than stock, with a better feel at turn-in as well. Wet weather performance is better than the Conti, but I lost a bit in the highway fuel economy. I would say about a 5% reduction (from an average of 41.5 down to ~39.0). I have about 2K miles on the P7s so far. Took about 750 miles to stabilize on the fuel economy numbers.

Just did the Pirelli P7's also in a 235/45R17. H speed rating. Very happy so far but I only have 300 miles on them. They look like they will offer some rim protection.

I had 49,000 on the stockers and if it wasn't for light ice traction issue I would have ran them another 10,000 I think.

At 55000, I put on Hankook Ventus V12s. They're kind of **** in the rain, though. $63 each at the time.

jerrymander said:

At 55000, I put on Hankook Ventus V12s. They're kind of **** in the rain, though. $63 each at the time.

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I wouldn't drive on any wheels that couldn't handle the rain very well. I had some Toyo Proxies that I paid about $160 a piece for and they were so bad in the rain, I replaced them after only 7k miles.

hotpocketdeath said:

I wouldn't drive on any wheels that couldn't handle the rain very well. I had some Toyo Proxies that I paid about $160 a piece for and they were so bad in the rain, I replaced them after only 7k miles.

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The problem is that I can't tell if its me or the tires (or the electronic stability even). I haven't gotten into any bad situations, but sometimes I feel like the tires slip when they shouldn't.

Few thousand miles on the Michelin Defenders

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Defender&partnum=25TR7DEF

I did go with the 225/50R17

1. Yes these have a 5% higher aspect ratio.
2. This appears to make my mpg gauge accurate and much more believable then with the contis
3. Wet road traction much better no spinning unlike contis were you could roll in to it and it would throw TC on.
4. Much QUIETER
5. Snow traction very predictable
6. I have noticed on freshly paved roads there appears to be audible noise during acceleration from the tires.
7. Brake pedal feels softer at times.
8. TOP SPEED IS NOW LIMITED TO 118 MPH !!!!!!! i adjusted my speed limiter to 115 as a reminder. Though im sure the tire can go above it.

My assumption is due to the long mile life thread of these tires i expect the tires are giving more causing the softer pedal "feel"

As for cornering i would say you feel a slight slight roll from the tires. Again minimal but you can feel it.

Cornering traction seems to be about the same. Again very predictable as were the conti's.

Overall i like them alot. The look isnt as aggressive with the taller tires. Pedal feel was weird till i figured out what was going on. And actually being able to believe the MPG gauge is nice. Now lets see if these last the 90k miles


Glad to be back on michelin's

I replaced the OEM's (I believe they were Hankook's) with a set of Conti DWS tires just before Christmas.
There's a marked reduction in road noise - and even though they're not a "winter" tire - they are the best performing all-seasons I've experienced in the winter months. They pull like a champ through snow and slush that the Hankooks used to spin on.
They've got my recommendation.

I've come through this winter season quite impressed by the Continental PureContacts. I used the 225/45 V Rated 17" mounted to stock wheels.

While they are only a year old now with about 15,000 miles on them they have done great things in MPG, Wet traction & Dry traction (V Rated = very sharp handling for a all season tire). Snow traction while not to the same amount of traction as a dedicated snow tire is impressive for a all season tire!

Replaced the OEM Conti's with Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring 225/45/R17 91H. Much quieter. Hadn't experienced them with water yet but they feel more grippy. Seems I got a little bit more MPG from them too.

Replaced OEM Continentals with the same size (225/45/17) Pirelli P7 Plus. Discount Tire matched Amazon pricing

I'm at 128k miles and my Conti Extreme DW tires were due for a change. I went with the DWS's because I was frustrated with the DW's poor performance in the recent snowfall here in NC. Granted, my DWs were worn down to almost the wearbars AND they are summer-only tires, but I wanted to give the DWSs a chance after going through 2 sets of DWs. I like the DWS so far. They perform much better in the snow and seem to be quieter, too. I haven't pushed the tires too far (yet), so I can't speak to how grippy they are. The sidewalls don't feel any different than the DWs. If the DWSs prove to be grippy enough and they last long enough to warrant the rpice increase over the DWs, then I will probably stay with the DWSs. All tires have been 225/50R16.

You may also like the michelin as3. They seem to have very favorable reviews out pacing the continental DW in side to side comparisons.

That said the DWS seems to be the go to all season tire. It actually does a fairly good job too.

I'm at 55k on my stock tires, they got noisy around 25k due to the dealer not rotating them and I think I wore them even once I started rotating them myself. lol There is still a bit of tread left but have noticed them starting to spin easier on dry surfaces. I hardly ever drive in the rain or cold climates, so what would be a good suggestion for tires that can handle the extreme summer heat and not melt away?

Turtleboy,
When I was in 29 Palms, I switched mine out for Conti PureContacts 18 months ago. Great tire. Same or better dry and wet traction. Quieter, even on the desert roads.I do run mine at 40-42 psi. They have been grea in the snow this past winter here.

Cinturato P7 All Season Plus

Cinturato P7 All Season Plus

Anyone use these tires in snow? I like all season tires since all you have to do is rotate them. My wife needs 4 new ones, and want snow driving impressions with them, especially since we had a rough winter here. Thanks in advance for your responses!

Conti LLRs

Conti PureContact

bobt2382 said:

Turtleboy,
When I was in 29 Palms, I switched mine out for Conti PureContacts 18 months ago. Great tire. Same or better dry and wet traction. Quieter, even on the desert roads.I do run mine at 40-42 psi. They have been grea in the snow this past winter here.

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I've enjoyed my Conti PureContact on my 2000 Jetta, agree with the quality of the ride and confidence I feel driving on these tires. I highly recommend them.

dan30thz28 said:

Cinturato P7 All Season Plus

Anyone use these tires in snow? I like all season tires since all you have to do is rotate them. My wife needs 4 new ones, and want snow driving impressions with them, especially since we had a rough winter here. Thanks in advance for your responses!

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Tirerack surveyors rate them well, but maybe this is where you originally learned about that tire, as I did:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS

What's a head-scratcher for me is how it's only the All Season PLUS that rated highly, whereas other variations of the same tire didn't rate nearly as well.

I was very tempted to go with them, since it looks like tread life should be longer than the Michelin Primacy MXM4s that I am used to. However, they have a 94 load rating, vs. the OE 91 load rating, and I saw a review or two on there that said they were a little hard. Makes sense. So in the end, having been happy with many sets of Michelins, and having gotten over 70k on my last set of Primacy MXM4s, I went with the Michelins again. They've always worn extremely well/evenly, and I've had no issues.

That said, I also have snow tires, so I am not as concerned with snow performance. But just thought I'd throw that in there about the load rating.

frugality said:

Tirerack surveyors rate them well, but maybe this is where you originally learned about that tire, as I did:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS

What's a head-scratcher for me is how it's only the All Season PLUS that rated highly, whereas other variations of the same tire didn't rate nearly as well.

I was very tempted to go with them, since it looks like tread life should be longer than the Michelin Primacy MXM4s that I am used to. However, they have a 94 load rating, vs. the OE 91 load rating, and I saw a review or two on there that said they were a little hard. Makes sense. So in the end, having been happy with many sets of Michelins, and having gotten over 70k on my last set of Primacy MXM4s, I went with the Michelins again. They've always worn extremely well/evenly, and I've had no issues.

That said, I also have snow tires, so I am not as concerned with snow performance. But just thought I'd throw that in there about the load rating.

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Indeed, a head scratcher for sure. Good /bad news, tires and tire ratings evolve. My next targeted replacement set WAS the Michelin Primacy MMX4's. (great @ least 12 year AND MANY MILES histories)

On a 09 Jetta TDI (205/55/16 H rated), I got, took down @ 89,000 miles, OEM Bridgestone EL 400's (hardly well rated) in a purposeful commute @ 15,000 miles per year app.

(started @ 10/32nd in - 3.5/32nd in take down, 2/32nd is legally bald = 6.5/32n in wear/89,000 miles = 13,692 miles consumption per 1/32nd in. Why I ONLY got 89,000 miles? I skipped 2 to three 10,000 miles rotations- even one skipped is not good for VW's).

Longer story shortened. The local tire guru's were aware of the P7's (great, but not a lot of history-aka, not ready for prime time), Michelin Primacy MMX4 (great), Defender (great) and Continental Pure Contact (great, but evolved) (they also included a great Toyo product) . So I pressed THEM for a recommendation AND they said, price/performance ratio and ALL considered: (current) Continental Pure Contact. This is not to even mention, one of the guru's running Continental Pure Contacts on his own personal rig.

One HUGE recommendation they made: rotate every 5,000 miles !!! (VW oem recommendation is @ 10,000 miles) They include it in the price, so no monetary agenda here, IF anything they do 2x the work @ the same or less rate. I also run close to 43 psi (85% of the max side wall rating 51 psi) AND renew to 43 psi each quarter, or a loss of 3 psi. I am hoping to get a minimum of 100,000 miles or 12% better wear. Truthfully, I think most of those savings will come more from the 5,000 miles rotations rather than superior rubber. BUT time (7 PLUS years) and mileage 100,000 to 120,000 miles) will tell. I did get an alignment. (but didn't REALLY need)