Continental ExtremeContact DWS06

From the first moment you lay eyes on Continental ExtremeContact DWS06, you’ll see their unique tread pattern. The DWS in the name refers to their traction in dry, wet, and snow, making these a perfect all-around tire set.

They also handle high speeds quite well and fit on performance cars. That being said, let’s take a look into some of their main features:

• Micro-grooves for higher grip in snow
• Deep multi-directional grooves for dispensing water
• Chamfered edges
• Advanced rubber compound

These tires are made for all-season traction, after all, so let’s start with the features that affect their wet and snow performance. If you look deep into the treads, you’ll see small micro-grooves that greatly improve snow traction and prevent sliding or long braking distances.

Tread grooves are a whole other story, as there are three wide circumferential grooves combined with some center rib grooves that spread in all directions. Because of this, you’ll get an improved wet traction performance as the water instantly gets dispensed away.

Another feature worth mentioning is the Chamfered edge technology. Chamfered edges help in dry traction by increasing the grip of the edges, while an advanced rubber compound keeps the tire’s temperature optimal in all weather conditions. 

The material includes additional silica and silane compounds that add up to all-season traction and a refined driving sensation.

Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 tire is made to provide a complete grip on the road in all weather conditions. One of the main goals of the manufacturer was to develop a tire with a tread pattern that prevents hydroplaning.

These tires have multi-directional grooves that dispense the water to keep your car with a firm grip on the ground. These water channels lead the water away from the pressure points, leaving your grip intact, so not even slight sliding is possible.

These are high-performance tires, and the speed rating confirms their stability at high speeds. You can find Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 tires with a “W” speed rating, which means you can drive up to 168mph and still maintain the highest stability and handling precision.

The tires are also capable of withstanding slightly higher speed, but you might feel some road vibrations, so it’s best to keep it within the speed rating range. It all adds up to the intention that Continental had to make a quality set of all-season tires for all weather conditions and extremely high performance.

In terms of tread life, these tires will have you covered for high-performance and all-season driving up to at least 50,000 miles. So, if you are like an average American driver and pass about 14,000 miles per year, these should last for at least 3 years.

It’s what can be expected from a UHP tire as you can’t think that those will last forever. Still, Continental included a clever wear gauge to help you track your tread life and we find it quite useful in the long run.

You can expect Continental to include some wear gauges that are not just the industry-standard warnings on the final 2/32 inches of tread, and they didn’t disappoint this time either.

If you take a close look at the tire, you’ll spot the DWS markings and these will tell you how your mileage affects the traction. Once the letter “S” fades, the tire loses that tread segment that adds up to snow traction. 

The same goes for “D” which stands for dry traction, and “W” which stands for wet traction. Once all of the markings have faded, your ExtremeContact DWS06 tires are worn-off and it’s time for a replacement.

Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 tires make a great job of reducing road vibrations and cabin noises to a minimum. The driving sensation is comfortable and refined, and as we mentioned in the test of dry traction performance - it almost seems like a touring tire.

You’ll have an easy time talking to your passengers and enjoying the ride, while also having some serious performance potential.

Truth being said, it’s not an easy task to find a worthy competitor for this high-performance tire. With such a comfortable driving feel, high-speed limit, and great wet traction, these tires only have a few proper alternatives:

• Yokohama Advan Sport AS
• Bridgestone Potenza RE980 AS

Price range

For the qualities they offer, these tires aren’t exactly expensive, but they rather fit in the moderate price range for performance all-season tires. With sizes spreading from 16″ to 22″, the price can also vary greatly.

For instance, you can find a single 16″ tire for around $145, while a 22″ tire costs around $290. If you find it to be a bit over the budget, don’t forget to check out the rebates and discounts to grab these at an acceptable price.

By choosing these tires for your new UHP all-season set, you’ll also get the benefits offered by Continental’s warranty policy. It includes a 50,000-mile warranty, along with a free trial period of 60 days.

What’s more, you can also rely on 3-year flat tire roadside assistance and a 12-month road hazard warranty. So, if your tire gets damaged or punctured while on the road, you can get a new substitute tire within the first year of use.