For months I have been trying to decide if I should go with the Continental ExtremeContact DWS or the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. I finally decided that I really wanted ride comfort, noise comfort, and treadware over the better handling performance of the Pilot Sport A/S Plus. The tire cost was another factor in my decision and the fact that TireRack finally had them in stock (tire cost went up $15 a tire more right after I bought them and they are again out of stock). Even though I live in SoCal, I wanted a tire that had excellent dry and wet handling. The first things I noticed, while driving home after install, was the quietness and ride comfort. It was quite a noticeable change from the Avans. Also, handling was better than I thought it would be. Only time will tell if I made the right decision, but so far so good. One thing I noticed on my first 50 mile drive on the freeway was that my miles per gallon was about 2 miles per gallon higher for the same commute. To early to tell if it's the tires (maybe lower rolling fiction) or just happenstance. Will do a follow up on this. One thing is certain, if you are a "I need to feel the road" type of driver, this tire is not for you. The car seems to guild along the road with little road feedback. Now, when I want to feel the road, I'll have to take my 1994 Ford Probe GT out for a spin. Now I feel like I am finally driving a luxury car.

 

Nice. I am thinking of going with the DWS myself (I have the Piliot A/S on my '06 GS300 AWD).

 

I have the Pilot A/S Plus as well. Are the DWS really that much quieter?

 

Either you want a sports sedan or a luxury sedan. DWS is good for the luxury sedan driver. When my dad needs new tires, I am going to recommend the DWS to him.

If you want a sports sedan, I don't think anyone beats the Michelin PS line for optimal balance of performance and comfort. There is a reason all the best OEMs offer the PS as standard equipment. When the Pilot Super Sports come out the contrast will be even more striking.

 

I've had my DWS tires for about 3000 miles now (roughly eight months or so) and I also loved them when I first got them. But let me tell you, they have gotten noticeably louder. Nothing unbearable but definitely not like they were when I first got them.

Nonetheless, they're great tires. Great treadlife and they stick really well.

Just my two cents.

 

Don't get me wrong. I love my Pilot Sport tires. I have only had them for 2000 miles though. I always like to hear feedback on other tires as well. I definitely don't like too soft of a feeling when driving though.

 

I have the DW myself and love them, I'm still stock at the moment and want to enjoy the quiet/smooth ride. I wonder if that will change after I lower (not anytime soon) I'll def be getting another set once these go. I avg about 20k a year so I hope and used to go through a set of tires on my IS atleast once a year but then I had a full suspension done to it and drove it like I stole it.

 

According to Tire Rack, the DW came pretty close to the PS2 in many areas, and outperforms the PS2 in wet test track: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=120. Also, from Edmunds, well-designed summer tires can out-perform all-season ones in wet conditions: http://www.insideline.com/features/t...vs-summer.html.

I'm planning to go for the DW myself, for the cost and tread life.

 

How many miles can we expect from these tires? My Pilot A/S has roughly 30k on them.

 

I have dws on my both lexus, gs430 and is250. After 7000 miles the tires did make more noticeable noise. But still great tires for the value.

 

What's interesting about the PS2 is that on any performance dimension there is another tire which will beat it, but what makes it great is the high performance on a wide range of attributes.

Another thing I like about Michelin is the consistency of their manufacturing process. One of my friends runs a racing team and he told me that Michelin has by far the highest consistency of the tire manufacturers he has tried.

Finally the PS2 is a very old tire and will be phased out this summer. I got my first set in 2002. The continental DW is a fairly new model so you would expect it to be more advanced. The press coverage of the next gen Michelin PSS will establish a new benchmark.

 

The DWS come with a 50k mile treadwear warranty

 

i wasn't sure which to go with so i had the guy at discount tires bring them both out and i noticed that the michelin tire seemed to be a tad bigger tire in the same size as the dws. i went ahead with the michelin and really like the way the car drives now. upgraded from goodyears...

i plan to try the dws' next time...

do you guys go with the tpms rebuilds when you replace the tires? i think this is another racket for shops to make big margin on a part that cost less than a dollar...

JD

 

I love the Michelin Pilot Sport A2 or whatever it is on my ride, even in 19s they are superquiet and comfy....Great tire, sucks it cost like $1300 for the set !@

 

I can't imagine the Continentals being better than the Pilot Sport A/S Plus. I have the Michelins on my ride and they are very comfortable and very very quiet, about the best tires I've ever had. I've got 25,000 miles on them and they still look brand new. Now, when it comes time to get new tires, sure, if money is an issue then I would seriously consider the Continentals or the Pirelli P Zero Nero. Both would save about $400 over the Michelins.