When you think of all-out tires for classic muscle cars, even the folks at Continental will admit that their name brand doesn’t normally spring to the lips of enthusiasts—at the least the ones driving Chevelles or Road Runners. In fact, Continental has been serving up tall doses of performance for elite European supercars for many years, and is considered among Euro enthusiasts a spoiler of sorts. They like taking on larger manufacturers with superior product at a value price that’s hard to ignore.
If recent history is any indication, once Continental engineers set their sights on a performance/price target, it’s usually a game changer for the competition. This time around, Continental is taking aim at the domestic performance market with a cutting-edge product called the ExtremeContact DW. Today, I got to sample this new ultra high-performance tire at California Speedway in a variety of situations, including on a Toyota Celebrity Challenge spec racecar. I was really amazed at the level of grip and control the ExtremeContact DW has for its UTQG treadwear rating of 340. (Continental rates the DW at 340 treadwear, an AA for traction, and an A for temperature.) When I sold tires 25 years ago, anything over 300 was as hard as a rock, and had about as much grip as a wingtip on an icy sidewalk.
A couple of interesting DW facts: The “D” in DW stands for “dry,” and the “W” stands for “wet.” The letters “D” and “W” also happen to be molded into the tread pattern at a depth that corresponds to their optimal handling in those conditions, so when you still see the “W,” it’s perfect for wet weather. When you only see the “D” it’s optimized for dry. Kind of cool, don’t you think?
The extra grip of the DW results from the beveled tread blocks, which present a solid grip surface to the road when the tread blocks begin to deform under side load. Normal tread blocks distort and lose contact, but as the DW demonstrated to us, that grip is still present under extreme conditions, hence the name. The DW also manages heat more evenly, according to engineers. That’s a big plus for an ultra high-performance tire, since heat build-up leads to a loss of grip and even tire failure.
To back all this up, Continental is offering a world-class warranty to go along with it. It starts with a 60-day customer satisfaction ride guarantee, then a 72-month limited warranty, with free replacement for the first 12 months. You also get a 12-month road hazard warranty covering damage outside your control. We don’t know of any other UHP tire with that kind of backing.
Let’s be clear that the ExtremeContact DW is not an R-compound race tire for the street. It’s a true street tire that can be used year-round. And with the 340 treadwear rating, you can expect a solid 50,000 miles in all weather conditions, even under the hard use a muscle car, or late-model pony car can deliver.
The ExtremeContact DW is offered in 39 sizes, ranging from 16 inches to 21 inches in diameter. (We know you guys aren’t running dubs, so we’re only listing the common sizes below.)
Source:
Continental Tire
800-847-3349
Continentaltire.com
Extreme Contact DW “Muscle” Sizes:
225/50ZR17
225/45ZR17
235/50ZR17
235/45ZR17
245/45ZR17
245/40ZR17
255/40ZR17
275/40ZR17
225/45ZR18
225/40ZR18
235/50ZR18
235/40ZR18
245/45ZR18
245/40ZR18
255/45ZR18
255/40ZR18
255/35ZR18
265/35ZR18
275/40ZR18
275/35ZR18