Hey all, OP here. So this thread is almost a year old but I just recently got the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus installed on my F-Type. And, I must say, I’m already itching to get back to the summer tires.

Had them installed by my local JLR dealer so I’ve no doubt that they were done properly however the feel of the car is just not the same at all... feels very sluggish and slow, pickup requires extra effort, and even the V6S engine sounds much lower pitched now because of the extra weight (or sensation thereof). I assume this has something to do with the gripping and perhaps weight of the tire, but I really don’t think I can handle these year round especially after having driven on summer tires for the past 11 months (I know I know). The car was amazing with the Pirelli summer tires but is merely “decent” with the heavy and somewhat overly planted and sluggish Continentals (apologies to anyone who loves these tires, ha)

In any event I have since purchased the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (awaiting installation) and may end up going with these throughout the majority of the year. According to reviews they perform very well in the cold and I will likely opt out of driving altogether in any dangerous conditions, even if I was able to survive last winter with the Pirelli P-Zeros, driving very conservatively.

I’m thinking I may actually sell the Continentals and go with the Michelin A/S 4 if I even decide to try All Seasons again. I’m actually wondering if it’s even worth going the All Season route at this point since we only get about one snow storm a year here where I live (NJ, USA), in which case I will simply opt to not go out for 24-48 hours. I’d say about 97% of the time we have dry or wet/rainy conditions. Very seldomly snow or ice.

For reference my F-Type is 2018 R-Dynamic V6S AWD.

Appreciate any thoughts you all may have

 

After trying many brands on several sport and GT cars, my preference is to use a summer tire set and a winter tire set if driven on really low temps, temperature is the most important factor, not wet/rain.... is a costly investment but you get the most out of it and less tire damage. I normally use pilot sport 4s and pilot sport alpin for winter, currently best grip combo for me.

I've used Conti and Michelin all weather mostly on SUV's, decent tires but no away near a 4S or any good summer tire.

Just my opinion, read some comments that 4S aren't necessary, or discontinued, all season is more than ok, well, is ok to disagree... don't understand how Pirelli always suck, or how all weather are awesome, opposite experiences for sure.

 

A few things to note.... First, just remember the F-Type AWD is not like an Audi or Subaru AWD drive system. It's still fairly rear biased. That being said, All Season tires are not just for snow. Most "summer tires" are not rated for temperatures below 40F. Some tires, like Michelin summer tires, will crack after repeated exposure to colder temperatures. Then there is the performance of summer tires in cooler weather. While it's possible, it's not great for the tires or the occupants of the car to drive summer tires in cold temperatures. You will damage the tires (shorten their life) and also put yourself in possible harms way.

It's really advised to have All Seasons if you are going to be regularly driving in cold temperatures even outside of snow and ice. If it's only occasional, then it's not really much of an issue to tip toe around on summer tires in the cold as long as you are careful.

FWIW, back in the day, I had an E46 M3. I purchased a set of snow tires as at the time, it was my main transportation. I used the same wheels and every year changed out the summer tires and winter tires (and vice versa) for about $50 a shot at each time (I had lifetime balancing with the first tire rotation purchase). However, it was a pain so I ended up with a second set of wheels. The second set of wheels added it's own challenge of storage, but that was a trade off that worked better for me.

 

Sorry, jesetter... I wish I had seen this thread earlier. I lived in NY Metro all my driving life, had mastered front-wheel driving in compact cars through NY and NJ's nastiest winter storms, not to mention the constant flip-flpping decisions our two state make about whether to stick with the beet-juice labrador-pee or just 3" size rock salt on the ice roads this year.
I've seen a couple of F-types spin unhappily in front of my XE during winter driving----your superlight frame design is lighter and swifter than even mine,... and I feel my tires spin on Continental all-season tires. Cannot endorse them for winter, not even with MY gentle skill on city snow.
I've even tried Nokian's "all season" version of their well-reviewed tire three years ago. Same amount of disappointment, but for a different reason: the "All-season" tailoring of most tires ROB the reason you want this tire on your performance car in the first place--your car makes even a slow turn around Marty's fire hydrant feel "engineered and a bit exotic", and you WANT that feeling all year round. Especially in the city, where MOST of what you're limited to doing in your car is turning corners of a block and nipping powerfully out the say of a swerving semi.
"All Season" is not going to make you happy. Even all-season "Performance" or all-season "Sport" means a HANDICAPPED version of the performance tire that brand normally makes, and XE or F-Type or XKR drivers especially are able to tell a disappointing difference in the tire.
You do best to accept having to swap tires during the year---between the summer performance set you love, and a "winter performance" set that is exciting to drive on salted dry-bleached metro expressways.

I snap-swerve in NYC driving in my XE. WAY more than I ever expected to be learning to do (I innocently expected I'd be practicing drifts or bootleg turns in an XE). I had to sanp swerve in winter rain this last February to avoid a side swipe with a daudling suv at 48 mph. All-season would have put me in the hospital with I-V tubes. But I had Nokian Haka R3s, their weird version of performance winter tires. I was such a skeptic about "winter performance" term, that I pooled mwhat science I learned from front-wheel snow driving, reached for a taller-n-narrower sizd than my factory tires, and chose 17" wheels to put them on. I even made sure the final combination was no heavier than the factory tires my XE originally came with (the originals wiere Continental A/S 18", weight 26 pounds--the new Nokian winter 17" weighed about 21 pounds). Those Nokians snap-respond like regular performance tires. Their shoulder is squared like Contis and some Michel's, and they roll shockingly flat and weightless on expressways. And of course the little less weight of the tires, on an already very-light power frame of the XE, means the damn thing still leaps forward in that fun way that only you F-Type owners can surpass.

You don't have to do the wheel-size and tiny-profile change that I opted to do. But especially in filthy slush/ice/bone-winter salt stain dry nonsense roads like NY and NJ and CT have, swap out all four tires to "winter performance" tires. "All-season" anything is going to feel like you're getting short-changed of "...something" in your performance Jaguar.
Jaguar usually factory fits A/S versions of PZeros on their XE's, so many of us drivers don't even realize how much MORE amazing the car would have felt in the summer on true summer PZeros. Were your F-Type PZeros, "Nero"? If so, that was Pirelli's A/S variant.

Winter Performance tires are still a bit scarce in the US (we tend to think summer performance or winter-grinder tires). The pro-tire reviewers will identify the true "winter performance" tires better than the manufacturers properly advertize them. Nokian's Hakka is only one, but there are others, and you'll need to online-research. You don't want "alpine" or "snow confidence" marketed tires with freaky looking groove designs in them--their rubber designs get too HEAVY, and too gimmicky.
Vredestein Wintrac is a true winter-performance one I want to try (the damn thing looks so NON-winter, yet it's amazing the reviewers), but I already have the Nokians.
I can tell you, in the metro NY area, Nokian R3's on an XE are like not having winter at all, and the only bad thing is that I have to take them off by May, or else I'm mistreating them.

AND, winter performance tires still cost a ton less than what we pay for summer faves. It's still not a popular category drivers can embrace yet, and no proud sports car driver wants a low-price tire on his car,...right? Err, right?

 

Having lived in Germany for a while, we switched summer and winter tires all the time. That is what they do there.This is the way and part of life there.

 

The best option is of course doing both a full winter performance and a summer performance.

1. The new gen of all season is staggeringly competent, in particular on the summer end of the spectrum...the stock Corvette C8 is shipped on Michelin A/S 4's for example....and I think holds more than 1g on a skid pad....most of us are NOT pushing over 1G on the street....the conti's scored better in a comparison test than the michelins (tyre reviews youtube channel....what the host put on his car...). I think of the best A/S tires now as equal to the lower ranks of summer tires...probably equal to good summer tires of 5-8 years ago. They are really quite remarkable...and much longer wearing. For my every day use needs, they fit the bill. It is often 45 degrees here with a chance of rain...that may be 50% of my weather. Summers get slick. Winter rub off and are mushy...so I use a/s top tier rubber (currently SVR sized DWS06 plus).

2. The Jaguar AWD system is in fact rear biased UNLESS you put it in rain and snow mode, then it is 50 50 more or less like an audi or a subaru....it is remarkably well done actually, so the comment above is correct in standard or dynamic mode but not in wet/snow mode. I used wet/snow in snow and it was great....yes, you can feel a difference for sure. An AWD F-type is a beast in the snow (up to say 6" max...you are a snowplow over say 4.5"....

 

Valerie,
are you still impressed with your Continental DWS-06’s ? Can’t wait to junk my Pirelli’s!
simon

 

Am at 11k miles of fun driving plus commuting and everything else. Used all year.

265/35/20 fr, 305/30/20 rear. One OEM forged wheels. No spacers. Factory suspension and alighnment.

Continental DWS06Plus (the plus is the new generation tire, much better sidewall stiffness).

1. The are great in the cold. That is the key to all of the all seasons....it was in the 40's here last night....
2. At 11k miles the D W and S are still showing. Treads are at 7 in depth (came at 9 or 10) in the back, and 8 in the front.
3. Still are quiet. At this mileage my prior Micheline Pilot Sport A/S 3+ were super loud.
4. They are amazing on the street - equal to a summer unless you are doing things that are really, really dangerous....
5. They remain black as when new (the Michelins got a grey/brown "old" look by this point.
6. They are like 6 lbs lighter than the Bridgestone or Michelins in about the same size (the 295 Michelin is as wide as the 305 Conti, or so it seems).
7. They cost a little less.
8. They are available - they are not unobtanium.
9 They have worn exactly evenly. That is actually a funciton of the stock alignment on these cars perhaps. Camber on my prior 996 killed tires....I had to go "tire saving camber" with the shop...
10. I still find the tread pattern cool. I realize this is not a reason to buy a tire.
11. My set took no weights in 3 tires and almost none in the remaining wheel. This reflects on the quality control of the company and is equal now to Michelin for me from what I have seen. Michelins have been like this for years. Nearly balanced as sold...all tires should be this way.

I have nothing to do with Continental. If Michelin had a better tire, I'd look. They don't right now. And Continental is winning my long term support right now. I am sure a super high performance summer would be better when it was warm....and am tempted...but I have seen a gt4 with cup 2's slid into something...tires were very cold.....The SVR sizing I think helps make the conti dws06plus better too. SVR sizing may be the most important thing because at stock sizing they are narrower than the michelin a/s 4. Now in the SVR size they are equal the a/s4 in the 10mm smaller width size...and are still lighter. Yes, the sidewalls are likely a little softer, but on a 20" tire a little more give goes a long way...

 

Tears.....jcb-memphis, no joke, that is nearly the best darn quick review of a tire I remember reading in a long time, anywhere. You even talked about the way the sidewalls age, and the "look" of the tread pattern, wow, and YEAH I think it DOES play a part (a small part) in favoring one tire over another.

I know there must be equally good reviews on the forum somewhere. I just haven't seen them!
Kudos.

 

I don't blame you. Haven't read much good about them.

Yes, still like the Continentals. I echo what's in jcb's post. I probably have half jcb's mileage.. @ 5,000. I like to do tire rotation about every 5K and so this past Feb. had dealer rotate... actually just a side to side as the rears are a different size than the fronts. Like most things... tire wear has much to do with the quality of the install.. properly balanced, etc. I've only had the RoadForce balancing done on 2015 & 2018 Corvettes with runflats and this car. If you read the info, it appears to be a worthwhile investment.

 

I'd like to second that comment about quality of installs, too. These tires will wear so badly and get such heavy blame from owners....surprisingly because you had a poorly-done or middle-of-the-road balancing and fitter. A great tire handler even makes the weights line up straight on your rim like a danged perfectionist. And weirdly, the BEST tire handlers around you often charge you so little, using fantastic machinery that's hidden in pokey soot-covered establishments. But when they are good, there's just a difference you can feel with a big smile as you drive.

I almost hate to hear that my authorized service dealer took off one of my wheels to do some checking or something, and gave me a re-balancing on one wheel as a courtesy.

"Wha!!, you mean you just tampered with the smooth as ice-cream balancing that my RELIABLE tire and wheel guy gives me----You Jaguar-authorized Knuckleheads!!"

 

I just had my AS tires switched to Summer tires.
The AS tires are Michelin PS4 A/S - for cold weather (not bad weather) driving..
Summer tires are the notorious P-Zeros - but having 2 brand new rears and good fronts, I figured I may as well use them.
Town Fair Tire will switch tires seasonally with balancing for just $62 if you buy tires (Michelins).
Enough preamble....
In summary, I have been very happy with the Michelins. I used them 2 Winters and a Summer for 9,000 miles.
They re a little noisier than the Pirellis but they wear better.
Michelins at 8K miles still have 8/32 rear and 9/32 front - with even wear.
At similar mileage the OEM P-Zeros were at 6/32 rear and 8/32 front- with even wear
What I did notice today after the switchover is that the P-Zeros, despite all the negatives, actually felt tighter in the corners.
In comparison, the Michelins tended to "judder" just a bit when taking fast sharp corners.
The Michelins go back on in November but in the meantime, the roof is down and the sun is shining!!

 

I've been following this conversation and its a real challenge to make a decision whether to go all-season tires......or not. Like CJSJAG, I've got fairly new P-zero rears (less than 3000 miles ) so I hesitate to just dump them but the fronts are the problem. They are seriously weather-check cracking on the sidewalls and I'm concerned that I might be endangering my passenger (wife) as well as myself and the vehicle. We are still getting sub-40 degree days and nights for at least a few more weeks and will again this fall before I park it for the winter. I really don't want to get new Pzeros as then I'll be perpetuating the issue when the rears wear out. I have the Continental DWSO6 Plus tires on my BMW coupe as well as on my wife's Mini, so I'm confident it's an excellent tire and if I bought them, I'd go to the SVR sizing even though its another $500 for a set of quarter inch more tire all the way around. What say you all, the comments seem to be mixed. I'd like to hear from more people who have actually moved to an "Ultra High Performance All Season" tires on the F-type.

EDIT!!!!! I just found out that Continental has a 60-day satisfaction guarantee, along with road service/towing and trip interuption benefits as long as you register online. If I don't like the way all-season tires feel on the F-type, I can return them and get new Continental summer tires and be on my way. Committed research is a wonderfull thing!

 

HI Paul: I intended to use the Michelin A/S PS4's year round so that I could drive in cold weather and avoid seasonal switchover.
The first Fall I first exchanged the OEM P-Zeros the installer screwed up the P-Zero dismount and put a tire iron through a rear tire.
Consequently, I became the less than proud owner of 2 brand new rear P-Zeros for about $200.
Having tried unsuccessfully to sell the new tires plus the slightly used fronts, I decide to fit them this Summer - only cost $62!!
While they do handle slightly better than the Michelin A/S, I would have been quite happy to stay with Plan A and use the Michelins year round.
Since your "Summer" season is even shorter than ours in Boston, IMO you should have no hesitation using A/S tires year round.
Just have to decide whether to go with UHP Michelins or Contis!!

 

Buying from The Tire Rack gets you two free years of non prorated road hazard.
Having Discount Tire do the install gets you free tire repair, rotation (if applicable) and seasonal change over.

I have DWS 06 Plus on the Pace and they are very good. Much better than the Latitude’s that we bought the car with.
I have RE980 Plus A/S’s on silver Gyrodynes for the winter and PS4S’s on Tech Grey/diamond cut Gyrodynes for the summer on the Type.
The 980’s are very good with the AWD in the winter, they don’t mind the cold at all. But the PS4S’s are amazing, car feels like it’s on rails.
I have new P7’s on the XF 4.2 RWD. They are not great. Actively looking for another set of wheels so I can set up PS4S’s and Pirelli Sotttozero 3’s.

 

I want to reiterate, do pay attention to tire weight - a lot can be said of how unsprung weight affects a car and won't repeat it. It is amazing how different the weights are across brands assuming they are accurate of course.

In 20" there are 3 main contenders right now for a UHP A/S, Michelin AS4, Bridgestone 980 a/s, and the Continental DWS06plus. I've stated my opinions...some are in 255/295 others are are in 265/305.... tirerack.com has all the specs/stats....look at rim and weight issues.
I happen to have the SVR sized (265/35/20f, 305/30/20r) conti's and no issues with rubbing or anything on oem forged wheels, no spacers, no height modifications (stock dynamic suspension).

 

Hey everybody, thanks again for your replies.........and particularly, JCB for the invaluable synopsis on your Conti DWS 06 Plus experiences. I am ordering the plus-sized Continentals this morning. I just gotta get them delivered and installed before Saturday as I'm heading into a 3-day mini roadtrip against 35-45 degree weather. Sams Club say they can't install the tires because the size is wrong (265/305) and 5-7 delivery days before they'll even set an appointment for installation. Belle Tire says the 305-30/ZR20 size does not exist and Discount Tire says they MIGHT be able to get them by Thursday evening. Tire Rack says they'll have them in two days (Wednesday?) and I guess they have Discount tire do their installs? Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Off to the races I go!

 

Just be careful that thee Tirerack installer will be able to do the job on your Jag.
Around here their installers are a bit picky about which vehicles they will work on.

 

No issues with my tires...they are stock on the SVR in terms of the size ....on wheels of the same "spec".....wheel wheels too....I have had no rubbing or other issues at all. They look good and grip like mad. Most new dealers, ironically, can install tires and at least around here the dealer will match Tire Rack if you press them....they try to jack up the install price but they'll match that too.....at least around here. Might help if you have a decent relationship with the shop of course. I use a tire specialty shop that does high end stuff....the Porsche club in your area will know where to go....more than the Tire Rack database.

New tires take about 100 or 200 miles to have the "release" coating wear off...so keep yourself in check until that happens....it is the greasy stuff they use to get the tire out of the mold. It might come off at 50 miles, but I always wait for 200 or so miles. In rain the stuff can make the tires slick....


Good luck.

 

Kudos to all the mentions about being careful with the installer you automatically hand the job to, and about breaking in your tires patiently (you paid mongo-bucks for 'em, so start them off right in order to squeeze all you money's worth out of them).
So darn nice to read people enjoying Conti's contribution to the new UHP All-Season tire species. I was getting sick of folks recommending Michel's PS4s all the time, when many of us can't safely go with that sort of tire.

Hey, there's Vredestein's Hypertrac tire too, and it's UHP All Season. Vredestein always seems left off of people's radar, but I know their stuff is usually superb.
Looking forward to someone trying them out. I think I once read a pro-reviewer put this company's WINTER tires on his sports car, so he could drive the darn car in the cold instead of putting it in hybernation. And he loved it the sporty experience.