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Continental Control Contact AS

31K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  arcticscythe 
#1 ·
So its getting near tire time (30k on stock dunlop sp sport 01 235/45/17)

I have 6/32 left on the tire so I have some breathing room but I would like to get them swapped before California gets its first rain of the wet season. They are saying its going to be a wet winter and drainage is terrible, even a little rain leaves standing water everywhere.

After much research I decided it would either be Michelin Pilot Super Sports or Continental Extreme Contact DWs in the OEM size. Dry traction, cornering, wear rating and road manners are all pretty close. They both have a loyal following and I figure either would be a solid tire for daily driving and the occasional spirited canyon run. I would rather sacrifice road manners for handling any day so I'm leaning toward the DWs

I took a drive down to my local Americas Discount Tire and I was told that the Continental Extreme Contact DW was being replaced by a new tire the Control Contact AS. I cant find any information on the tire itself, other than that it is an Americas Discount Tire exclusive, from their website "wide shoulder blocks, All season siping, chamfered edges, 50k mile warranty" That last part is what scares me. usually tires with a lower milage warranty give better grip and handling by using softer more supple rubber. Unless Conti figured out a way to make soft, supple, grippy rubber last forever I'm not sure what to think here.

Long story short I'm looking for opinions/experience with Continental Control Contact AS tires or Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

Thanks Guys
 
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#2 ·
I don't have any experience with the Continental Control Contact AS but, I can say I like Continentals. I have a set of Continental extreme contact DWS (dry, wet, snow) all season tires on mine right now. They have been great at handling all types of weather including snow. Wear was excellent on them as well. They also have a nifty DWS cut into the tire. When the S wears off they are no longer considered suitable for snow use. When the D wears off they are n o longer considered suitable for wet use, and When the D wears off they are goners.
 
#5 ·
Cool, then as long as the control contacts are equal in grip to the DWs then that what Ill get. I am sticking with them because the shop is close to home, they have good prices and they balance / rotate free for life
 
#8 ·
Update*

I guess Im the guinea pig again. I picked up a set of the continental control contact AS tires


1st impressions - they are quieter and comfier than the stock Dunlops. They dont amplify road noise as much which was offputting at first. I got used to hearing the road a bit when I was cornering and Its very quiet more. I put 25 miles on them in my local canyon roads and I like them much better than stock. They seem stickier all around and they seem to hold onto the end of corners more than the stock dunlops. They definitly inspire confidence.

The thread pattern is nice and aggressive and I feel like my braking distance has decreased (more than expected with new tires). Hopefully California will see more rain soon and I can get a wet traction test in.

Overall I'm pretty happy, I plan to check in after a few thousand miles with an update.
 
#9 ·
/Update/

SO I've got about a thousand miles on the new rubber and Honestly they feel great. Ive gotten used to the quieter rolling noise and now things that didn't bug me like the jingle of my parking change is starting to get on my nerves.

As for handling, cornering and braking they perform leaps and bounds better than the stock option and with the AS rating they should perform nicely if California ever gets some rain. The feel very predictable and while they feel softer on the 405 freeway ( terrible excuse for a highway in SoCal) they also feel stiffer around turns. Best of both worlds as far as I'm concerned

Ill keep you guys in the loop when I do my 3k tire rotation, hopefully they hold up as well as they perform
 
#10 ·
/Update/

So not at 3k yet but the tires seem to be holding up well. They feel better now than they did when they were installed. I am assuming that is the compound breaking in a bit.

Im writing an update because California got its first rain of the season today and I got to spend about an hour in the canyons before work this morning. The tires handled flawlessly, even on some deep puddles they stayed firmly planted to the road, Im not entirely sure if its all the tires or a combination of the master cylinder brace and the tires but I felt extremely safe and secure in my braking and cornering.

I will definitly be enjoying these tires for their expected 50k life.
 
#11 ·
So its been a year with these boots on the car and I have an update for everyone. Ive driven quite a few miles this year ( about 20k ) and I just rolled into the shop for a quick balance and rotation (my last rotation was almost exactly 3k miles ago ).

Much to my surprise I was told that there was premature wear on the inside shoulder of 3/4 tires. Insult to injury continental isn't willing to cover any part of the tires under their warranty because they think its an alignment issue. Best part is that I took the car to an alignment shop and its well within the standard parameters for my vehicle save 1/10th a degree of extra toe in the drivers side rear.

Long story short I'm now rolling on Michelin Pilot AS3s and paid out of pocket. I have a case open with Continental that Ill be posting updates from but at this point...

DONT BUY CONTINENTAL CONTROL CONTACTS until they respond with a solution, Either they know about the issue and its been resolved in the last year or they are not recommended for our little hot hatches..

Photos of the damage.
 
#12 ·
That's crazy! I hope Continental makes good with you. I've got 26k on my stock Dunlops, and in the spring I plan on putting my new wheels on with 265/35R18 Michelin pilot sports. Always had nothing but good experiences with Michelin tires, hope your new ones are treating you well.
 
#13 ·
Yeah, the Michelin pilot sport AS3 have been great over the last week. Running them in dry weather and rain and both have felt pretty solid. I went a hair wider with the Michelin so comparing the is not comparing apples to apples but I feel like I get more grip and a smoother ride from the Michelin. They corner quieter than the Continentals and I feel like they absorb more of the road than the old Continentals.

As for Continental Corporate they are standing by their initial assessment that my alignment caused the premature wear. I sent them my alignment report showing that the only parameter that was off was a tenth degree of toe in the rear driver side but they seem to think that because the tires look that way that I was definitely running tons of negative camber. They stopped responding to my emails after I requested that they review my alignment report showing that there was no excessive camber but they have stopped responding. I'm going to call them on Monday but at this point I'm happy with my Michelin purchase and I don't think Ill be considering Continentals in the future.
 
#15 ·
I've had all four tires the Continental DWS the Continental AS and the Michelin Pilot Sport II, and the A/S3's. I won't buy anything else but Michelins from here on out theiron all my cars and truck no more Continentals for me there are good until they have some ware and then they're bad.
 
#16 ·
For people who are looking at the continentals and see this thread let me drive it home. The Control Contacts in the original post are just discount tires version of the extreme contact d/w. I bought the extreme contact d/w and have put probably 25k on them. This is pure summer dry/wet driving in the midwest as I have a pair of winter tires/rims. Here's my conclusion:

- Good grip in dry, outstanding grip in wet. (awd car so we are already ahead here to begin with)
- Very mushy feel, I can't feel my limits at all when corning. Quick turns can be borderline scary.
- These tires feathered and continental wouldn't help even after proof of proper alignment similar to the problem op is having.
- This may sound bizzare but I feel like they are an extremely ugly tire, it looks more like a tire that belongs on a minivan than a sports car.
 
#18 ·
- I had pretty much the same results. Its odd that continental would stick to their guns like that even with alignment reports showing proper alignment. Anyway I guess Im just going to be sticking to my michelins from now on.
 
#19 ·
You could send them one last message saying that between the receipts of your good alignment and their failure to promptly correct a safety hazard can be cause for legal action if they dont correct their mistake... You never know!
 
#20 ·
Yeah I played that card already, Threatened legal action but they were steadfast in their position, they even sent me some ASCE training documents saying that "mis - alignment causes shoulder wear". They weren't having anything to do with my clean alignment report or anything else.
 
#22 ·
Yeah I am very pleased with the AS3s. This morning in particular California got some rather heavy sky water ( rare in these parts ) I watched 4 cars hydroplane in front of me on my morning commute and the AS3s held firm Honestly for the money I think they are some of the best all around tires you can get ( but they are definitely not snow tires )
 
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