Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus Review – Outstanding All-Season Performance Tire

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Continental Extremecontact Dws06 Plus
Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus

Dry

90%

Wet

93%

Snow

80%

Comfort

85%

Noise

85%

Treadwear

85%

Overall

87%

Pros

  • Best-in-class lateral and longitudinal grip on wet tarmac
  • Best-in-class traction on dry roads
  • Very balanced handling with natural behavior at the limit
  • Quick steering
  • Excellent snow traction for a UHP all-season tire
  • Easy to drive on snow with balanced and responsive handling
  • Comfortable and quiet ride for a performance tire
  • Long treadlife and good treadwear warranty

Cons

  • The steering isn’t as linear as some of its rivals

Fast cars were almost exclusively equipped with summer performance tires in the past simply because summer tread compounds offer better grip. But lately, we’ve seen some excellent all-season performance tires available on the market, which offer good dry and wet grip but also work on light snow.

One of the ultra-high-performance all-season tires that changed the landscape when it launched was the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06. Providing the driver with solid traction on dry, wet, and snow-covered roads, the original DWS06 was the best all-around UHP all-season tire.

However, Continental didn’t rest on its laurels and launched the improved ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus in 2021, just six years after the original. The German tiremaker made minor improvements in the new model, including 9% shorter braking distances in the rain, 11% better traction on snow, and 6% better traction on ice-covered roads. Moreover, the company’s new model is quieter and has a longer treadlife.

But the competition also wasn’t standing still. Bridgestone recently launched the improved Potenza REE980AS+, while Michelin launched its latest Pilot Sport All Season 4 in 2020. It’s no coincidence, then, that Continental worked tirelessly to improve one of its most popular models, which was already a winner.

So, how does the brand-new Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus compare to its closest rivals? In my in-depth review, I’ll answer all your lingering questions and uncover everything there is to know about the tire. So, without further ado, let’s dig in!

What are the features of the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus?

The ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is Continental’s latest ultra-high-performance all-season tire that employs the brand’s SportPlusTM Technology, which provides more agile handling, better wet grip, improved snow traction, and extended tread life.

The brand-new compound is molded into an asymmetric tread pattern with an attractive design. It includes macro-blocks and chamfered block edges for improved dry grip and increased steering response. Still, these are the same tread blocks as the previous model – the whole pattern is similar, actually. Thus, the main improvements in dry grip will be because of the new compound – not the pattern.

Continental Extremecontact Dws06 Plus
Source: Continental Tire

It’s the same with other design features; the circumferential grooves accompanied by high-angle grooves help with hydroplaning by channeling the water from the tread, while the 3D sipes and X-sipes improve wet and snow traction by maximizing the biting edges. In addition, the tire features traction grooves within each circumferential channel, which improves traction on snow.

As for the construction of the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus, Continental went with the usual 2-ply sidewall construction but improved it with its Sport Sidewall Inserts for enhanced handling. Moreover, the German tiremaker chose a high-strength hybrid cap ply with triple action, enhancing stiffness for higher cornering speeds while improving ride comfort and longevity.

What are the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus’ maintenance indicators?

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is the only tire in the ultra-high-performance all-season category that features proprietary QuickView Indicators. These include Tuned Performance Indicators for monitoring tread depth and an Alignment Verification System for inspecting the tire for irregular wear.

I can’t state how much I like Continental’s QuickView Indicators. While its competitors only use the industry-standard tread wear indicators (which this tire also has) that can only show you when you reach the minimum recommended tread depth, the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus can show you when it can’t provide you with snow, wet, or dry traction anymore. It can even show you if it wears irregularly – brilliant!

Continental Extremecontact Dws06 Plus
Source: Continental Tire (Instagram)

But the way these indicators work is even more impressive – they are what you’d call a great user experience. Namely, Continental’s designers imprinted the letters D (dry), W (wet), and S (Snow) on the tread blocks of the tire. Each corresponds to the minimum tread depth required for safe traction on dry, wet, and snowy roads.

Hence, when the letter S fades away, the tire won’t be able to provide safe snow traction and the same with W (wet) and D (dry). This takes the guesswork away from the vehicle owner, most of which don’t follow the tire industry and don’t know how much tread depth you need for good traction on wet or snow-covered roads.

The ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus even has the Alignment Verification System, which consists of three small indentations in the outer and inner tread blocks. This helps the driver compare the wear on both sides of the tire and see if it is irregular. It’s another feature that shows Continental cares about the long-term safety of its customers and makes me question why other tiremakers don’t include similar features.

What is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus warranty?

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus comes with a 6-year/50,000-mile warranty on all sizes and speed ratings, which is very competitive for an ultra-high-performance all-season tire.

Its closest competitors have similar warranties – the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ also comes with a 5-year/50,000-mile warranty, while the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 comes with a 6-year/45,000-mile warranty. Still, the Vredestein Hypertrac All Season, another newly-launched UHP all-season tire, comes with an 8-year/50,000-mile warranty.

Overall, the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus should last you for quite a long time before it needs replacing. Continental promises a slightly improved treadlife over the predecessor, which was already popular among buyers for being durable.

How does the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus behave on dry roads?

Overall, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus offers the highest dry grip of any tire in its category. Still, although pretty good behind the wheel, it’s not the most entertaining tire to drive on a twisty road.

But let’s start with the measurable stuff – the overall traction. Put simply, the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is in a class of its own regarding how well it sticks to the pavement. The lateral grip is exceptional for an all-season tire, the braking distances are the shortest in the category, and there is almost no slip if you accelerate quickly out of a corner.

Continental Extremecontact Dws06 Plus
Source: Continental Tire

But Continental’s UHP all-season tire is also a very neutral tire and reacts as you’d expect. The handling balance is very natural and lets the driver be more playful, and the tires are easily controllable at the limit. It’s a true premium tire that shows how far Continental has come in terms of engineering.

Not everything is perfect, though – and please put an accent on “perfect.” Namely, the steering is swift and direct, just like you would expect from a UHP all-season tire, but it’s not the most linear out there.

For instance, the Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS+ offers even more responsive steering, feeling more linear and easier to gauge. In other words, the Japanese contender feels more natural behind the wheel and is a more enjoyable tire to drive.

But all I said here is splitting hairs. The ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is still an excellent tire to drive – better than the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4, in fact. So, I’ll get to that “perfect” part – it’s not flawless, but near-perfect.

How is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus on wet and slippery roads?

Much like on dry tarmac, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus offers class-leading traction and grip in rainy conditions, with balanced handling and super-safe behavior at the limit.

It was surprising to me that Continental managed to build a sizeable difference from its closest rivals in the rain. While most of the premium UHP all-season tires perform excellently on wet tarmac, the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is on another level.

Notably, it has the shortest stopping distances, a metric most closely related to safety. But also, the lateral grip is exceptional – you’ll be surprised by how much speed you can carry through a corner when it rains. Acceleration traction is excellent as well – no real surprise there.

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Source: Continental Tire (Instagram)

Furthermore, the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus handling balance in the rain is superb. When the tires lose traction (and you really should push them hard), they do it predictably and give you time to react. In other words, driving at the limit in the rain feels natural, even for novice drivers.

The hydroplaning resistance of the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus was also excellent – hardly a surprise for me, as the predecessor that carries the same tread pattern was already excellent at dissipating water.

Overall, this is the best all-season rain tire currently on sale, including touring, grand-touring, and performance tires. You could go better if you opt for a summer performance tire, especially on damp roads, but then you’ll lose the snow traction. This brings me to:

With that being said, how is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus on snowy roads?

The ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is a solid performer in wintry conditions, with very good snow traction and surprisingly good ice traction for a UHP all-season tire.

In this case, the traction Continental’s UHP all-season tire offers aren’t class-leading, but the differences are pretty negligible. What you need to know is that you can drive on light snow without worrying about your safety, as there is enough grip to keep you in the desired cornering line and let you stop in time. Moreover, you won’t get stuck or have issues with accelerating on light snow.

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Source: Continental Tire (Instagram)

But the thing that most impressed me was the handling, much like on dry and wet roads. The ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is perfectly balanced on snow and lets you control the car easily, even if it understeers or oversteers – depending on the driven wheels. In other words, it makes it easy for the driver, which isn’t something you can say for most all-season tires.

I was also stunned by how much ice traction there is on offer. I still won’t call the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus usable on ice, but it’s much better than the UHP all-season tires of yore, most of which were quite poor.

Still, although I praised it, this model isn’t the best choice for places with severe winter conditions. Put simply, the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus will struggle in deeper snow and won’t give you enough traction to climb steep inclines, especially on compacted snow or ice. So, if you encounter heavy snow or ice, I strongly recommend using a set of winter tires.

Is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus suitable for off-road driving?

No – the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is an ultra-high-performance all-season tire designed only for use on paved roads. You could use it on gravel or dirt shortly, but be careful, as sharp rocks can easily damage the tire’s casing.

Is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus a run-flat tire?

No – the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is not a run-flat tire. Continental brands its run-flat tires with SSR (Self Supporting Runflat).

However, Continental offers the ContiProContact SSR in North America, a grand-touring all-season tire available in similar dimensions. That tire isn’t nearly as close to the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus in overall traction, especially on dry and wet roads, but it has a longer treadlife.

How are the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus’ road noise and comfort performance?

The ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is one of the quietest UHP all-season tires while offering a smooth ride over most surfaces.

Road noise is surprisingly low, as performance tires tend to be noisier. Not the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus, though – Continental’s UHP all-season tire is quiet at lower speeds and only marginally louder than grand-touring tires at higher speeds.

Ct20 Extremecontactdws06Plus Alpharomeo
Source: Continental Tire

The ride is also composed on smooth roads, with almost no vibrations entering the cabin. Unlike most performance tires, this model also feels more refined over sharper impacts than most competitors.

These qualities make the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus an excellent choice for drivers of sports sedans or executive cars who want a blend of performance and comfort.

Should I buy the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus?

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is currently the best ultra-high-performance all-season tire on the market, with performance that exceeds expectations in almost every category. Therefore, if your budget allows it, you should buy or at least put the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus on your shortlist.

From the best-in-class dry and wet traction to excellent snow traction and comfortable ride, the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is an almost perfect ultra-high-performance all-season tire. As such, it deserves its place on any performance car and sets a new benchmark of what’s possible in the category. Well done, Continental!

Continental Extremecontact Dws06 Plus
Source: Continental Tire (Instagram)

What sizes does the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus come in?

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus comes in unprecedented 100 sizes, ranging from 16-inch to 22-inch wheel diameter. As such, it covers a wide range of cars, including compact hatchbacks and sedans, mid-size sedans, sports sedans, executive sedans, mid-size crossovers, minivans, sports coupes, lightweight sports cars, and even supercars!

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