Continental DWS06 comparison vs dedicated summers

[Frenetic]

I was very close to putting on all-season tires prior to this last winter, but made it through winter on my OEM summer tires just fine. It got below freezing multiple times (no ice though) but I had no issues.

For my area, I think summers are fine year-around, however, I avoided driving up to Lake Tahoe recently because of my tires. I definitely don’t need winters here at all, though.

So, can anyone who switched from dedicated summers to all-seasons like the DWS06 on stock 20s share their experience?

Is the drop off in performance that noticeable versus the benefit of being able to drive in occasional snow? I don’t track my car, just typical driving.

Thanks.

[bonafyd]

DWS06 are really great tires, I run them and love'em they're super quite, good grip wet, dry and snow..
check out tire racks review on them as well.

[Rez90]

I run them on my wife's Rs7. Great tire. She got caught in 2 snowstorms with them last winter and she said going slow they were perfectly fine.

I'm pretty sure that if the car gets driven year round and you're not hunting for snow they preform great.

But..... If you are purposely on the roads every time it snows (like myself) I'd buck up and get a dedicated snow tire.

[A6sport]

Based on your described driving style, and the fact that cold snowy weather isn't really an issue. You'll be perfectly happy with a quality AS tire.

[wwhan]

The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires also work very well in California for all seasons & for random trips to Tahoe in the winter.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve...6&autoModClar=

[Kczach]

I ran the Michelin Pilot Sports A/S tires on my S4 after I was caught with my worn summer tires in a late April snowstorm. I think the all seasons are a good three season tire but don't quite cut it in the snow we get here in MN. I'm not a real aggressive driver but I felt they handled the curves very well.

[DGVR6]

The a/s3 sucks in the snow, the a/s3+ is a huge improvement, really comparable to Dws in the snow with just a bit more correction. The a/s3+ really shines in dry/wet and probably the closes all season to dedicated summers you’ll ever drive on. It’s honestly better than some dedicated summers.

[VVG]

I have 3 sets of wheels/tires. One is a dedicated proper performance winter tire set on the OEM wheels. My other two sets are the DWS06 and Michelin Pilot Super Sport. The DWS is a great tire, but does not perform anything like the PSS. Steering response is much sharper with the PSS, as is that "planted" on the road feeling. So the DWS is a very good tire, but you can tell the difference when you run a top end max performance tire.

[HenryAWD]

I recently switched to Continental DWS06 AS tires. I really haven’t noticed any discernible performance loss, even through the winter. I recently made a nice run through my side road I frequently take and had a blast. No wheel spin gunning it off the light and she accelerates just fine even in lower (less than ideal) temps. We’ve had a fairly long but mild winter and I’m glad I made the switch.

I switched to enjoy the car year round, even though I don’t take her out in the snow much.

Unless you plan on taking her to the track, you won’t really notice much of a difference most of the time IMO, perhaps in a few occasions as VVG states. You’ll benefit from longer tread life. I consulted a tire rack rep and that’s exactly what he told me. That’s exactly what I am experiencing.

Hope this helps.

[WhiteDiamond]

Do not touch the Michelin A/S 3+'s. Good tire with WAY too much road noise. Michelin screwed up in the design and compound of that tire. Yes, personal experience on personal vehicleS....unfortunately did 2 cars with tires at same time. Can get same performance with others tires that have less noise.

I run the DWS06 on my S6 with factory 20s here in Colorado. While it has been a couple of mild winters, I have gotten into some good(bad?) winter road conditions to really test the tire. Very please with them. May not be the best, but these perform well enough that I will continue to have them on my S6. I am running PS4+ on a second set of 20s for summer use.

[Frenetic]

Thanks for the feedback; was really helpful.

I'm going to get these tires. I agree, based on my driving style and needs, I doubt I'll be missing much by using these over dedicated summers. I don't even corner fast, lol, just the occasional grin-inducing sprint from a stoplight. Well, maybe more than occasional...

Just hated not being able to sprint to Tahoe in the winter when I wanted to.

I use to run Michelin Pilot Sports A/S (the predecessor to the AS 3's) and one thing that I absolutely hated about them was how they aged: they got really noisy and rough as they worn down, so that's why I zeroed in on these Continentals.

[nks979]

+1 on the A/S 3+, I disagree on the road noise issue, sounds like you had an issue with your tires because mine make very little noise


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[wwhan]

+1 on the A/S 3+, I disagree on the road noise issue, sounds like you had an issue with your tires because mine make very little noise


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+1, depends on the road surfuce and how worn the tires are.

I used to have the DWS06 tires and they were no less noisy than the A/S 3+. I think the all weather tires may just be noisier on some roads, especially if worn.

The DWS06 is lighter tire (25lb for 19") and the side walls are little softer than the A/S 3+ (28lb for 19") .

[WhiteDiamond]

+1 on the A/S 3+, I disagree on the road noise issue, sounds like you had an issue with your tires because mine make very little noise


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Won't stay that way. Also, it highly depends on the side wall aspect ratio. The lower the aspect ratio, the worse the road noise in the A/S 3+ gets. The older the A/S 3+ gets, the worse the road noise gets. Just can't win with that tire. Michelin makes some of the best, but not this one.

DWS06 is probably a notch down in wet grip over the A/S 3+, but there is almost no road noise. My DWS06's are currently near replacement tread level and there is still no noticeable increase in road noise over their new levels. Our 2nd vehicle with the A/S 3+ is at 50% tread and we are going to get rid of them. Noise is completely unacceptable and we have had 6 sets of tires(almost all are other Michelin brand tires) on that vehicle and well over 100K miles. Never had a tire this loud, accept a Acura with a certain BFG tire a few years back.............

[Frenetic]

I’ve had these tires for a few weeks now and so far they’re great.

In my daily-driving routine they don’t feel any different than the OEM Pirelli PZero summer tires. They’re quieter, though, but actually feel a little stiffer to me, but in a good way for corner deformation.

One thing I did notice, aesthetically, is that the rubber compound is really dark black versus the Pirelli. The tire/rubber just looks different.

Overall very happy with the tires. Can’t comment on winter driving, but so far the summer part works just fine for my driving routine. The tire doesn’t complain at all for full-throttle stabs and just goes. Another thing I noticed is that I would briefly lose grip during spirited cornering over manhole covers with the Pirellis but not with the Continentals.

[cW6mT mKviGLi]

I had these tires on my MK7 GTi and got caught in a snow storm with 12+ inches on the ground. I made the 26 mile drive without issue while witnessing some other AWD vehicles that got stuck and stranded. They truly are a great all around tire. My wife has dedicated Blizzak WS80s on her S3 and in my opinion, these tires come close in winter performance to her blizzaks.

I'm looking into replacing the OEM P7 Pirelli Cinturato tires with DWS06s on my C7.5 A6.

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[MadMaxD]

I guess I’ll be the dissenter here; I hate the DWS. I’m sure they’re great in snow, but in the summer they are TRASH. I still stick with my PS4Ses and a winter beater or snows.

[FastLane1000]

I guess I’ll be the dissenter here; I hate the DWS. I’m sure they’re great in snow, but in the summer they are TRASH. I still stick with my PS4Ses and a winter beater or snows.

I also run the DWS06. I have run the previous DWS and DW Contis. They have all been great on Dry, Wet, and Snow covered roads. They are quiet and wear evenly. They do not have as stiff a sidewall as other performance tires but they stick great. I'll be going with them again this fall/winter as I've worn the S off on my current set. Can you elaborate more on what you mean by "TRASH"? Any specific issues you were unhappy about?

[WhiteDiamond]

I guess I’ll be the dissenter here; I hate the DWS. I’m sure they’re great in snow, but in the summer they are TRASH. I still stick with my PS4Ses and a winter beater or snows.

You can dissent all you want because this isn't a comparison worth a hill of beans. I high performance summer tire, PS4, against a all season sport tire, DWS06. This is apples to oranges. The DWS06 can do things in rain and snow the P4S can't even imagine doing and the P4S can corner and grip in dry conditions like the DWS06 can't imagine. Yes, having the ability to own dedicated summer and winter tires is nice, but not a reason for comparison.

For those above, I just swapped my S6 over to the Michelin A/S 3 +. I don't have any complaints in terms of noise so far on the Audi platform, so I will retract those statements in respect of this Audi. I will say that I cannot notice a confidence factor in the Michelin vs DWS06 in terms or handling so far. My DWS06 were at just under 50%, but a large road issue took care of one side and forced a tire change. Decided to revisit the A/S 3 +. Winter is on the way, so I'll give more update once that get under way. So far, DWS05 or A/S3 +......no clear winner.

[Frenetic]

Just a little update, but for whatever reason these tires seem to lose air pressure at a much higher rate than the Pirellis I had. I'm not taking losses due to a leak, but just across-the-board natural losses that are affecting each tire fairly equally.

Since I purchased and installed these tires, I would inflate them to 42 PSI cold. After about the first three weeks of usage, all tires measured at about 39 PSI (+/- 0.5 PSI). Since then, the tires have once again settled back to 39 PSI after about another three weeks.

I could go months and months with the Pirelli PZEROs without having to add any air; they would maintain the original cold PSI, maybe losing--at most--a pound per square inch after half a year.

Anyone else experience this type of loss?

Other than that, these are still great tires.

[cW6mT mKviGLi]

Just ordered a set of Pirelli P Zero All Season Plus tires for my A6. Its the first time deviating from using DWSs on my car.

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[dab]

there are many reviews of the dws06 on this site if you search. I had two sets on my car. Neither got close to 50k warranty, first set 25k, the last set made it to 12k with no track time. On the second set for a while they felt floaty on the road and others have said the same. Was driving on the interstate and had to take the car into dynamic from comfort, it was like the sidewall was mushy. It did firm up after some miles. In rain or snow because of the tread pattern it wants to pull the car into deeper water or snow and off the road and I am sure this was because of the wear. I have never ran dedicated summers since living in the midwest we do get our share of snow and rain. I am sure there is no comparison. You will know when the dws tread life is over when they get very loud. Discount tire got me into a yokohama advan all season for dirt cheap to make up the warranty, they don't have quite the same grip in the wet so we will see, but need a tire that goes more than 12k miles. I would not buy them again.

[cW6mT mKviGLi]

I had 35k miles on my DWS06s on my GTi, it still had another 10k left on them. I used to smoke the tires too with being jb4 and downpipe. Rotated every 6k with tire pressure checks done monthly.

My friend has 40k on his set mounted on his GS350 Fsport. He has approximately 10k left on his set.

Another friend has 35k on his set on a fiat 500 abarth. He still has about 10k miles left before replacement.

My brother-in-law installed his set with 3k on his S4 and he sold it with 41k miles without needing to change tires.

I'm not sure why some people are having wear issues, the only thing i can think about is alignment issues? I get an alignment done once a year.

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[prestige.phantom]

I have about 3K on my DWS06s and I have no real complaints. My only complaint would be that I think the road noise is a little bit high, but not unbearable in any way. Im in the underpowered 3.0, but I have tried several times (in safe conditions) to launch the car in the rain, and I can't even get the traction control light to turn on. The tires seem to have endless grip, and i think they ride really comfortably. Overall I am really happy with them so far. I hope they hold up over the next several thousand miles.

[prestige.phantom]

Just a little update, but for whatever reason these tires seem to lose air pressure at a much higher rate than the Pirellis I had. I'm not taking losses due to a leak, but just across-the-board natural losses that are affecting each tire fairly equally.

Since I purchased and installed these tires, I would inflate them to 42 PSI cold. After about the first three weeks of usage, all tires measured at about 39 PSI (+/- 0.5 PSI). Since then, the tires have once again settled back to 39 PSI after about another three weeks.

I could go months and months with the Pirelli PZEROs without having to add any air; they would maintain the original cold PSI, maybe losing--at most--a pound per square inch after half a year.

Anyone else experience this type of loss?

Other than that, these are still great tires.

I have also noticed that the pressure seems to go down fairly quickly. I filled the tires up about 2 months ago, and I checked them again last week and they were down 3 or 4 PSI all around.

[Frenetic]

Thanks.

I know most manufacturers will probably state that this is normal through osmosis or the way the tire beads are constructed (or whatever), but it was eye-opening to see the disparity between two tires since I routinely check pressures and having recently changed tire brands.

Just have to expect natural losses of that magnitude as normal I guess.

I have also noticed that the pressure seems to go down fairly quickly. I filled the tires up about 2 months ago, and I checked them again last week and they were down 3 or 4 PSI all around.

[MadMaxD]

I also run the DWS06. I have run the previous DWS and DW Contis. They have all been great on Dry, Wet, and Snow covered roads. They are quiet and wear evenly. They do not have as stiff a sidewall as other performance tires but they stick great. I'll be going with them again this fall/winter as I've worn the S off on my current set. Can you elaborate more on what you mean by "TRASH"? Any specific issues you were unhappy about?

I had a set on my old S3, and the car felt floaty on the road. I think I gave up after about 500 miles. Even the Pirelli were better, and that’s saying a lot.

You can dissent all you want because this isn't a comparison worth a hill of beans. I high performance summer tire, PS4, against a all season sport tire, DWS06. This is apples to oranges. The DWS06 can do things in rain and snow the P4S can't even imagine doing and the P4S can corner and grip in dry conditions like the DWS06 can't imagine. Yes, having the ability to own dedicated summer and winter tires is nice, but not a reason for comparison.

The PS4S are way more confident in the rain than the DWS. They are not so hot in deep snow, but that’s why I have a cheap winter beater. I understand that you can’t quite compare a full-on summer tire to an all season, but that’s because it is worth having dedicated good summer and snows instead of garbage all seasons. After having a set of DWSes, it would literally be my last choice in tires.

[Phantom75]

The DWS are a great all season tire. They are still a compromise between a dedicated winter and summer tire set up. <<< This can't be argued.

The DWS are one of the better for winter because they have a softer first layer of compound, however once you wear a good 30% off they lose that edge and perform like a typical all season. Also because of this softer layer, they are soft feeling and not as performance oriented - in my opinion. They are great in the rain, and for an AWD car are a good choice if you don't want to have seasonal set ups. I have had them once. One of my good friends uses them exclusively on his E 350 4 matic. He's said the same thing as above.

Now, I always have a winter and summer set up, because I live in an area that gets a lot of ice and snow. If you're in an area that gets colder but sees very little ice and snow an all season is probably going to be just find on an AWD car. If you're in an area that sees inches of snow all winter, and typically has ice and snow on the ground most of the winter, I still suggest an actually winter tire, because they really are THAT much better. The just are. I just blizzaks on my CTSV coupe and that thing drove around like a tank even over ice where other pickups and trucks were getting stuck - no joke. A 4x4 with touring or all seasons is still going to have issues in really cold slick conditions. You need that buttery soft winter tire for grip.

[ericw.]

I love the DWS06, but they're no replacement for the confidence provided by a high performance summer tire during the summer season.

[REAPERS6]

Best switch I run a 265/35/20 on my DWS06


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[p3u]

DWS06 is a great tire, but with that said there is no comparison of it to a dedicated summer tire. Feels sloppy when going from a summer tire.

Remember, a jack of all trades is a master of none.