Continental ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus}: Ending the ‘Summer Tire Only’ Myth

By Derin Richardson - September 20, 2021

Continental Extreme Contact DWS06+: Ending the 'Summer Tire Only' Myth

All-season tires aren’t usually pegged for ultra-high street performance, but Continental’s ExtremeContact DWS ^{06 Plus}aims high & scores big.

If you own a sports vehicle, you know how paramount high-quality rubber is (especially when it comes to big power). Typically, these cars ship with summer-only tires for a reason–potent wheel power with no grip turns from being fun to being a liability. However, these ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus}

test units sent in from Continental not only prove their mettle as performance street tires, but even outshines the stock tire choice on the sixth-gen Camaro.

That said, all-season tires score points for longevity, not necessarily for traction. On something like a Camaro SS, it is an easy “scoff target” for judgmental enthusiasts who rock ultra-high performance grip monsters on the street.

Continental Extreme Contact DWS06+: Ending the 'Summer Tire Only' Myth

I’m willing to bet, though, that they’d be just as awestruck as I was after an initial drive on these. Not only do they grab pavement, they keep the car planted in ways I’ve never seen on multi-season tires before.

We’re going to jump right in, but before that, a little tech specs for you (also, for your consideration):

Front: 275/35 ZR20

Load Index: 97
Speed Rating: Y
Tread Wear: 560
Traction: AA
Temperature: A
Tire Weight: 23.4 lbs
Max Load: 1609 lbs

Rear: 315/35 ZR20

Load Index: 110
Speed Rating: Y
Tread Wear: 560
Traction: A
Temperature: A
Tire Weight: 30.7 lbs
Max Load: 2337 lbs

Continental Extreme Contact DWS06+: Ending the 'Summer Tire Only' Myth

It’s worth noting the rim protection feature for your wheels (HRE wheels have a date with some corrective paint soon). The stiffer, better reinforced “35” ratio sidewall is an improvement over the “non-plus” DWS⁰⁶‘s implementation. And as you can see, the stance and tire widths really make the car look even more aggressive and sporty-looking.

However, looks don’t offer performance data, so go ahead and dive into this.

Feedback & Precision of the ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus}

As you all know, Chevrolet spent a lot of time fine tuning and shaping the sixth-gen into a respectable road course option while still maintaining that “street car” soul off the lot. My 2018 Camaro SS isn’t bone stock (I have a ported Tony Mamo GM throttle body and lighter, flow form wheels), but that’s more or less negligible.

***SEE ALSO:* *2020 Chevy Camaro 2SS: Brutal, Classy Street Performance***

It’s summer right now, which usually means hot, dry roads. Notwithstanding the naturally rougher streets of L.A., these ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus} tires make for excellent daily drivers.

They feel quite responsive to driver input, and inspire confident maneuvering on the road, regardless of traffic conditions. When sufficiently warmed up, they become pretty glue-y and you don’t have to worry about too much road noise.

‘The slip correction is also surprising for an all-season tire. In most cases where I’m purposefully causing oversteer to test the limits, the ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus} rubber seems quicker to respond to corrective steering than I anticipated.’

From a Dig

As good as these tires are, there are times where I feel they can’t help themselves as “all-seasons,” namely from a dig. An unfettered throttle will make any tire chirp, however there are times where metered tip-in (especially important in first gear) yields inconsistent results.

Roughly three out of every five takeoffs were successful. Granted, environment and driver input have a big impact here, but even with empty roads to exploit on a warm summer day, there are times where the rear end simply could not put the power down in a straight line.

Despite this, it has other tricks up its sleeve that make ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus} a worthy selection.

Continental Extreme Contact DWS06+: Ending the 'Summer Tire Only' Myth

Lateral Firmness

General Motors’ Alpha Platform is one of the automaker’s most advanced vehicle architectures to date–it focuses on lightweight construction paired with longitudinal approach to engine layout. Simply put, it gives the sixth-gen Camaro a pretty stiff chassis, yet it is quite agile and naturally adept at highspeed cornering.

Though technically already deprecated by the Alpha 2 in the 2020 Cadillac CT5 and CT4, Alpha 1 vehicles are still versatile, excellent choices for performance needs.

***SEE ALSO:* *ZL1 Motor Splits Perfectly from Car in High-speed Colorado Wreck***

Preface aside, heading into a tight street corner at 30 mph isn’t a problem with the ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus}. Gradually increasing throttle post-apex without oversteer to about 2,600 RPM is quite impressive. I was still able to induce snap oversteer under the same conditions by lifting off the throttle, but in general, the feedback/counter steer definitely feels better than with the stock tires.

Continental Extreme Contact DWS06+: Ending the 'Summer Tire Only' Myth

The slip correction is also surprising for an all-season tire. In most cases where I’m purposefully causing oversteer to test the limits, the ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus} rubber seems quicker to respond to corrective steering than I anticipated. It is actually pretty good at neutralizing slip angles.

But there is a difference between peak grip and sustained grip, which we will get to right now.