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

Performance Potential

At its very peak, I was able to push about 0.43G on a regular street corner with regular turning. But what about sustained G-force?

The best turns I know of in L.A. County are attached to certain Interstate and highway on-ramps and interchanges. At a sustained 44 mph, I was able to push about 0.67G with relative ease. I felt like I could go more, but I didn’t want to risk it, especially since the lanes on this particular exchange began merging.

‘…While it isn’t the best dead hook tire around, it will definitely raise some eyebrows for those who are none the wiser.’

I don’t know about you, but doing that on an all-season tire isn’t exactly something you see everyday. Furthermore, once the transfer was completed, I quite simply blasted off like I was on a back straight. Within seconds, I was already long gone on the open road, leaving everyone else still chugging along at that point.

Don’t get me wrong, these tires are much more capable of competitively cornering than that. And I’ll show you.

Performance Peak

With a little passenger help this time around, I was able to hash out some more aggressive corners and bends at a sparsely-occupied location. Surprisingly, I was able to crank out 1.08G peak on this rather gnarly hairpin, illustrated by the .gif above.

I have peaked at 1.2G on similar turns with summer-only tires, so you can also count me impressed with the ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus} for this metric. With a little suspension work and a maybe little more aero, I’m confident you could push even more than 1.2 on these tires.

Of course, at that point, why not just get summer tires? Well, if you need a performance option that has some more tread life than your average summer ones after only a year of daily or semi-frequent driving, these are great alternatives.

You could always store your seasonal UHPs for track or autocross use for later.

Competitive 0-60 MPH

Continental’s premium, all-season tire has impressive amounts of grip around corners. However, as I mentioned earlier, the DWS^{06 Plus} sometimes has issues connecting the power to the pavement from a dead stop.

Naturally, this is the same case for 0-60 runs. Out of the six runs I did, I was only able to manage 4.7 seconds (with only one run being a tenth slower). Of course, I wholly believe these tires would perform better under more favorable pavement like a track, but for street performance, this is the quickest you’re going to get with near-stock horsepower on the Camaro SS.

Again, we have to remember that these are all-season tires, and I have gotten similar 0-60 times on summer tires.

So while it isn’t the best dead hook tire around, it will definitely raise some eyebrows for those who are none the wiser.

Final Verdict on ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus} 

Continental Extreme Contact DWS^{06 Plus} has paid its dues as an ultra-high performance tire, and is no doubt a fierce competitor in its class. Though it has trouble in areas I’d expect for an all-season tire, it’s clear that these products are only a few more refinements away from even becoming a summer tire competitor on a 1:1 basis.

And that is impressive, no matter how you slice it.

Photos & Video: Derin Richardson

ExtremeContact™ DWS⁰⁶
A premium all-season ultra-high performance tire for passenger cars, crossovers and SUVs, the ExtremeContact™ DWS⁰⁶ ranges in size from 16-22″ rim diameter. Learn more here.

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Derin Richardson

Derin Richardson is a seasoned editor who's worked in print and digital media since 2008. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at California State University, Fullerton, and is an avid fan of American muscle. He oversees content for LS1Tech, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, Dodge Forum, MB World, JK-Forum and 5Series.

As the grandson of a former L.A. Fire Department mechanic, he's grown up around cars and trucks most of his life. Some of his fondest memories are the times he helped wrench on his grandfather's 1941 Ford Pickup, which he endearingly nicknamed "High Yeller."

He currently drives a Red Hot 2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS but appreciates anything with four wheels and a little rumble.

Derin can be reached at derin.richardson@internetbrands.com

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