Continental AllSeasonContact Reviews - Page 3

Have had all season tires on my daily driver for a while now and totally sold on the concept. The extra grip you get in heavy rain, snow and ice is significant. Seeing as for most of the year the temperatures in the UK are generally low I can't really understand why people keep running around on summer tires that are patently next to useless come winter time. Bought these Continentals to replace a set of Bridgestone Weather Controls. The Bridgestones were good but wore out rather quickly I felt (at about 17,000 miles) and overall the Continentals are much superior for around the same price. Have been totally happy with dry cornering and braking but the performance and handling in wet weather is supreme. I drive 60 odd miles per day on the motorway and with recent heavy rains have felt totally secure, these tires shift water like you wouldn't believe and track dead straight even in deep standing water. Had some heavy snow on the hills in my area recently and while others were struggling to get up the slopes I had no issues whatsoever. In fact it was hard to tell that I was driving on snow at all. The sidewalls are quite inflexible but the ride is far from harsh and I reckon a bit of toughness is a good thing with the amount of potholes around these days. If all that wasn't good enough I am getting at least 4 more mpg than the Bridgestones and on the motorway they are very quiet and smooth indeed. Too early to give a good appreciation of wear but they seem to be holding up well. I highly recommend these tires, for less than 90 quid a corner they are a bargain. Why pay 20 quid less each tire for something mediocre when these are just so good?

I live in coastal Montenegro, which means the winters are mild with loads of rain; the issue is if you drive a little bit north, you encounter snow and ice road conditions. That is why I went for the allseason type of the tire, because my previous experiences with 'proper' winter tires has not been great - they would wear down quickly in the mild weather.
Continental AllSeason contact performs well in the wet conditions, which was very important for me (we have epic rain in Montenegro). I also tested it on several occasions while driving though compacted snow in the mountains, it gripped surprisingly well; on several occasions on the ice patches it tended to 'dance' a bit, but no major issues.
The only real drawback is the warm weather performance - since February the weather was sunny and warm, and the tire does not perform as advertised - it becomes a bit slow and 'mushy' regarding the feedback. The wear is also not great, as it started to have visible damage to the surface. Also worth noting, the tire picks up little stones everywhere you go - I suspect this was due to the warm weather and the 'stickiness' of the compound; I can only imagine what would happen in the summer temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius.
Just lately I have reverted to my summer tires (Dunlop Maxx Sport), and the difference is incredible.
This is not all season tire. I assume you could use them all season long if you live in mild to cold weather, but then why not buying proper winter tire?

Over summer on dry and wet is great tire. In town ride on town-weared roads I get no spinning of weals. Start/stop on during rain also great - Golf MK4 150hp. Now when cold weather is also great behavior on roat, open road also great, quiet on hi speeds. Dont know how it will be on snow, ice...but I dont expect poor behavior. Previously I owned Kumho solus vier (all season), It was ok first year - but after 2 years it was so bad I bought 4 years old used winter tires and that was BIG improvement. Kumho on dry town roads was all time watching brakes and peddals - if i want to join trafic fast - i get wheels spining...Terible on wet road, teribble on snow - tires were as plastic! 4Years old 2 dunlop and 2 godyear tires were great for change that winter...until I bought Continental AllSeason - Now I get reliable car on road, reliable behavior, brake, start. No need to drive EXTRA carefouly. Will see how is with wear over time. I bouht continental over michelin because of wear - in test and reviews I see Conti get more miles, and caracteristics are ok for my wheather conditions. I dont think it would be wrong to select one of top 3 tires on these reviews. Where you drive and how much is important. I dont drive much, no snow more than few days/weaks...some rain. If I would have more snow or winter conditions I would probably go for michelin all season tires!