Quite honestly I've had the thought of changing out the tires since I bought the car. Thinking I'd go w/Bridgestone Potenza RE960's but I was told by my Bridgestone dealer the tire is no longer made and the replacement, the RE 970, is not made in this size. (Absolutely awesome tires.) So, I decided to do some research regarding the OEM Conti's. The reviews posted by users on different tire seller's websites are a revelation. Many poor reviews. If you type in "Continental Pro Contact problems" more reviews can be found and many mention this sidewall condition and very poor customer service w/this co. Especially on VW's where this is the OEM tire. I know all tires will have a few neg. reviews posted, that's inevitable. OEM tires are a compromise. From all my research so far, for the money, the Kumho Ecsta Premium LX seems like the best buy. V-rated, Road side warranty inc., around $340 mounted/balanced. (Price w/$50 Rebate.) Excellent reviews of this tire esp. on VW's. There other choices as well. Dunlop Signature II's, Pirelli P4's, Michelin Pilot Exalto's. (Right now there isn't a rebate going w/the Michelin. That puts the $ alittle on the high side.) Thanks once again for all comments. I believe I'll go see my local tire dealer this morning and inquire.
New OEM ContiPro Contact on 12' Golf. Replace?
- Thread starter sparky123
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Wold you sell those contis to me
Originally Posted By: Stephen_G
Have you considered the goodyear eagle GT
That's a pretty good looking tire. The two different types of tread reminds me of the Continental ExtremeContact DWS a little bit.
Is it a new tire model? TireRack.com doesn't have any review/survey data on it yet.
Have you considered the goodyear eagle GT
That's a pretty good looking tire. The two different types of tread reminds me of the Continental ExtremeContact DWS a little bit.
Is it a new tire model? TireRack.com doesn't have any review/survey data on it yet.
Thanks for the info. Their prices are very good and shipping is not that much since I live in Va. Spoke w/the local tire dealer this morning and showed him the very slight depression on the sidewalls of the Conti's that I very recently noticed. (All the tires had this trait on one spot in the sidewall.) He said it's where the belt was fused toegether. (His exact explanation escapes me @ the moment.) All is well as long as it's not going outwards according to dealer. Well....my Pirelli P4's, and General Altimax and Sears branded Michelin tires on our other cars did not have this trait. I highly doubt there's anything at fault w/the tires but I still have a concern. I will order new tires next wk. May go w/Michelin Exalto's since the $70 rebate will be in effect. ($420 installed/balanced for the Michelin, $320 Kumho Escta's Premium LX, slighly more for the Dunlop Sig. II's, Pirelli P4's.) Not 100% decided yet on which to choose.
Originally Posted By: sparky123
Spoke w/the local tire dealer this morning and showed him the very slight depression on the sidewalls of the Conti's that I very recently noticed.
Not unusual. Some models of tires have them.
Spoke w/the local tire dealer this morning and showed him the very slight depression on the sidewalls of the Conti's that I very recently noticed.
Not unusual. Some models of tires have them.
I always liked the ContiExtremeContact series. No complaints and my buddy got almost 60k out of his last set.
I replaced Potenza RE960AS with the ContiProContacts on my '07 Jetta, and I've been extremely happy with them. I only got about 20k miles out of the Potenzas before they started getting LOUD and hard to balance. So far, 55k on the Contis and they've never been rebalanced. Still quiet, great grip, plenty of treadlife. I also saw some of the bad reviews, but they've been a great tire on my VW. Like BrownBox88 said, if you don't want them, sell them to me!
Originally Posted By: 07Wolfie
I replaced Potenza RE960AS with the ContiProContacts on my '07 Jetta, and I've been extremely happy with them.
If you bought your CPCs at retail, they may be nothing like the OEM CPCs that come on cars from the factory.
I replaced Potenza RE960AS with the ContiProContacts on my '07 Jetta, and I've been extremely happy with them.
If you bought your CPCs at retail, they may be nothing like the OEM CPCs that come on cars from the factory.
I've done so much thought and research on this! I'll visit another local tire chain shortly and ask about the cost for either Kumho Ecsta LX Premiums or Michelin Pilot Exalto's. One thing about the OE CPC I've discovered in the P195/65/R15 size is that they are a very light weight tire. 17.3 lbs. Every other tire I've considered is 2-4 lbs heavier. I've read alot about "nylon caps" or "Nylon spiral wrap" and there was no mention of this on Contental's website on this OE tire. I'll let you know how things work out. I'm really uncertain if the Michelin is really that much better of a tire vs. the Escta? (Especially considering the $ difference, V vs. H rated, Road side waranty extra on the Michelin, inc. on the Kumho's.)
Originally Posted By: sparky123
I've done so much thought and research on this! I'll visit another local tire chain shortly and ask about the cost for either Kumho Ecsta LX Premiums or Michelin Pilot Exalto's. One thing about the OE CPC I've discovered in the P195/65/R15 size is that they are a very light weight tire. 17.3 lbs. Every other tire I've considered is 2-4 lbs heavier. I've read alot about "nylon caps" or "Nylon spiral wrap" and there was no mention of this on Contental's website on this OE tire. I'll let you know how things work out. I'm really uncertain if the Michelin is really that much better of a tire vs. the Escta? (Especially considering the $ difference, V vs. H rated, Road side waranty extra on the Michelin, inc. on the Kumho's.)
I would go with the Primacy MXV4, exalto will likely be discontinued soon.
I've done so much thought and research on this! I'll visit another local tire chain shortly and ask about the cost for either Kumho Ecsta LX Premiums or Michelin Pilot Exalto's. One thing about the OE CPC I've discovered in the P195/65/R15 size is that they are a very light weight tire. 17.3 lbs. Every other tire I've considered is 2-4 lbs heavier. I've read alot about "nylon caps" or "Nylon spiral wrap" and there was no mention of this on Contental's website on this OE tire. I'll let you know how things work out. I'm really uncertain if the Michelin is really that much better of a tire vs. the Escta? (Especially considering the $ difference, V vs. H rated, Road side waranty extra on the Michelin, inc. on the Kumho's.)
I would go with the Primacy MXV4, exalto will likely be discontinued soon.
Originally Posted By: sparky123
Spoke w/the local tire dealer this morning and showed him the very slight depression on the sidewalls of the Conti's that I very recently noticed. (All the tires had this trait on one spot in the sidewall.) He said it's where the belt was fused toegether. (His exact explanation escapes me @ the moment.) All is well as long as it's not going outwards according to dealer.
This is normal.
Depressions in the sidewall are fine. As the dealer told you, that's where internal layers in the tire overlap.
Bubbles are always bad. Depressions are ok.
Spoke w/the local tire dealer this morning and showed him the very slight depression on the sidewalls of the Conti's that I very recently noticed. (All the tires had this trait on one spot in the sidewall.) He said it's where the belt was fused toegether. (His exact explanation escapes me @ the moment.) All is well as long as it's not going outwards according to dealer.
This is normal.
Depressions in the sidewall are fine. As the dealer told you, that's where internal layers in the tire overlap.
Bubbles are always bad. Depressions are ok.
We enjoyed the Continental OEM tires that came on our BMW. I don't remember the model now - maybe ContiTouringContact or somesuch. They were rated very poorly on TireRack, but on our car they handled well in the mountains, were quiet, were good braking and in the rain. The only drawback was that we only got about 25K miles out of them and they wore kind of funny. After the current tires wear out we will probably switch back to them.
I would be inclined to run them for a while and save your money, you can reevaluate as they start to wear.
That light weight might give you a little better performance, there may also be a mileage hit when swapped.
I would be inclined to run them for a while and save your money, you can reevaluate as they start to wear.
That light weight might give you a little better performance, there may also be a mileage hit when swapped.
I'm waiting to see what sales come up 4th of July. One thing I've decided on is not to buy "closeouts" or discontinued tires. I need to buy tires for my daughter's CRV. The Golf is a want. The CPC's are decent, nothing special. Thanks for all your replies. (BTW, one interesting tire that recently came out are Yokohama Avid Ascends. Very little feedback. But if the ride and handle well and increase mileage, it may be the ticket?)
Originally Posted By: 05Blazer
Why not drive on them and see how they perform? Get some money's worth out of them at least. Thats what I would do. Too many other things to spend money on right now in a soft economy.
cheers
This. I actually bought a set of Conti Pro Contacts for our Corolla after researching on Tire Rack. They've been very good in ride, handling and traction. Wear has been a bit disappointing, looks like I will only get about 45,000 from them before they're replaced...but they were far cheaper than the Michelins I was considering, and still represent a good value...
Why not drive on them and see how they perform? Get some money's worth out of them at least. Thats what I would do. Too many other things to spend money on right now in a soft economy.
cheers
This. I actually bought a set of Conti Pro Contacts for our Corolla after researching on Tire Rack. They've been very good in ride, handling and traction. Wear has been a bit disappointing, looks like I will only get about 45,000 from them before they're replaced...but they were far cheaper than the Michelins I was considering, and still represent a good value...
I know this is an older thread, but just to give my .02, i am now on my second set of Continental ContiProContacts and could not be happier with them.
My first set went 45,000 miles, and Discount Tire gave me 29 dollars back per tire on the pro-rated warranty. I bought the exact same tire again.
When new they were a bit squirmy on the road but settle down pretty quick. I've found them to be comfortable, quiet, good in rain and light snow. No complaints at all. I also really like the sidewall design.
I'm running 205/55/16 - 91H. My previous ones and current ones were all made in Mexico.
My first set went 45,000 miles, and Discount Tire gave me 29 dollars back per tire on the pro-rated warranty. I bought the exact same tire again.
When new they were a bit squirmy on the road but settle down pretty quick. I've found them to be comfortable, quiet, good in rain and light snow. No complaints at all. I also really like the sidewall design.
I'm running 205/55/16 - 91H. My previous ones and current ones were all made in Mexico.
Originally Posted By: hominid7
When new they were a bit squirmy on the road but settle down pretty quick.
I remember mine being squirmy too when I first got my Nissan. Especially on grooved pavement. I don't recall how long it took them to settle down. What makes tires squirmy like that anyway?
When new they were a bit squirmy on the road but settle down pretty quick.
I remember mine being squirmy too when I first got my Nissan. Especially on grooved pavement. I don't recall how long it took them to settle down. What makes tires squirmy like that anyway?
Originally Posted By: barlowc
......What makes tires squirmy like that anyway?
There is a thing called "groove wander" - sometimes called "tramlining". It's where the grooves in the pavement line up with the grooves in the tread and the tire tries to follow the pavement grooves. Because the pavement grooves aren't standardized in either width or spacing, it is difficult to get every tire size to have properly spaced grooves - and occasionally they'll get it wrong.
Why does it get better? When a tire is new, it has mold release compounds on its surface, and it takes a while for these to wear off.
......What makes tires squirmy like that anyway?
There is a thing called "groove wander" - sometimes called "tramlining". It's where the grooves in the pavement line up with the grooves in the tread and the tire tries to follow the pavement grooves. Because the pavement grooves aren't standardized in either width or spacing, it is difficult to get every tire size to have properly spaced grooves - and occasionally they'll get it wrong.
Why does it get better? When a tire is new, it has mold release compounds on its surface, and it takes a while for these to wear off.
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Perhaps because i was anticipating it, i'm not sure, but on my second set, i did not notice the squirmy-ness as much. I drove a hundred miles on them this weekend and was very happy with the way they handle.
This OEM ContiPro Contact is a GREAT tire, usually the German spec OEM Conti tires are much much better than what you find as OEM on US, Japanese, and Korean vehhicles.
Probably one of the best offerings you'll find on a reasonably priced car. BTW these same tires come standard on expensive BMW, Mercedes, and others.
Probably one of the best offerings you'll find on a reasonably priced car. BTW these same tires come standard on expensive BMW, Mercedes, and others.
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