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2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum Technical Topics Wheels and Tires -- Sponsored by The Tire Rack DWS-06 plus initial thoughts

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      12-19-2021, 08:07 PM   #1
sethwas
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DWS-06 plus initial thoughts

Thought some would like to know my experience with Continental's newest. This would be the third set of tires I have on the car.
Just for a refresher, I am running factory 17" rims (I like the look of thick sidewalls).

First set were the OEM run flats. Steering was nothing to write home about, dead spot in center and little feedback. I'm sure traction was fine for commuting, ride was a hair on the jittery side (but I was coming from a less sporty car so that may not have been tires just my internal metrics adjusting), but they were very quiet.

First new set I put on the car were General G-max RS summer tires. There was a promo and it was basically buy 3 get one free. Don't need an all season because temps never get low enough for the rubber to change properties and get damaged. The transformation of the car was drastic. Steering came alive, less effort but much much more responsive. If I'm looking for negatives I could say the ride was a hair 'crashier' if that's a thing on sharp impacts, and of course they had an elevated white noise when going any faster than 25 mph. Didn't matter because traction, and more importantly confidence was simply amazing. Especially in the wet. I certainly highly recommend these, the car became very tossable and controllable because it never ran out of grip and didn't require any mid-course corrections (the 'on rails' sensation).

Now to go to the newest shoes, my agenda was to 1) not reduce grip because that is going backwards 2) reduce noise. When I saw a promo on the new 'plus' model (which are the improved DWS-06) I grabbed them. They are UHP like the RS was UHP so the car should still be sporty...more on this in a few...

A couple of thoughts after a month of driving: first is, it's like someone poured molasses over everything. Steering is creamier, ride is creamier, and most important noise level dropped to a larger degree than I anticipated. This last part was a pleasant surprise.

Initial downside is the ride is now 'buoyant,' unsettlingly so. Car doesn't take a set, it just jiggles and steering is mushy, in turns car shifts and sways slightly never taking a set. I let it go for a week thinking it's just new tire oils that have to wear away, and then went to check tire pressures. The installer left it with a hair over 29 front and 34 rear (cold). I quickly changed this to 33 front and 35 rear (cold) which means it's 35/38 when up to temp on a normal day (confirmed with analog guage and also TPMS in car). The change was certainly noticeable with the old school floatyness reduced (but not entirely eliminated). Basically like tightening a drum a bit.

Second: steering feel got silenced (better with higher pressure and I'll live with it now). More important than numb (Some people like that, me not so much), it's no longer as direct. Old tires had continuous ribs, new tires don't but instead tread blocks which squish. Good news is noise and hunting is gone, but bad news is steering requires more subtle corrections when driving and cornering because the 'on rails' sensation from the previous tire was eliminated. The tires sap confidence because before when you turned the wheel a certain amount, you didn't have to adjust, it held steady; with the new ones, the steering always requires you give it a little more than you thought because after turn in the car responds, but then you have to give it just a bit more once rotation begins. To explain in a situation, on a cloverleaf your butt in the seat feels the car laterally wiggling, car doesn't lose traction, it sticks to the road just fine, but it's not steady.

Third: comfort is up. Riding over ruble strips on the road you no longer feel, just hear. Going up ramps from asphalt to concrete, or slight imperfections in the roadway, is much smoother, and impacts have all the edges taken off. For passengers it's certainly much much better. Because the car is less direct, all inputs are slowed so the ride is likely calmer to others.

Takeaway - I know the older DWS had issues with high performance driving that the sidewalls flexed too much especially under heavy cornering. This is a commuter car where that isn't the usage, but I can see how the sidewalls do have so much give that on the 17" rim they sap that razer sharpness that was there prior on the RS tires. Likely on an 18" or 19" rim you would not experience this because there's just less sidewall, and you do gain all the noise and comfort benefits of the new tread. It would be interesting to see how these same tires do on a lower profile.

Acceleration and braking I have not noticed any difference. I'm sure some could argue the softer sidewall helps launches but I don't really do that.
Also pretty sure that the tires have just as much grip as the older ones as they are both UHP rated, both are A for temp and AA for traction. Treadwear is 560 on the Conti's and 360 on the General. The difference really all boils down to how it feels in the seat of the pants and from behind the steering wheel. In this case the DWS is more of a high traction luxury tire, not really sporty, since the important sensations are reduced, and unwanted sensations have now appeared.

In hindsight I may have been happier with Continental's own Extremecontact Sport since they are a Max performance summer, and cost the same as the DWS. Some google fu says they are apparently the most comfortable of all the Max rated tires (Don't like Michelin anymore, ride isn't that great and they aren't cost competitive) and I certainly wanted a comfortable ride. I just looked at the tread visually and since it has continuous ribs I just assumed it wouldn't be a quiet tire and that was what I wanted primarily. (Honestly just wanted a quieter version of the RS I had previously).

TL;DR I'm happy with the improvement of the on road manners. Car is more refined, easier to have a conversation or call in the car. From a safety standpoint I'm basically driving the highest grip all season, so come rain or shine heat and cold tires will work. Shame the car lost it's playfulness and directness in the transition, wasn't expecting that from something so highly regarded.
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