Continental has a new tire that I am thinking of to replace my OEM Michelins - the Extream Contact DWS. TireRack rates this tire above all other tires they sell for a 300M Special and the price is much lower than the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole position.

Does anyone know of this specific tire or have any comments about Continental in general?

IMO Continental are one of the best tires made

Continental is an excellent tire. OEM on some Bimmers as well as other luxo marques. I would not hesitate to purchase or recommend Continentals to anyone.

I'm on my 2nd set of Continental Extreme Contact 18" tires. This tire is all season high performance. The DW is a summer--snowless road tire. I would question the tread life for wet traction. Not sure I'd recommend their touring tires but this performance all season tire is excellent imho. It has long tread life, is quiet, and handles well in wet or dry. Read up on reviews on tirerack.

Always been a fan of Conti's even though I do not run them now. I autocrossed for years on Continentals and did very well. They make a quality tire - great treadlife and genreally nice and quiet. But they will not handle like the Pilot Sports for ulimate dry road performance.

I'm about ready to buy these, thanks for the inputs. The least expensive deal seems to be with Discount Tires Direct - Lowest tire price, free shipping and free mounting(?), no state tax(?). Has anyone had dealing with Discount Tire?

No personal dealing with them but seems as though I've heard only good from others on the forums.

you might try a local large tire dealer in your area and see if they will meet the price including online shipping prices and mounting online ordered tires. If close in price, buy local so you can return if any problems. Some offer 30 day free trials.

I agree. If there is a local shop that is reasonably close in price then you are better off buying locally.

I always find that when purchasing tires there is wiggle room if you do your research and homework. The tire rack seems to have a good competitive price, but then you need to get the tires mounted, balanced. A local guy might get you the tires at a higher price, but will charge you a little cheaper to mount, balance. You need to play with cost of the tire and the cost to mount, balance unless you have your own machine.

Homework is important. I have found that TireRack has been cheaper even factoring in the shipping and mounting/balancing. They have also been more expensive, too. You have to put a pencil to it.

The new Continentals are on my M and they sure feel and sound better than the OEM Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. I bought these tires from a local dealer for the same "out the door" price that Discount Tires quoted me. These Extreme Contact DWS tires have a Z speed rating and are almost $90 a tire less than the best price I could find for the Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position, my origional choice.

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS tread pattern (not my wheel).

nice looking tire tread