Continental Extreme Contact Sport First Impressions

[SA Heat]

After not being able to find Toyo R888Rs or Michelin Sport Cup 2s due to either being back ordered or "new" stock often approaching 1-3 years old, it was nice to see a new tire option come out when the Conti Extreme Contact Sports were recently released in Viper sizes (with nice late-2020 manufacture date codes). I was initially skeptical due to the (deceiving) 340 treadwear rating, as I'd prefer an R-comp tire for this car, but the more I read about them in tests and after talking to couple of guys I know who have them on other cars and have driven them on the street and track (and loved them), the more I was willing to give them a try.

The first thing I noticed, which is pretty obvious for a more street focused tire, is how much more bead protection the Contis offer over the Toyos or SCs. With the Toyos especially, you could not stack or lay the rear wheels on the ground without risking damage to the wheel edge. The extra meat on the sidewalls also gives the tires the appearance of being a little wider. Another note is the 295/30-18 888Rs that were on the fronts always looked a little pinched on the 10 inch wheel as the tread measured wider than usual for a 295. The Continentals look just right. So do the 355/30-19 rears, which are minimally taller and wider than 345s. As far as weight specs goes, claimed weight on the 295 Contis are 3-4 pounds lighter than the front Toyos and the 355s are about a pound lighter than the smaller 345 Toyo rears....not a big deal to most people, but it's better than the other way around when considering rotating mass and unspung weight. One last thing on initial observation is something mentioned in another thread....the Continentals took very little weight to balance. No more than 2 ounces, and that was only on 1 wheel. The Toyos that came off took a lot more weight to balance.

I just returned from about a ~50 mile break-in drive in 75ish degree sunny weather and didn't push them hard. I took a Texas Hill Country circuit I often drive that has a mixture of nice technical turns and a mixture of smooth and rough sweepers....my first impression was how much I didn't realize just how harsh and noisy the Toyos and the Sport Cups before those really were. I currently have my coil over rebound settings pretty stiff and the Toyos always transferred any sharp or rough road surface through the cabin, which is to be expected with a stiff-sidewalled R-comp tire. The Continentals on the same pavement?...firm, but not at all harsh....just a nice thump thump brrrrrrump, and that's without being broken in yet. NVH doesn't bother me, in fact I expect and welcome a level of it in a car like this, but the improvement in ride alone makes the car feel much more refined. BTW, tires were at 30 psi cold when I set out.

As far as handling and grip goes, like I wrote before, I didn't push them hard....probably 75 percent on the "fun corner" parts of the drive. I can report, though, they felt really good on turn-in and gripped well. The Contact Sport DWs these tires replaced were known to be squirmy with terrible turn in....not the case here. I'll have to report back when I push them harder as I get them scrubbed in. If they are as progressive and predictable as the tests and testimonials indicate, I'll be happy.

Straight line grip on older/smooth as well as more textured asphalt and concrete felt good, though I didn't do any really hard launches. The 5+ year old Toyos that came off were hard and getting increasingly scary, so the new Continentals are going to be better regardless. Braking felt really good too.

As far as I can tell, no tramlining, but the Toyos and SCs weren't too bad in that area either....tires are perfectly ballanced at all speeds I'm willing to admit to and the car drives perfectly straight on them. For now, I'm very happy with them and recommend them. I'll report back with more later as I get some more miles on them.