LT1driver

got my new conti dw tires.....255/40/17 and 295/35/18. seems like they are squirmy or move around while driving at highway speeds on either bad roads or nice concrete freeways and they feel mushy or light/sensitive on fast corners unlike my 7 years old worn out (5/32) firestones bought in 2008 that had positive feel. is this normal for these or is it the new rubber feel? I will say they don't loose grip but no confidence in them. thoughts on this

Verrückt ZR1

I just had the same tires and sizes installed on Friday afternoon. I read several threads about the Conti's feeling "mushy". Being that I don't track my Z, nor do I ever intend to, I didn't think it would be an issue. I'm all about traction, and these perform better in nearly every way than the comparable Bridgestone RE760's. Time will tell...

dork

I went from Toyo Proxes T1R's to Conti DWS's. The DWS's is the next "worst-handling" tire after the DW--that is to say, I've not driven DW's, but the S's are an all-weather (including light snow) tire, and it is said the DWS isn't as responsive as the DW. The Toyo T1R's were fabulous "on rails" tires but at 5/32" they were just a little squirrelly in heavy rain, so I opted for the DWS replacement because we drive in any weather. (T1R's were mounted on the car when I bought it; 8/32" rears when 'new'.)

They're not quite as grippy in the turns, maybe 85% of the T1R's, and in extremely sharp corners and tight S's they're not nearly as strong, but they are solidly predictable, and responsive to their standard if not pushed like an UHP summer tire. This is the "lowest-handling" Conti I'm talking about, not the DW.

I'd say give the DW's a chance--unless you have to decide quickly (by mileage) in order to exchange them. It may be that 'lesser' driving just isn't something you're willing to compromise to. Also, something to consider--no new tire will handle turns and corners nearly as well as a tire on it's last 5/32". Only 3/32" is better (tire-to-tire) in dry cornering.

LT1driver

good comments, thanks. they never felt like they would break loose, only very unsettling mushy feel, will contact discount tire and see how much time I have to exchange.

Trash

Change the tire pressure a little. They tend to have more of a squirmy feel when at lower pressures.

skyavonee

+1

The Conti DW is known to have a soft sidewall. Run them with a couple more psi than your old tires, and I bet they'll feel better.

LT1driver

ok, will try today at 35psi, currently at 30psi which is chevy recommended psi, will report back on any change..thanks.

Dave02C5

mine had that feeling the first 2k miles or so. now they are solid. hook and handle great!

racebum

two things, air pressure and the soft sidewall. the compound really isn't that bad and they can be a quick tire that provides safe limits

that said, they are not a sharp feeling tire and never have been.

the reason the DW keeps coming up for the Z is because so few choices exist.

1. the ps2. expensive, this drives off a lot of people.
2. the re760, garbage
3. the DW numb steering but overall a decent wet/dry tire that is faster than most in the rain
4. the rs3. you have to run undersize but they are very fast in the warm dry, probably the best choice for a guy who likes pushing the car
5. the nt05. similar story to the rs3 just a bit slower

Impulsive goat

how about the pilot super sports? you have to downsize the front but the compound alone should make up for the narrower contact patch. That's what im putting on my Z at the end of the month.

LT1driver

I was looking at exchanging the dw for the super sports by going back to 18 inch in front (265/35/18) with the stock z rear 295/35/18. wondering about tire wear between the two. going to up the tire pressure from 30 to 35 tonight and try same roads tomorrow at same outside temps.

Trash

I would only add that I don't (or at least haven't yet) track the car. I do occasional 1/4 mile work with them.

I bought them because they had near stock C5Z size, had a high tire wear rating and were inexpensive. In my opinion they are a great set of tires in that regard.

I drop the rear pressure to 25-26 psi when doing 1/4 mile stuff. I believe I feel the "squirminesh" the OP reports when lower than say 28 psi, but that's a guess. Normal day to day driving I'm in the 32-36 psi range. I would buy another set in a heart beat.

rjwz28

I am honestly surprised you didn't go with the PSS, given that you had 18s available for the front

Was it the backorder that put you off?

racebum

same

pss is an amazing street tire. really does everything extremely well

LT1driver

i wanted to put stock rims back on as roads terrible in dallas area and the 18s are polished fikse 3 piece wheels and had few years back to repair front crack and on another front replace the inner section at over $400, weld only $100. I can get the pss if i can't live with the contis, will be several hundred more of course to change out.

rjwz28

Yeah, that makes sense

You could always pick up a second pair of rears and run them on those

Moto One

I have the same set of DWs, the last set the fronts were 275s, I found that running them at 34 psi Front and 32 Rear tighten up the steering feel. Those are the same pressures that i ran with the 275s up front. Once you get use to them you will love them. Quiet on the road, Great in the Rain, and will hold a corner (at Street Sane Speeds) with the best of them, and they are not bad on the track... Track pressures 30F 28R.

Mark.

LT1driver

tried 35 front and back today on same corner for testing purpose, better but still not as tight and firm as used to. I will try 35/32 tomorrow and go from there, thanks. will report back tomorrow.

racebum

what kind of maximum Gs were you seeing at what temp? the DW is usually pretty easy to bring back once they start to move

or do you just mean steering response? that tire really is never going to be as exact as a pss. pressure helps some but the casing is just a hybrid sport/comfort most likely done to appease luxury cars that use them

LT1driver

just moderate fast sweeping on ramps to freeway, nothing even close to excessive, other vettes in front of me reported no issues like i felt and i didn't feel the mushy, moving feeling with old tires even when they were new. no clue about Gs but not much and air temps were in the low 90s both times