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Michelin AS3+ vs. Continental DWS06

25K views 62 replies 26 participants last post by  Alex613 
#1 ·
I'll need to replace the tires on my 2016 sTouring 5-door sometime this year.

I think I've narrowed it down to the Michelin AS3+ and the Continental DWS06. From what I've read I'm pretty sure I would prefer the driving dynamics of the Michelin but comments about a dip in mpg (I've read from -2 to -3 mpg after installing these tires) and comments about a persistent road noise hum in the range of 55 - 70 mph concern me. (by the way, with 27k miles on the car, automatic, I'm averaging 29.4 mpg in mixed urban and highway driving)

I've seen enough of these comments in different discussion forums across different types of cars that I tend to believe them.

My question - if anyone here has tried both tires do you have anything to add to these comments? And how is the road noise hum from either of these tires in comparison to the stock Dunlop Sport 5000?

Thanks!
 
#4 ·
I'm curious about this as well. I will be replacing the stock Dunlops in another 10k miles or so. I've also been looking at the same tires.

As for fuel mileage, I wonder if it's not the tires fault. Maybe people are just driving more aggressively (at least at the beginning) because they have new tires that are much more capable than OEM.

For what it's worth, Tire Rack says the fuel mileage for the Contis and the Michelins is almost identical, but they've never compared directly to the OEM Dunlops.

I've heard from someone who works at a repair/tire shop that the Michelins have better real world treadwear, so they may last longer. I wasn't buying tires at the time, so I think it was legit advice, not just sales pitch.
 
#58 ·
As for fuel mileage, I wonder if it's not the tires fault. Maybe people are just driving more aggressively (at least at the beginning) because they have new tires that are much more capable than OEM.

For what it's worth, Tire Rack says the fuel mileage for the Contis and the Michelins is almost identical, but they've never compared directly to the OEM Dunlops.

I've heard from someone who works at a repair/tire shop that the Michelins have better real world treadwear, so they may last longer. I wasn't buying tires at the time, so I think it was legit advice, not just sales pitch.
Consumer Report's tested treadwear puts the AS3+ slightly ahead of the DWS06.

As for fuel mileage, I just assume any grippier tire will be less effecient than a tire focused on low rolling resistance. Don't focus so much on low rolling resistance.. That just means your car will have a LONGER braking distance. I'll gladly take the 1-2 mpg hit if it means I can stop 10-15 feet shorter in an emergency braking situation.

I just think about it this way: The amount of $$ fuel savings I'm getting from a "fuel-efficient" tire (vs a grippier tire) is NEGLIGIBLE compared to how much it'll cost me if I were to rear-end another car (or hit a deer/animal crossing the road) because those tires couldn't stop in time. A few feet makes a big difference sometimes, and I've had my share of close calls with cars and deers.
 

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#5 ·
We just put the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus in size 215/45-18 on our 3. I am a long time Michelin customer and have not had a set of Contis since I had a BMW with them. They developed blisters and I never bought another Conti tire. I have never had a quality issue with a Michelin tire.

That said, it is my impression that around town the Michelins are a little louder than the OEM Dunlaps. We have not taken a road trip with them yet.
 
#10 ·
Quieter tire characteristics

Continuous, circumferential ribs with straight grooves in between.
Varied tread block shapes that create a multiple pitch pattern.
Smaller blocks.
A reinforced shoulder, which stabilizes tread blocks.
Small hash marks inside the grooves that break up air flow.
Narrower tire sizes.
Softer rubber composition.
 
#11 ·
I have the AS3+. Been on them for about 5 thousand km. I wouldn't say they are a quiet tire... My main problem with them is the softer rubber picking up every single rock and flinging them into the wheel wells. But it's not like I always drive on gravel roads... The grip is crazy good, even in rainy conditions. Never tried the Continentals.
 
#12 ·
I haven't tried the Continentals but went from the stock dunlops to the Michelin AS3+ and, when time comes for new tires, it will be another set of the Michelin. Although they aren't the quietest tires out there, they are great for grip, rain and even snow to a certain point as long as you keep in mine they are still all seasons and not winter tires. I live in Ontario Canada so have some experience with winter driving ;) hehe
 
#14 ·
That is good to know. I would like to get some better handling out of them too though.

I'm thinking the PS4 will have the advantage over the Continentals in that area.

I'm going to ask the guys at American Tire (Discount Tire for those on the East Coast), and see what they say too.
CK
 
#15 ·
I vote for the DWS06s

The stock tires on my 2016 6 touring sedan were so noisy I did lot of searching on Mazda boards. When it was time to replace them I wanted the quietest all season tires I could get. The bias there was towards DWS06 being a great all season tire and the quietest tires ones being reported by Mazda owners. I was not disappointed. I can listen to my music decibels lower than I could before and hear more of the recordings. Been through two winters with them and have had no issues.
 
#17 ·
I had the AS3+ from discount tire for two weeks and they are noisy like the oem Dunlop. I retired them and got pirrell p zero tires summer winter. They are a lot quieter than the oem ones and they are a sticky tire so you stick to the road better but it will lose about 1 mpg. I like them my front tires do not slip on hard acceleration.
 
#18 ·
I just replaced the OEM Dunlops on my 2015 Mazda 3 with the DWS06's.

First thing I noticed is that the Contis "feel" softer in the corners, as if they have more play in them. The OEMs felt tighter.

This means the Contis also felt like they absorbed bumps a little better than the OEM Dunlops. Not a whole lot better, but an improvement for sure.

I didn't notice the car getting any quieter if I'm honest which disappointed me. However I hear the Michelin's, although they are supposed to wear better, are more expensive, louder, and don't perform in the snow as well.

That being said, the grip on the DWS06's is wayyyyyyy better than OEM, both in regular cornering and traction in our Chicago winters (and it has been a very icy one this year).
 
#22 · (Edited)
I just ordered my Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06's. I got them in stock size as I don't like the look of tire bulge.

Sadly..The PS4 does not come in 215s...225 is the starting point. I would need aftermarket wheels to make that work properly.

Getting the DWS 06's installed Friday.
CK
 
#24 ·
10 mile trip. First impressions. The Continentals are much quieter than the Dunlop SP 5000. Instantly noticeable. They also have a ton more grip and make for a smoother ride when cruising. The Continentals seem to absorb some of the shock from bumps without it traveling through the rest of the car. You could feel almost every bump in the road with the Dunlop's. I'm not going to miss that.

So far, I'm very impressed with them.
CK
 
#25 ·
I am needing new tires, I am currently running the Dunlp Signature HP and have been really happy with them. I would buy another set but they are well over $700.


The Conti DWS-06 seems to be the preferred tire here, they look like they would be really noisy. Can anyone commenct?
 
#27 ·
Can anyone comment on the treadlife of the Continental DWS06 versus the OEM Dunlops? Does anyone feel like the Conti's are wearing down too fast? I have 4 years and about 38,000 miles on the OEM's right now. They suck in snow and they're loud, and I'm going to finally change them in October or November when the first snows hit.

I think the snow capabilities of the DWS06 would be good for where I live (Denver), and I definitely like the idea of a quieter ride. But I have heard that they can wear down a bit faster than some of the competition. Anyone have a comment on their treadlife?
 
#28 ·
Tread seems pretty good after 5 thousand miles or so.. I have the extreme contact DWS06..great tires.

Time.. and my lead foot..will tell how long these last.

If I ever go with aftermarket rims in 225/8 '18..Michelin PS4 will be my next set of shoes.
CK
 
#29 ·
Thank you, CK! I have a light foot most of the time. If the weather in CO wasn't so unpredictable, I might consider getting a dedicated summer and winter set. But I'd have to switch them back and forth about 10 times in the spring since you never know when that last snow is coming. I see from your avatar that you were at CSU, so I'm sure you know what I mean. :)

Can anyone else comment on the treadwear on the Conti DWS06? I'm definitely leaning towards getting them unless a lot of you note that they wore down quickly.
 
#30 ·
Just my experience but I preferred the AS3 way more than the DWS. I had both of them on my previous car. .. the AS3 just felt more "sporty". They were better on-center cruising down the highway and more confident through fast corners. Excellent feel through 3 hours of heavy rain too during an out of state trip too.. never once felt like the tires were slipping (unlike the stock Bridgestones on my Mazda3). I never got a chance to test the DWS's in heavy rain, I got rid of them after a few thousand miles, that's how much I hated them. I'd pay twice as much for the Michelins to avoid buying the DWS's again if I had to.

What the Tirerack review says about the DWS is totally true. They're slower to react to turning input compared to the AS3's. This was the main thing I hated with the DWS tires. And this may differ from car to car, but I drove them back to back (I had 2 sets of rims with both tire sets), the AS3's felt much more 'immediate' when responding to even the slightest steering wheel input. The DWS's were downright awful in that regard, compared to the AS3's. Imagine driving down the highway, and needing just a slight nudge to the steering wheel to keep in lane with a slight curve of the road. When I nudged the steering wheel to turn slightly with the highway curve, the car kept going straight for 1-2 seconds BEFORE it started turning. That's how it felt the first time I took my car on the highway with the DWS's. It was shocked at how "lazy" the steering felt. And I nearly drifted into the next lane over because of this 'delay' in steering.

I actually thought something was wrong with my steering wheel or something else was broken. When I put the AS3's back on, everything felt "normal" again. Slight nudges in steering were immediately felt like you would expect.

I didn't have to 'think' that much with the AS3's.. it went where it was supposed to go when I wanted to go in that direction, period. With the DWS's, I had to anticipate when the curve was coming, and steer ~1 second BEFORE I wanted to turn.. to time it right, otherwise your car would drift close to the other lane beside you before it went in the direction you're steering it.

Sure, ~1 second doesn't seem all that bad, but this is all on the highway, going 60-70mph. So 1 second of your car not turning when you want it to means you had to always be mindful of turning the wheel earlier than you should just to go in the direction you wanted. It was awful having this slow of a response time with the tires, especially when going this fast on the highway. It's not as noticeable on small roads at lower speeds, but still not as responsive as the AS3's.

The DWS's are lighter in weight than the AS3's though.. by 2-3 lbs depending on the tire size. They have a slightly softer ride too, I'm assuming because the sidewalls aren't as stiff. The AS3's feel stiffer going over bumps. But I'll take the AS3's stiffer sidewalls any day over the DWS's delayed turning response.
 
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