So I downsized my OEM 21" to a set of aftermarket 20" yesterday. The OEM had Michelin Pilot Sport and the new wheels have Continental ExtremeContact DWS06.
The Michelins are rated as Max Performance Summer while the Continentals are Max Performance All Season.
I had put 3500kms on the Michelins before swapping and you can see below they're probably around 50% tread life left:
Front tire-
Back tire-
So I'd probably get maximum 9000kms or 10,000kms out of the OEM Michelins.... I drive a little spirited and on a lot of twisty roads and did probably about 20 or so dead stop pedal to the metal accelerations so maybe if one babies it, it could last 15,000 or even 20,000kms?
I commute and explore a lot of places with my 2 year old kid in HK so part of the reason to downsize to 20" is much more selection of cheaper tires as well as availability of long tread life all season or touring tires.
After about 50kms, I can tell the Continentals are a little quieter than the Michelins. The tread compound is harder than the Michelins; after this morning's commute, the tires are warm but didn't form that rough/blister surface like the Michelin did.
Handling wise, I'd say the Continentals are about 80-90% of what the Michelins were capable of. Steering is a bit more vague due to the taller tread blocks, the initial half a second of turning the steering wheel is kind of numb where as the Michelins JUST TURNED when you touched the steering wheel. I did notice a bit more grip in the wet this morning with the Continentals though.
In a straight line, I'd say they are about the same performance maybe the Continentals being 90-95% of the Michelin's grip for accelerating from a dead stop.
The ride is a little softer which is nice for my purposes.
For photos of the wheels, check the "Show your wheels" post (and post yours too if you got after market wheels for other owner's reference!).
After a few more hundred kms I'll comment on the energy consumption difference. So far it seems on this morning's regular commute it used about the same wh/km (around 208-215 on the Michelins and I got the same this morning); I expected more energy consumption because of the slight width increase on the back from 265 to 275 but I guess the all season tires roll a bit easier than the performance tires
The Michelins are rated as Max Performance Summer while the Continentals are Max Performance All Season.
I had put 3500kms on the Michelins before swapping and you can see below they're probably around 50% tread life left:
Front tire-
Back tire-
So I'd probably get maximum 9000kms or 10,000kms out of the OEM Michelins.... I drive a little spirited and on a lot of twisty roads and did probably about 20 or so dead stop pedal to the metal accelerations so maybe if one babies it, it could last 15,000 or even 20,000kms?
I commute and explore a lot of places with my 2 year old kid in HK so part of the reason to downsize to 20" is much more selection of cheaper tires as well as availability of long tread life all season or touring tires.
After about 50kms, I can tell the Continentals are a little quieter than the Michelins. The tread compound is harder than the Michelins; after this morning's commute, the tires are warm but didn't form that rough/blister surface like the Michelin did.
Handling wise, I'd say the Continentals are about 80-90% of what the Michelins were capable of. Steering is a bit more vague due to the taller tread blocks, the initial half a second of turning the steering wheel is kind of numb where as the Michelins JUST TURNED when you touched the steering wheel. I did notice a bit more grip in the wet this morning with the Continentals though.
In a straight line, I'd say they are about the same performance maybe the Continentals being 90-95% of the Michelin's grip for accelerating from a dead stop.
The ride is a little softer which is nice for my purposes.
For photos of the wheels, check the "Show your wheels" post (and post yours too if you got after market wheels for other owner's reference!).
After a few more hundred kms I'll comment on the energy consumption difference. So far it seems on this morning's regular commute it used about the same wh/km (around 208-215 on the Michelins and I got the same this morning); I expected more energy consumption because of the slight width increase on the back from 265 to 275 but I guess the all season tires roll a bit easier than the performance tires
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