Any decent Continental tire models?

[lazytiger]

I bought my '03 Vibe (base model) used, and it has Goodyear RS-As on it. I would assume they're the original tires, as I'm now just over 50,000 miles and they're about ready to be replaced. The general consensus here seems to be that Goodyear tires are overpriced/underperforming and no one seems to have anything too nice to say about the OEM Continental tires, either. However, the shop I go to (and am comfortable with) really pushes Continentals, so I was wondering if anyone knows if any Continental models are good for the money. Doesn't have to be the Vibe OEM model; in fact it sounds like that would be a mistake.Just wondering... if Continentals really aren't the best thing around, I can always go somewhere else for a different brand. Suggestions? Kumho seems to be a favorite on this board.

[Raven]

The Continental Extreme Contact is supposed to be very good. I think tirerack.com rated them 4th out of 18 tires. I still would not buy Conti though. I had them on my '04 and they were trash. The fronts were half gone with 3,700 miles. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...ntact

[kostby]

Like all tire companies, Continental makes tires under other brand names at various price points.I purchased Barum Bravuris (definitely made by Continental, look at the bottom of the link --> http://www.conti-online.com/ge....html) from Discount Tire in the stock 16" size, and am quite happy with them after ~6500 miles. They are rated for a 50,000 mile tread life.They are a 'touring' tire, so the handling is not a good as Kumho, but the ride is smooth and allegedly, the treadlife is MUCH longer.The tread pattern is more aggressive (and a TINY bit noisier) than evenly-worn factory Contis (mine were NEVER evenly worn), but the ride and steering characteristics are the same.I know there are several posts on these tires, including a pic or two. Try 'SEARCH'.

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[lazytiger]

I'm actually not terribly unhappy with the RS-As. They've lasted 50,000 and still have some tread on them, but they definitely don't have the best traction on even remotely wet pavement. Maybe that's just because they're getting worn, but they're certainly not bald yet. For the money, it sounds like there are numerous better options out there for replacements.I'm down the middle as far as performance vs. ride goes. I'd like a good balance. And of course price and tread life are concerns, too. The ride with the RS-As has been fine; if I didn't know any better, I'd probably just get more RS-As! What would anyone suggest as being similar to RS-As but cheaper and/or better?

[Raven]

Goodyear Tripletread is the #1 rated all season tire or Falken Ziex 512 is a cheaper alternative.

[DavidPIL]

Hey lazytiger,I have been running the COntinental ExtremeContact tires for the past 2 years or so. As of this month, I'm on 48,000 and could probably go another 8-10,000 miles though winter is setting in and I don't want to drive in snow with 4-5/32 tread.The ExtremeContacts were an excellent tire for me though they were quirky. First off, not the easiest things to balance. They need to be Road Force Balanced for sure. They do flat-spot, especially in colder weather and only after a couple hours parked (soft sidewalls). That gets worked out in a couple miles though is a bit annoying till it does.I also found that they rode smoother and had less issues with the balancing when I had mine inflated from 38-40 psi. The dealer where I got them from told me I should keep em at 44 (their max rating) but would never run tires that close to their max. the 38 psi really created a nice smooth ride ecept for when the tires were cold.I'm replacing mine this week with Toyo Proxes 4 mainly because I could get the Toyo's a little cheaper and, with the wider rims/lower profiles, I wanted to go with a stronger sidewall to help protect the wheels.Would I recommend the ExtremeContacts... yes, I have and would but it depends on the application and how religiously you rotate/balance them. Dave

[4X4CHICHI]

I had rs-a's on my zx2, hated them. I had bridgestone potenza's on my vibe GT. did not like them either. I put the Barum Bravarus on now. I like them a lot. they handle a lot better, but they're not so soft that they will only last a season or two.