Three-Season Showdown: Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06+ vs. Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4

As a pretty hardcore car nut, I’ve grown to appreciate tires with stiff sidewalls and the kind of grip that feels like they’ve been slathered in Elmer’s glue. For the past few months, I’ve been running Falken RT660+ tires mounted on Apex wheels, enjoying every ounce of their summer stickiness. But with the weatherman hinting at the first snowfall here in Colorado, it’s time to tuck the summer rubber away in the basement and shift gears into some Ultra High Performance all-season action. If you’ve been following along for a while, you probably know that last year I picked up a set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06+ tires for winter duties. Now, I can already hear some of you thinking: all-season tires? Aren’t they equally bad at everything? And, well… in a way, you’re not wrong. Typically, I prefer dedicated winter tires to handle snow and ice. And, in fact, I already have an AWD vehicle with winter tires, so when the snow starts falling, I’m covered.

Some of you might ask: If you’ve got an AWD car with winter tires, why not just leave the summer rubber on the 128i and avoid taking it out in the snow? Good question. Here’s the deal: I don’t plan on leaving the 128i sitting in the garage all winter. Plus, most summer tire manufacturers recommend avoiding temperatures below 45°F—even if there’s no snow—because cold can actually damage summer tires. So tucking them away for the winter is the safest move.

That leaves me with two options for the 128i: dedicated winter tires, or all-seasons. Winter tires, while amazing on snow and ice, are about as soft as a marshmallow over a campfire. Perfect for gripping slippery surfaces, but not exactly what I’m looking for when I want to toss the car around on twisty back roads.

That brings us to all-seasons. Sure, you could go for the ultra-durable variants with sky-high treadwear ratings—but that longevity comes at the expense of any sort of spirited driving, or what us corner-carvers like to call fun. That’s why I opted for the Ultra High Performance all-seasons: they sacrifice a bit of snow traction, but they let a sports car still feel like a sports car. Some of you that are still reading might now be asking: Wait, you’ve only had the Conti DWS 06+ tires for a year, and you’re already swapping them out? How many miles did you even put on them? The answer: not many. And if you recall from my previous article, I wasn’t exactly blown away by the Continentals. I know—blasphemy to some, worthy of being burned at the stake.

When I recently swapped the Continentals onto the 128i and put the summer rubber in storage, the difference was… eye-opening. The car went from feeling like it was glued to the road to feeling like it was as floppy at trying to stand up straight in a bouncy castle. The overall confidence of the car under hard driving dropped dramatically. Yes, I’m complaining about going from 200-treadwear competition tires to all-seasons and whining that it doesn’t feel like a race car anymore. First-world problems? Absolutely. And I’m fully aware of it.

But let me clarify: it’s not the loss of grip that bothers me with the DWS 06+. In fact, they have more grip than you might expect. The issue is the seemingly soft sidewalls, which make the tire feel like it’s rolling over on itself. From what I can tell, one reason Continental tires are so popular is that they balance grip with comfort—they smooth out bumps, reduce road noise, and generally keep things “civilized.” For most people, that’s fantastic. For a canyon-carving junkie like me, who wants instant steering feedback and razor-sharp responses? Civility is a waste.

After digging into UHP all-season tires that fit my stock wheels (205/50R17 & 225/45R17), doing some research, and knowing my own preferences, I put my money where my mouth is and picked up a set of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4s. Why didn’t I just get these in the first place? Honestly, I’m not sure I realized they were available in my sizes when I ordered the Continentals. Otherwise… well, I probably would have.

Full disclosure: my favorite non-competition street tires of all time are Michelin Pilot Sports (of various generations). I’ve run them on several cars over the years, and after testing countless tires, I’m convinced they’re the best fun (non-competition) street tires you can buy. No, I’m not sponsored by Michelin—or anyone else. I pay full price like everyone else. But they’re just that good.

So, what about the all-season Michelin PS variants? According to reviews from the fine folks at Tire Rack, they excel over the Continentals in the areas that matter to sports car enthusiasts: steering feedback, cornering, and overall handling—while trading a bit of comfort. It’s almost like Michelin listens to cornering junkies like me… and delivers. For a price. Let’s not sugarcoat it: the Michelins are more expensive than the Continentals, and just about everything else. But sometimes, you truly get what you pay for—and I was determined to test that theory. On my short drive to the tire shop, I tried to warm up the Continentals and pushed them to about 7/10ths to get a decent feel. Once the Michelins were mounted, I took the same route home—but this time, I started around 7/10ths and, if we’re being honest, probably hit closer to 8/10ths in a few spots. I was having too much fun testing out the new rubber to hold back. And just to be clear, this was during the Michelins’ “breaking-in” period and before I even touched tire pressures. The difference in response was almost immediate.

I don’t ever drive cars to 10/10ths on the street, so I can’t accurately comment on absolute grip. My guess is that overall grip is in the same ballpark—maybe with the Michelins having a slight edge—but without a stopwatch, I couldn’t say for sure. What is undeniable, though, is how different they feel. The Michelins’ sidewalls are noticeably stiffer, much less prone to feeling like they’re rolling over on themselves.

As soon as I remounted the Continentals and took a couple of corners, it felt like the tire was folding over its own sidewall. They’ll still hang on and grip the road—that’s not really the issue—but they exaggerate the car’s sense of body roll and don’t inspire much confidence in the process.

In comparison, the Michelins feel better—though still not quite like a true summer tire. They exhibit noticeably less sidewall flex, which translates to a more confident feel. Don’t get me wrong—they don’t have the poise or precision of the much stickier RT660+ tires I just removed—but it’s a step in the right direction. For an all-season, the Michelins feel noticeably sharper, responding just a bit quicker and maintaining more of that sports-car character. They’ll never match a dedicated summer setup, but for an all-season, I’m confident they’re about as close as you’re going to get. How about NVH? Well, they’re maybe a touch harsher than the Continentals, but honestly, I barely noticed a difference. Granted, I’ve spent the last six months driving on competition rubber in a car I’ve done quite a bit of work to make track-ready, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. Do they feel stiffer around town? Maybe, but they’re still compliant enough that it’s not something that stood out.

Noise? Again, hard to say. I usually have music playing in the 128i, and since it’s fall, the windows are often down. So if there was a difference, I clearly wasn’t paying attention. What a comparison, I know—but as I said before, civility is probably lost on someone like me.

As snow starts to roll in over the next few months, I’ll share some thoughts on how they handle colder, slipperier conditions. But so far, in near-perfect fall weather, I’ve really been enjoying the Michelins.

For context, after running the Continentals for about nine months, I found they handled light snow surprisingly well last winter. I didn’t take them out expecting miracles, but during a few light snowfalls, they were predictable and hooked up without much drama.

Another interesting observation: the colder it got, the better the Continentals felt. In warmer temps they almost came across as a little soft and greasy, but as the mercury dropped, the sidewalls seemed to firm up, and the car felt more composed when tossing it around twisty roads.

So, would I recommend the Michelins over the Continentals? If you’re a corner-carver like me—absolutely. They’re worth the extra money. But if you just want a competent, year-round tire that can handle light snow and still grip decently, that’s more of a toss-up. Would I still choose the Michelins? Yes—but if you’re not pushing your car to at least 7/10ths, you probably won’t notice much of a difference.

And if you already have a set of Continentals with plenty of tread left (like I do), should you ditch them for a brand-new set of Michelins? That depends. If you’re an obsessive corner-carver like me, I don’t regret the extra money for the feel they deliver. But for most drivers, it probably makes more sense to keep what you’ve got and try something new next time around.