303 Graphene and Conti ExtremeContact Sports

I needed to prep my car for an upcoming track day and decided to try 303’s Graphene nano spray since my Griots polisher broke. Much easier process than my typical regimen of polishing and layering waxes. I used Griots synthetic clay, followed by Griots complete polish and topped off with 303 Graphene by hand. Overall it’s pretty good finish, with good depth and super slick. Not quite the same depth as layering wax but really good. A lot less work. A couple of hours vs. 2-3 days. The one thing I don’t like is in certain light you can see micro swirling that I don’t recall seeing before. I’m guessing it’s because the wax would fill them in. I also needed new rubber. This time I went for a slightly less aggressive tire. I had been running Dunlop Durezza Starspec switching to the Conti ExtremeContact Sports, since I’m doing far fewer track days than I use to. I’ll report back with my track impressions. I can say, so far on the street they are much quieter and smoother. The turn in and grip seem really good.

I've got those exact Conti tires bookmarked to buy next year. My newly acquired garage queen only has ~8k miles on Sumitomo HTR.Z's. Plenty of tread left but they are 12 years old!

I have the Conti Extreme Contacts (summer tires only, not all seasons) on my car. For the folks in the South those tires will be great. For us Northerners and New Englanders those tires are down right scary in cold weather. Rear grip is fine, but front grip is minimal at best. Even driving in 50 degree weather the front slips and slides through corners on back roads.

I keep defaulting to some flavor of Continental "contacts" for my road tires..Twice with my past SAAB 9-3 and very happy with them on my Volt EV. Pilot Sports seem to be popular and don't cost much more but they don't seem to last. For my driving I don't mind the performance trade off, or maybe I don't know any better. To the OP, do you use 303 for your top? I just applied a couple coats to mine. I have a Wrangler with a Bestop throw back top that I applied 303 once a couple years ago. It only sees a little rain but a lot of dust and it still cleans and beads nicely using a low pressure washer. It's gotta be good because it smells like spray paint when I apply it (right?).

Quotes source post: 17037103

I haven�t done the top yet. I�ll need to pick-up some 303 top cleaner. If it�s like the Graphene then it is probably pretty good stuff.

It's the 303 Fabric Guard I use, Marine grade. For cleaning I just use Meguiers.

Looks great Give P&S Bead Maker a try. After an initial heavy application, I spay on a light coat after each wash. Really amazing shine and protection

Reporting back after my track day at Roebling Road. I put about 100 track miles on them. The tires had pretty solid grip but not as much as a new set of Dunlop duirezza�s which is to be expected. They would slide a good bit in the tighter corners but they never let go completely. In the long sweepers they were stable and sticky. Predictable lap after lap in their behavior. They never felt greasy even towards the end of the day. Overall, I was pretty please with them. Should probably drop a comment about the 303 Graphene also, it is by far the best paint track prep I have used. Nothing is sticking to the paint which is awesome. Usually rubber is all over the paint and hard to get off. The 303 Graphene appears to be really good stuff.

Resurrecting the thread: For those of you using the ExtremeContact Sports, how are those holding up since this thread was last updated? I had a set put on last year in September, and have put on ~4200 miles since then. Just errands and the occasional cruise around town, and my rears are completely shot, down to the steel. Both worn pretty evenly and nearly bald. I had an alignment done ~800 miles after getting them installed, so everything should be in spec. Dealing with tire dealer (Big O) and opened a warranty complaint with Continental. Just curious how you guys are doing with yours.

Hmm. I have 25k miles on my extreme contacts. Rears are going faster but still have room before hitting the wear bars.

Have had no issues with mine. One track day and general use for about 8 months.

Have them on my 4S and also used them on my Mercedes CLK55 AMG. In both cases excellent wear and durability. Discarded the set on the Porsche more because of age rather than wear-only used from Nov-March for 7 years probably 20K miles in that time. Had them on the Mercedes for 15K miles or so with plenty of tread left before selling the car. Ordering new set this fall, very pleased overall with performance.

So I went and checked..I copied your waxing/cleaning/polishing regimen from 2018 and loved the results but as you said, lots and lots of effort over a couple days. This new method looks like it's worth checking out. Your car still looks fantastic.

I will second the 303 graphene. I’ve had it on my car for several months and it looks great. Obviously, prep is the most important part but for a last step it is easy to apply, nice and slick and lasts a long time. I haven’t had to do a complete wash and wax for at least 3 months. Just foam cannon and rinse and your done. it is by far the best hydrophobic coating for glass I’ve used. At $15 it’s worth it just for the windows. I believe it’s supposed to be UV blocking so it may keep the headlights clear longer. works good on trim WITHOUT texture. Smooth black trim looks awesome and I haven’t reapplied since Feb. I put some on the wife’s rav4 which has pebbled trim and it grayed it out.

I applied that to my 911, wife�s Mercedes and my F150 super crew, awesome product, not professional grade but good enough. Try it.