Conti DWS-06 comparative review to Sumitomo HTR-Z5

When I bought my ‘10 cayman , it came with some pretty fresh 18”Sumitomo HTR-Z5 tires . A little over a year and almost 20k miles (and 1 track day) later, they were pretty tired. Overall, no real complaints with those tires other than I got a couple slow leak punctures that were easily fixed. Handling with the stock base suspension was good, not too harsh on bumps, but definitely understeered. Swapped in an S rear sway bar and it really woke up front end and felt more “natural”. Since the cayman is a daily driver, I figured more all around tires were a good idea, and I just got a set of Conti DWS-06 (stock 18” size) on the car this last weekend. Other differences that I don’t think matter are that they are on a new (to me) set of wheels off a 997 which are one inch wider in the rear (front wheels are same as oe), and spacers installed for suspension clearance (15mm in back and 7mm in front just to balance the look). I don’t have a ton of miles on the Contis, yet, but they definitely feel different. Key observations from going from a worn summer performance tire to a fresh all season: 1) steering is notably more vague. Not sure if that is sidewall construction or taller, smaller tread blocks. 2) ride is more compliant (tracks with point #1) 3) ride is quieter 4) ultimate dry grip is clearly less. The front tire breaks away progressively and earlier with a tread block scrub vs. more of a tire chirp like you’d hear on track and more pulling you around a corner. I was honestly a bit surprised by the drop in traction as I had a set on an Audi A3 and was super impressed with the grip, but compared to a proper sports car with summer performance tires (albeit not top of the line), it is definitely a step down. I do think it is a more appropriate tire for most of my driving in this car, but time will tell if I stick with this after they wear out, or if I go back to a performance summer tire.

Yeah. Porsche doesn’t even offer all season tires on their sports cars. The difference can be quite substantial compared to a summer tire during spirited driving. When I purchased my 987.2 Cayman 5 years ago it had a new set of Michelin all seasons on it. PS4 all seasons. I ended up getting a second set of wheels which usually wear Bridgestone RE71RS for the track. The all seasons are 560 treadwear and Bridgestones 200. What a massive difference in traction. It’s night and day. I’ve been waiting for the all seasons to wear out. But they won’t. They basically ruin the capabilities of the car. Like yourself I have the same exact tires on my daily driver sedan. Perfectly fine for that purpose. When the all seasons wear out I will get a set of Michelin PS 4S’s. A great summer tire that allows the Porsche to be driven with confidence.

My 986 came with fresh Sumitomo tires , mostly because they were the cheapest thing the reseller could slap on the car. I was not impressed, they went to the trash with plenty of miles left on them and were switched out for Michelin ’s soon after purchase.

After having the Mich. A/S4 tires on our car for nearly two years--replacing Conti Extreme Contact tires --I have to say street driving April-November with these tires gets the job done on a 981 , even when pushing it in lower temps. While I probably would not take them to the track, they have impressive grip , a firm ride and great turn in response for spirited street driving. I've had them on another car driven year round and they worked in very cold temps/light snow without issue.

The cayman IS my daily driver. My previous daily was the Audi A3, and that h has had both the contis as now it has pilot sport AS4S. Honestly can’t tell a difference between those two all season tires . I’m reserving judgement for now, but I’m already thinking of a set of font extreme contracts. fortunately (?) I put enough miles on this car that I’m confident I will wear them out soon enough.

Those were my first experience with performance summer tires . I know they are considered to be, at best… fine. Could you articulate the difference you felt when switching to the Michelins ?

Interesting to hear. I went from DWS 06 to PS AS/4S, and couldn’t tell a difference between those two all season tires (both good on the A3). Different car, different tire size, so maybe the transitive property doesn’t apply to tires . I am trying to reserve further judgement and see if I “get used to them” on my commute, where they will be fine. There is a mountain road I can take on my way home that I’ll try soon which will be telling.

I wonder if the feeling the front end isn't as planted has something to do with the wider rear tires ? And the spacers and wider rear rims? You've put a tire size combo designed for a rear-engine (weight biased) car - onto a mid-engine car. Apples to oranges sort of thing (besides the obvious difference in design between summer performance tires and all-season tires .) I've had DWS's on 4 different Porsches now. 3 of them were Cayennes. One is my boxster (on my 2nd set now). All have been stock sizes. On my first Cayenne , the DWS were replacing the horribly expensive Michelin all-seasons that were stock on that car. The car's ride quality was hugely improved. I could feel more sidewall flex as I went into corners with enthusiasm, but I never managed to break any end loose. That was cornering to the limits of an old guy (who had experience with pre-bias-ply tires .. scare the crap out of you when they let loose). The improvement in ride quality was outstanding. The next Cayenne , I tried a set of Nokian all-seasons on it - I was never able to balance those. The DWS were a big improvement over the Nokians, and I actually replaced them with a new set right before I traded it in, I had problems balancing the 6 year old ones - new ones fixed that. On the Boxster - the DWS replaced some aged Michelin summer tires . Stock sizes. I didn't notice any real difference in cornering, but the Michelins were about 6 years old (decent tread, but old and starting to dry-rot-cracking on the sidewalls.) The DWS's lasted 30k miles and 5 years before they became difficult to get a good balance on, so they got replaced with another 4 DWS-06-Plus, which balanced up just fine. My one complaint with the DWS - is the balance issues that appear to be from age of the tires , or perhaps the number of NJ potholes* they experienced in the 5-6 years of use. * = NJ is where potholes are grown for transplantation to NYC streets. Our pothole farms are only rivaled by our cranberry farms for exports to other states. Anyway - long story short - while it's interesting that you've found a difference, it's not comparing apples to apples, so that has to be taken into account.

My dad, before he had his own shop here in the pic. He was adamant that tires need to be best you can afford. My car is bone stock except a spin on adapter. I don’t spend money frivolously in life but on tires ? Whatever I want that they can get to my town. I’ve never felt this decision of luxury was a bad place to treat myself. At the top end of summer offerings? At some point it’s personal choice. The next set will probably be 4S but the current pilot supersports are fantastic IMO. The only brand I’m done with is Pirelli , wear characteristics aren’t to my liking.

The tires are the same size. 235/40R18 in front and 265/40R18 in rear. Both the Sumitomo and the DWS are the same size tires. The rear is stretched a bit more to fit on the 10” wide wheel, but this was stock spec on the base model 997 Carrera it came off of. I don’t think the spacers have much to do with it either because for a couple weeks, I ran the 7mm front spacers on the rear (the 15s were late, and the 7s were just barely not enough to work with the wider rear wheel). I could tell no difference with the 7mm wider track, and am going to extrapolate that the now 8mm wider track is functionally the same. There are indeed some minor changes to suspension and steering kinematics due to the front spacer, but the consensus seems to be that no one can tell a handling difference when adding the typical 7/15 spacers to their cars. So I don’t think it is apples and oranges, but will definitely concede it is 2 different varieties of apples. I know you are a fan of the DWS tires, and I generally am, too. I was just surprised at the first impression. I don’t think they “ruined” the car by any stretch, but definitely changed it a bit.

i think the ChatGPT answer to this question explains your original comments in the post very well. Bottom line is that an all season tire is going to feel exactly the way you described in your original post compared to a summer tire. The front end will feel less precise. ____ The sidewall construction of all-season tires and performance summer tires differs significantly because they are optimized for different driving goals — comfort and versatility vs. grip and precision. Here’s a detailed breakdown: 🧱 1. Sidewall Stiffness and Flexibility All-Season Tires: More flexible sidewalls designed to absorb road imperfections and provide a smoother ride. This flexibility also allows for better traction on uneven or cold surfaces, where the tire needs to conform to the road. However, more flex means less precise steering and slower response at high speeds or during aggressive cornering. Performance Summer Tires: Much stiffer sidewalls to enhance steering response and cornering stability. The rigidity helps keep the tire’s contact patch flat during hard turns, improving grip and handling. The trade-off: a firmer, sometimes harsher ride, and less forgiveness over rough roads. 🌡 2. Rubber Compound Sensitivity All-Season: The sidewall rubber compound remains pliable over a wide temperature range (typically 20°F to 100°F). This helps maintain comfort and durability in both cold and warm weather. Summer Performance: Uses compounds optimized for warm temperatures (above ~45°F). In cold conditions, the sidewalls can stiffen excessively or even crack, leading to poor performance and potential damage. 🏎 3. Reinforcement and Construction All-Season: Reinforced for longevity and comfort, not outright performance. Often features standard polyester cords and fewer plies for flexibility and reduced weight. Performance Summer: Uses extra reinforcement layers (like nylon cap plies or aramid fibers) in the sidewall and shoulder areas. These improve high-speed stability, cornering precision, and resistance to sidewall deformation during hard maneuvers. Feature All-Season Tire Performance Summer Tire Sidewall stiffness Moderate/Flexible Very stiff Ride comfort Softer, smoother Firm, precise Handling response Average Sharp, immediate Construction Fewer plies, comfort focus Reinforced, performance focus Temp range Cold to hot Warm to hot only Typical sidewall height Taller Lower (shorter) Common rating

Thanks to the OP for the timely thread. I'm a huge fan of the DWS06 for our daily drivers. I've put them on my wife's Mazda CX-9 (she loves them) and my Mazda 6 (I love them). As year round daily drivers, neither gets pushed to the limit. I'm now getting ready to replace the summer tires on my Boxster and 991, and while the DWS06 was my default choice because I'd like some mild winter versatility, this thread has me now contemplating whether to go with high performance summer tires instead. I've also been contemplating the Kumho Ecsta A/S (all season) as an alternative to the DWS06 for my Porsches, and was wondering if anyone here has any experience running those? Tire Rack rates them very well in a tire shootout, but the latest iteration is too new to have a lot of real world customer feedback to lean on to make a decision. Google AI leans to the DWS06

I will say my commute in to work today was very pleasant on the highway. I’ll be taking to twisty mountain road home for a more everyday “performance” feel on the 15mph switchbacks, etc. Unsurprisingly, tire designers know what they are doing and are providing many horses for courses, and it is up to us to define our course. It’s all compromises and value judgements. Another factor I weighted in was tire durability. After wearing out a set of summer performance in 1 year with primarily commuting, hopefully getting a second year out of a $1k spend seemed wise for the “2 kids in university” that is my current reality.

So the mountain road drive home was fine. Grip wasn’t a problem driving at reasonable to slightly above that speeds, and I could still be playful, just turned down a tick. Handling was consistent in feeling a little more soft than before, but it was still a pleasant drive home. These are a very reasonable daily driver tire. I wouldn’t recommend for a weekend toy car, or something you’d take over 7/10s capability.

I don’t have anything to offer in comparison between the two, but I can offer some usage advice on the DWS-06 Plus which I have on my M3 and 300CE. They’re great as all-season tires but if used as directed, their performance characteristics are a little lackluster… unless you ignore the inflation specs and run them 5psi higher. Doing that substantially ups their road feedback and performance, getting rid of a lot of the unwanted mushiness. Hope that helps!

I think I’ve settled on the change in feel being largely from the smaller (and taller) tread blocks squirming around. I think because this chassis is so well dialed in to convert road feel, it really amplifies the differences between tires more than a lot of other cars. I’ll play with tire pressure a bit and see if your +5psi trick helps.

I've had Contis DWS-06 tires on several of my cars. I think they're great tires for a more comfortable and quiet ride. Yes, they do feel more vague than some other tires , and so there is a definite trade-off there. I have DWS-06s on my 987 Boxster with no issues, but I don't track that car. On my daily driver I have Falken FK460 A/S tires . I've been very impressed with these as they have a sharper feel to them. But I haven't pushed these at all as they're on my daily (IS350). Curious if anyone has used these Falkens on a Porsche with more aggressive driving?

Thanks for mentioning the softer sidewalls on the DWS06, Iconn and RobL68 . My first experience with the DWS tires was with the 1st generation tire on my Jaguar daily driver. Wonderful tires, but the soft sidewall was disconcertingly apparent in spirited cornering. Overinflating the tires by a few lbs helped to reduce the severity the problem. I installed the second gen DWS06 on my next daily driver and noticed that Continental had substantially reduced the sidewall squirm, but there was still a small amount of squishiness in spirited driving. I was hoping the problem was completely gone by the 3rd gen DSW06+, but it sounds like it's still there...That's a disappointment, and the only thing that has me looking for an alternative. After doing some more research over the last week, I've decided on Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 as my next set. Both the Continentals and Michelins are excellent, and highly rated for wet and dry performance. From what I can tell, the Contis slightly edge out the Michelins on ice, for comfort and road noise. The PS4 edge the Contis out on snow, braking distance, handling and steering feedback (I'm guessing the last two factors are probably related to the squishy sidewall problem on the Contis). Tread life is indeterminate, with some online feedback saying the Contis last much longer, and other saying the Michelins do. The PS4s cost about $200 more for a set of four tires. To me, it's worth the premium to get sportier handling and better steering feedback on a high performance car. Here are a couple of the most informative reviews I came across if anyone is interested: And as a counterpoint, here's a 2025 UHP tire shootout from Tire Rack, where the DWS06+ comes out on top overall, despite the subjective assessments hinting at many of the things we've talked about in this thread.

I played around with it a little and while the tread blocks are part of it, adding 5psi dramatically changed the sharpness in steering response. I ran it as high as 35F/36R psi. The downside was an equal reduction in ride quality as it rode quite harshly (unsurprisingly) and was unpleasant for my use case. I’ve dialed back to 33F/34R and find that a happy compromise. It could also be that I’ve just lost the “feel” of summer tires and have forgotten what I’m missing, but these tires have grown on me and am reasonably satisfied with taking them on the twisty hilly roads I try to find on my errands/commute. interesting thing (to me at least), is that I also bumped up the psi in my wife’s Subaru Outback by about the same amount, and you can barely tell the difference. I’m guessing just squishier bushings in her car.

Daily driver road cars should get daily driver type tires meant for the roads they are used on. When grip limits are pushed too high to enjoy the use of the vehicle within a reasonable mph window, then what are we doing? Life is what happens while we're making other plans for the track- Proverbs 16:9

Agreed on this… mostly. What I would ideally like is a tread pattern/construction like a performance summer tire, but the compound of a more durable all season. To your point, we don’t need the all out grip these cars can handle for a DD, but I do lament (only very slightly) the change in driving experience, and would like some of the sporty sharpness back, but the overall compromise is appropriate for my use. The only place I disagree is in a panic situation (emergency stop, swerving to avoid something), then more grip is more better. However, a modicum of awareness can avoid nearly all of those situations and is better for other traffic/drivers, too.

Those are two good points , the sharpness and maximum braking compromise. I don't know exactly how to put the feel down in text. After the "downgrade" away from N compound, downgrading 30mm of tread width and down 1mm of wheel diameter, I feel I am at a better compromise also. The car feels more alive is the best way I can describe it. The meaty part of the slip angle curve is no longer out of reach, is my technical guess on where the difference in feel comes from. Everybody is different and wants for different things.