mx5cartalk.com

Hi guys,

I needed a new set of tyres.

As a yardstick to measure all other tyres by - the Bridgestone ER30 Turanzas (that were OEM equipment for 205/45/16) were great. Gripped very well, fantastic in the wet, were comfortable and very quiet when going hard (no chirping), great mileage. An all round good performer, but very high maintenance for $300 a corner to replace so I looked elsewhere.

At around the time BJ was converting his car into a monster - he put on Pirelli P Zero Neros - I thought I'd give them a go - FANTASTIC - eclipsed everything in every category - I loved them to death - $270 a corner BUT GOD DAMN! The pleasure I got out of them was immense. Unfortunately....Pirelli stopped making them ...so I had to find myself a new biatch

Goodyear Eagle F1's. Goodyear were offering a buy 3 (get the fourth tyre free). So I bought these. A lot of other guys had them and on miata.net - they got rave reviews from tirerack.com, but I never had much luck with them.

Enter Continental!

God Damn! I got the ContiSportContact2's - available at around $210 a pop if you shop around.

1) Supremely comfortable - they absorb all the bumps. Have you ridden/dríven a new NC? Do you like how well it absorbs bumps? Want your car to be as comfortable as an NC - these tyres will do it! Wanna reduce bone-jarring rattles when you go over bumps and manholes - these tyres will do it. For anyone looking for a smoother more comfortable ride with much less rolling noise - give these a try.

2) Grip - Bucketloads of grip, When you are nearing the limit of adhesion there is absolutely no chirping. Just a soft whooooshh sound. But here is what I found - my driving style is such that if I enter corners at insane speeds I would brake (prior to entering the corner) and let the momentum carry me through for a second till I reached the apex. Driving in such a fashion made the car slide a tiny bit and you could hear the soft whooosh sound. However these tyres performed better if immediately after I braked I punched it into and through the corner (as if trying to induce oversteer) and they stuck on catapulting me through even quicker. I simply cannot believe it.

3) In the wet - we are going through a heatwave, no water around anywhere, but I can't wait for winter.

All in all just a great tyre - better than the Turanza, equal possibly better than the P Zero Nero for dry grip but the P-Zero wasn't as comfortable. They are just elite tyres.

Continental ey, these the same brand that makes your favourite Creamy Mushroom Chicken dinner?

How did you know I like creamy chicken? My favourite dish is the creamy chicken a cafe primo

Actually they are made in France, I thought...meh its not Germany but if they're OEM for mercs and porkers and michelins are made in France they'll be good enough for the mx5

BTW - I thought my original post was a little racist and sexist so I edited the words, apologies if I offended anyone

Blackmax had these on his 5 and he loved them from all accounts.

[quote="Chris P"]
3) In the wet - we are going through a heatwave, no water around anywhere, but I can't wait for winter.
[/quote]

Hehe... I've been using these since the OEM 17" Toyos wore out in 15k km... First got a set of 17" ContiSC2 (they were $350ish per corner). Loved them to bits... then when that set wore out 30k later, I put on a set of OEM 16" NB rims on along with 16" ContiSC2 and still loving them.

FWIW, the wet grip is outstanding!!! It has the same level of wet grip as the Toyo's did in the dry!!! Now that's saying something...

RDM

They dont seem to work as well on VW's. rjastra has them as OEM on his PoLo GTI (16\") and Black04RSC has the same on his Golf GTI (17\") and they make heaps of noise as in tyre rumble on coarse road surfaces and squealing through corners. Driving through a set of corners sounds like an American car chase in a B-grade movie. They seem to hang on OK till the dreaded FWD understeer kicks in and they plough across the road. They are wearing out pretty quick on rjastra's PoLo as well. I'm not particularly impressed with them. The ones they have are made in Germany. Maybe the French ones are better? And maybe they work better on an MX5 than they do on a tarted up shopping trolley?

[quote="RDM"]
FWIW, the wet grip is outstanding!!! It has the same level of wet grip as the Toyo's did in the dry!!! Now that's saying something...
[/quote]

Oops... I should also add that when they wear down a bit, the wet weather grip becomes atrocious and it aquaplanes quite alot (so be careful). The tread pattern is made of several solid ribs along the length of the rolling surface, so when the tread wears down, there's no evacuation of the water... but then again, I do tend to use my tyres right down past the wear marker - ie until it's not there anymore...

Hmmm Gary, it's interesting you should say that about the OEM fitment on VWs (there are plenty of reasons why they wouldn't behave the same on a VW - higher centre of mass, heavier weight, FWD, chocolate bar chassis - not that I don't like them)... When I first got my 16s, they didn't feel all that great (especially having just come off the 17s). But after a few spirited runs and the usual suburban slalom, I've grown used to the increased flex but they still stick like poo to the proverbial blanket... For the price, I reckon they're worth trying out just for the sake of science. They are cheaper than the Michelin, Dunlop and Bridgestone alternatives and no doubt better than the Falken, Sumitomo, Kuhmo, Hankook etc options... plus I think you can still get a freebie Conti golf umbrella with a full set of Conti tyres... As for wear, my Toyos lasted a mere 15k, then my first set of Conti's lasted 30k of similar driving (including trackdays). And my current set are at 15k now and still look on track to make 30k without a problem.

RDM

Chris P wrote: However these tyres performed better if immediately after I braked I punched it into and through the corner (as if trying to induce oversteer) and they stuck on catapulting me through even quicker. I simply cannot believe it.

I would be interested if you can still do this a week from now.... nuh don't think so