Factory continental tires are junk.

[Fordoldfart]

I gave up this week and bought a new set of Toyo At tires in stock size. The reason was I have had 3 flats and two ruined tires in 8000 miles. The Continental tires are way to thin and standard load rating 102. Yes I do drive some rock roads / gravel roads. One flat was from a tiny rock working it way into the tire. And finding anything heavier than a 102 load rating is next to impossible. These Toyo‘s are 106 rated. And a lot more aggressive tread. it didn’t hurt the ride and just mildly nosier the the Continental tires.
I will just have to see how they wear.

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[Tiger Dude]

you only needed two more though, right?

 

[Ozarkbeard]

I gave up this week and bought a new set of Toyo At tires in stock size. The reason was I have had 3 flats and two ruined tires in 8000 miles. The Continental tires are way to[o] thin...

I hate flats and I live on a steep gravel road. So I replaced the continentals at 199 miles.

 

[Stradbash]

I drive on gravel roads every day and have had no problems whatsoever. Sorry to hear of your bad luck.

 

[Bosquebass]

I had to plug one on my truck yesterday and I could tell how thin the plies are by how easy it was to insert the plug.
It's just a lightweight tire designed to get good gas mileage and run quietly on paved roads. I wouldn't run them off road but I wouldn't call them junk either.

 

[bobbyd454]

I gave up this week and bought a new set of Toyo At tires in stock size. The reason was I have had 3 flats and two ruined tires in 8000 miles. The Continental tires are way to thin and standard load rating 102. Yes I do drive some rock roads / gravel roads. One flat was from a tiny rock working it way into the tire. And finding anything heavier than a 102 load rating is next to impossible. These Toyo‘s are 106 rated. And a lot more aggressive tread. it didn’t hurt the ride and just mildly nosier the the Continental tires.
I will just have to see how they wear.

Fun Fact: neighbor totalled her BMW a couple weeks ago. She bought a Mercedes Benz. Guess what? They came stock, Continental tires were on it. I told her it was the same tires that Ford is using on their vehicles and she almost flipped her wig. She is 83.

 

[Silverado90]

Hmmm 22 XLT Hybrid 26,000 on my original Continental’s
Knock on wood, no problems. Rotated at 10k and 20k, wearing well.
Looks like they will out last my keeping the Maverick.

 

[VegasRed]

I gave up this week and bought a new set of Toyo At tires in stock size. The reason was I have had 3 flats and two ruined tires in 8000 miles. The Continental tires are way to thin and standard load rating 102. Yes I do drive some rock roads / gravel roads. One flat was from a tiny rock working it way into the tire. And finding anything heavier than a 102 load rating is next to impossible. These Toyo‘s are 106 rated. And a lot more aggressive tread. it didn’t hurt the ride and just mildly nosier the the Continental tires.
I will just have to see how they wear.

Curious. I drive gravel and rocky roads for the past two Summers launching my kayak in different spots on various lakes and have had zero flats.

 

[bluesteel]

I bought take-off rims with moderately worn contis and prefer them over the Scorpions on FX4 rims. That could be in part due to the better mpg of the new combination. But I’ve used them a fair amount on gravel roads with no issues yet. I can understand the concern for heavy users, though.

 

[Chilipepper]

I gave up this week and bought a new set of Toyo At tires in stock size. The reason was I have had 3 flats and two ruined tires in 8000 miles. The Continental tires are way to thin and standard load rating 102. Yes I do drive some rock roads / gravel roads. One flat was from a tiny rock working it way into the tire. And finding anything heavier than a 102 load rating is next to impossible. These Toyo‘s are 106 rated. And a lot more aggressive tread. it didn’t hurt the ride and just mildly nosier the the Continental tires.
I will just have to see how they wear.

Continental is the oldest independent and also one of the largest tire manufacturers in the world. Over the past 150 years they are from Germany. All my previous MG’s and Triumphs came with Continental tires and my motorcycles, have never had an issue.
The auto tires are designed for use on paved roads. You probably need a cross over tire for daily use.

 

[Bill429]

I gave up this week and bought a new set of Toyo At tires in stock size. The reason was I have had 3 flats and two ruined tires in 8000 miles. The Continental tires are way to thin and standard load rating 102. Yes I do drive some rock roads / gravel roads. One flat was from a tiny rock working it way into the tire. And finding anything heavier than a 102 load rating is next to impossible. These Toyo‘s are 106 rated. And a lot more aggressive tread. it didn’t hurt the ride and just mildly nosier the the Continental tires.
I will just have to see how they wear.

Not sure why, but my 2024 lariat came with Michelins.

 

[Gray Goose]

Curious. I drive gravel and rocky roads for the past two Summers launching my kayak in different spots on various lakes and have had zero flats.

I drive on gravel roads every day and have had no problems whatsoever. Sorry to hear of your bad luck.

Gravel roads are very different by region. Some are river rock/sand/dirt blend. These contain mostly smooth stone and are not problematic to tires. Other roads have material with a lot of schistosity. This is when stone breaks along sediment layers and the result is very sharp edges. Roads with a high level of schistosity have a tendency to shred tires.

I grew up on gravel roads, but over the last 50 years, many gravel road have been paved so the knowledge isn't as commonplace anymore. Here is a publication from another era with an in-depth analysis of gravel road material. Toward is end is a list various rock types and their suitability for road surface. https://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/ger_ic78_eval_rock_road_surfacing.pdf

 

[Fordoldfart]

you only needed two more though, right?

I bought the all 4

 

[Stradbash]

Gravel roads are very different by region. Some are river rock/sand/dirt blend. These contain mostly smooth stone and are not problematic to tires. Other roads have material with a lot of schistosity. This is when stone breaks along sediment layers and the result is very sharp edges. Roads with a high level of schistosity have a tendency to shred tires.

I grew up on gravel roads, but over the last 50 years, many gravel road have been paved so the knowledge isn't as commonplace anymore. Here is a publication from another era with an in-depth analysis of gravel road material. Toward is end is a list various rock types and their suitability for road surface. https://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/ger_ic78_eval_rock_road_surfacing.pdf

Agreed.
I live on a private one that I maintain.
Most of the ones I drive on are crushed limestone. It has pretty sharp angles when first graded or re-covered, but does change to a pretty smooth surface after a few weeks of regular traffic. The one I drive on every day was recently re-done, so there’s plenty of sharp edges and rough surfaces, enough that it’s uncomfortable to walk or run on.

 

[Cybertubbster]

I had to plug one on my truck yesterday and I could tell how thin the plies are by how easy it was to insert the plug.
It's just a lightweight tire designed to get good gas mileage and run quietly on paved roads. I wouldn't run them off road but I wouldn't call them junk either.

I agree with that assessment. You should get tires that work best for your road conditions and also the weather that you have to deal with. I commute 56 miles to and from work in 4 seasons of weather. All pavement and mostly highway. I like the continental tires and they have been great in rain and pretty decent in snow. Great quiet ride with excellent gas mileage. These tires are perfect for my driving situation.

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