Factory Continental Tires not well regarded?

[AnnieWaits]

I am a bit confused with wear... Only 6/32 left after 18k miles. Mainly highway driving and 2x rotations. Unless they didn't come with high tread blocks, the wear doesn't make sense.

OE spec was 8/32", so they have "only" worn down 2/32" in almost 20,000 miles. The OE tread depth is low for similarly sized tires. Mine drive and handle well and are fairly quiet, but I will probably replace them with something else when the time comes.

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[MavDave]

I had a lady stop in the middle of a left hand turn in front of me a couple of Saturday's ago. I turned left to avoid rear ending her and hit the curb... I heard the dreaded thunk, and knew I scratched the wheel at least. I was just around the corner from my destination so I continued their. When I got their and went to look how bad the wheel was damaged, I saw the sidewall was leaking . Being that my continentals are about 4/32s, I just went to the used tire shop around the corner (after putting the spare on) and got a similarly used Michellen. I did notice the side wall was the flimsiest I have ever seen. Oh well, hopefully I will be getting a replacement set this week or next.

 

[AnnieWaits]

That stinks, and I'm glad it wasn't worse, but I'm curious as to how many miles you got out of the Continentals before they hit 4/32"?

 

[Hoagus]

Just curious... It seems that a lot of people on here don't care for the original Continental tires. Are there any particular reasons? I realize they are not for performance nor off-roading, so if you are doing those things they probably aren't for you. I have about 15,000 miles of basic every day driving on mine and they seem fine. They are relatively quiet and I've never had any traction issues. I rotated them at all three oil changes and the treadwear seems minimal. When the time comes, I probably won't replace them with the same, but I don't have any complaints about these so far.

They’re fine for driving conditions where I live.

 

[LongLivePeart2112]

Just curious... It seems that a lot of people on here don't care for the original Continental tires. Are there any particular reasons? I realize they are not for performance nor off-roading, so if you are doing those things they probably aren't for you. I have about 15,000 miles of basic every day driving on mine and they seem fine. They are relatively quiet and I've never had any traction issues. I rotated them at all three oil changes and the treadwear seems minimal. When the time comes, I probably won't replace them with the same, but I don't have any complaints about these so far.

Great question, thanks for asking it!

 

[FordDiehard]

Mine came with the Michelin primacy A/S.
Was that only the Lariat's?

Quite possibly, mine also came with Michelins.

 

[MavDave]

That stinks, and I'm glad it wasn't worse, but I'm curious as to how many miles you got out of the Continentals before they hit 4/32"?

Close to 25k, but apso lots of South Texas driving... so 85% or so 90 degrees+. Also recently replaced with much larger Hankooks hopefully they will last much longer.

 

[7Litre]

I'm not wealthy by any means, but at this point in my life I have a few things that I am very brand loyal about:
paper towels = Bounty, only!
bar soap = Safeguard!
OJ = Florida Natural
ginger ale = Vernors
and tires? = Michelin.

I can't believe I was in Ann Arbor last September and didn't have a Vernors! Duh!

 

[7Litre]

Look at bridgestone weatherpeaks as well. I just bought a set through discount tires Presidents’ Day sale plus another 10% veteran & using their credit card. Initial impression is smooth, quiet tire. a little stiffer than the rubbery continentals. Should have opportunity on snow and ice for remaining winter but expect to handle well in these conditions based on reviews.

I just had a set of those mounted on the factory wheels for my 2020 Sonata Hybrid to replace the Pirelli P Zeros. I've been running a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta 3s on steel rims the last 2 winters, but my wife says it looks "ghetto" without hubcaps. I plan to run the Bridgestones year-round, and if they do the job I'll put them on the Maverick too.

 

[dadd75]

I can't believe I was in Ann Arbor last September and didn't have a Vernors! Duh!

We moved from Michigan to SC about 1.5 years ago, and we also miss our Vernors!

 

[Alto Maverick]

The factory tires are acceptable but not good, and they come with tread depth which is equivalent to 25-50% tread wear on day one. Nothing bad about Continental, their top tier truck/suv tires are at the top of the heap in wet stopping and skidpad. I put Conti's on both my wife's primary vehicles for that reason: dws06 on the explorer sport, and a spare set of factory wheels wearing terraincontact HT's for the ranger tremor for the bulk of the year when she is just using it highway. Both are phenomenal tires. But ford spec'd a tire for the maverick that would get good CAFE ratings and cost less, and Continental provided that.

I took them off because I replace tires when I think they are less safe than ideal, not based on tread depth. For a mixture of fast average highway traffic, panic stopping idiot tourists, frequent torrential Florida thunderstorms, and slick mountain roads, I decided that it would be safer to replace them almost immediately.

Some objective data from tire rack between the stock tires and what I replaced them with:

Stock:

• Size:
  225/65R17
• Service Description:
  102H
• Load Range:
  SL
• UTQG:
  500 A A
• Max Load:
  1,874 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure:
  51 psi
• Tread Depth:
  8/32"
• Tire Weight:
  24 lbs
• Rim Width Range:
  6-8"
• Measured Rim Width:
  6.5"
• Section Width:
  9"
• Tread Width:
  6.5"
• Overall Diameter:
  28.5"

Falken wildpeak trails:

• Size:
  235/60R17
• Service Description:
  102H
• Load Range:
  SL
• UTQG:
  680 A A
• Max Load:
  1,874 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure:
  51 psi
• Tread Depth:
  11/32"
• Tire Weight:
  33 lbs
• Rim Width Range:
  6.5-8.5"
• Measured Rim Width:
  7"
• Section Width:
  9.6"
• Tread Width:
  8.2"
• Overall Diameter:
  28.1"

So that's a 38% increase in tread depth and 26% increase in tread width. Plus clear improvements in material, sidewall stiffness and puncture resistance. I kept the original tires, and I've never seen such thin, flimsy tires. Haven't regretted replacing them for a moment.

 

[SlowTime2011]

The factory tires are acceptable but not good, and they come with tread depth which is equivalent to 25-50% tread wear on day one. Nothing bad about Continental, their top tier truck/suv tires are at the top of the heap in wet stopping and skidpad. I put Conti's on both my wife's primary vehicles for that reason: dws06 on the explorer sport, and a spare set of factory wheels wearing terraincontact HT's for the ranger tremor for the bulk of the year when she is just using it highway. Both are phenomenal tires. But ford spec'd a tire for the maverick that would get good CAFE ratings and cost less, and Continental provided that.

I took them off because I replace tires when I think they are less safe than ideal, not based on tread depth. For a mixture of fast average highway traffic, panic stopping idiot tourists, frequent torrential Florida thunderstorms, and slick mountain roads, I decided that it would be safer to replace them almost immediately.

Some objective data from tire rack between the stock tires and what I replaced them with:

Stock:

• Size:
  225/65R17
• Service Description:
  102H
• Load Range:
  SL
• UTQG:
  500 A A
• Max Load:
  1,874 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure:
  51 psi
• Tread Depth:
  8/32"
• Tire Weight:
  24 lbs
• Rim Width Range:
  6-8"
• Measured Rim Width:
  6.5"
• Section Width:
  9"
• Tread Width:
  6.5"
• Overall Diameter:
  28.5"

Falken wildpeak trails:

• Size:
  235/60R17
• Service Description:
  102H
• Load Range:
  SL
• UTQG:
  680 A A
• Max Load:
  1,874 lbs
• Max Inflation Pressure:
  51 psi
• Tread Depth:
  11/32"
• Tire Weight:
  33 lbs
• Rim Width Range:
  6.5-8.5"
• Measured Rim Width:
  7"
• Section Width:
  9.6"
• Tread Width:
  8.2"
• Overall Diameter:
  28.1"

So that's a 38% increase in tread depth and 26% increase in tread width. Plus clear improvements in material, sidewall stiffness and puncture resistance. I kept the original tires, and I've never seen such thin, flimsy tires. Haven't regretted replacing them for a moment.

Down side is the weight. 9 lbs heavier per wheel is pretty bad. I have been shopping for new tires because the factory tires don't handle that well on corners, mostly due to the soft sidewall. was thinking about DWS06. But it looks like I need to spend $1000+ on rims to keep my unsprung rim/tire weights down to stock or less.

 

[Alto Maverick]

Down side is the weight. 9 lbs heavier per wheel is pretty bad. I have been shopping for new tires because the factory tires don't handle that well on corners, mostly due to the soft sidewall. was thinking about DWS06. But it looks like I need to spend $1000+ on rims to keep my unsprung rim/tire weights down to stock or less.

I agree completely. Went with the smaller 235/60r17 diameter to slightly offset the weight, comes out to 3 pounds and 1.1" diameter less than 235/65r17. So there's definitely a weight penalty, but it's not as extreme. It's tolerable, particularly with the 4k gearing. I was ok with it because I plan on what you're describing, a set of lightweight wheels and dws06 tires in 245/55r18. That way I can pick between them, leaving light off-road on heavy stock wheels and running a factory weight setup for the part of the year it's exclusively decent roads and gravel.

We rotate our vehicles through the year between NC and FL, so a second set means less compromises for conditions. I've been shocked, though, at how well the falken trails handle on the highway and in the rain. There's a dramatic improvement in cornering, and I'm glad I went with a size that didn'tincreaseride height. They feel close to a moderate performance tire, with just enough bite for the muddy, grassy logging roads at our place in NC.

 

[BasicblackXL]

I feel like the continentals are louder than the aggressive all terrains on my 3/4 ton truck.

 

[MavDave]

I feel like the continentals are louder than the aggressive all terrains on my 3/4 ton truck.

At about 5-6/32 mine got really loud

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