Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 vs Contiental ExtremeContact DWS06+

Both the Michelin’s Pilot Sport All-Season 4 and the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 offer top-notch ultra-high performance all-season performance. So deciding between them can be a challenge. But let me help you with that.

In comparing the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 and the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus, Michelin leads in dry and wet braking, while its counterpart excels in handling. Neither tire holds the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake certification, but Michelin fares better on snow. Moreover, Continental slightly outlasts its peer in durability, and while Michelin offers a smoother ride, both have similar noise levels.

Available Sizes

The Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 comes in 16 to 22 inches wheels, and they come with the following specifications.

• Speed ratings: Y on all.
• Load ratings: SL and XL.
• Tread depth: 10/32″ on all.
• Weight range: 19 to 35 lbs.
• Treadwear warranty: 45k miles.
• UTQG rating: 540 AA A.

On the other side, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus comes in 16 to 22 inches rims. And all those sizes have following specifications.

• Speed ratings: W and Y.
• Load ratings: SL and XL only.
• Tread depth: 10/32″ on all.
• Weight range: 18 to 35 lbs.
• Treadwear warranty: 50k miles.
• UTQG rating: 560 AA.

Learn all about speed rating here.

External Construction

The Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4, comes with an asymmetric tread design, showcasing 5 total ribs.

Centered on its three primary ribs, these create four circumferential channels.

Each rib is uniquely designed, where the central (most) rib comes with lateral in-groove notches.

The adjacent ribs although carry similar kinds of notches, they both have different siping pattern from one another.

I mean as you can see, one rib is characterized by V shaped sipes, while the other with circular.

Moving towards shoulders, they also also vary from one side to the other.

Where one side comes with zigzag lateral grooves, and circular siping, while the opposite side seamlessly blends lateral and longitudinal siping with snow vices.

Internally the tire comes with 2 ply polyester casing with 2 steel belts, and a nylon cap ply.

Moving towards the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus, this tire comes with a more biting asymmetric tread pattern.

Now this tire comes with a 4 rib structure, where of course the highlight is the one out of 2 central ribs.

This rib features a lot of grooves, going in all directions.

And here blocks feature “plus-shaped” siping and sharp edges.

Notably, these blocks also incorporate snow vices oriented to the right.

(Similar snow vices are also seen on one of the shoulder ribs and central rib adjacent to the thicker one).

Shoulders have a very plain structure, where they only have lateral linear siping and prominent tread voids.

Internally also comes with 2 ply polyester with twin steel belts, though its nylon cap ply is composed of stiffer cord materials.

Overall Wet Performance

The proficiency of a tire in wet conditions boils down to two main factors: overall traction, which includes grip and handling, and its ability to resist hydroplaning.

Let’s start with later.

Hydroplaning Resistance

At the heart of hydroplaning resistance is the tire’s capability to channel water away from its tread, primarily using its grooves. This prevents water from creating a barrier between the tread and the road, which leads to the unsettling experience of hydroplaning.

(Which is basically the floating of a tire).

Now here, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus stands out, with its array of grooves, spanning multiple directions, clearing off water effectively.

This design not only ensures impressive straight-line performance but also excels in curved aqua scenarios.

On the flip side, the Pilot Sport All Season 4 falls a bit short here.

While it does channel water away, it primarily focuses on longitudinal dispersion due to its missing lateral voids, (referring to its unbroken ribs).

This aspect impacts its overall wet performance since the reduced water evacuation through grooves places more reliance on the tire’s siping, which we’ll discuss next.

Wet Grip and Handling

Now here, the same things happening. Though its very interesting. Let me break it down.

Now, among all high performance all season tires, I’ve reviewed, the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 offers the best wet braking, where it stops a notable 4 feet shorter than the DWS 06.

However, when it comes to handling, the Michelin doesn’t quite match up to its counterpart. And in these conditions, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus offers the best overall handling (compared to the rest).

I mean its surpassing all other high performance tires (in its category) in both objective measurements and subjective evaluations.

And the answer again is the steering response.

While Michelin excels in corner entry, thanks to its stellar braking, the Continental gives superior performance during mid-cornering and exit. And this upper hand can be attributed to two primary factors:

• Its enhanced hydroplaning resistance ensures more efficient water evacuation, reducing the workload on the sipes.
• And the Continental benefits from a range of grip-boosting features, including full-depth interlocking siping and multiple traction enhancers, distributed in various directions.

These sipes are designed to flex, creating an effective suction that helps push away water, ensuring the tire remains in firm contact with the road without water interference.

Interesting Note: Out of all the top Ultra High Performance All-Season tires (that I’ve reviewed so far), the Michelin PSAS4 ranked for wet braking, while DWS06+ leads in terms of wet handling. See my list of top ranking UHPs here: https://tiredriver.com/best-ultra-high-performance-all-season-tires/

Winter Traction and Stability

While both tires tout themselves as all-season champions, they miss the mark by not having the esteemed 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake stamp.

(This certification indicates a tire’s enhanced capability to perform 10% better on snowy surfaces compared to the typical all-season tire without this rating).

Though still they are great, and here the Michelin Season 4 is one of the best.

I mean, there are 3 key winter performance factors, braking, acceleration, and cornering. And the Michelin excels in all these tests.

(Its notable highlight is its ability to maintain higher speeds during turns, pointing to its excellent lateral traction).

On the other hand, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus falls a bit short in overall winter scores. However, it does bring some appreciable features to the table.

I mean it provides you with excellent snow traction with its interlocking central lugs and numerous biting edges on the tread. These edges trap snow, fostering good snow-to-snow contact. This is essential since snow adheres better to itself than to rubber.

Yet, despite these features, Continental’s overall winter traction still trails behind the Michelin Pilot All Season 4.

Pavement Performance Analysis

Overall dry effectiveness comes down to tire’s acceleration capability, stopping efficacy and cornering (combined with steering feedback).

Let’s start with the grip.

Overall Grip

Now this grip depends on the central tread area, as that’s where most weight is focused, as the tire rolls straight.

Now in case of Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus, the tire really excels on dry roads, where it offers superb braking and acceleration efficacy.

And why won’t it be, its tread design featuring multiple in-groove notches that span in multiple directions, allowing it to maintain a firm grip at various angles, leading to strong longitudinal traction.

However, when measured against its competitor, the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 still pulls slightly ahead, particularly in dry braking, where it stops 2 feet quicker.

So why is that happening?

Well because Michelin basically having more streamlined longitudinal ribs, allow for better straight line rolling.

In other words, since this grip here is a directional metric, measured by braking distance, longitudinal alignment of Michelin’s ribs with a lot of lateral biters allow for slightly better overall traction.

Lateral Traction and Steering Characteristics

Let’s start with the grip, which is measured by lateral g force, (and leans heavily on the tire shoulders).

And in this domain, Michelin All Season 4, coming in with greater rubber-to-road contact, pulls ahead with superior values.

However, even with greater lateral traction, the tire isn’t able to provide you with quicker laps (a direct measure of overall handling).

So what’s happening here?

Well, basically Michelin All Season 4 falters slightly in steering. In high-intensity situations, rapid steering causes the front to lose its hold, leading the car to drift forward, while the rear tends to spin, complicating regaining control.

Again talking about extreme situations here, where your pulling to stay ahead. And here the tire is able to “pull off” handling lap times, which are at best similar to Continental’s if not lacking.

The Continental DWS 06 Plus, despite having a slightly tendency to understeer, marginally outpaces with its lap times, albeit by less than a mere second.

Its strength? Clear communication mid-corner and a solid on-center feel post-cornering.

On the other hand, while the Michelin excels in braking and hence gives you a great corner entry, it lags a bit during the mid and exit phases of the turn. (Note how I talked about 3 crucial stages of cornering here).

Fuel Consumption and Tread Life

Fuel efficiency and tread life are closely linked to factors like a tire’s rolling resistance, weight, tread depth, and composition. And in this regard, both tires perform above average.

I mean grip comes at a cost, since it generates more rolling friction, but still these tires with features such as reinforced foundations underneath all its lugs, and stable internal constriction get to do okay overall.

These features basically keeps lugs from bending a lot.

And with lugs staying in shape, energy is channeled into rolling the tire, rather than being used up in reshaping the tread. And yes, it also reduces heat buildup in the lugs, which can wear out the tread faster.

So when comparing the two, both score similarly. However, if you had to choose based on longevity, the Continental DWS06 Plus edges out slightly.

And it makes sense why it gives 5k extra miles warranty compared to the Michelin.

Overall Comfort Quality

Driving comfort is primarily influenced by two key factors: tread noise and the tire’s capacity to absorb road imperfections, based on its composition and design.

Let’s start with later.

Ride Smoothness

Ride smoothness basically tells about the tire’s ability to act as a secondary suspension, where it buffers against road bumps and inconsistencies.

And here, although the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus offers superb handling stability, it still lacks to its Michelin counterpart.

I mean its ride feels slightly bumpier at times, hurting its overall “subjective” scores. And that’s mainly due to its stiffer nylon cap ply, predominately.

For Your Info: The newest addition, the General G Max 07 tops both these tires here, review the tire here: https://tiredriver.com/general-g-max-as-07-review/

Road Noise

When it comes to noise, the Continental produces a subtle hum that effortlessly blends with the background noise.

And Michelin, while of similar loudness, has a unique, slightly higher-pitched sound that changes based on the road surface.

But overall both tires are equally, you can say, “loud”, in the group.

But why? Well to get this, you should know that noise primarily arises when air, entering the tread via shoulder grooves, clashes with tread walls.

Basically the impact of tread striking is what’s creating the unwanted sounds (while rest is rolling and in-groove sounds).

That’s why both of these tires, unlike their quieter counterparts, don’t have anything blocking their open shoulders, allowing air to freely get in. And with such high grip, they also create a loud white noise that’s always there.

However, both tires employ techniques like advanced pitch sequencing and specialized tread compounds to curb this noise. And without these innovations, the tires would likely be noisier.

Side Note: Among all the UHPAS tires I’ve reviewed, the Vredestein Hypertrac All Season (review) ranks for providing you with one of the best bumps + noise comfort.

The Verdict?

In my comprehensive review, both boys exhibit strengths across various terrains and conditions.

In a head-to-head comparison, the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 excels in dry braking and wet performance braking, while the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus shines in handling and steering response.

And for winter, although neither tire has the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake certification, Michelin takes the lead, overall, while its peer does pretty great in the snow department.

Moreover, both tires offers similar performance in terms of tread life and fuel efficiency, with Continental having a slight edge in durability.

For ride comfort, Michelin offers a more cushioned ride, but both tires have almost similar noise levels.