ContiPremiumContact 2 185/50r16 tyres fitted.

[SnubNose]

Hi Guys
Well at long last I needed to stick my hand in my pocket for some new rubber.
Some will think me a tyre snob, but I will only ever fit premium brand tyres to my cars. With this tyre size there is not much choice, Continental, Bridgestone, for a standard summer tyre.
There is only a very small patch of rubber in contact with the road and I would like it to be as good quality as possible on dry or wet roads.
I fully appreciate that fitting the cheap tyres, that no one has heard of may appear to be a good idea when it comes to the bill but that is the only advantage. We all know that Audi only ever fit well known premium tyres to their new cars and there is a good reason for that!
Our A2 has only done 54,000 miles. The rear tyres were the original Pirelli P6000 and still had 4mm of tread left, were in remarkably good condition because the car has been garaged all its life (so very little uv damage). They just needed changing due to their age. The front tyres were Dunlop 9000, they were replaced at 26,000 miles and although had about 2.5mm+ of tread had worn on the inside edge of the off side tyre, and again changed due to age.
Our local KwikFit had a 20% off deal and I used Quidco for a little more cashback.
The Continentals were about £98 each but with the discounts came in at just under £300 for all four fitted.
Because of the uneven wear I had the tracking done on their super laser alignment machine, very clever and adjusted very easily for £30.
Before I had the tyres done I removed the wheels, removed the weights and cleaned and polished each of them. The came up like new which isn’t bad for being 14 years old. This saves the tyre fitter chiselling the weights and lacquer off with a bent, rusty screwdriver.
Had a few local runs on the new Conti’s but did 150 miles to Reading and back last week and the A2 felt great, really planted, grippy and quiet, well pleased, it is surprising how good and reassuring new tyres are.
Here are a few pics of KwikFit (who did a great job!) and the new tyres on my drive.

 

[PeterS]

That’s a very good price - good find! I paid £380 for a set of the same, fitted earlier in the year. Transformed the car - it was in a right mish mash if tyres when I bought it. Kumho also do tyres this size, or at least did, and I’ve seen them fitted to new Audi’s as well. They were usefully cheaper than the price I paid.

 

[andrewparkeruk]

I am in the process of switching from
Continental PremiumContact 2 185/50 R16 81H
fuel: C; wet: B; noise: 69dB
to
Continental EcoContact 5 185/50 R16 81H
fuel: B; wet: B; noise: 70dB
... only on one axle at the minute until the others require changing.

Having said that I am now considering going to Michelin CrossClimate on the 16” wheels when my winter 15” pepperpots / Michelin Alpin 5 come off and selling those. Yesterday it took me about four hours swapping from summers to winters, cleaning the summers before storing ... it is a lot of fuss in the Manchester area when most roads are gritted in snow and ice

Andrew

 

[SnubNose]

£300 is good - are they ‘V’ or ‘H’ rated, the latter should be good enough but technically they should be the former (well, that’s what my car had from the factory but on line places do put forward H rated tyres too)

Hi ULP
Yes you are correct these are “H” rated not “V” like the original Pirelli.
I did ponder on this for a while, I read the 21 pages of the ultimate tyre size thread (looks like peeps have tried every tyre size made but little discussion of speed rating) and many others threads. I looked at the handbook and the details that came with the car which provided details on the size but no real info on speed rating. As you say the on line places when you put in your reg suggest the H rated.
As the A2 comes with “T” (118mph), “H” (130mph) and “V” (149mph) rated tyres I thought common sense would suffice, so....
- The uk legal limit is 70mph
- My A2 was capable of 118mph when new
- Quality tyres, the correct size, rated to 130mph would be just fine

 

[SnubNose]

Kumho also do tyres this size, or at least did, and I’ve seen them fitted to new Audi’s as well.

I did not realise that Kumho were OEM on new cars, I stand corrected.
They still don’t seem to fall in to the premium category on the tyre sites but Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz can’t be wrong?

 

[SnubNose]

I am in the process of switching from
Continental PremiumContact 2 185/50 R16 81H
fuel: C; wet: B; noise: 69dB
to
Continental EcoContact 5 185/50 R16 81H
fuel: B; wet: B; noise: 70dB
... only on one axle at the minute until the others require changing.

That is interesting Andrew. I did look at the 5’s but the deal was on the 2’s.
Why did you switch and how many miles from them?
I had Contact 2 as OEM fitment on my A4 and was pleased with their performance.
I deliberately bought summer tyres as we have a Land Rover for the winter!

 

[andrewparkeruk]

@SnubNose I changed the two tyres several months ago. I think my reason was better reviews.
I had always been happy with the PremiumContact, then PremiumContact 2, but I think Continental are now up to PremiumContact 6 in some sizes.
As I am running only one axle (rear) on EcoContact 5 I can’t say I have noticed any difference.
Andrew

 

[allypug]

I am well impressed with Continental Premiumcontact tyres on my old A2, unbelievable wet grip, so with my current A2 went for Ecocontact tyres, not cheap at around £100 per corner. apparently the same 'B' wet weather rating.. absolute rubbish, slide all over the place in the wet and dry!!!

 

[SnubNose]

Hey AllyPug.
That is interesting and good news for me (not so much for you but thanks for your review of the PremiumContact 2 tyres.

 

[andrewparkeruk]

I am well impressed with Continental Premiumcontact tyres on my old A2, unbelievable wet grip, so with my current A2 went for Ecocontact tyres, not cheap at around £100 per corner. apparently the same 'B' wet weather rating.. absolute rubbish, slide all over the place in the wet and dry!!!

I am now on Continental ContiEcoContact 5 185/60 R16 81 H (B:B:70) on all four wheels. I can't say why @allypug thinks they slide, but I don't push my car hard around bends and wet roundabouts.
My observation: the sidewalls on the EcoContact 5 are very thin and flexible which may give vague control to someone looking for slot-car handling; the counter is they do appear to give a more comfortable ride on 16" rims than other tyres I have previously used.