ContiSport Contact 3's - i am disappoint?

I was a bit apprehensive about these at first especially coming from the Eagle F1 Assymetric which grip wise I couldnt fault. But after a while, not sure how long, they got much better.
 
I can echo Fox's comments. I found that they took a good while to actually be scrubbed in, a bit of spirited driving helped at times.

I think mine took around 750 miles to see a notable improvement when I've used them in the past.
 
I've used Conti's on both a 330 and M3's. The M3's had the CSC2's but can't remember what I had on the 330. Anyway, I found the Conti's fine on the 330 but they did take a lot of warming to get decent performance out of them. Just pootling around town they were terrible, felt like I was on ice. Out on the road, fine after a while.

However, totally different story on the M3 IMO, really really poor all round in all conditions, when compared to similar priced tyres.

I have no experience of the CSC3's but after my previous experiences I swore I'd never buy Conti's again if buying in that price bracket. When I bought my last M3 the dealer was a bit miffed when I insisted they got those tyres of the car pronto.
 
[TW]Fox;18389612 said:
I was a bit apprehensive about these at first especially coming from the Eagle F1 Assymetric which grip wise I couldnt fault. But after a while, not sure how long, they got much better.
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The thing is though did they get much better or did you just get used to less grip?

Yes tyres do get better, on the Mustang it took a day to get tyres bedded in, infact it was generally the stretch of road outside the tyre fitters. :D :D :D

But in all seriousness there are some tyres that can take a lot of bedding in time and the F1 Assymetric can take 500-800 miles to scrub in, it could be the CS3 is similar and yes they are scrubbing in but I'd also suspect a lot of "they got better after 500 miles" is the owners perception of getting used to the characteristics of that particular tyre. :)

For me I now buy tyres based on either sidewall stiffness or what the manufactured fitted to that specific car as OEM.

BMW's E46 absolutely love Michelin PS2's, they are an epic tyre on the E46, especially the M3. The same for Porsches they run superb on Michelins but again a lot of Michelin tyres are Porsche OEM, just be sure to buy the Porsche specific ones.

The EVO came on Yokohama's out the factory either the A13C or A046/A048, two tyres that have sidewalls so stiff your teeth rattle out but the feedback and outright grip is sensational. The AD08 carries on this stiff sidewall tradition but in a very road capable tyre with odd bit of track work. :)

So for me I buy what the manufacturer put on the car originally as the suspension was designed/setup with that tyre in mind or a tyre that his stiff sidewalls so my car is full of feedback and feels like its on rails.

Sponges for tyres is not good, my winter tyres give this to an extent, though I must say not as bad as T1R's they really are made of cheese. But I can't wait for March so I can slap my AD08's back on and then look to trying out the new Michelin Pilot Super Sport in the future. :)

However if your running 35 profile or less then the sidewall stiffness argument is less amplified but still does have a noticable effect.

Also remember tread design can also effect handling/feedback too, tyres with large tread blocks can move around more on the tyres and this is why the first F1 GSD3's were very sticky, but also got a reputation of been very soft, large tread blocks are fine, but stiff sidewalls is a must then.
 
Dandle said:
Might be worth contacting them and asking. I know Tyrefort has a whole department testing and checking both faulty tyres and mainly counterfeit tyres bought from various sources including ebay.
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I just rang Continental UK Customer Services and the guy i spoke to said it is entirely possible for this to happen as "currently, the demand far outweighs the supply". I also read him the full DOT code and he confirmed that the tyre had come from one of their factories.

Howard said:
I've got nothing but praise for my Conti SC3s really, great in the wet or dry, understeer is minimal unless you're being ham fisted etc.
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This is why i bought them, but my experiences of them so far in the wet just aren't positive. I just went out for another drive and more understeer around bends my Potenza's used to not batter an eyelid at. Although the Conti's are so much more controllable when you're going fast on A roads. The Potenzas used to follow every tiny rut in the road which meant you had to constantly be adjusting the steering. The CS3's just glide though, which is so much nicer.

Howard said:
Wait until they're worn in a bit more and hopefully they won't seem so disappointing, and maybe experiment with the pressures, starting off with what BMW recommend
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I think this is what i'm going to do, i'm just going to have to wait for a while. If they're still like this at 1000 miles i don't know what i'll do!

[TW]Fox;18389612 said:
I was a bit apprehensive about these at first especially coming from the Eagle F1 Assymetric which grip wise I couldnt fault. But after a while, not sure how long, they got much better.
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hilly said:
I can echo Fox's comments. I found that they took a good while to actually be scrubbed in, a bit of spirited driving helped at times.

I think mine took around 750 miles to see a notable improvement when I've used them in the past.
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Glad to hear this ^^ Pretty much all of my driving is done on A roads so they get a good work out. I'll wait and see i guess. It should be noted though that the road isn't "wet" it's very much that horrible "greasy" condition. Even so, i expected more from the CS3's.

In the tyre tests, i assume the tyres brand new? If so i have no idea how the Conti's came so high in the wet handling tests.
 
Actually, Merlin drove my ST3 when it was fitted with conti 2's (ok not the same tyre, but not far off!) and he seemed to be ok with the level of grip. Especially when he was testing the tyres sidewall firmness around round-a-bouts! :)
 
Gaygle said:
Hi guys,

I was just wondering if anyone knew how long it takes for new tyres to scrub in?

I’ve recently switched over from Bridgestone Potenza’s to CS3’s and i’ve got to say – i’ve not been too impressed with the grip levels from them. I’ve driven them in the exact same way to how i always have driven and noticed the traction control light coming on when i put the power down in 2nd, the ABS kicking in far quicker than it ever used to and today i experienced a lot of understeer on several corners that i’ve never felt before.

That said, ride quality is loads better, but it certainly lacks the “crisp” turn in of the Bridgestones. All the tyre pressures are fine and i’ve been using them for about 500miles (of A roads).

Any advice welcome!
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100% agree, im sliding all over the show, under steering wide at corners, wheel spinning without trying etc... really disappointed, as with Goodyear Eagles i rarely, if at ALL had wheel spin, even when trying to do so.
 
People forget that the type of car will have a hugh impact on the way the tyres work. On a Mini the tyres might be epic, on a 7 series they might be pap. Same with which wheels are driven etc etc. THIS is why Evo tyre tests like any such test should be taken as a snapshot in time and a feel not a fact for all cars in all situations. Those Goodyears you all rave about were crap, utter and total crap on my RS4. Since putting PZero's back on it brings it home to me. Soft, inaccurate and generally understeery when pushed. The PZero's are much hard in the ride but they feel tighter but I do recall the Goodyears took longer to come in, over a thousand miles but I also suspect that was also a bit of placebo effect as I became more use to them.
 
I really love the CS3s, especially in the wet. Only have them on the rear, but they get an excellent amount of grip. The Pirelli Zeros that I took off were pretty useless. Haven't decided what to put on the front, may put CS3s on, will see how the mood takes me at the time. Also waiting to see what the wear rates are like.
 
[TW]Fox;18392945 said:
Err lol?

Why wouldnt you just match whats on the back. Having mismatched tyres is a bit daft, especially through choice!
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Does it really make that much difference? I always figured as long as you matched both rears to each other and both fronts to each other you would be fine. My fronts weren't even close to needing a change, so I figured I would wait - can do without another £300 bill at the moment! If the CS3s turn out to give me poor grip with the car, I will choose a different brand. So far so good though.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
Does it really make that much difference? I always figured as long as you matched both rears to each other and both fronts to each other you would be fine. My fronts weren't even close to needing a change, so I figured I would wait - can do without another £300 bill at the moment! If the CS3s turn out to give me poor grip with the car, I will choose a different brand. So far so good though.
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stick Goodyear Eagle F1s on the front, and ditch finders on the rear of a FWD car and if you dont spin within 3 corners ill be supprised :D
 
CaptainRAVE said:
Does it really make that much difference? I always figured as long as you matched both rears to each other and both fronts to each other you would be fine. My fronts weren't even close to needing a change, so I figured I would wait - can do without another £300 bill at the moment! If the CS3s turn out to give me poor grip with the car, I will choose a different brand. So far so good though.
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On some cars it can make an enormous difference. Do it on a 3 Series Sport for example and with the wrong combination of tyres it can completely destroy the handling.
 
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