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Last updated 7/15/2024 - Originally published 7/15/2024
Written by SimpleTire
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When it comes to all-season tires, Continental and Goodyear can both be considered the go-to brands for many drivers. Both manufacturers have decades of design and manufacturing experience, both have been the first to introduce a number of tire innovations, both have designs that are informed by their extensive experience in the motorsports world, and both tire makers are so well-regarded that their tires are featured as OEM from the factory on a number of high-end vehicles.
All-season tires, are the biggest-selling category of tires around since they’re such a great Swiss Army Knife solution for most drivers. With that in mind, the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus and Goodyear ElectricDrive 2 are good examples of what a modern performance-oriented all-season tire design is all about.
While these tires have some common ground as far as specs, design, and performance, they also come with some key differences. In the course of this head-to-head matchup, you’ll see us refer several times to the SimpleScore numbers of these two tires. If you’re not already familiar, SimpleScore is the proprietary ranking system that the SimpleTire team has developed to give you a quick at-a-glance idea of a tire’s pluses and minuses. We take a look at specs, reviews, and other data points and then cook that down into a numerical score for the categories of traction, handling, and longevity, along with an overall average SimpleScore number. For the Continental and the Goodyear, the SimpleScore ratings break down thus:
Those are all some pretty admirable SimpleScore ratings, but as handy as SimpleScore is for a quick overview, it’s also still the 30,000 foot view that doesn’t get you the full in-depth picture of a tire’s strengths and weaknesses.
Let’s go in and get a closer look with this product comparison review:
Continental’s ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is a very popular model in the Continental lineup; it’s their flagship tire that’s designed to offer UHP levels of braking, traction, handling, and control along with the year-round versatility of an all-season tire. The ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus features Continental’s SportPlus tech package, which includes a reinforced 2-ply sidewall and Sport Sidewall Insert for crisp handling and cornering, with a high-strength triple-action hybrid cap ply for extra stability and rigidity. Its year-round traction comes from an asymmetric all-season tread design with macro blocks and chamfered block edges that help enhance dry-weather grip, while generous high-angle and circumferential grooves efficiently route water away from the tire’s contact patch to resist hydroplaning on wet roads. When the snow starts piling up, the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is ready with a system of Traction Grooves that pick up and retain snow to build snow/snow friction and a set of 3D sipes and X-Sipes multiply surface area and traction with hundreds of thin edges that slice through snow and slush.
The “DWS” in DWS06 Plus refers to Dry/Wet/Snow and is tied in with the tire’s Alignment Verification System that gives drivers an early heads-up to irregular or excessive tire wear. This ingenious feature is designed around Continental’s Tuned Performance Indicator, with the letters “DWS” molded into the tread at the second tread rib. When all three letters are visible, the tire is good for dry, wet, or snowy conditions. Once the “S” has worn away, the tire has enough tread depth to be safely used on dry or wet pavement, and when only the “D” is visible, the tire should have enough tread only for dry conditions. The ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is covered by a 50,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty from Continental. SimpleTire’s price on the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus starts at $134.99 per tire.
There are more and more electric vehicles(EVs) and hybrids on the road, and EVs put a unique set of stresses and challenges on a tire. The battery pack of an EV adds several hundred pounds to the vehicle’s weight, so EV tires need to be optimized to handle that extra weight and an altered center of gravity due to the battery pack’s placement. They also need to be designed for the instantaneous torque and power that EV motors can deliver and need rolling resistance that’s low enough to extend the range of EVs and get the most out of a single battery charge. Finally, EV tires need to be ultra-quiet on the highway so they don’t intrude on the low noise of EV cabins (with no exhaust note or drivetrain noise).
The ElectricDrive 2 from Goodyear is designed specifically for use on EVs, but it’s also suitable for use on conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) sedans, coupes, minivans, and crossovers. The ElectricDrive 2 is designed for year-round traction with an all-season tread pattern that includes circumferential and angled grooves with a dense network of sipes to enhance grip in wet or snowy conditions. SoundComfort foam in the tire’s internal plies helps absorb and deaden highway noise, and the ElectricDrive 2’s sidewall is redesigned for aerodynamics as well as being reinforced for extra rigidity and great handling properties. The ElectricDrive 2 employs an environmentally-sustainable tread compound infused with soybean oil and 50% renewable materials, helping cut friction and rolling resistance. Goodyear covers the ElectricDrive 2 with a 45,000 mile limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty. SimpleTire’s price on the Goodyear ElectricDrive 2 starts at $204.99 per tire.
How do the Continental and the Goodyear stack up against each other when it comes to traction? With a SimpleScore of 9.8 for the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus and 9.2 for the ElectricDrive 2, obviously, both tires look pretty good in this category. While the Goodyear’s all-season design is very good at enhancing grip year-round, the Continental’s asymmetric tread is loaded with innovations and features like two separate designs of sipes, macro blocks, chamfered groove edges, and the Traction Groove design that actually retains snow rather than shedding it to build snow-to-snow traction. The set of design elements in the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus’s tread pattern are so well-thought-out and comprehensive that it’s definitely enough for that near-perfect SimpleScore rating, so our decision is:
ADVANTAGE: Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus
When it comes to handling, the disparity between SimpleScore ratings is almost exactly the same: 9.8 for the Continental vs 9.3 for the Goodyear. The Goodyear is very capable when it comes to handling; it tracks accurately while cornering, its steering response is light and quick without being over-sensitive, it’s nice and stable at high speeds on the highway with solid road manners and it’s a tire that doesn’t really display any vices when it comes to handling. The Continental is designed as a UHP/all-season tire, though, with an emphasis on handling and cornering ability that’s inspired by Continental’s many years in motorsports. The ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus’s SPORTPLUS+’s design package of reinforced 2-ply sidewalls, rigid cap ply design, reinforced shoulders, and tread elements give it everything you need for confident, spirited performance on the twisty roads and the interstate offramps. Our decision:
ADVANTAGE: Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus
When it comes to service life, the two tires are even more closely matched, with a SimpleScore of 8.8 for the Continental and 8.7 for the Goodyear. When it comes to longevity SimpleScore ratings, it’s usually pretty cut and dried, with the limited manufacturer’s tread life coverage telling the whole story. That’s definitely what we’re looking at here, with the 50,000 mile coverage for the Continental vs 45,000 miles for the Goodyear. Easy call this time, our decision is:
ADVANTAGE: Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus
The first (and maybe most pertinent) question here is, what kind of vehicle are you driving? Like we mentioned, the Goodyear is optimized and purpose-built as a tire for EVs, with a special set of design features that are geared specifically toward electric vehicles and hybrids. Continental, however, claims that the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is suitable for use on EVs and ICE vehicles both. Both tires are excellent quality, premium all-season tires that deliver sparkling performance, a refined ride, low noise, and impeccable road manners, with the versatility of year-round traction. The only time that either of these tires won’t be a great choice would be in the kind of winter weather where there’s ice or several inches of snow on the roads, and to be honest, most all-season tires aren’t designed for that kind of driving and don’t perform well.
Here’s what it comes down to. While both the Goodyear ElectricDrive 2 and Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus are both extremely capable and competent tires, both loaded with cutting-edge features and innovations, there’s a pretty steep disparity in prices between the two, with the Continental coming in at a starting price of $134.99 per tire at SimpleTire vs $204.99 per tire for the Goodyear. We’d call it this way: if you’re driving a high-end EV and you want the confidence of knowing you’re equipped with a set of tires designed specifically for electric vehicles (and don’t mind another $75 per tire), then the Goodyear ElectricDrive 2 would be a great choice. If you’re less concerned with that aspect and are just looking for a great, dependable set of all-season performance tires with a generous limited manufacturer’s tread life warranty and year-round grip to go with that performance profile, then the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is the set of tires for you.
Still not sure which tire to buy? Fortunately, SimpleTire is here to help as our helpful agents are more than happy to assist you in selecting the right tire for your ride and budget.
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