Continental ExtremeContact DW, experiences?
 

Since I don't know when or if I am getting a BRZ this summer I need some new summer tires. Not looking to spend a fortune so I'm basically looking two tires: Sumitomo HTR Z III and Continental ExtremeContact DW since my tire size is 215/50/17

Wanted to know if anyone has experience with how long the wet layer lasts. Or any other tire suggestions

I have had great experience with Continental tires. Currently running Continental ExtremeContact DWS on both of our cars. They have been fantastic. Great traction in rain and snow. Quiet at highway speeds. And great traction/handling on dry. For a summer tire I am sure the DW would be just as good. I say go for it. I expect the tires to last over 50k as that is what the previous set did. I believe it was close to 55k.

I used to run Conti Contact II's 255/35/19 F and 285/30/19 R before on my old G35 and I really liked them. They were extremely quiet and were great on wet roads. I wouldn't say they were better than Michellins PSII's or Bridgestones but they weren't that far off. They're fairly cheap too.

I've got the Sumitomo HTZ III on my M3, switching to Dunlop Star Specs this weekend (I'm very excited). The problem with the Sumitomos was after 3 autocross laps, they turn into greaseballs. Not a bad tire to DD, but doesn't cut the mustard on an autocross course. They never were great in the rain, but my M3 likes to get loose in the rain regardless of the tire. But yeah, excited about switching to the star specs.

I've got Dunlop SP SportMaxx TT on my Civic Si, and those have been great in the rain. Just a hair squishier than I thought I'd like, but they've been perfect daily driver tires.

The Conti ECDW is a phenomenal tire. Two years ago I never thought I would say that about a three-season performance tire, but I've now got them on both my car (tC) and my wife's (Integra).

I personally wouldn't use them as a track day tire except in the wet (which I have done) but if you are only doing one HPDE or a couple AXs a year they will hold up fine in all but brutally hot weather. In the wet, the DW will smoke just about any other comparatively priced performance tire on the market [there is another thread on here about tires where I posted a bunch of test data].

I have a set of ECDWs on my spec.B for the summer. Excellent wet traction, great dry grip, and very quiet for a max performance tire. They are also rather light and inexpensive. The only downside is that they don't have the sharpest turn-in. And their rounded shoulders mean you're not getting the largest contact patch you could get for the tire width.

But if you're not counting 10ths, this is a great tire choice and I don't hesitate to recommend it for a summer daily driver tire.