Driving the R8 in the rain

[SebringSilver]

As some of you know, I recently installed new wheels on my car, and my choice of tire for the new set-up were the Continental ExtremeContact DWs. As the name implies, it's meant to work equally well in Dry and in Wet conditions. I wouldn't say the OEM Pirelli P Zeros were horrible in the wet, but it seems like these Continentals are really a step up (or more) from the Pirellis when driving on wet surfaces.

I'm sure some of you would think twice about driving the R8 in the rain, but up here in Vancouver, we get rain virtually 9 months out of the year, so it's pretty hard to avoid it. To be honest, I really like driving a very competent AWD vehicle in the wet stuff (my B7 S4 was just a monster in rain and snow), and the R8 is no exception.

Before I put the new wheels/tires on, I was using my OEM wheels shod with Pirelli Sottozero W240s, and they were phenomenal in low temperatures whether it was dry or wet, but now that the temperatures are warming up, I'm really glad I've purchased the ExtremeContact DWs. If any R8 owners are contemplating a new tire to replace the OEM Pirellis and their driving needs encompass a fair amount of dry and wet weather usage, I would not hesitate to recommend the Continentals.

[cmxi]

Thanks for the write up! Anything else that sets the Continentals apart from the Pirellis or vice versa?

[SebringSilver]

Thanks for the write up! Anything else that sets the Continentals apart from the Pirellis or vice versa?

It seems like the Continentals have a slightly softer sidewall, resulting in reduced road noise, and minutely improved ride comfort. This might come in particularly handy if anyone decides to get 20" wheels or to lower their car.