What makes an ‘ultra high performance’ tire? These three things.

Even to the untrained eye, you can see there’s something different about how Continental’s ExtremeContact DWS06 tire grips the road. It’s almost like it’s expanding to get as much of the tire on the road as possible. That’s a key feature for tires categorized as ultra-high performance, or UHP for short.

According to Continental’s Chief Driving Instructor Matt Mullens, with a high performance tire you can “expect a sporty ride, smoother lane changes, better steering precision, and cornering stability.”

To understand how the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is redefining high performance tires, just take a look inside the Continental Tire High-Performance Technology Center, where they are engineering sophisticated tire concepts, manufacturing tire prototypes, and innovating new production methods.

This is where the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus was born, over 100 years in the making. It all starts with the molecular structure of the rubber material. Each component is tested in the lab. Non-rubber elements, like the tire’s reinforcement, is also tested to a granular detail with robots as well as the human touch. Every year, over 250,000 tires go through this Continental Tire testing facility before a final product is released.

The result: A UHP tire creates an enhanced driving experience with precise handling in all weather conditions. Basically—zero compromise. It’s a tire that completely maximizes the performance of your vehicle, meaning a balance between three needs:

Optimal Grip

Features like the “SportPlus Technology” improves handling and grip, with X-sipes and traction grooves that create precise handling—even security on wet, slippery roads.

Precise Steering

Steering precision is improved by an inner and outer tread pattern that delivers incredible support for lateral forces while cornering. Force vectoring has an advanced macro block design with stiff center ribs and asymmetric concave longitudinal grooves to greatly enhance overall stability.

Short-distance braking

A special rubber compound called “Black Chili” delivers shorter braking distances in all weather conditions. As a micro flexibility compound, it ensures optimal interlocking between the tire and the surface of the road. This provides better acceleration and shorter braking distances at high or low temperatures as well as wet or dry conditions.

A delicate balance of all three

All three of these elements—optimum grip, precise steering, and braking distance—combine to create an unrivaled performance balance. More than anything, a high performance tire is for people who love driving. It’s almost impossible to describe, but you feel like you’re connected to the road when you’re in the car. It’s an extension of yourself—like you developed a new human sense while you’re on the road. If that’s the case, your sixth sense is now the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus.