Continental Pro Contact Tire Review

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About the Continental ProContact

Continental is a premium tire brand, with a strong industry reputation. It’s renowned for producing some of the best tires on the market, which perform outstandingly well and last long. And, the Continental ProContact is no exception.

The Continental ProContact is a grand-touring all-season tire, designed for drivers of sedans and coupes. According to Continental, this tire is built to deliver a well-balanced blend of performance, comfort and fuel economy.

Design Features and Technologies

Continental has provisioned the ProContact with some of its latest technologies, as well as a couple of advanced features. These features and technologies are designed to ensure that the tire can perform well across different terrains, conditions and surfaces. Some of this all-season tire’s features and technologies include:

All-Season Tread Compound

The Continental ProContact features an all-season tread compound, shaped into a symmetrical tread pattern. The tire’s tread pattern also features optimized sipes, which interlock, to deliver optimal stability as well as dry traction and handling. Also, the tire comes with optimized shoulder lugs, designed to provide enhanced steering response and better high-speed stability.

Arched Shoulder Edges

The Continental ProContact also comes with arched shoulder edges. These arched edges on the tire’s shoulders are designed to boost its all-weather traction and overall performance. They provide extra biting edges for the tire, to enable it to dig deep into the surface, whenever you are driving on snowy, icy or slippery surfaces.

Notched Center Rib

Another standout feature of this all-season grand-touring tire is the notched center rib.  For most tires, the center rib is usually smooth. So, what difference does it make to have a notched center rib compared to a smooth one? Well, the notched center rib features a series of sipes and notches, which help to deliver superior grip and better overall stability. Also, the notched center rib helps to enhance steering responsiveness, especially when you are driving on snowy or slippery roads.

Wide Circumferential Grooves

The ProContact also features four deep and wide longitudinal grooves. These longitudinal grooves help the tire to get rid of water from its tread area. And as a result, issues of aquaplaning will be minimal. Consequently, you will enjoy better traction and performance in wet and slippery conditions.

Sturdy Construction

As earlier mentioned, Continental is renowned for producing reliable and durable tires. And this is also the case with the ProContact. Its interior features two steel belts, reinforced with spirally wound nylon. This sturdy internal construction is designed to enhance the tire’s high-speed stability. It also helps to boost the tire’s durability.

Performance in Different Conditions

Continental makes bold claims about this tire. The question is, does it perform as advertised? Well, we decided to test it ourselves, to confirm whether its performance is at par with how it’s advertised. We mounted a set on a Honda Insight and conducted different tests across different surfaces and conditions. And after testing this tire for several hours, we made the following observations:

Dry Performance

The Continental ProContact delivered higher levels of grip and traction, compared to most of the all-season grand touring tires we’ve so far tested. As much as this may not be an ultra-high performance tire, it has an element of sportiness around it. In fact, we can confidently say that it delivered a better performance than advertised.

Braking was steady, solid and reliable, the steering felt precise and direct while the handling was great. Overall, if you are looking for an all-season grand touring tire that will deliver precise handling and seriously high levels of grip and traction, then the ProContact is the tire for you.

Wet Performance

As previously mentioned, the Continental ProContact comes with four deep and wide circumferential grooves. And these grooves play a key role in evacuating water from the tire’s tread. As a result, aquaplaning issues are kept to a minimum. And this was also the case during our test ride.

We didn’t experience any loss of traction or grip, even when we subjected the tire to extremely wet and slippery surfaces. The traction was solid throughout and the braking was extremely powerful.

Never at any one point did we feel as if the tire was trying to hunt for traction or grip. Also, its steering in wet and slippery surfaces was sublime, the handling was outstanding and the cornering was decent.

Performance in Snowy Conditions

We also decided to test how the tire can perform on snowy roads. Well, the performance here was average. While it delivered dependable traction on light snowy surfaces, it struggled when we subjected it to surfaces with heavier layers of snow. Also, it struggled considerably on thick ice.

But, its average performance on snowy and icy roads was something that we expected. After all, the Continental ProContact is simply an all-season touring tire. Therefore, expecting it to perform well on thicker snow or ice is pushing your luck – a bit too far.

Hence, if your area experiences harsh, prolonged winters, marked by heavy layers of snowfall, then you should outfit your vehicle with the proper set of tires.

Off-road Performance

The Continental ProContact is by no means an off-roading tire. It’s categorized as an all-season touring tire. But thanks to its tread profile and design, it can deliver some level of traction on light muddy and gravel-covered roads. Hence, if you happen to come across such surfaces, this tire will pull your vehicle through safely.

However, you shouldn’t be driving with it on such surfaces too frequently, since its rubber is not sturdy enough to handle off-road terrains. Instead, if you are planning to take your sedan or coupe for some light off-roading, then you should consider replacing the ProContact with dedicated off-road tires.

Continental ProContact Ride Quality

A comfortable ride is more of an expected standard when it comes to all-season grand-touring tires. And, the ProContact didn’t disappoint on this front. Unlike some of the all-season touring tires that tend to sacrifice ride quality in favor of performance, this is not the case with the Continental ProContact.

Our Honda Insight cruised smoothly and comfortably both in the city and on the highway. The tire absorbed potholes and bumps with maximum ease. Also, the vehicle remained comfortable, even when we were driving on rougher surfaces.

Furthermore, road noise won’t be a bother with this tire, unless you push your vehicle past the recommended speed limits. It’s, undoubtedly, one of the most comfortable tires we’ve ever driven on.

So, whether you are commuting to work or school, or you are on the highway going for a weekend-long trip, you can always expect a comfortable ride, if you’ve outfitted your vehicle with this tire.

Sizes and Fitment

The available sizes for the ProContact range between 16 inches and 19 inches. It can fit a vast range of sedans and couples such as:

• Ford Fusion, Transit and Focus
• Nissan Altima, Sentra, Versa, Cube and Maxima
• Honda Insight, Pilot and Civic
• Chrysler Pacifica and 300C
• Mercury Sable, Milan and Montego
• Chevrolet Cobalt, Impala and Aveo
• BMW 320i
• Subaru Legacy and Outback
• Fiat 500
• Buick Verano
• Hyundai XG350L and Elantra
• Mercedes Benz E Class and C Class
• Audi A6 and A4
• Volkswagen Beetle, Jetta, Golf, GLI and Passat
• Mazda3, Mazda6 and 626
• Dodge Charger and Stratus

Continental ProContact Warranties and Guarantees

Continental tires come with strong warranties and guarantees. And this is also the case with the ProContact. It comes with a limited manufacture warranty, a limited mileage warranty, and roadside assistance service. It’s also covered by Continental’s customer satisfaction trial.

Limited Manufacturer Warranty

This warranty is designed to protect the buyer from loss, in a situation where the ProContact develops irreparable damage, due to workmanship or materials defects. If you happen to face this situation, Continental will replace your ProContact tire with a comparable new one.

If the Continental ProContact becomes unserviceable due to workmanship or materials defects during its first 2/32-inch of its original usable tread or the first 12 months from the date you purchased it, Continental will replace the tire with a comparable new one.

And, you won’t be charged anything, meaning Continental will also take care of the tire’s mounting and balancing charges. The only thing you may be required to pay for are the tire’s applicable taxes.

In case your ProContact tire is removed from service and the free replacement window has elapsed, the manufacturer may still replace it. But in this case, any replacement will be done on a pro-rata basis. Hence, Continental may require you to contribute a certain percentage of the ProContact’s replacement costs.

The amount you will pay for its replacement will depend on the amount of the original usable tread worn off the ProContact, by the time it becomes unserviceable.

An authorized Continental tire dealer will calculate the exact amount you will pay by multiplying the percentage of the tread worn off the ProContact, with its current retail price.

You will then pay this amount at the time of the tire’s replacement, in addition to applicable taxes and miscellaneous service charges. Under this warranty, the ProContact is eligible to be replaced for up to 72 months from its purchase date.

Limited Mileage Warranty

Continental also warrants this tire against premature treadwear, up to 80,000 miles. So, if its tread wears out evenly without delivering the warranted 80,000 miles, you are eligible for a replacement.

But, you should note that Continental doesn’t offer any free tire replacements under the limited mileage warranty. Instead, it undertakes all replacements on a pro-rata arrangement.

Under this arrangement, you will share the tire’s replacement costs with Continental. The amount you will contribute towards the ProContact’s replacement is dependent on the percentage of the warranted mileage it has delivered.

Roadside Assistance Service

The ProContact is also eligible for Continental’s flat tire roadside assistance. Coverage extends for three years from the tire’s date of purchase. The main services offered under this coverage are tire change and towing.

If you happen to encounter a flat tire whenever you are driving, you simply need to call the customer support number that you are provided with, when you register your set of tires.

An authorized service technician will then be sent to your location. If you have a properly inflated spare, then the flat tire will be replaced, and you can proceed with your journey.

In case you don’t have a properly inflated spare, then your vehicle will be towed to the nearest service station. Towing is only offered for up to 150 miles while tire change charges shouldn’t exceed $200. If you happen to exceed these limits, then you will be required to pay the excess out of pocket.

Customer Satisfaction Trial

All Continental light truck and passenger tires come with a 60-day customer satisfaction trial. And the ProContact is no exception.

If buy a set of ProContact tires and you are not satisfied with them, you are free to return them where you purchased them. When you return them, you can choose another set from the same brand, as long as the price is the same.

In case you want to change the tires with another set whose price is higher, you will be required to cover the difference. Whichever the case, Continental will take care of the cost of mounting and balancing the tires while you will pay for shipping and applicable taxes.

Continental ProContact Pros

• Outstanding wet and dry traction
• Precise and crisp handling
• Smooth, quiet and comfortable ride
• Superior cornering grip

Continental ProContact Cons

• Poor traction in thick snow and ice

Verdict

The Continental ProContact is one of the few tires that perform well across almost all areas. It delivers exceptional dry and wet traction and decent handling, without sacrificing ride quality. Furthermore, it comes with an affordable price tag. Overall, if you are looking for a highly dependable all-season touring tire, then the ProContact is a solid choice. It offers great year-round performance and excellent value for money.