Tires Hankook or Continental

you don't need studs, continental extreme contact dws are the best tires for chasing snow around colorado in an awd car.

I've been running 18" Conti Pure Contacts for about 8k miles now. Initially, I didn't love the tire but they handled good so I decided to keep them. Recently had them rebalanced and rotated which that made a difference. Ride is firmer than Michelin's or OEM Contis but this is one of the best handling tire I've owned on any of my cars. Hydroplaning resistance and snow traction for an all season tire is excellent.

I have had Conti DW performance summer tires on my TDI for over a year, now, and run them between 40 - 41 psi. For me, that is a good compromise between handling and comfort, and gives the added benefits of longer tire life and better fuel economy. Note, however, that the standard sport suspension on the US TDI, while about equal in handling to the GTI on real roads, is a bit softer and more forgiving on bad roads. Also, 16" wheels help and are better suited to the chassis than 17" wheels.

four tires (Continental DW)

The Ventus V12 EVO K110 is Hankook's Max Performance Summer tire developed for the drivers of sports cars, sporty coupes, and high performance vehicles. A PROVEN street-tire known to deliver superb control and braking.

The Ventus V12 EVO K110 is Hankook's Max Performance Summer tire developed for the drivers of sports cars, sporty coupes, and high performance vehicles. A PROVEN street-tire known to deliver superb control and braking.

The Ventus V12 EVO K110 is Hankook's Max Performance Summer tire developed for the drivers of sports cars, sporty coupes, and high performance vehicles. A PROVEN street-tire known to deliver superb control and braking.

I've got the same brand tires on my car, 10,000 miles on them and they are still good. Taken them on a 300 mile roadtrip, 90+ mph speeds, dirt roads.

I had Kumho and Hankooks. The Kumho, while being the superior dry tire (grip, feel), was terrifying in the rain. The really good think about Hankooks is that they grip well, are predictable, and ride really, really well (had 'em on 245/35/19s and rode way better than my winter set (235/50/17s). But as OP and many others have said, the sidewalls are waaaay too soft. Yeah, you can pump up the pressure by a couple PSI, but by doing that you're reducing the longevity of the tire (wears out center way more quickly).

As for tires, I'd absolutely recommend against getting Conti DW's. I got them to replace Michelin PSS' mainly because they were cheaper and I thought the drop off in performance wouldn't be as significant as the price difference but it is...Very significant. For a chill family car, DW's are great..for any kind of performance driving, they just aren't good enough. Traction is ok but the sidewalls are very soft and I could feel them rolling and giving away at the track.