TireRack is adamant these tires should not be installed on a Macan.
Continental (the manufacturer) is adamant they are suitable for a Macan.
It even says so on their website. Go figure...

They are indeed available in Macan sizing, no issues there.
However, the fronts have an H speed rating, while the backs have a W rating.
I've sent Continental's engineering department an email asking for clarification on this discrepancy.

If a tire manufacturer does not have a problem
with fitting their own mismatched tires with different speed ratings on a car,
then so be it, and who am I to dispute that? Not that I have a problem with it, frankly.

But this needs to be cleared up, because someone's obviously in the wrong...

And I really want this tire for my Macan. I absolutely love it. I'm on my fifth pair.
I definitely wouldn't get it for an M3, but for my 328 wagon (winter beater),
it's more than good enough in the dry (and rain), and for an all-season tire,
it performs exceptionally well in the snow.

When these were on sale last year, I bought a set from TR for my Macan Turbo. I haven't installed yet, but the sticker says ZR and W for both F/R. I have these on my 986S also, but haven't seen snow yet. Good to know they should do well.

 

Hmm... Does the Turbo use the standard sizing?
In standard front sizing for my GTS, 265/45ZR20, the DWS does not come in a W speed rating, just Y.
Going to a 275 up front would give you a W, but I don't want to mess around with different sizes.

Yes, the DWS has gotten me admirably through ten winters in the ski resort where I live.
The Michelin Latitudes that came stock with my car were great in the dry and rain,
but absolutely horrible in the snow. Worst all-season tire I've ever driven in the snow.

 

I would never mix H and W. Too much of a range gap for tire integrity. I would consider a mix of V,W,Y or Z. DWS06 is a nice tire. Just need to get the speed rating closer.

 

Exactly, that's why Continental recommending it leaves me scratching my head...

 

TireRack is adamant these tires should not be installed on a Macan.
Continental (the manufacturer) is adamant they are suitable for a Macan.
It even says so on their website. Go figure...

They are indeed available in Macan sizing, no issues there.
However, the fronts have an H speed rating, while the backs have a W rating.
I've sent Continental's engineering department an email asking for clarification on this discrepancy.

If a tire manufacturer does not have a problem
with fitting their own mismatched tires with different speed ratings on a car,
then so be it, and who am I to dispute that? Not that I have a problem with it, frankly.

But this needs to be cleared up, because someone's obviously in the wrong...

And I really want this tire for my Macan. I absolutely love it. I'm on my fifth pair.
I definitely wouldn't get it for an M3, but for my 328 wagon (winter beater),
it's more than good enough in the dry (and rain), and for an all-season tire,
it performs exceptionally well in the snow.

I’ve been using these tires in my Macan for 2 years now. The best all-season tires I’ve ever had in my Macan in my 10 years of ownership…

I went through Tire Rack BS as well… ended up buying from Tire Rack anyway… didn’t get them as a kit, but got them individually… you can do that if instead of selecting by vehicle, you select by tire size.

The difference in speed rating is really not an issue, if all you are doing is commuting at highway speeds (sometimes a bit more spirited) and driving around the city…

If you are tracking your Macan… then all seasons are not good to begin with…

 

So, went to the garage, grabbed some photos of mine, and these are the stamped load capacity / speed rating for the Contis DWS06 Plus 21”

FRONT: 105W (168mph / 2039 lbs)
REAR: 107Y (186mph / 2149 lbs)

Not sure where these other ratings posted here before are coming from, but these actual 2 ratings are proximal to each other.. they are really high up there (exotic car level). So no reason to be concerned about this difference in my opinion…. Who will drive a Macan at 150mph+, unless you are in a track? Do they even go that fast? Never dare to try…😊.

But these tires are very responsive for daily driving. I love them and I’ll continue to use them for the life of my Macan….

FRONT:

REAR:

 

Also - what are you looking at for speed ratings?

265/45R20 front is 104Y LI/SR.
295/40R20 rear is 110W LI/SR.

The OE placard is:
F:104Y
R:106Y

TireRack wont sell you the rear because of the Y OE rating (speed rating defined by manufacture in excess of 186 mph). W is 168 mph by-the-way. Neither relevant, pretty sure the Macan top speed is 162....

From the LOAD carrying - they meet and exceed. That is far more important here.

Add them to cart individually. Don't add car info.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-100...21&autoModel=Macan%20GTS&autoModClar=&frontTire=645YR0DWS06P&i1_Qty=2&tab=Sizes

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-100...21&autoModel=Macan%20GTS&autoModClar=&rearTire=94WR0DWS06PXL&i1_Qty=2&tab=Sizes

 

FWIW, I installed Conti 6’s on mine and got less than 9,000 miles out of them. 20” wheels. Stock sizes.

 

That's odd. Were yours DWS06 Plus?

Mine have been in my Macan for 28K miles, and tread is measuring about 7/32 to 8/32 for both.

 

I have a set of these on an MDX AWD Acura, excellent tires…

 

The issue is that the Macan use staggered tires... so technically different tires front and rear, which is the main topic of this discussion here. But I agree, as I stated before, the best high performance all-season tires I've had.

 

After 20k on Sport Latitude 3, it was time for new tires (22 S). Replacements came down to DWS06+ or Yokohama Geolander X-CV. Went with the Geolander (great tirerack ratings) but also have deep treads (11/32 frt and 12/32 rear)

 

We're on our second set of the Continental DWS06+ 's. I've used them on several cars Volvo XC70, GTI, GLI and have had decent performance. The current set are rated 105W front and 107W rear

 

Also - what are you looking at for speed ratings?

265/45R20 front is 104Y LI/SR.
295/40R20 rear is 110W LI/SR.

The OE placard is:
F:104Y
R:106Y

TireRack wont sell you the rear because of the Y OE rating (speed rating defined by manufacture in excess of 186 mph). W is 168 mph by-the-way. Neither relevant, pretty sure the Macan top speed is 162....

From the LOAD carrying - they meet and exceed. That is far more important here.

Add them to cart individually. Don't add car info.

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-100...21&autoModel=Macan%20GTS&autoModClar=&frontTire=645YR0DWS06P&i1_Qty=2&tab=Sizes

https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-100...21&autoModel=Macan%20GTS&autoModClar=&rearTire=94WR0DWS06PXL&i1_Qty=2&tab=Sizes

Not true. Tires have the same designs, compounds, overlays, etc. Speed rating aligns more with what is in the market by size. Driven by OEM vehicle placards. And all tire manufactures test the tires 1-2 steps over the molded rating in development.

You can install H and W tires on the car. The speed limit on the vehicle is lowered to the lesser speed rating. H in this example, 130 mph.

TireRack must follow vehicle placard ratings for liability (Load and Speed ratings).

The DWS06 Plus is not an H rated tire. W+.

OK, so the original #1 post did not mention any size. Only comment was that for his application he said that Fronts are only available in H rating and rears are only available in W rating.

H is 130mph
W is 168mph

It is indicated as a speed rating but is more about the tires ability to perform at that speed. Or tire integrity. The vehicle manufacturer also tunes the suspension with 'certain expectations'. So the suspension is performing with the assumption the tire is as the manufacturer expected. So a 'softer tire' will not absorb what the suspension is expecting. So, among other things, the tire scrubs causing premature or uneven wear. Think I will stick with tires that are designed to perform the same and as expected.

I said I would never mix H and W as the difference in speed rating was too great.

The DWS06 is a great tire and easy to recommend. As long as they match. I've sold hundreds.

This is what I got from a simple Google search

 

OK, so the original #1 post did not mention any size. Only comment was that for his application he said that Fronts are only available in H rating and rears are only available in W rating.

H is 130mph
W is 168mph

It is indicated as a speed rating but is more about the tires ability to perform at that speed. Or tire integrity. The vehicle manufacturer also tunes the suspension with 'certain expectations'. So the suspension is performing with the assumption the tire is as the manufacturer expected. So a 'softer tire' will not absorb what the suspension is expecting. So, among other things, the tire scrubs causing premature or uneven wear. Think I will stick with tires that are designed to perform the same and as expected.

I said I would never mix H and W as the difference in speed rating was too great.

The DWS06 is a great tire and easy to recommend. As long as they match. I've sold hundreds.

This is what I got from a simple Google search

View attachment 286164

Much is factually incorrect here. OP was factually wrong about DWS06 Plus in H.

I've sold hundreds of thousands of DWS06 and Plus

Again, same tread/pattern - its the same tire but marketed towards different vehicle applications (there for speed ratings). 20 years in tire design and development - OE and REP. USTMA collects this information from all member tire makers - so it is fed by new OE applications - speed and load ratings. Tire makers then use that to build replacement lines to meet those needs. If the market is 20% T, 70% H, and 10% V - most manufactures would opt for H since it meets the majority of the market for a broadline tire.

Putting a different pattern/speed rated tire = different tire compounds front and rear. And agree with Google - THAT IS BAD. Retailer environment - split fitments run into speed rating differences all the time once outside of OEM replacement tires. And my comment stands - same tire pattern, compound = vehicle becomes limited to the lower rated tire.

No speed rating is speed rating - period. Not some magic at speed formula. DOT test on a rolling wheel, taken up to speed for timed steps. Read test for yourself - FMVSS 139.

OEM will tune steering and suspension spring rates/dampeners to the OE tire for turn-in feel, loading in corners. Once into REP - they are built to general tire needs. Not specific platform.

Speed ratings do not relate to tire stiffness. Stiffness is bead set distance on TBM drum, designed carcass spring rate, ply used, overlay and tension.

What is the tire scrubbing on? That is softer? That makes no sense. If the vehicle has an alignment for toe-in, as speed increases, the wheel alignment will be forced to neutral (0) and then toe out at the extremes - this is regardless of tire used.

Tire compounds are very complex. "Softer" does not mean more grip (define grip too - longitudinal/lateral?). There is physical and mechanical grip. Durometer and tread pattern/blocks/stiffness are how the tire physically interacts with the surface. Wet (and ice) traction is from the chemical composition of the compound - the mechanical adhesion between tires and surface.

 

Well, we need some clarification from the OP. The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus only comes in W and Y speed ratings. As I stated earlier, there is no H speed rating for these tires that I have found. I just did a query of about 20 DWS06 Plus tire sizes in their website and all are W/Y.

@Rusty Rotors, your point is valid if we were talking about H and W. But most likely this is about W and Y as I stated before too. This is turning out to be a non-issue.

But the point is that the tires, even when you are using staggered W on the front wheels and Y on the rear wheels, they are just fine as they are proximal ratings, they are very high speed, and ultimately performs very good in the Macan (first-hand experience here).

 

I am 2 years on these as well.. 21's Awsome Tire.

 

Tires depend on your needs. Those two guys that had a blowout at 200 MPH in Sun Valley in their 911 July 20th wish they had the appropriate tires now.

 

Any reason not to fit alternative sizing to get the same speed rating all around?

The following 20" f/r sizes bring up the same speed ratings for the DWS 06 Plus on tirerack:

Front: 275 40 20
Rear: 315 35 20

 

Yes, I am the original poster and the H was a typo. I corrected that on my second post.
These tires are for a stock 20" fitment.

Whether it's H/Y or Y/W, even if the speed ratings are closer to each other, my question still stands:
whether it's really okay to install mismatched tires with different speed ratings.
Continental says yes. TireRack says no. Even on this thread, not everyone seems to agree.

The whole reason I started this thread is because I want to install DWS tires and the manufacturer, so far,
has been unable to give me an official explanation as to why it is okay to install mismatched tires with different speed ratings (even if the tread, structure, stiffness are the same). I may very well end up buying them either way
(yes, I know I can by them by size- I've done it many times before).
Heck, I even have mismatched tires on both my M3s with no ill effects.

But at this point I want an official explanation.
Continental emailed me saying they will have an answer from their engineering department this Monday.
We shall see...

As far as the Sun Valley Tour de Force high-speed shootout blowout, don't even get me started on that one...

 

A different speed rating is not a "tire mismatch" of concern, unless you want to exceed the speed of the lowest rated tire.....
Guidelines about "don't mismatch tires" is about brand and tire model (tread compound, tread pattern), not about speed ratings.
And, replacement tires must have an equal or greater Load Rating.

 

I agree, but TR and many online sources seem to think otherwise.

But none of us are tire engineers (my apologies if you are).
Hence why I reached out to the tire manufacturer and their engineers for clarification and confirmation. Nothing more, nothing less. 🙂

 

I am

TireRack is liable to match vehicle placard - 1:1.

 

Because of legal liability, no tire retailer is going to specify anything other than what meets the specifications of the tires that the vehicle manufacturer originally equipped the vehicle with.

 

When I looked, DWS doesn’t have both front and rear sizes for a turbo with 21 wheels. Has that changed?

 

Back in March 2023 before I took delivery of my S, this is the comparison tires offered by Tire Rack. Based on the reviews and performance comparisons, the Geolandar X-CV looked like a good tire for my car, and it looks like things haven't changed in the Tire Rack ratings department. Does anyone have anything bad to say about the Geolandar X-CV? I'm probably still a year from needing new tires, so I'm just curious.

 

Those ratings are from consumers not their "test" track. "Test" because its mostly for marketing, but they do test against other products and that gives a better performance comparison.

Not apples to apples to a DWS06 Plus. Touring all-season vs. UHP all-season. The DWS06 Plus will be better in wet, handling, dry...trade off for wear and some pattern noise.

So it depends on what you want and how you drive.

 

Very true! Like many others, I have used Tire Rack for decades. I normally start with the ratings and then call someone at Tire Rack to discuss the tires. Maybe I have been lucky, but the salesperson has frequently driven the highly ranked tires on their test track and given me great input, and both the ratings and the salesperson have never let me down. The Yokohomas have 173 ratings with 132 reviews, all 4 or 5 out of 5 rated, including 12 Porsches, 4 BMWs, and 27 Audis. That seems like a pretty good cross section of drivers with probably most of them haven driven their cars on other tires. Yes, they are not UHP tires, but I was curious if anyone had anything bad to say about them because none of the reviewers did. Heck, if I'm going to take a Porsche on the track, like I have done for more than 20 years at a Club event, I still prefer my 1989 944 S2. Despite their squeal around turns, I have been pleasantly surprised by the OEM Michelins because the TR salesman laughed when he heard Porsche was going to put those tires on my car. At the time, he said the Yokohomas would be a much better tire based on his personal track driving experience and customer ratings. I'm still probably a year away from getting serious about new tires, but I enjoy the conversation.

 

Well, FWIW, here is the "official" answer to my query from Continental:

"Mixing speed ratings on a performance-oriented vehicle like a Porsche Macan GTS is strongly discouraged.
Different speed ratings equate to varying tire performance, impacting handling, traction, and braking.
This is an error on our website. The DWS06 Plus is not available for your vehicle."

If liability runs this country, they better correct that before someone has a tire-related accident and sues...

 

Well, FWIW, here is the "official" answer to my query from Continental:

"Mixing speed ratings on a performance-oriented vehicle like a Porsche Macan GTS is strongly discouraged.
Different speed ratings equate to varying tire performance, impacting handling, traction, and braking.
This is an error on our website. The DWS06 Plus is not available for your vehicle."

If liability runs this country, they better correct that before someone has a tire-related accident and sues...

This is quite interesting. If you take the 20” and 21” size, it is amazing to see the variability in speed rating for same size wheel. For 21”, only the 265 is of different speed rating….

I wonder if for 21” one could go up a size in the front and then speed ratings would be same. Some folks have done this, going a size up.

Similarly for 20”, going to 275/40 and 305/35… then speed ratings will be same.

Wonder what would be the impact on speed… maybe about 1%?