Head-to-head Updated

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS vs Continental SecureContact AW — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 3 + 0 road tests and 6,420 + 6 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS 78, SecureContact AW 79.

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Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
± 5

Tests 76 · 3 tests Owners 81 · 6,420 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2024 Tire Rack UHP All Season Tyre Test (ice braking)

“I ran the dws on my 700whp corvette ZR1 for 5 years . Never a problem and wear really good . I’ve tracked them in the qtr mile and roll racing . They hooked pretty good ls at the track . Had a 1.60 sixty foot on them”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 80

    Dry

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS +2
    78
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUSSecureContact AW
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests76≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8883

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 60% × 75.5 + 40% × 87.5 = 80

    SecureContact AW: 60% × 74.1 (est.) + 40% × 82.9 = 78

    No road tests of dry for SecureContact AW. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 81

    Wet

    SecureContact AW +4
    85
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUSSecureContact AW
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests75≈ 81 (est.)
    Reviews found online9190

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 60% × 74.7 + 40% × 91.4 = 81

    SecureContact AW: 60% × 81.1 (est.) + 40% × 89.8 = 85

    No road tests of wet for SecureContact AW. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 77

    Snow

    Level
    77
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUSSecureContact AW
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests80≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online7282

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 60% × 80.3 + 40% × 71.5 = 77

    SecureContact AW: 60% × 74.3 (est.) + 40% × 82.3 = 77

    No road tests of snow for SecureContact AW. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 79

    Comfort

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS +1
    78
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUSSecureContact AW
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests74≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8383

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 40% × 74.5 + 60% × 82.6 = 79

    SecureContact AW: 40% × 71.5 (est.) + 60% × 83 = 78

    No road tests of comfort for SecureContact AW. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 75

    Noise

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS +4
    71
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUSSecureContact AW
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests71≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online7977

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 60% × 71.4 + 40% × 79.4 = 75

    SecureContact AW: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 77.3 = 71

    No road tests of noise for SecureContact AW. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 69

    Treadwear

    SecureContact AW +6
    75
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUSSecureContact AW
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7181

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 60% × 68.1 (est.) + 40% × 70.9 = 69

    SecureContact AW: 60% × 71.7 (est.) + 40% × 80.8 = 75

    No road tests of treadwear for ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

    No road tests of treadwear for SecureContact AW. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 83

    Handling (owners)

    ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS +1
    82
    Why this score
    SourceExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUSSecureContact AW
    Reviews found online8382
Scores at a glance
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS vs Continental SecureContact AW: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryContinental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUSContinental SecureContact AW
Relative Score 78 79
Dry 80 78
Wet 81 85
Snow 77 77
Comfort 79 78
Noise 75 71
Treadwear 69 75
Handling (owners) 83 82

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 5

ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS

± 8

SecureContact AW

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS

Pros

  • Exceptional wet traction and resistance to hydroplaning
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality that transforms vehicle dynamics
  • Strong dry grip and responsive, predictable cornering capabilities

Cons

  • Accelerated tread wear and shorter-than-expected lifespan for some drivers
  • Increased road noise and drone developing as the tires wear down
  • Softer sidewalls can result in slightly delayed initial steering response or a 'squishy' feel
All owner themes in the ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS review

Tire B SecureContact AW

Pros

  • Significantly reduced road noise and smooth highway cruising
  • Excellent wet weather traction and cornering confidence
  • Solid grip and stability in light winter snow conditions

Cons

  • Slightly squirmy feel reported on long sweeping corners for larger vehicles
All owner themes in the SecureContact AW review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS

Positive

The community generally views the DWS 06 Plus as one of the best ultra-high-performance all-season tires. Owners praise its wet and dry grip, ride comfort, quietness, and light-snow manners, and many compare it favorably to the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4, often at a lower price. Criticisms include inconsistent tread life (some report about 25k miles while others get 50k), balancing difficulty, soft sidewall or squirmy feel, noise as the tires age, and the fact that they are not a substitute for dedicated winter tires.

r/Golf_R ·102 upvotes ·2026-09-21

“Apex VS-5RS 17x9 on Mk. 8.5 Just had my Apex 17” wheels shoed with Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus XL tires in 245/45/17 size. I’ve only driven it a few miles but the ride quality is definitely superior to the OEM wheel/tire combo on bad road surfaces. Wheel color is Anthracite. For anyone in the Westchester / Yonkers / Bronx area I highly recommend The Wheel Doctor for fitments.”

124spider.org ·2025-03-04

“I have 4 of the DWS, manual transmission. I drive spiritedly most of the time. I just replaced the back two last week (at about 24,000 miles), because I didn't rotate them. The fronts still had 7-8/32nds of tread left in them. The traction light came on briefly the next day while entering the interstate. For the few miles to the next exit, the car seemed to sway as if in high winds, leading me to check the lug nuts, even though I witnessed the tire tech torque them the day before. Then I remembered posting here after the original 4 were installed that the the car felt like it was driving on Jello. I believe this is due to the tread design for snow and rain. The "wiggle" takes a while to go away, after some tread depth loss. Because of this, I will be replacing them with something else in the next wear cycle. I guess it's time to consider 4 new wheels for winter all season tires instead of riding on all season , all year.”

vwvortex.com ·2025-07-07

“Back in the day, I ran summer tires on an MK5 GTI and swore I’d never do that again, as I only got 20k miles out of them. I’ve had 3 other GTIs since and have always run Ultra High Performance All Seasons with zero issues. On my MK7.5 , I’m currently running CONTINENTAL EXTREME CONTACT DWS 06 PLUS and absolutely love them! They’re probably the best tires I’ve run on the 4 GTIs I’ve owned over the years!!! 👍🏾 BTW… I’m in Northern California, where the seasons don’t hit like other parts of the country. 😅”

Top themes
#Wet and dry grip#Ride comfort and noise#Light snow capability#Versus Michelin PS A/S 4#Tread life variability#Balancing and squirm issues#Value and price#Fitment and wheel sizes

Based on 139 community posts

Tire B

Continental SecureContact AW

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS B · Continental SecureContact AW
CategoryAll SeasonAll-Season tire
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available12045
Rim diameters16″ – 22″15″ – 20″
Tread depth10/32″11 - 12/32″
UTQG560 - 740 A - AA A700 A A
Treadwear warranty50,000 mi60,000 mi
SidewallBlack Side WallBlack Side Wall
Max pressure50 - 51 psi51 psi
Sizes in common2424

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS

Continental SecureContact AW

Too close to call: Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS and Continental SecureContact AW are within 2 points overall. Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS is stronger on noise. Continental SecureContact AW is stronger on treadwear and wet. Continental SecureContact AW rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 6 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Continental SecureContact AW scores 75 vs 69 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS scores 75 vs 71 on noise.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental SecureContact AW scores 85 vs 81 on wet.

Tire A · Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
Tire B · Continental SecureContact AW

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ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS or SecureContact AW?

Which is better in the wet, ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS or SecureContact AW?

Continental SecureContact AW, 85 vs 81 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS or SecureContact AW?

Neither, by our numbers: 80 vs 78 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS or SecureContact AW?

Neither, by our numbers: 77 vs 77 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS or SecureContact AW?

Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS, 75 vs 71 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS or SecureContact AW?

Neither, by our numbers: 79 vs 78 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS or SecureContact AW?

Continental SecureContact AW, 75 vs 69 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology