Tests 54 · 2 tests Owners 52 · 25 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Firestone Firehawk SZ90 vs Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS — 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 2 + 3 road tests and 25 + 6,420 owner reviews. How we score
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS is ahead, 78–55
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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.
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55
Dry
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS +2580Why this score
Source Firehawk SZ90 ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 3 tests 58 76 Reviews found online 51 88 Firehawk SZ90: 60% × 57.9 + 40% × 51.3 = 55
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 60% × 75.5 + 40% × 87.5 = 80
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53
Wet
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS +2881Why this score
Source Firehawk SZ90 ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 3 tests 51 75 Reviews found online 56 91 Firehawk SZ90: 60% × 50.8 + 40% × 56 = 53
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 60% × 74.7 + 40% × 91.4 = 81
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–
Snow
No comparison77Why this score
Source Firehawk SZ90 ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests – 80 Reviews found online – 72 ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 60% × 80.3 + 40% × 71.5 = 77
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52
Comfort
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS +2779Why this score
Source Firehawk SZ90 ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests ≈ 64 (est.) 74 Reviews found online 45 83 Firehawk SZ90: 40% × 63.8 (est.) + 60% × 44.7 = 52
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 40% × 74.5 + 60% × 82.6 = 79
No road tests of comfort for Firehawk SZ90. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
-
58
Noise
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS +1775Why this score
Source Firehawk SZ90 ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 3 tests 53 71 Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) 79 Firehawk SZ90: 60% × 52.8 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 58
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 60% × 71.4 + 40% × 79.4 = 75
No owner ratings of noise for Firehawk SZ90. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
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57
Treadwear
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS +1269Why this score
Source Firehawk SZ90 ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 61 (est.) ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 51 71 Firehawk SZ90: 60% × 61 (est.) + 40% × 51.2 = 57
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS: 60% × 68.1 (est.) + 40% × 70.9 = 69
No road tests of treadwear for Firehawk SZ90. 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 ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
-
53
Handling (owners)
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS +3083Why this score
Source Firehawk SZ90 ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS Reviews found online 53 83 -
62
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source Firehawk SZ90 ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 62 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Firestone Firehawk SZ90 | Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 55 | 78 |
| Dry | 55 | 80 |
| Wet | 53 | 81 |
| Snow | – | 77 |
| Comfort | 52 | 79 |
| Noise | 58 | 75 |
| Treadwear | 57 | 69 |
| Handling (owners) | 53 | 83 |
| Efficiency | 62 | – |
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
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
55
/ 100
Firehawk SZ90
78
/ 100
ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
The professional test results behind the scores
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
| Discipline | Category | Firehawk SZ90 | ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 91% #8/9 · 2017 Auto Bild Sports Cars Tyre Test | 99% #2/5 · 2025 AutoView Ultra High Performance All-Season Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 97% #9/9 · 2017 Auto Bild Sports Cars Tyre Test | 100% #1/5 · 2025 AutoView Ultra High Performance All-Season Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 82% #8/9 · 2017 Auto Bild Sports Cars Tyre Test | 92% #3/5 · 2025 AutoView Ultra High Performance All-Season Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 95% #8/9 · 2017 Auto Bild Sports Cars Tyre Test | 99% #3/9 · 2024 Tire Rack UHP All Season Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Noise | Noise | 95% #9/9 · 2017 Auto Bild UHP Tyre Test | 99% #4/5 · 2025 AutoView Ultra High Performance All-Season Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #8/9 2017 Auto Bild Sports Cars Tyre Test | #3/5 2025 AutoView Ultra High Performance All-Season Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Firehawk SZ90
Pros
- Strong dry and wet surface grip
- Effective water displacement and braking performance
- Competitive price point
Cons
- Excessive road noise
- Rapid or uneven tread wear
- Unpredictable handling and stability issues
Tire B 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
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Firestone Firehawk SZ90
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Tire B
Positive
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
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
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Firestone Firehawk SZ90 | B · Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | All Season |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | — | 120 |
| Rim diameters | — | 16″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | — | 10/32″ |
| UTQG | — | 560 - 740 A - AA A |
| Treadwear warranty | — | 50,000 mi |
| Sidewall | — | Black Side Wall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 - 51 psi |
Which one should you actually buy?
55
/ 100
Firestone Firehawk SZ90
78
/ 100
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
Winner: Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS — better handling, wet and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS scores 83 vs 53 on handling.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS scores 81 vs 53 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS scores 79 vs 52 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS scores 80 vs 55 on dry.
Tire A · Firestone Firehawk SZ90
Tire B · Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS
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Firehawk SZ90 or ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS?
Which is better in the wet, Firehawk SZ90 or ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS?
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS, 81 vs 53 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Firehawk SZ90 or ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS?
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS, 80 vs 55 on our dry score.
Which is quieter, Firehawk SZ90 or ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS?
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS, 75 vs 58 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, Firehawk SZ90 or ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS?
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS, 79 vs 52 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Firehawk SZ90 or ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS?
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 PLUS, 69 vs 57 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