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Summer tire Updated October 2026

Continental Sport Contact 5 review

Relative score 60% tests + 40% owners

Owners 62 · 3,146 reviews analysed Road tests 73 · 26 tests

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The Continental Sport Contact 5 is widely praised for its exceptional dry and wet grip, precise handling, and confidence-inspiring braking performance. However, a significant portion of users express strong dissatisfaction with its rapid tread wear and relatively short lifespan, noting that the soft compound degrades quickly under spirited driving or normal commuting.

Community sentiment Mixed Read the buzz
#wet and dry grip#rapid treadwear concerns#braking distance performance#cornering feel and handling#comparison with 5P and SC6

Owners rate it 10.6 points lower than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.

Continental Sport Contact 5

Two scoring systems, side by side

Owner scores come from reviews found online; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.

How scores work
Relative score
0–100. Blends road tests (60%) and owner reviews (40%) category by category, the same way on every TireWheelGuide page. With only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from it, so the score stays closer to average. It needs at least one road test or five owner reviews.
Road tests
0–100 per score, from published tests, newer tests counting more. Each result is compared with every other tire in the same test, so a win against a strong field counts for more. The average tested tire gets 70, the best 100; with only one or two tests a tire stays nearer 70. The discipline rows show % of the best tire in that test.
Owner reviews
0–100 from the owner reviews we found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates and scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70. With only a few reviews a tire stays near the average.

By owner reviews

62/100

From 3,146 owner reviews analysed, scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70.

Would buy again 43%
Dry
Overall dry
69.4
Corner stability
65.3
Dry traction
68.5
Steering response
66.2
Wet
Overall wet
71.6
Wet traction
69.2
Comfort
Overall comfort
62.2
Treadwear
Overall treadwear
41.6
Handling
Overall handling
66.4

Own these tires? Write a review →

By road tests

73/100

Scaled across every tested tire: the average gets 70, the best 100.

Dry
75.7
Wet
74.4
Comfort
61.5
Noise
66.9
By discipline (% of best in test)
Dry Braking
100%
Subj. Dry Handling
100%
Wet Braking
75%
Subj. Wet Handling
100%
Straight Aquaplaning
75%
Inside Noise level
62.5%
Subjective Comfort
62.5%
Rolling Resistance
75%

Continental Sport Contact 5 specs & sizes

Prices vary by size, so each one links out separately.

SizeRetailer
195/45 R17 Amazon
205/40 R17 Amazon
205/45 R17 Amazon
205/50 R17 Amazon
215/45 R17 Amazon
215/50 R17 Amazon
225/45 R17 Amazon
225/50 R17 Amazon
235/40 R17 Amazon
235/45 R17 Amazon
235/50 R17 Amazon
245/40 R17 Amazon
245/45 R17 Amazon
255/45 R17 Amazon
215/35 R18 Amazon
215/40 R18 Amazon

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What owners like and dislike

Themes extracted from 3,146 owner reviews found online.

The Continental Sport Contact 5 is widely praised for its exceptional dry and wet grip, precise handling, and confidence-inspiring braking performance. However, a significant portion of users express strong dissatisfaction with its rapid tread wear and relatively short lifespan, noting that the soft compound degrades quickly under spirited driving or normal commuting.

Pros

  • Outstanding dry and wet grip with excellent aquaplaning resistance
  • Precise steering response and sharp handling
  • Short braking distances in various weather conditions
  • Comfortable and relatively quiet ride when new

Cons

  • Rapid and uneven tread wear, resulting in a short overall lifespan
  • High price point combined with poor mileage value
  • Increased road noise as the tires wear down past halfway
  • Reduced performance and stiffness in cold winter temperatures

Worth knowing

  • Drivers of heavier vehicles, SUVs, and high-torque diesels (such as Audi Q5, BMW 3/5 Series, and VW Passat estates) frequently report accelerated front-axle wear, sometimes needing replacements well under 10,000 to 12,000 miles.
  • Self-sealing (ContiSeal) and run-flat variants received specific praise for preventing punctures and maintaining structural integrity, though some users noted a harsher ride or quicker wear on specific low-profile configurations.

Reviews from our readers

Drivers who have these tires on their car, in their own words. We check every review before it goes live.

No reviews from our readers yet

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26 published test appearances

Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.

2020 Gute Fahrt SUV Summer tire Test · 215/50 R18

2nd of 8
Best: Dry Braking · 1st Weakest: Subj. Noise · 5th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking3rd of 8
Wet Circle3rd of 8
Dry Braking1st of 8
Rolling Resistance3rd of 8
Straight Aqua3rd of 8
Subj. Dry Handling1st of 8
Subj. Comfort4th of 8
Subj. Wet Handling1st of 8
Subj. Noise5th of 8

Source: Gute Fahrt

2017 Auto Bild UHP tire Test · 245/40 R18

8th of 9
Best: Rolling Resistance · 3rd Weakest: Wet Braking · 8th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking8th of 9
Wet Handling8th of 9
Dry Braking8th of 9
Dry Handling8th of 9
Rolling Resistance3rd of 9
Noise5th of 9

Source: Auto Bild

2017 Sport Auto UHP and Track Day Test · 225/40 R18

7th of 10
Best: Wet Handling · 4th Weakest: Wet Braking · 6th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Braking6th of 10
Wet Handling4th of 10
Dry Braking6th of 10
Dry Handling4th of 10

Source: Sport Auto

2016 Auto Express Summer tire Test · 225/40 R18

3rd of 9

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Express

2016 Test World Performance tire Test · 225/40 R18

1st of 13

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Test World

2016 GTU Performance Summer tire Test · 225/45 R17

1st of 14

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: GTÜ

2016 ADAC tire Test - 225/45 R17 · 225/45 R17

1st of 16

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ADAC

2015 EVO Magazine Performance tire Test · 225/40 R18

1st of 10

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: evo

2015 Auto Express tire Test · 225/45 R17

1st of 11

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Express

2015 Auto Review Summer tire Test · 225/45 R17

1st of 9

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Autoreview

2015 AMS Performance tire Test · 225/50 R17

1st of 9

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Motor und Sport

2015 AZ 225/40 R18 Summer tire Test · 225/40 R18

3rd of 14

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

2014 EVO Max Performance Summer tire Test · 225/45 R17

1st of 10

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: evo

2014 Auto Zeitung Summer tire Test · 225/50 R17

1st of 12

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Zeitung

2014 ACE Summer tire Test · 225/45 R17

1st of 11

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: ACE

2014 Auto Bild Top 15 Summer tire Test · 225/50 R17

3rd of 15

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Bild

2014 Auto Bild 50 Summer tire Shootout · 225/50 R17

4th of 49

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Bild

2013 Auto Express Summer tire Test · 225/45 R17

1st of 10

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Express

2013 Auto Review Performance Summer tire Test · 225/45 R17

3rd of 9

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Autoreview

2013 Sport Auto Max Performance Summer tire Test · 225/40 R18

4th of 10

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Sport Auto

2013 Auto Bild Performance Summer tire Test · 225/35 R18

1st of 8

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Bild

2013 European Summer Sports tire Test · 225/45 R17

1st of 18

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

2012 EVO Summer tire Test · 225/45 R17

4th of 10

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: evo

2012 Auto Bild Max Performance tire Test · 225/45 R17

6th of 15

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Bild

2012 Subjective Shootout - Battle of the heavyweights · 245/40 R18

2nd of 2

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

2012 Autobild 50 tire Braking Test · 225/45 R17

6th of 44

Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.

Source: Auto Bild

What owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of the scores above.

Community feedback on the Continental Sport Contact 5 highlights strong grip and effective braking in both wet and dry conditions, along with good cornering feel. However, opinions are mixed regarding treadwear and durability, with multiple users raising concerns over rapid tire wear and degradation under heavy loads or spirited driving. While some drivers prefer them over competing models, others view them as inferior to subsequent Continental generations or rival brands.

mbworld.org

“In the end I went with Bridgestone Potenza RE 050's Very happy. Grips as well as the Conti Sport5's without disintegrating after a few hard mountain passes. On a light car sport contact5's, For a heavier car RE 050's are fantastic completely sold. Pilot Sports are far too soft these cars.”

torquecars.com

“I've just had a set of these Continental Sport Contact 5 fitted to my car and I'm quite impressed with them. They seem to be really good in the wet, stopping distances were notable shorter, more so than I'd expect with the extra tread depth. They are also really good in the dry and give a nice "feel" on tight corners. They have replaced the Eagle F1's in my mind as the best day to day tyre. Anyone else had them fitted?”

2013-04-15

vwt4forum.co.uk

“I run Accelera PHI2's on my 20's and have done for the last 3-4 years with absolutely no problems. I'm a biker and like to press on in all my vehicles. Never had a scary moment in the van in any weather and drive just as fast in that as I do the car (conti sport contact 5's on that). Only cover about 6K in the van per year so don't want anything that lasts too long as it would deteriorate before it was anywhere near worn out. Mike likes banging on about Michelins but they can have problems as well as anything else. Michelin Agilis 51's had problems with bulges and tyre failures in the past. Other michelin tyre problems (I know how much Mike likes Yankee sites!) And Michelin have tyre factories all over the world including India and Asia. Not all cheaper tyres are bad tyres. Pirelli P6000 were notoriously bad for example, and Pirelli are not classed as a budget tyre. Mike will still bang on like a broken record though about VW and 16 and 17 inch tyres though. Its probably an old age thing”

2016-07-04

mbworld.org

“Quote: Originally Posted by bret In the end I went with Bridgestone Potenza RE 050's Very happy. Grips as well as the Conti Sport5's without disintegrating after a few hard mountain passes. On a light car sport contact5's, For a heavier car RE 050's are fantastic completely sold. Pilot Sports are far too soft these cars. Back in the day I had numerous sets of Potenza's on a Saab 900 Turbo...that's been a good tire for a long long time. Check out the Cooper Zeon when you get a chance, heckuva tire at any price.”

Sentiment breakdown
Positive43%
Mixed29%
Negative29%
Top themes
#wet and dry grip#rapid treadwear concerns#braking distance performance#cornering feel and handling#comparison with 5P and SC6#heavy vehicle suitability

From 14 threads and comments.

Continental Sport Contact 5 compared

Compare any two
Continental Sport Contact 5VSContinental SportContact 7
Continental Sport Contact 5VSContinental SportContact 6
Continental Sport Contact 5VSMichelin Primacy 4+
Continental Sport Contact 5VSHankook Ventus S1 evo3
Continental Sport Contact 5VSNexen N Fera SU4
Continental Sport Contact 5VSContinental Premium Contact 5
Continental Sport Contact 5VSGoodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5VSContinental Sport Contact 5
Michelin Pilot Sport 4VSContinental Sport Contact 5
Continental Sport Contact 5VSYokohama Geolandar X-CV G057
Continental Sport Contact 5VSContinental ContiMaxContact MC6
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUVVSContinental Sport Contact 5

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