Continental Terrain Contact A/T 285/45/22

JimCost2014 · November 30, 2019

7 minutes ago, Imcrazy said:

Will try to remember to shoot you an update. Check out tire rack , they did a full battery of tests on 4 tires, the Continentals the OP has, the Coopers I have, Bridgestone Revo's and one more I can't recall.. It helped me a lot with my decision...

Discount Tire is my equivalent in the Seattle area.

That is where we went for new tires for the Tahoe.

rkj__ · November 30, 2019

Nice tires. I’d consider running those. Honestly though, I’ve yet to have a problem with my Continental LX20, so I probably don’t need an AT. I run a set of winter tires in the winter.

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D_Spin · November 30, 2019

A few years ago, I had a set of Cooper Discoverer ATP on my 03 Sierra and even new thought they were lacking in snow. Got no where near the milage out of them. That left a sour taste in my mouth for Cooper. After those I went with Kuhmo Road Venture AT51's and absolutely loved them. They were a bit louder, but so was the entire truck compared to the 2015. This time, considering the prices of the 285/45/22 tire, there really wasn't a budget option as most tires were similarly priced. Nexen has an AT RA8, but even though its listed as an XL tire it has a VERY low weight rating of just 1,180 lbs compared to the 2,601 lbs of the Continental (which is on par with other comparable tires in this size listed as XL). The weight rating of the the tires is important to me as I often find myself hauling or towing something. My truck is always clean, but I'm not afraid to use it as truck. I will wash it as soon as I'm out of a job site. lol.

Edited November 30, 2019 by D_Spin

D_Spin · November 30, 2019

I know it's no where close to the weight capacity, but I never what I will be towing/hauling around or how far it will go

lonestardiver · November 30, 2019

I am looking forward to hearing about people experiences with the continental’s. I ran the continental extreme contact on a couple of Subaru’s and they were great tires all year round.

After the OEM Goodyear’s on my ‘18 wear down I will likely be putting continentals on it. Another I would be tempted with from past experiences were the BFG rugged terrain’s. Much more street friendly but got 80k miles out of a set on my ‘94 single cab long bed. They had enough tread for trail use. Seems to me BFG redesigned them or may not make them anymore.

Joe98 · December 1, 2019

Thanks for the review and pics D-spin. I won’t be needing tires for my 2018 Sierra Denali for a long time but it’s nice to be able to read firsthand from members here on the good and bad experiences. Great looking rig by the way, she looks very well cared for

Bobbigboy · December 8, 2019

I have found, that when traveling off road in winter, dedicated snow or winter tires are the way to go. They grip the snow and ice better and provide greater control. The rubber is made for the cold, as well. Having a dedicated winter, is the best way to go. Michelin and Nokian are good choices. Work well in timber country or city streets. Worth the extra money.

D_Spin · December 15, 2019

So just an update, drove 11hrs from Pittsburgh to Myrtle Beach, SC. Had some extremely slick conditions in the mountains of West Virginia. Steady freezing rain on I-79 just north of Beckley WV. Other trucks, tractor trailers etc all over the road, over embankments and through guard rails. Without realizing how slick it was, I was cruising along at 78Mph. Only once on a bridge did the truck slip. I backed the cruise down and carried on. My parents were a bit behind me and said they closed the road right after I got through, so the roads were about as bad as it could get.

Continuing south through VA, into NC, and east to the coast, it rained the entire way. Heavy steady rain transitioning to torrential down pours. Lots of ponding on the roads, people pulling over and waiting it out. I carried on at 70+ and never once felt the steering wheel get light nor the ass end get loose or step out.

So far, I am absolutely amazed how well these tires did. They are absolutely glued to the street in heavy rain and standing water. Not once did I feel I couldn't trust the tires and I was trying to find the limit.. that limit ended up being my willingness to pay a ticket up to 80mph. Cruising at 80, was as fast as I was willing to go, and not because of the tires ability to go faster. They did impeccable in the freezing rain through the mountains, to the point I'm shocked they don't have the 3PMSF symbol on them. Weather supposed to be sketchy for my return trip this week as well, so I will update again when I get home.

So far, these are the best tire I have ever had for a daily driver. I absolutely love them, and still can't recommend them enough.

Edited December 15, 2019 by D_Spin

rebrecs · December 16, 2019

I run Continental Terrain Contact A/T on GMC 3500 DRW -- on the front. (235/80/17)

I had them all around but didn't like that.

I don't often get off of the concrete, but when I do, it is not usually into mild mannered grass, or quasi-mild-mannered gravel. It's mud or sand.

So I put something else on the back 4 wheels.

I wont put anything else on the front, because these Continentals are (IMHO) the best front tires you could possibly have. Especially in Houston where hydroplaning is a serious issue, and they are quiet as mice running high speed.

I get yelled at a lot for putting something different on the front and back. But I don't mind. I am very open to hearing the reasons not to do that.

Cupton · December 17, 2019

On 12/15/2019 at 5:02 PM, D_Spin said:

So just an update, drove 11hrs from Pittsburgh to Myrtle Beach, SC. Had some extremely slick conditions in the mountains of West Virginia. Steady freezing rain on I-79 just north of Beckley WV. Other trucks, tractor trailers etc all over the road, over embankments and through guard rails. Without realizing how slick it was, I was cruising along at 78Mph. Only once on a bridge did the truck slip. I backed the cruise down and carried on. My parents were a bit behind me and said they closed the road right after I got through, so the roads were about as bad as it could get.

Continuing south through VA, into NC, and east to the coast, it rained the entire way. Heavy steady rain transitioning to torrential down pours. Lots of ponding on the roads, people pulling over and waiting it out. I carried on at 70+ and never once felt the steering wheel get light nor the ass end get loose or step out.

So far, I am absolutely amazed how well these tires did. They are absolutely glued to the street in heavy rain and standing water. Not once did I feel I couldn't trust the tires and I was trying to find the limit.. that limit ended up being my willingness to pay a ticket up to 80mph. Cruising at 80, was as fast as I was willing to go, and not because of the tires ability to go faster. They did impeccable in the freezing rain through the mountains, to the point I'm shocked they don't have the 3PMSF symbol on them. Weather supposed to be sketchy for my return trip this week as well, so I will update again when I get home.

So far, these are the best tire I have ever had for a daily driver. I absolutely love them, and still can't recommend them enough.

Like another poster, the Terrain Contacts lost out to the Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S for me mainly because of the lack of severe snow rating. Is it necessary for where I live? I don't know, I moved here 5 years ago from the southwest so I tried to play it extra safe. So far, the winters (in my opinion) have been pretty mild. I'm also in the Pittsburgh area so your review will be a good gauge for me. The Terran Contacts have been and still are on my short list. The Coopers have been awesome for everything they have been through. No complaints from me, but I'm still curious to hear your thoughts as we get through winter.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Cupton

mikeyk101 · December 17, 2019

19 hours ago, rebrecs said:

....

I get yelled at a lot for putting something different on the front and back. But I don't mind. I am very open to hearing the reasons not to do that.

I have always been told to not mix the tires on the SAME axle. So front tires can easily be one brand and rear tires another. Mixing used to be especially true with radials and bias ply tires, do not mix bias ply and radials on same axle as they have different handling characteristics. The main thing is to make sure that front axle and rear axle tires are the exact same size if you have 4x4 or risk drivetrain damage. The reasoning I'm guessing that you were told not to mix brands is because different brands can be slightly different in their actual specs. If they are way different, again, it could cause drivetrain damage to a 4x4 but a 2 wheel drive would not have the same limitation.

Edited December 17, 2019 by mikeyk101

rebrecs · December 18, 2019

15 hours ago, mikeyk101 said:

The reasoning I'm guessing that you were told not to mix brands is because different brands can be slightly different in their actual specs. If they are way different, again, it could cause drivetrain damage to a 4x4 but a 2 wheel drive would not have the same limitation.

Mikey, agree all points. And you made a good point, that I will look in to further, which is "how different can they be without worry." In other words, is the variance between manufacturers significant. My assumptions have been front and back must be same size, and type (e.g. A/T's versus hiway tires, etc). So, on the front I have 235/80/17 A/Ts, and on the rear I have exactly the same. Fronts are same mfg., rears are same mfg.

If Continental makes an AT tire that is 235 tall, and BFGoodrich makes an AT tire that is 235 tall - how different are they likely to be? I dont know.

I imagine there is some difference. I also imagine the difference is within the same range as if the front tires were worn down, and the back tires were new.

Are you aware of warnings or advice concerning potential drivetrain damage for the difference that could exist based on tread wear?

D_Spin · January 6, 2020

Just to clarify, the 235 would be the width, not the height. The 80 would be the height of the sidewall as a percentage of the width, and the 17 is the wheel diameter.

Back to the review, the trip back north was just rain, and very light snow. Nothing really new to say. This winter has been warm and wet so far with nearly no snow at all. I will still keep this updated as time goes on.

slide187 · January 6, 2020

Just drove mine thru our most recent storm a week or so ago. Night and day from the OEM crap but that’s obvious. I do like them a lot better than my last set of Hankook Dynapro ATMs on my old truck in the snow so I was happy about that. So far I have no complaints on the Continentals. [emoji1360][emoji1360]

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D_Spin · April 8, 2020

Well, long over due update... We had a very mild winter with nearly no snow. Only once I found myself driving through a few inches of fresh snow. First tracks at 4:30am, completely untreated roads. The tires did fantastic. Up and down steep hills, I tried 2wd and 4wd. Light and heavy throttle just to find the limits, etc.

Over all, I'm very impressed. They do very well, and are a perfect balance for a daily driver in all conditions. They seem to be wearing well (despite the dealer not rotating them on the last service I'm gonna rotate them this week during the virus lockdown). They don't do as well as dedicated snow tire, as expected, but they are the best compromise I could have found, based on my current experience for wear, noise, wet weather, snow and offroad. I did end up finding the mud/slick limit of the tires on another job site while backing a 6800lb pump/trailer up a steep/short incline. I needed a tug from a tractor to get it all up, but not at all surprised nor unexpected. Still loving these tires and definitely highly recommended. I am still of the belief that these may be the best kept secret in the 285/45/22 A/T truck tire market.

Edited April 8, 2020 by D_Spin