Continental PremiumContact 7 review
The Continental PremiumContact 7 is excellent in the wet and dry and great to drive, just let down by a shortage of refinement
There was little to separate our top three tyres, and all of them delivered an excellent performance. Indeed, the Continental did much of what was needed to secure the overall win; it led the way in the wet tests, with a near-perfect collection of results, and was strong in the dry too. However, its undoing was its poor refinement.
It was first or second in all five wet tests, leading the braking and cornering tests, and it felt terrific on the wet handling circuit. It might not have been the grippiest, but it had an uncomplicated, nose-led balance, with just the right amount of adjustability to help it through the turns without the risk of the rear getting wayward. This was bolstered by second in both the deep-water aquaplaning tests.
It was second in dry braking too, less than half a metre behind the winning Goodyear, and was fourth in dry handling where, again, it felt terrific, with strong grip and excellent composure and balance under pressure.
As we said, where it unravelled a little for the Continental was in refinement. It was okay for cabin noise on the smooth surface, but the noisiest on the coarse. Plus subjectively, it was by far the loudest and most tactile tyre, especially over the roughest sections of road, setting interior trim and the pedals buzzing.
Blackcircles.com says...
“Drivers value the fuel economy of this tyre. Its excellent grip in wet conditions inspires confidence.”
Results
| Continental PremiumContact 7 | ||
| Overall | 99.70% | |
| Price | £97.60 | |
| Wet braking | 100% | 1st |
| Wet handling | 99.80% | 2nd |
| Wet cornering | 100% | =1st |
| Curved aquaplaning | 95.90% | 2nd |
| Straight aquaplaning | 98.70% | 2nd |
| Dry braking | 98.80% | 2nd |
| Dry handling | 98.70% | 4th |
| Cabin noise | 83.10% | 8th |
| Rolling resistance | 90.30% | 5th |
Buy the Continental Premium Contact 7 from Blackcircles.com…
