Normally I’m a huge Michelin fan but lately I’ve been hearing so much about Continental tires rating right there with the Michelins that I’m very intrigued. The TerrainContact H/T even looks similar to the Michelin Defender LTX but I can get them about $150 cheaper on a set of four. Is anyone using these? I searched but really only found people talking about the A/T version. I’d love to hear if you’ve used both tires. I hate the Bridgestone Dueler Alenza, they have a ton of sidewall roll compared to the Defender and don’t ride good at all.
Anyone running the Continental TerrainContact H/T 285/45/22?
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Tahoe14
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Did you check Tirerack to see if they had any reviews?
K2 Kaiju
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Get them. I have a set in 265.70.18 and after around 5k miles, I must say they are better than my last set of defenders. Buttery smooth at 95, great in rain, and quiet. During the February Snovid21 in TX, my burb did so much better than wifes forester on ice, I replaced her tires with some contis the next week. I had wanted the ATs for a long time since they look better, but im on road 98% of the time, and these are perfect for my needs...
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Yes, I did. There are only 31 reviews but they were mostly positive. There were some people who mentioned vibration issues but that happens with the Michelins sometimes, too. There were 1 or 2 reviews that said they were terrible compared to the Defenders they had on before and 1 or 2 reviews that said they were better than the Defenders. Most of the reviews seemed to come from changing from whatever stock tires their vehicles had.
Although both ratings are high the Michelin is rated a little higher than the Continental on cornering stability and steering response which is the most important to me after being vibration free. The little video Tire Rack has for the Continental says: "handling is appropriate for a highway all-season tire though our team noted a loose but responsive steering feel that could benefit from more communication for precise small inputs." That worries me a little because my truck is lowered with big sway bars so although I don't expect it to handle like a sports car it definitely handles much better than it should. I also realize that feeling could change depending on road quality, the type of vehicle, and tire size. It may not have that feeling with a 45 series sidewall vs. a 70.
My plan was if I did decided to buy these tires and didn't like them, I could put them on my wife's Yukon and put Defenders on mine but the Yukon doesn't really need tires and since I put new tires on the SS earlier this year also I would have to live with them for a little while.
Could you possibly expand a little more on why you like them better than the Defenders?
K2 Kaiju
Full Access Member
They seem a little softer over bumps, they are slightly less direct with steering wheel input (which may be against what you want) with a more rounded profile. I have Helwig front and rear sway bars and these tires stand up to my occasional "suprise the sports car with your grip around the curve" moments. Nice comfort most of the time, but responsive when pushed - I really havent spun out in the rain yet during take off. Decent 116 load rating. My defenders felt solid but a bit less refined. If these last their 70k tread warranty I wont even think of Michelins again...
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Alright, I appreciate the input. I do still wonder if the 285/45 would be more responsive just because of the shorter sidewall but I think I will wait until the Yukon more needs tires and decide then. Maybe someone who has used this tire in the 285/45/22 will chime in.
Philpug
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Discount Tire's reviews are not that great. https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/nankang-tire-sp-7
I decided I’m going to give the Continentals a go. I ordered one to see what it looks like in the 285/45/22 and it’s a pretty good looking tire. I’ve ordered the rest which should come in this week. Now I’ve got to decide which truck to put them on. For my curiosity I want to put them on my Escalade because I’ll be able to better compare them to the Michelins but I just put two new Michelins on it last month so I don’t know if I want to mess with those. I could just replace the other two tires and have two and two but not sure if I’d really get a good enough feel for them that way.
I ended up putting these on my Escalade because I really wanted to know how they compare and I found a nail in the sidewall of one of my Michelins (luckily not one of the two new ones). I've only put about 125 miles on them so far so they still need a little more to break in. So far I definitely like them but I think I like the Michelins are just a little better. Looks wise I think the Continentals are better looking, partly because of the edge protector. I think they ride very similar. I do think the Continentals handle larger dips/bumps slightly better but I think the Michelins handle the smaller stuff better. The big thing for me though is the handling and I think the Michelins have the edge here. It isn't drastic so if you don't have big sway bars and drive a big truck like it's a sports car, you may never notice the difference. They're not scary like the Dueler Alenzas. I do have a little vibration; however, I'm wondering if it is one of my wheels (I bought them used). I had what feels like almost the same vibration before with the Michelins which was why I bought two new ones (the Roadforce was high) but it was still there until I rotated the tires and put the new ones on the front. I was assuming one of those two remaining old Michelins (also bought used) was bad. I will be taking the Continentals off and putting them on my Yukon because I want the best handling. I'll be driving on them on the Escalade until I can buy two more new Michelins so I'm probably going to try rotating them to see if the vibration goes away like it did with the Michelins and if so I'll have to figure out which wheel is the problem.
I've had the Continental TerrainContact H/T 285/45/22, since when they first came out. They are fantastic in every way! I bought these after being very disappointed with my last set of Michelins, which only offered good traction for the first 12 months, 12,000 miles. After that they were very dangerous in the rain.
the Continental TerrainContact H/T's have superb wet traction, very smooth ride, and are very quiet.
Note that the TerrainContact H/T's are a way better tire than the CrossContact LX tires. The CrossContacts are a compromised design to get better fuel economy, where the TerrainContact H/T's are the best tire they know how to make.
the Continental TerrainContact H/T's have superb wet traction, very smooth ride, and are very quiet.
Note that the TerrainContact H/T's are a way better tire than the CrossContact LX tires. The CrossContacts are a compromised design to get better fuel economy, where the TerrainContact H/T's are the best tire they know how to make.
Interesting. I’ve never heard anyone say that before. That was with the Defender LTX? My parents, my uncle, and my father-in-law have all been through multiple sets of the Defender LTX and never had that complaint. I haven’t had a set from new yet but my two used sets have never felt dangerous in the rain. I just have vibration issues with my used ones.
To update this again, the Michelins are back on my truck. They are just the better tire, period. I would say the TerrainContact H/T is a very good tire but the Defender LTX is an excellent tire. The Michelins handle much better and have a smoother ride. I didn't think the difference in handling was that major but after putting the Michelins back on (and replacing the other two used ones with two more new ones), I'm changing my mind. I still think they're great tires but the Michelins are better and worth the extra money in my opinion. If you're coming from the garbage Dueler Alenza going to the TerrainContact H/T you will be very happy with the Continental but the Michelins are still even better than those. I do still have a tiny vibration at 80+ and the tire machine did say one of my wheels is slightly out-of-round so I'll address that eventually but with the Michelins back on it isn't nearly as bothersome (I put the wheels back in the same place just to verify this). I put the Continentals up on FB Marketplace to see if I could sell them for $800 and I'll buy another set of Michelins for my Yukon but if they don't sell then I'll just put them on my Yukon.
K2 Kaiju
Full Access Member
Very solid report with same size on same truck to compare. They do need a bit to break in and keep in mind the contis are hundreds cheaper (paid $633 for my 18s + tax @ tirebuyer in december). Either way you got some good tires there...
K2 Kaiju
Full Access Member
LOL, I guess you get what you pay for. You think the Michelins are better in rain too? They must have changed the rubber again which tire companies tend to do, but the sipes on the contis are very effective in all kinds of crap weather (seemed to rain every day last month). I guess I need to try some defenders again, but it will probably be a few years...
That I can't say. I drove on the Continentals in the rain a few times but it wasn't a downpour or anything crazy to really test them. I will say I never had a complaint with the wet weather performance with the eBay used Defenders. I will very likely end up putting the Continentals on my Yukon since no one really knows about them I've only had 14 views on the ad in a week and I'm not giving them away so I will probably be able to tell eventually how they do in the wet.
I got 285 45 22 they look awesome and are quiet too
I did end up putting these on my Yukon. They ride much smoother on the Yukon than my Escalade so I must have an out-of-round wheel. The Michelins still handle better but that also isn’t as noticeable since the Yukon has my old Eibach sway bars and the Escalade has the Hellwig bars. The Michelins are the #1 tire for this size and the Continentals are #2.
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