gbriank

Serenity tires have a decently long life span (per the comments section on Tire Rack), but the DWS have AWESOME winter traction. I had the predecessor to the DWS and the only complaint I had was tram lining (tires abruptly changing direction to follow deep grooves in the pavement, especially annoying on roads in the middle of repair). Otherwise, I really liked them! Also, you're gonna get better stopping distances on the UHPAS tires vs Grand Touring. (Serenity's are being replaced with the Serenity Plus.)

Looking at the 'Rack, there is only a difference of a few bucks between the DWS and Serenitys. (245/50R17)

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...ype=bestseller

shaselai

oh yeah, i meant the 100$ difference between the serenity plus and the dws. i havent found too many reviews on the serenity plus though... i am using another site tirebuyer.com for full out the door price especially there is no shipping cost...(~70 install).

Side note, i am also looking at costco bridgestone deal for serenity (not plus) - 70$ off on set of 4 and 30 off on installation ends up 630 before taxs...

so to reiterate:
DWS 600
Serenity plus 700
Costco serenity 630+ possible tax

gbriank

Where do you live? If you have a Discount Tire close by, they have to match their parent site (Discount Tire Direct). They're always cheaper and charge NO delivery charges.

shaselai

i live in NC. actually tiredirect doesnt have serenity for my size. even for DWS the tirebuyer is cheaper at 135$ while the serenity plus at 160$. i guess if i go for serenity i might as well go for serenity plus?? or save the 100 and get dws hmmm... NC doesnt have snow much at all and i know i will be moving in a year but not sure where though although I do want to stay in the east coast though...

gbriank

Yes, Serenity Plus has some newer advancements (including an "Eco" tread...supposed to give you better fuel economy). It mainly comes down to how you drive. Are you "spirited" or just "average"? I was a spirited driver and really preferred the grip and shorter stopping distance of the Ultra-High Performance All-Season tire (UPHAS). From what I've read, the DWS does stop a good 20' shorter in the wet than the Serenity.

If it were me, I'd go with the DWS. Are you riding the 17" or 18" tires?

shaselai

the tires should be dependent on the wheel right? the wheel is stock so i am pretty sure it is 17". the tire person took a look and said 17" as well the other day. I guess i am "average" driver? I try to be 10 over speed limit at all times, not super aggressive....

gbriank

Well, either tire would be good. You'll get longer life from the Bridgestones, but have more fun with the Continentals.

I would go through a set of tires every 20,000 miles.

shaselai

what do you mean fun with continentals? And going through 20k miles..... with the DWS or something else? If it is under the warranty you get discounts right?

gbriank

The way I drove my RL, I tested all of the capabilities of the SH-AWD. Yes, there was a warranty...but if you looked at the tires, you could tell they'd been worn out due to driver usage (no coverage for that...DRAT!). I had the 245/45R18's on my RL (loved my smokey grey R-Spec rims) shod with a pair of Pirelli Pzero Nero All Seasons. Would have preferred a set of summers, but traveled frequently to northern states where that wasn't feasible (and am lazy, don't want to have two sets of tires to swap out each season).

For a two ton car, the RL is a BLAST to drive. It can be smooth and luxurious or a true sports sedan (with a tire upgrade). There are some amazing corners to take here where you can fully test the AWD system's ability to shift 90% of its power to either rear tire. I just never had the guts to drive it on a track or do any major auto-cross activities. I do miss my RL for that...

gbriank

The Continentals (Ultra High Performance All-Season) are in a different category from the Bridgestones (Grand Touring All-Season). They have completely different characteristics. The Continentals will be a bit more sporty, have shorter stopping distances, wider tread pattern touching the ground and a shorter longevity. The Bridgestones will be more "serene" taking road imperfections with more aplomb, standard tread width pattern, a longer longevity, longer stopping distance and probably better fuel economy.

So as you can see, both tires are really different from each other. As a side note, I give cudos to Continental for designing a more performance oriented tire with AWESOME winter traction.

shaselai

how worried should i be about the handling of dws? i do read many have the wobbling problem with high mph... but those posts were older... so are the "new" dws clear of that problem?

gbriank

Not sure about that. Look at the reviews by date and see if there is anything more recent. This is why I like purchasing local, that way if any issues arise you can swap to a different tire.

EDIT: Looked at the reviews and do see one complaint regarding balance. So, there may be something there. In reading the RL reviews for the Serenity's, there are some bad reviews regarding them being rougher than the standard Michelin's (which I got rid of before hitting 1000 miles).

Have you researched any other tires for the RL?

shaselai

i am actually looking to get something for the TLs. but those tires are also for RL and this thread happens to be here so i raised my question about the tire here...

shaselai

i also saw Michelin Primacy mxm4 or mxv4 as well. Tirerack gave it good ratings :
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...y.jsp?ttid=138

But i read user reviews from diff sites either the DWS or serenity is better? There is Michelin sale right now for 80$ off which makes it about 660 out the door...

knv8

I'm also looking for some 245/45/18's , I narrowed it down to these tires, my price comparisons as of this week:

Toyo Versado LX II $700 installed
continental dws $800 installed
toyo proxes $550 installed

think I will go with the Versados, good reviews all around decent price. proxes are very tempting but lots of bad reviews on noise. if anyone has feedback on the toyo proxes let me know, thanks!

projektvertx

iTrader: (2)

I'd have to agree on the DWS tires having awesome winter traction. My friend got some DWS's when he upgraded his wheels on his 328xi, I've heard nothing but good things from him.

I have a personal slant towards Michelin.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

I still say Versados over DWS

shaselai

Ok I finally picked the Serenity Pluses over the DWS... costs about 760 after install+tax - 100$ over the dws. the handling for dws really worries me... I HOPE I made the right choice.....?

oo7spy

Handling of the DWS?

I have had a bad experience with TOYOs that would be hard for me to overcome in the future.

shaselai

i read that people have issues with the handling when going 50mph+ with the dws.... even some people on this thread mentioned...

oo7spy

I havent read the thread (tl;dr), but I have no issues with mine. I have heard about flat spots and balance issues but not handling. I am happy with mine, but they do seem to need rebalancing more often than other tires.

As far as performance handling goes, DW or DWS are very hard to beat for the price. That's what I thought you meant. They have great grip.

shaselai

i think i meant balance instead. the tires shifting one direction when going over 50 or so. did you feel the car was stable when you are going fast?

oo7spy

Very stable. As of 15k miles, I am a happy buyer.

gbriank

shaselai: you've got them ordered, so don't look back. put them on your car and enjoy them.

oo7spy

I don't think there is any reason to believe Contis are any better than a some of the other options. They are not the end all be all. They are just a great value, kinda like a used RL.

Report back on impressions of the .

knv8

here is my feedback on the Toyo Versados LXII after 2 weeks. It definitely is a luxury touring tire, it softened up my aspec suspension and I feel less road imperfections. although I dont feel as confident in taking hard turns compared to my nexxen n7000 I had on. These tires will screech on a hard turn while the nexxens did not. But overall the softer more cush ride is what I was after so the pros outweigh the cons.

thenewblack

For what it's worth, I returned a pair of Continental DWS because the car felt sloppy with them. They floated around constantly. The replacements were Michelin Pilot Sport A/S+ , which aren't as comfy, but have none of the floatiness I felt. If I could do it all over I'd get slightly more cushy, but not the DWS.

thenewblack

Do you feel like the aspec suspension is uncomfortable? I'm considering installing the shocks/springs but I don't want a bumpy ride.

Sylvain

Much better rim protection indeed. I wish I had those from the beginning...

SSjTrunks112O

I've heard good all around reviews about the Versado's myself and I was gonna get them for my other car (98 Max GLE) before it got whacked.. So I think it's a go as soon as I save up a bit more..

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

I had no complaints, and anyone that wants my DWS can come get them. LoL

My car sat over the weekend and wobbled the whole way to work until the tires warmed up.

My next set will be another round of Versados.

baboya96

Just reached 57000 miles on my DWS and i've been VERY happy with them (245/40/19). So i'm placing an order for another set of DWS considering how much trouble-free miles i got out of this first set. However per my local tire shop, it seems the same tire (per website, it has been slightly updated on rating) went up on price. When I bought them in Feb, 2011, it was $214/tire (before mount/coverage....etc) but now i'm getting a quote for ($252/tire). Tirerack.com sells it for $240/tire but that's about the lowest i can find. Is this typical for these tires to actually go up on pricing?

sonny@tirerack

It is typical for tires to go up in pricing, especially if it is an updated version. Continental increased the load capacity of the DWS now making it extra load.

rlerman

I believe the govt has slapped some hefty taxes on tires imported from china within the past year or so. Do you know where they at made?

BDoggPrelude

Have you checked how much more a gallon of milk costs today than it did almost 2 years ago? Everything goes up in price. It's called inflation.

BDoggPrelude

And your local shop is actually beating TireRack after you figure in shipping charges.

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

glad they are working out

HybridCB7

Any more long term updates from those of you who have the BS's or DWS? Even the Pilot AS?

Just bought an 05 RL which I am trying to upgrade the tires on...

HEAVY_RL

iTrader: (1)

Still hate my DWS...

HybridCB7

^^^^^^^^^^^^


lol, thanks Heavy.

I like the reviews of the DWS but don't want to worry about balancing them every so often...