How Continental’s DWS06 Plus Delivers All-Season Grip For All-Out Enthusiasts

Performance-minded Ford owners know that a good tire can make or break a build. Whether your Mustang sees daily duty, weekend canyon runs, or the occasional autocross, you want something that grips in the dry, handles rain with confidence, and doesn’t lose its composure when the temperature drops. That’s exactly the goal behind Continental Tire’s ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus, the evolution of a popular ultra-high-performance all-season tire.

To learn more about what makes this “Plus” version stand out, we caught up with Nate Dodds, Continental Tire’s Product Manager for Performance Tires, who shared insight into how this tire blends year-round versatility with serious enthusiast performance.

Ford Muscle: What was the mission for the DWS06 Plus tire development?

Nate Dobbs: The mission for the DWS06 Plus was simple: Build upon the key criteria where we have been successful in the past with the previous generation DWS06. That translates to segment-leading performance (wet, dry, winter, and wear) while maintaining everyday comfort and low noise. Second, that meant segment-leading size coverage. We want to cover as many vehicles as possible in the Ultra-High-Performance All-Season segment. Lastly, that means having a strong warranty package that gives consumers confidence when purchasing the product.

FM: How did Continental balance dry-grip performance with all-season versatility that includes wet and light-snow traction in the DWS06 Plus?

ND: We strive to ensure balanced performance. In the past, the segment was filled with many tires that were essentially weak summer tires that didn’t provide acceptable winter performance. We changed that with the original DWS. Continental is very strong in understanding what it takes to make a capable wet- and winter-performing tire. The DWS06 Plus maintains our famous “X-sipe” tread design and traction-teeth technology. These “biting teeth” lock snow within the grooves to create “snow-to-snow” traction, preventing the tire from sliding on slick surfaces. For wet grip, the DWS06 Plus increases the number of sipes to wipe away standing water and features wide circumferential grooves to evacuate water and prevent aquaplaning. The new tread compound also provides additional wet grip.

FM: What changes were made in the compound or tread design compared to the original DWS06 to earn the “Plus” designation?

ND: If you set the DWS06 next to the DWS06 Plus, you would see similarities in the design from a high level, but the details are what matter most. Specifically, there were significant changes in the tread pattern design, internal construction, contour shape, and silica tread compound for the successor Plus version.

FM: Many enthusiasts push these tires hard on spirited drives. How does the DWS06 Plus maintain tread life under aggressive driving while preserving responsiveness?

ND: Several efforts were made to ensure excellent steering precision and driver confidence during spirited driving. All are part of our Sport Plus+ Technology. First, a new hybrid capply combines two strong materials to ensure a consistent contact patch at all times. Second, our “macro-block” concept on the outer shoulder ties together three smaller blocks into one larger structure to keep the shoulder stable under cornering and prevent shearing under high lateral loads. Lastly, chamfered block edges maintain stiffness under cornering. These three features — the hybrid capply, chamfered block edges, and macro block on the tire shoulder — keep the tread stable and prevent excessive wear under hard cornering.

FM: Some drivers note softer sidewalls compared to dedicated summer tires. Was this an intentional design decision to improve comfort, or a trade-off in achieving all-season compliance?

ND: In general, yes, all-season tires have softer sidewalls compared to dedicated track-focused summer tires. The use case and customer expectations are different. The DWS06 Plus customer spends more time on the road than on the track. For the DWS06 Plus, we needed a tire that was quiet, comfortable, and sporty for the luxury performance customer driving to work every day, but also stiff enough to be engaging for the driving enthusiast heading to the mountains on the weekend or running an occasional autocross or track day.

FM: How does the compound behave at extreme temperature ranges, from hot summer track sessions to cold winter commutes?

ND: The tread compound is designed to handle a wide variety of temperatures as its primary purpose is to be the “jack-of-all-trades” performance tire; however, this comes with compromises. The DWS06 Plus can handle light track duty or an autocross, but for extended track use, a dedicated summer or track tire is a better choice. On the other end of the spectrum, the DWS06 Plus is fully capable in light snow conditions, but it does have its limits in regions that see heavy winter conditions.

FM: The DWS06 Plus covers a wide range of sizes. Are there specific applications or vehicle types where the tire’s performance characteristics really shine?

ND: With the DWS06 Plus, we cover a wide variety of vehicle applications, including luxury passenger cars, SUVs, muscle cars, exotics, and performance SUVs. We developed a concept that works best across this large variety of vehicles and sizes—over 100 total — but each size is individually tuned for its intended application. For example, the construction for a large SUV size, like a 285/40R22, is different from a Miata-sized 195/50R16.

FM: What kind of testing did Continental conduct — track, wet proving grounds, or real-world — to validate the DWS06 Plus before launch?

ND: With every tire we develop, we perform a full spectrum of virtual and real-world testing. We break down these on-vehicle tests into objective versus subjective evaluations.

Objective tests include braking and traction performance in wet, dry, snow, and ice conditions. Most importantly, we run a 500-mile daily wear route over several weeks to evaluate overall wear shape, evenness, and rate. We also measure rolling resistance on a metal drum to assess efficiency, correlating directly to fuel economy or EV range.

For subjective testing, we evaluate handling on dry and wet track layouts, measuring on-center response, lane-change capability, and limit handling. We also test tire noise and comfort on multiple road surfaces.

These tests are conducted at our facilities in Uvalde, Texas, Hannover, Germany, Arvidsjaur, Sweden, and Brimley, Michigan.

FM: With the rise of heavier performance cars, how is Continental evolving its all-season performance tire technology to meet those new demands?

ND: Vehicle weights are increasing due to stricter safety standards, added technology, and EV batteries. Therefore, tires need stiffer constructions to manage these heavier loads. We design each tire around current and future vehicle needs, ensuring every size meets or exceeds its required load index. For example, a load index of “95” supports a maximum weight of 1,521 pounds per tire. Multiplied by four, that comfortably exceeds most vehicle weights. My job as a Product Manager is to ensure that each tire in our lineup meets or exceeds these standards.

FM: Is there anything else Ford performance enthusiasts should know?

ND: On a general level, I look forward to more performance-focused tire lines coming soon from both our Continental and General Tire brands, including fitments for top Ford performance vehicles. On a detailed level, we just added size 305/35ZR19 to our Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 line — a popular aftermarket and OE size for the Shelby GT350. So if you need tires for your GT350, we have you covered!

The Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus builds on a proven foundation with sharper handling, improved wet and snow grip, and wider fitment coverage than ever. For Ford enthusiasts who want year-round performance without swapping tires every season, it delivers a blend of responsiveness, comfort, and confidence. Whether you’re daily driving a GT, carving mountain roads in a Mach 1, or braving rain in a Shelby, Continental’s all-season flagship is a capable option.