Driver feedback on the Continental EcoContact 5 is mixed overall. Many higher-scoring reviews praise its low rolling resistance/fuel economy, strong dry grip and braking, and in some cases excellent longevity. However, a large share of mid/low scores report poor wet and cold-weather traction (including aquaplaning and winter use), along with frequent complaints about road noise on coarse surfaces and a soft/vague sidewall feel that reduces steering precision.
What owners mention most counted across 73 reviews
Had these tires on my Suzuki crossover for 4 years. Drove 79,000 kilometers on them. Overall, very satisfied.
Since I live in Israel in desert conditions, dry grip is the important feature, and I feel these tires are good and safe when it comes to dry grip. Wet grip is all right too but less good.
Wear was also good as they lasted for so long on burning hot surfaces at speeds of 140 km/h.
Bought these same tires again now, replacing all four.
Cons: they are a bit noisy, imho.
Pros: safe, good ware
P.S. I used to be a driver in the army. So, have some experience with performance tires.
Decent dry grip but simply terrible on wet/damp/cold roads. Trying to pull away at junctions/roundabouts in the wet when applying power results in just wheelspins and the ESC light coming on.... Only way to pull away in the wet and not have this happen is to set off at snail's pace. These tyres came with my car which I purchased 2nd hand with 3700 miles on, I've replaced them just 3000 miles on as I simply can't stand them. I have replaced them with run flat tyres ultra high performance tyres which seem to have a reputation for being noisy and uncomfortable, and yet the run flat tyres I'm now running (RainSport 3 SSR) are actually far more comfortable and less noisy than the Conti EcoContct 5's, so shows how bad these are!! Also sidewalls are very soft, this I think is responsible for the poor steering feedback.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
Car was fitted with Continental's from new achieved 30000 miles before I changed to the above, which I was more than happy with. Hence I purchased tyres from the same manufacturer when I was due a replacement. Performance wise everything same as the original factory fitment except for one major issue tyre wear. Have covered 17000 miles on this set will be lucky to achieve 20000 miles. Hence I'm look at other manufacturers.
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Good Stable & Predictable handling, Good dry braking & dry handling, Good wet braking & handling, Great fuel economy, Neutral feedback, high road noise.
Good tyre for fuel efficiency and sensible, non-spirited driving
Have had many sets of tyres, I have to get the XL load rating or they wear out fast.
good handling and no issues, just poor wear value
Disappointed with these new Eco5 as the back tyres have done 13000 miles and are shot.
I drove on Continental ContiEcoContact 5 tyres on a very twisty racing circuit in my stock car (a stock Dacia with 115hp), ya there weren't much horsepower but I can tell you, on dry tarmac these tyres had very good grip ! Not to mention they were 8 years old when I did it !
The continental tyres came with my new 2019 Golf 7.5 110TSI Wagon and appeared to be OK until I drove on typical course bitumen that we often find on Australian roads, even on freeways. On some surfaces there was so much loud, intense, low frequency sound that it was almost unbearable and my passenger blocked her ears! On different, smoother sections of the freeway, there was negligible road noise and otherwise the Golf is very quiet. On the same, familiar road our 2003 Mercedes ML350 with Michelin tyres is consistently quiet, and even my 16 year old Magna with 300,000km on the clock with Michelin tyres, was much quieter on the course bitumen.
These tyres are completely unsuitable be the Australian market. I'll be approaching my VW dealer and VW Australia to find some resolution as I can not live with the severity of the noise on roads that I am typically driving on.
Good in mild dry and mild wet, good mpg.
Based on the scoring options they appear 'on paper' to be decent tyres.
But - and there's a big but -
They're lethal on muddy, icy, snowy or cold roads - the most dangerous and unpredictable tyre I've ever experienced in autumn/winter weather which is why I'd never buy them again, nor any other eco-labelled tyre.
Lasted quite well after 3 years and 25k miles. good fuel consumption ( as much as I can compare with similar cars, no way to say precisely until after I change the tyres). ok in dry, wheel spin on occasion, especially uphill (light car?). more wheel spin in the wet when accelerating in 2nd, not great on breaking in the wet. Just had them understeer fairly dangerously in a roundabout. the back is coming out in bends on dry and wet, not too hard to control usually but it can surprise you. terrible in snow, got stuck in a parking lot, seems to be able to reverse out but unable to drive forwards in snow! About to replace them, hope for something with better grip.
Those are the original tyres on my car. I have driven them for 54000 km, so in my opinion they are very durable . Their grip is good on dry and wet surface (my driving style is moderate). I haven't experienced any problems so far. I feel confident on any road. Maybe the only problem is that they are a little bit noisy.
I want to replace them because the tread depth is reaching its limit and I want to do so before the winter . If it wasn't for their high price I would have purchased them again. I definitely recommend these kind of tyres.
Fitted from new on a Scandinavian spec Renault Clio 0.9Tce Sport Tourer (estate).
Have now covered just over 4000mi / 6000km.
To summarise; these tyres have been good for fuel economy and reasonably grippy, but the steering and handling characteristics are not confidence inspiring or enjoyable, in my opinion. Can also be noisy on some surfaces.
These tyres might be ok if you want something for low speed city / town use, or if economy is your only major concern.
For me personally, I like a car to handle in a positive and responsive way. These tyres don't strike the balance I'm looking for, so they will soon be changed out for something more responsive.
Positive:
- Grip quite well in the dry
- Grip quite well in the wet too (no unexpected ABS / sliding / wheelspin to date)
- Low rolling resistance, hence good fuel economy.
- Seem to wear reasonably well (so far)
Negative:
- Slow / soggy steering response, seemingly due to soft sidewalls.
- Lack of steering feel or feedback. Numb around the dead-ahead.
- Car slops / wobbles around laterally on these tyres following a sudden steering input (e.g. if swerving to avoiding a pothole or something in the road). Seems to take a while for these tyres to settle following such a manoeuvre.
- Unexpectedly noisy on some road surfaces, though reasonably quiet on others.
- Not the most comfortable, despite apparent soft sidewalls. Can feel harsh / jittery over road imperfections such as drain covers and bridge expansion joints.
- Went out of balance within the first 3000km (2000mi).
Other Notes
Increasing the tyre pressures (above recommended for the Clio, but well within specification for tyre) helped to improve the steering response and feel, but the basic characteristics described above are still present.
Driving another Clio 0,9tce on a different brand of tyres (a dealer courtesy car) made me realise how lively the steering and handling on my car can / should be.
