Continental Tire Extreme Contact Force Impressions and Feedback

[Meateater]

Hey TMO friends, I have been selected as a brand ambassador for Continental Tires! My set of Extreme Contact Force are on the way. If you' are thinking about a new HPDE track day tire or something for general endurance racing please use my code 'VatterVIP' for a buy 3 get one free discount on a set of Continental Extreme Contact Force. Order from our friends at TrackdayTire.com
I'll be posting my impressions and some pics throughout the summer and would be interested in your feedback if you are running them as well. Drive Faster!

 

[Ludachris]

Seems like a lot of people are getting selected as a brand ambassador for Continental lately. Smart of them to give their customers a financial incentive to promote a discount. I'd love to have that website contact us about becoming a sponsor of the site to help support our efforts here, like we have with TireRack and Discount Tire, if we're going to be promoting their efforts by having a link to them. That's what I told the other member who PM'd me asking if it was okay to post a promo thread about their new ambassadorship.

 

[mpgainer]

Any idea what tire pressure we should be running ECFs on the track? I just bought my first set and did four sessions on them yesterday. I kept the hot pressures around 35. The front left (clockwise track) seemed to wear further onto the sidewall than SC2’s at the same pressure (-2.6 camber).

 

[D Streever]

Any idea what tire pressure we should be running ECFs on the track? I just bought my first set and did four sessions on them yesterday. I kept the hot pressures around 35. The front left (clockwise track) seemed to wear further onto the sidewall than SC2’s at the same pressure (-2.6 camber).

I have 91 fox and similar issue at Nelson Ledges, clockwise as well. Ran 31 hot as recommended by track day tire rep. Have -3 degree camber. Only had issue on left front. Going to try 35 hot next event. I'm also interested in hearing recommendations.

 

[Meateater]

Any idea what tire pressure we should be running ECFs on the track? I just bought my first set and did four sessions on them yesterday. I kept the hot pressures around 35. The front left (clockwise track) seemed to wear further onto the sidewall than SC2’s at the same pressure (-2.6 camber).

I was on a short track (no highspeed corners) and ran them from 36 to 38 hot. 32-34 seemed too soft when they were hot. I also saw wear pretty far onto the sidewall (used some tire chalk to mark the sidewall and wear ranges). The 36-38 range seemed to solve that a bit without getting too hard and sacrificing grip. Going to do a bit more research in a few weekes.

 

[mpgainer]

I was on a short track (no highspeed corners) and ran them from 36 to 38 hot. 32-34 seemed too soft when they were hot. I also saw wear pretty far onto the sidewall (used some tire chalk to mark the sidewall and wear ranges). The 36-38 range seemed to solve that a bit without getting too hard and sacrificing grip. Going to do a bit more research in a few weekes.

Thanks for the input. I’ll give them a try with a little more pressure and will report back. Chalk on the sidewalk is a good idea.

 

[Meateater]

Thanks for the input. I’ll give them a try with a little more pressure and will report back. Chalk on the sidewalk is a good idea.

I also put a note into Conti directly to see what they say.

 

[thelostotter]

I had 295/30R19s and I was happy enough with the grip and wear but I experienced some chunks on the outer tread blocks after 4 events, one tire in particular was chunked down to the cords despite the tire only being about 50% worn. They were pretty narrow and were pinched significantly on 11" wheels. I used your code and took a chance with the 315/30R19s which to my surprise fit my car ok, I got the slightest kiss of rub on the fender in one corner at Inde. They will fit perfect with about 0.1 degree more camber once I enlarge the strut tower again.

I aimed for 36 psi front, 35 psi rear for two days at Inde this weekend and they are wearing quite nicely. They still have 6/32" tread remaining in the rear and 7/32" up front. I am hoping the extra width and higher load rating over the 295s will prevent the chunking I saw and the extra camber I'll dial in should help too. Currently running -3.05 degrees front which I want to increase to -3.2 and -2 degrees rear.

 

[mpgainer]

I had 295/30R19s and I was happy enough with the grip and wear but I experienced some chunks on the outer tread blocks after 4 events, one tire in particular was chunked down to the cords despite the tire only being about 50% worn. They were pretty narrow and were pinched significantly on 11" wheels. I used your code and took a chance with the 315/30R19s which to my surprise fit my car ok, I got the slightest kiss of rub on the fender in one corner at Inde. They will fit perfect with about 0.1 degree more camber once I enlarge the strut tower again.

I aimed for 36 psi front, 35 psi rear for two days at Inde this weekend and they are wearing quite nicely. They still have 6/32" tread remaining in the rear and 7/32" up front. I am hoping the extra width and higher load rating over the 295s will prevent the chunking I saw and the extra camber I'll dial in should help too. Currently running -3.05 degrees front which I want to increase to -3.2 and -2 degrees rear.

I’m running 295 front / 315 rear. I almost went for 315 all around but was concerned about rubbing. I’m -2.6 front, so I’m glad I didn’t try it. (I’m not ready to enlarge my strut tower just yet.) The measurements of the 295 ECF are very similar to the 305 SC2s that came stock, but perhaps there’s some aspect of the sidewall and/or shoulder block that doesn’t hold as well to 3,900+ lbs. Other guys at my track in Corvette’s seem to love the ECF and had no complaints about wear (onto the sidewalls or otherwise).

 

[D Streever]

I was on a short track (no highspeed corners) and ran them from 36 to 38 hot. 32-34 seemed too soft when they were hot. I also saw wear pretty far onto the sidewall (used some tire chalk to mark the sidewall and wear ranges). The 36-38 range seemed to solve that a bit without getting too hard and sacrificing grip. Going to do a bit more research in a few weekes.

Those pressures look they are going in the right direction. My car is smaller, lighter and slower so It seems like a little less pressure would work for me. I am running a tiny tire compared to you guys. 245x40.17 on 8" rim. A little pinched but seems to work at my skill level. I also had a small chunk out of the left front at NL. I rotated it to the LR. I am running an HPDE this weekend and am going to pay MUCH closer attention to my tires and try to get a baseline that works for me. Will keep you posted. Thanks!

 

[blacksheep-1]

Hey @Meateater , feel like posting some of this on tire guy mafia.com?

 

[Meateater]

I have 91 fox and similar issue at Nelson Ledges, clockwise as well. Ran 31 hot as recommended by track day tire rep. Have -3 degree camber. Only had issue on left front. Going to try 35 hot next event. I'm also interested in hearing recommendations.

Here is the response I received from Continental:
Matt,
Thanks for visiting the Coni Website to submit your question. I would recommend starting your Cold Pressure Settings @ 26 – 28 psi and after a 20 – 30 minute track session, your HOT pressures should be no higher than 35 psi. Feel free to test the 32 – 35 psi HOT for optimum handling and grip pressures.

The Conti ECF does hold the HOT pressure very well in this range and very little PSI adjustment is needed throughout the day.

Any other questions, please write me as I manage the Conti EC Force product line here at Hoosier Tire!

 

[SMGDHG]

I had 295/30R19s and I was happy enough with the grip and wear but I experienced some chunks on the outer tread blocks after 4 events, one tire in particular was chunked down to the cords despite the tire only being about 50% worn. They were pretty narrow and were pinched significantly on 11" wheels. I used your code and took a chance with the 315/30R19s which to my surprise fit my car ok, I got the slightest kiss of rub on the fender in one corner at Inde. They will fit perfect with about 0.1 degree more camber once I enlarge the strut tower again.

I aimed for 36 psi front, 35 psi rear for two days at Inde this weekend and they are wearing quite nicely. They still have 6/32" tread remaining in the rear and 7/32" up front. I am hoping the extra width and higher load rating over the 295s will prevent the chunking I saw and the extra camber I'll dial in should help too. Currently running -3.05 degrees front which I want to increase to -3.2 and -2 degrees rear.

I have extensive experience with the ECF and can almost immediately comment that you are running too much pressure. 34psi max worked best for me, with a dramatic drop off in grip for anything above 34 PSI. For me it was almost comical how slippery the tire became at anything above 34psi, nothing like what I have seen before in all the different tires I've ran (15+ events per year has you going through tires quickly!).

The only con to this was I usually needed 24-26psi cold. You are pretty much spot on with the sidewall rollover, but that is something which can be worked around via slow warmup laps, which is something you should be doing anyways. You really need to bring the tires up to temperature slowly at this low of a PSI to prevent sidewall rollover. Once you get them up to temperature however, they should give you trouble free, consistent grip (hot laps 1-3 being the fastest) lap after lap. Note that if you are autocrossing on this tire, you should start them at a much higher cold PSI, and then air down between your runs. But TBH I wouldn't recommend the ECF for autocross unless you are just trying to get driver education in.

The ECF was a fantastic all rounder for me and lasted 44 heat cycles before one of them (note, only ONE), chorded. I proceeded to get another 6 heat cycles out of the remaining 3, so 50 heat cycles in total. These tires are absolute tanks in my experience, but others have had chunking issues with them. My recommendation is to have a buddy take tire temps to verify your alignment is OK, and not overstressing isolated parts of the tire.

If anyone needs any support with these tires at all, feel free to DM me.

 

[mpgainer]

Here is the response I received from Continental:
Matt,
Thanks for visiting the Coni Website to submit your question. I would recommend starting your Cold Pressure Settings @ 26 – 28 psi and after a 20 – 30 minute track session, your HOT pressures should be no higher than 35 psi. Feel free to test the 32 – 35 psi HOT for optimum handling and grip pressures.

The Conti ECF does hold the HOT pressure very well in this range and very little PSI adjustment is needed throughout the day.

Any other questions, please write me as I manage the Conti EC Force product line here at Hoosier Tire!

I have extensive experience with the ECF and can almost immediately comment that you are running too much pressure. 34psi max worked best for me, with a dramatic drop off in grip for anything above 34 PSI. For me it was almost comical how slippery the tire became at anything above 34psi, nothing like what I have seen before in all the different tires I've ran (15+ events per year has you going through tires quickly!).

The only con to this was I usually needed 24-26psi cold. You are pretty much spot on with the sidewall rollover, but that is something which can be worked around via slow warmup laps, which is something you should be doing anyways. You really need to bring the tires up to temperature slowly at this low of a PSI to prevent sidewall rollover. Once you get them up to temperature however, they should give you trouble free, consistent grip (hot laps 1-3 being the fastest) lap after lap. Note that if you are autocrossing on this tire, you should start them at a much higher cold PSI, and then air down between your runs. But TBH I wouldn't recommend the ECF for autocross unless you are just trying to get driver education in.

The ECF was a fantastic all rounder for me and lasted 44 heat cycles before one of them (note, only ONE), chorded. I proceeded to get another 6 heat cycles out of the remaining 3, so 50 heat cycles in total. These tires are absolute tanks in my experience, but others have had chunking issues with them. My recommendation is to have a buddy take tire temps to verify your alignment is OK, and not overstressing isolated parts of the tire.

If anyone needs any support with these tires at all, feel free to DM me.

Based on both your comments, perhaps what appeared to be sidewall wear came from when the tires were cold. I started at 27-28 psi and reduced pressure after my sessions to remain 35 hot. My lap times were close to what I acheived with the SC2s, so grip wasn't an issue. The ECF didn't seem as precise on corner entry and I felt I needed to make more corrections mid-corner, but perhaps that's simply something I'll get used to. It made me hesistant to reduce the pressure below 35 because I thought perhaps the sidewalls were rolling too much, but according to both of your posts that doesn't seem to be the case. I was only getting 12-15 sessions (25-30 mins each) out of my SC2s before they felt greasy, so I'll sacrifice a little precision on corner entry for what will hopefully be a much longer life. I'm heading to the track Friday and will bring some chalk to mark them before each session. I'll post some pictures as well.

Thanks for the info!

 

[D Streever]

Hi,

I ran HPDE at a 1.4 mile course called Pineview Run this last weekend in upstate NY. Very technical course with a variation of corner types and only 1 longish straight. I ran the tires at 35psi hot and they were much better than at NL without any rollover or chunking. I monitored tire temps with an infrared thermo, don't have pyrometer yet, and they were very consistent across the tread and from front to rear. Car handled well but tires did start to "sing" toward the end of the runs. Going to try a little lower TP, 33-34 hot, pressure as recommended at my next event. All in all much better and I feel like I'm real close to having TP figured out. They do take a couple of laps to warm up. Pretty sure my rollover problem at NL was from low tp as evidenced from track photos.

 

[mpgainer]

Just did five, 25 minutes sessions yesterday on the ECFs (2022 Mach 1 - bone stock). I started with pressures around 26-27. Temps were in the 60’s but heated up to around 75. I had to bleed them down several times to keep hot pressure around 34-35 (mostly 34). I had an instructor riding along for the day and he thought the car was “happy” with the hot pressure around 34. There was just enough slip but they didn’t break loose or make too much noise. I might try hot pressures at 33 next time out. These are more grippy than my initial impressions. While I still feel that the Michelin PSC2s have more bite, these are wearing much, much better. The ECFs also seemed more consistent. My fastest lap of the first four sessions was number 11, and the last session was number 10. I hadn’t realized that until I got home and reviewed the data, so clearly there’s consistency in how the tires (and driver) progress during a session. I had not experienced that with the PSC2. Often lap 5 or 6 would be my fastest and I’d have to back it down a little from there. We determined that what appreared to be wear on the sidewall (see earlier post above) was not from low pressure and/or tire roll, but rather rubbing against the plastic fender moulding in hard corners. I’m running 295 up front and they are just a tad wide… yet the car came stock with PSC2 305s. Even the left rear (315) seemed to rub a bit. I compared the tire sizes before buying them, and the 295/315 ECFs seemed to match up well with the 305/315 PSC2s. The instructor didn’t feel it was a concern given that it seems to be no more than surface scuffing, and from plastic as opposed to metal. You can feel it with your fingers on the inside of the plastic fender piece. I’m at max camber with the current factory set up at -2.6 front and -1.4 rear. Just a tad more would do the trick. Or perhaps I remove the fender moulding since it’s only for looks. First four pictures are of the front left tire after two days (nine sessions). The last picture is the left rear. Clockwise track - NJMP Thunderbolt. Overall I’m happy with them. If you’re looking to set record lap times, clearly you’ll need an R compound. However for a grippy “endurance” tire I’m generally pleased.