Continental UltraContact vs Continental PremiumContact 6: Continental recently released a new product in 2022 with mileage as its main focus called the Continental UltraContact. This tire line’s product goes hand in hand with Continental’s Premium Contact 7, which has a similar size offering. Its main tagline, “Made to endure,” clearly outlines what Continental sets out to achieve while having an “A” wet label rating. Usually, wear is an extremely rare test to be done due to its enormous cost. However, lucky for us, ADAC managed to include a wear test in its test plan for us to investigate Continental UltraContact’s wear claims.
This time around, we would like to compare the UltraContact with its sister product named PremiumContact 6. Even though PremiumContact 7 has been launched to succeed PremiumContact 6, ADAC did not manage to get hold of the newest product in time. So for right now we do have to be content with PremiumContact 6. If you would like to check out PremiumContact 7 latest test results, you can check it out here. As both tireline serve almost the same size range, it would be intriguing to see how well Continental managed to differentiate them. Without further ado, let’s put both tires head-to-head to see who comes out on top!
Table of Contents
Results
Results below were taken from the 2023 ADAC Summer Tire Test which includes an outstanding 50 top tires in the market (something so outrageous only ADAC will do it). As mentioned at the introduction, wear test results are included in the comparison to get a complete overall performance picture. The graph below shows the comparison between Continental UltraContact vs Continental PremiumContact 6 based on the relevant performance category. The UltraContact was set as a reference hence at the 100% mark.
The tire size of interest is 205/55R16 which is a common tire size for Volkswagen Golf (2018) and the Toyota Corolla Altis (2018). You can check out our latest tire size table for more information. The testing vehicle is a standard VW Golf 8.
Wet
Safety has always been the primary concern when it comes to the need for good wet performance in tires. Wet performance has always been a top priority in the touring segment with every tire manufacturer claiming themselves having an outstanding wet braking performance. ADAC has tested two wet braking surfaces this time around to give us a more representative road surface simulation based on your daily needs. Due to its structural composition, the contact between asphalt and rubber has a much higher coefficient of friction compared to concrete/rubber. This is the reason why you see a much longer braking distance on concrete compared to asphalt. The PremiumContact 6 outperformed the UltraContact when it comes to wet braking as it managed to brake 3.9m (on Asphalt) and 3.5m (on Concrete) earlier. PremiumContact 6 was the best performing wet braking tire among the competition as it placed first place in both asphalt & concrete surface.
Aquaplaning was also in favor of the PremiumContact 6, as it managed a slipping speed of 80.3 km/h compared to the UltraContact’s slipping speed of 76.5 km/h. UltraContact’s poor aquaplaning performance was clearly evident as it was in the bottom 5 out of the 50 tires tested. The results were also similar when it came to lateral aquaplaning, with the PremiumContact 6 having a +0.4 m/sec2 deficit in terms of lateral acceleration. Overall, it is clear that the PremiumContact 6 performs significantly better than the UltraContact when it comes to wet performance.
PremiumContact 6 :
- +11% in wet braking (Asphalt)
- +10% in wet braking (Concrete)
- +5% in straight aquaplaning
- +14% in curved aquaplaning
Dry
As for dry, safety is usually not an issue as the braking distance is much longer than wet. However this is the default daily usage and the tires have to perform at a very consistent level. The PremiumContact 6 took a slight lead in dry braking by out braking the UltraContact by 1.2 meters. PremiumContact 6 was once again the best tire in dry braking beating the other 49 competitors to the top.
PremiumContact 6 :
- +3% in dry braking
Noise
The UltraContact is 0.4 dB quieter than the PremiumContact 6 as both tires finish in the mid pack when it comes to exterior noise ranking.
PremiumContact 6 :
- -1% in exterior noise (+0.4 dB)
Fuel Consumption
Instead of measuring the tire’s rolling resistance, ADAC measured the vehicle’s fuel consumption instead. As previously mentioned in the e.Primacy vs Primacy 4+ comparison, there were not many differences in the test results, with only a small spread of 5.5 liters/100 km to 5.9 liters/100 km! This result was similar to the previous test we covered, where lower rolling resistance tires had only a minimal effect on the vehicle’s overall fuel consumption. The UltraContact took a slight lead with an overall fuel consumption of 5.7 liters/100 km compared to the PremiumContact 6’s 5.8 liters/100 km.
PremiumContact 6 :
- -2% in fuel consumption
Wear
As mentioned at the start, mileage tests are extremely rare, and we are pleased that ADAC decided to conduct it for all 50 tires. The UltraContact finished the mileage test with a projected mileage of 55,900 KM, which is much higher than the 49,700 KM achieved by the PremiumContact 6. In comparison to the competition, both tires are placed 5th and 6th in the wear standing which signifies a very strong wear position for both products.
As pollution from micro rubber particles has been a concern lately, ADAC also measured the tire’s abrasion, which is a measure of how much weight loss your tire has undergone with respect to your mileage. The UltraContact was the better abrasion tire, with an abrasion level of 52.5 mg/km/t, compared to the PremiumContact 6’s 69.5 mg/km/t.
Overall, it is clear that UltraContact has a much better mileage and abrasion values in comparison to PremiumContact 6.
PremiumContact 6 :
- -11% in mileage
- –24% in abrasion
Price
As both tires are branded Continental and serve the same segment, we expect that the prices should be in the similar region. The PremiumContact 6 was found to be €4 more cheaper than the UltraContact.
Tire size: 205/55 R16
PremiumContact 6 : €87
UltraContact: €91
Difference: -5% more cheaper for PremiumContact 6
Summary
Overall, both tires have shown clear, distinctive differences in their intended usage. The PremiumContact 6 exhibited clear dominance in dry and wet performance, making it the ultimate wet/dry tire. The UltraContact, on the other hand, has significantly higher mileage and abrasion values as it is designed solely for endurance. As there is a clear segmentation differentiation on both products, there is no recommended winner in this duel. Enjoy!