Given
70%
while driving a
Audi A3 Sportback
(225/45 R17) on
a combination of roads
for 5,000
average miles
I live in coastal Montenegro, which means the winters are mild with loads of rain; the issue is if you drive a little bit north, you encounter snow and ice road conditions. That is why I went for the allseason type of the tyre, because my previous experiences with 'proper' winter tyres has not been great - they would wear down quickly in the mild weather.
Continental AllSeason contact performs well in the wet conditions, which was very important for me (we have epic rain in Montenegro). I also tested it on several occasions while driving though compacted snow in the mountains, it gripped surprisingly well; on several occasions on the ice patches it tended to 'dance' a bit, but no major issues.
The only real drawback is the warm weather performance - since February the weather was sunny and warm, and the tyre does not perform as advertised - it becomes a bit slow and 'mushy' regarding the feedback. The wear is also not great, as it started to have visible damage to the surface. Also worth noting, the tyre picks up little stones everywhere you go - I suspect this was due to the warm weather and the 'stickiness' of the compound; I can only imagine what would happen in the summer temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius.
Just lately I have reverted to my summer tyres (Dunlop Maxx Sport), and the difference is incredible.
This is not all season tyre. I assume you could use them all season long if you live in mild to cold weather, but then why not buying proper winter tyre?