Gents,

These are my front wheel Continentals. Note that sides of each tyre and scrubbed right down to zero tread.
- My gut tells me I still have 75% above 1.6mm and that the tyres are therefore legal.

That said, safety and my heart tells me to get some new boots.

Also, at what depth are the tread wear indicators on these tyres set at? Legal minimum?

Thoughts?




Thanks in advance.
Paul 2022 P440e AB

Hi Paulo,

These look just like mine did and I thought exactly the same as you but was told by Kinghorn Body Shop (LR official repairer) that they are Illegal as the law states you must have 75% of tyre with legal tread depth and the rest must have "visible" tread. I'd change them now mate - Don't give your insurance company the chance not to pay out if you have a prang!

Hope this helps.  2013 Discovery HSE Luxury - 3.0 SDV6 - Santorini Black
2013 Evoque 5 Door Pure Tech SD4 - Orkney Grey with Panoramic Roof (Mrs E's new baby)

GONE - RRS - 3.0 TDV6 HSE - Santorini (2010)
GONE - RRS - 2.7 TDV6 HSE - Java Black (2007)
GONE - Porsche Boxster S - 3.2 - Black

I'm ordering now....

275 40 R20's?
- Anything else I need to know?

Are there different types of the Continental tyre? 2022 P440e AB

2 ordered....
£250 each fitted....

 2022 P440e AB

Would never put Conti's back on mine, I thought they were .

My Contis looked exactly the same after 1 year and 15,000km - I was also worried that there was no tread on the outside. The dealer said there was about 10,000km life in the tyres. (and he said Continental had prepared a letter explaining that these tyres were mean't to scrub off on the outside .... although I didn't actually see the letter). The rear tyres weren't so bad.

A week later on an offroad trip through Lesotho I damaged a front and a rear tyre at the same time - and decided to repace all 4. I went for the Bridgestone HP Duelers (20'') - they were a lot cheaper and after a month seem to handle as well as the Contis. (also they have a higher Tread wear factor - I never realised that all tyres have a wear rating. The Conti rating was pathetic)

Beware taking the low profiles off the tarmac - they are a liability. I am busy looking for 19'' rims that I can shoe with proper offroad tyres. (I would go for 18'' rims and a higher sidewall but apparently these don't fit over the front brakes?) Do you think the spare wheel rim (19'') would be suitable for offroad? (It has all sorts of yellow stickers warning you not to exceed 80km) I think black rims would be very cool.

IMHO all Conti's should be illegal on 4x4's. They are high heeled shoes rather than trainers. In my experience high heel shoes are only suitable in very limited situations and are a liability in most other situations. A training shoe can be worn with pride anywhere. I swapped my Conti's for Pirelli Scorpions and so far so much much better ...  RRS TDv8 HSE Rimini
Disco 4 TDv6 HSE Ipanema
Defender 90, 200tdi CSW

Misery wrote:

Would never put Conti's back on mine, I thought they were .

Agreed, Contis if compared to a supermarket would be Asda - Why pay more?, simple, I would rather eat quality products from St Michael  L322 Big Daddy SUPERCHARGED 5.0 Autobiography - Here & Now!

5 series for the miles

RRS S/C factory built HST - Gone

45 others have been and gone!

Agree on the lousy Contis!  Malaysia Boleh!
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Tasmod's Sills, Wind Deflectors, LR Sills
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If you really want Conti's - they are very cheap in Kwik Fit right now. Order online and get them delivered to and fitted at your local KF dealer and they are about £200 a corner. RRS TDv8 HSE Rimini
Disco 4 TDv6 HSE Ipanema
Defender 90, 200tdi CSW

Good call. £220 each online. 2022 P440e AB

I never had any problems with the Conti's on the RRS. Handled well in dry and wet and wore well on 50/50 motorway and rural.

just changed the Audi fitted tyres on the S4 for Conti sport 3's and very happy with these as well..... Current: I can't say...Oh the Shame!
Gone: 2003 Audi S4 - 340BHP of Fun
Gone: 2005 RRS SE, Silver, Chrome Mirrors, Tinted with a stupid spare wheel!
Gone: Audi A4 2.5 TDi Quattro 180bhp
Gone: BMW 535i
Gone: 1985 Audi Quattro
Gone: Subaru Imprezza Turbo (rubbish)

Me neither, though I would have changed all 4 to the Pirellis since they seem be harder wearer (and also a standard fit tyre). Alas, only 2 need changing and I prefer to have all 4 the same. 2022 P440e AB

Conti's do a good job until you venture onto anything which is vaguely slippery. I guess an S4 wouldn't do that very often other than in the 2 days a year we have snow. But I think a RRS should be able to cross a wet field or climb an icey road without fear of embarrassment or accident. And Conti's simply lack any of the bare essentials in terms of teeth to gain traction on anything other than wet or dry tarmac. Just look again at the photo at the top of this thread and see how there is nothing on that tyre which can provide any grip. All the groves are designed to shed water, not bite into mud, grass, loose stones, snow or ice etc.

To recycle my "high heeled shoes" analogy once again - its like having your designer back pack loaded with survival gear plus wearing your best fashionable goretex jacket and over trousers and then putting high heeled shoes on your feet. Sooner or later the high heeled shoes will prove to be a very weak link !

Or put another way - why would Land Rover spend millions designing a car that can cope so well with all terrains and then put such a single terrain tyre on it ? Tyres are the only actual point of contact with the terrain so they make an enormous difference. I used to put winter tyres on my Merc E320cdi and so fitted it would manage snow and ice better than a Conti shod RRS. And the Merc is rear wheel drive with 75% weight loading on front axle so not at all "suited" to snow and ice - but the tyres made it very competent in such conditions despite its other handicaps.

But if its summer and you have absolutely no intention of placing a tyre off tarmac then the Contis will suit just fine. RRS TDv8 HSE Rimini
Disco 4 TDv6 HSE Ipanema
Defender 90, 200tdi CSW

My TDV8 has Toyo's on which IMO are too soft for the RRS due to it's weight (my Lotus Elise also had Toyo's on as they are very soft and give lots of grip - weight isn't a problem).

If people reckon the Conti's to be crap then which other brand do people prefer ?? (please don't say Toyo)