We pitch Continental's new SportContact 7 against rivals from Michelin and Goodyear to find which is the best ultra high performance tyre -
Prices shown are averages deduced from a number of suppliers.
EU tyre label ratings are shown in brackets: RR=rolling resistance, on a scale from A to E ; a tyre with a better rating should deliver better fuel economy.Noise=the exterior noise generated by a tyre, measured in decibels; quieter tyres generate between 67 and 71 dB, louder tyres up to 77 dB.The wet handling track in Texas isn’t quite a copy of the one in Hannover, missing out a couple of turns on the return leg. The torque-rich Mustang easily managed the whole 1.
The Continental is devastatingly good, nailing an average lap time of 68.7sec, almost two seconds a lap faster than the Bridgestone and over two seconds a lap faster than the Michelin, and it feels like it. Its grip is on another level; you can nail the apex of every corner and even if it starts to slip, a little lift brings it back quickly. Neat and capable, it delivered a confident, exploitable performance.The Bridgestone feels generally less grippy.
The Michelin has strong front-end bite like the Continental and the adjustability of the Bridgestone, which sounds like a winning combination but it’s not borne out by the lap time. There’s a little more power oversteer available, which can be used to good effect in slower turns. However, on the Michelin the Mustang’s tail was loose in the faster turns, like it wasn’t cutting through the water as effectively, which is why it finished just behind the Bridgestone, subjectively.