Question re Continental Procontact TX ContiSilent Tires

[Gary L]

Last week I purchased a 2018 Buick Regal Sportback 2.0 turbo AWD. So far I really like it. It has around 54K miles already but looks to be in good condition. It has Continental Procontact TX tires on it. The build date on the car is Oct 2017. The rears are probably original since according to the DOT the manufacture date is in 2017, but the fronts must have been replaced fairly recently because they have more tread left and according to the DOT the manufacturer date is in 2020.

My question is, how do I tell if these are the ContiSilent ones? I looked at the sidewall on each of the tires and don't see anywhere where it says or denotes ContiSilent. Am I just missing it, looking in the wrong spot and not seeing it? Or is it marked on the back side of the tires?

Since the rear tires are original and worn, I'll be ordering a new set of 4 pretty soon. I just don't know if I want to stick with the continental procontacts TX again or not. The ones on it seem kind of noisy. Of course, they might not be the ContiSilent ones. They do seem to be wearing well though, worn evenly and no cupping, so I think the alignment must be OK. But when I get new ones I will have the alignment checked.

Thanks
Gary

 

[Jmlo96]

The sidewall of the tire would have a small logo for Cont-Silent. It’s not the easiest to spot based on my recollection. Personally, I would recommend just getting a set of 4 premium tires using one of the buy 4 deals. Those Contis are junk.

 

[Idano]

It's between the web address and the safety warning.

 

[Wlepse]

Found this image online...if they have foam they should have that marking.

But I would definitely look to get something else, while I never had the balance issue others had I saw no negatives going to a better performing tire.

 

[FavaBean]

Continental had troubles with the glue eating away at the foam. That problem has supposedly been corrected. The original tires used a light gray foam inside and switched the foam color to white when they corrected the glue.

Check again for the logo, it's easy to miss. If the newer tires have the logo, you may be able contact Continental with the DOT numbers to see if they know if the tire has the newer foam/glue combination.

What concerns me more...is that you have an AWD with two pairs of tires with different wear. Depending on the difference of circumference, you may be damaging something in your drivetrain.

 

[Gary L]

Thanks guys. I don't see the Contisilent logo as described above and so I think these might just be the plain Procontact TX.

I will be looking for a different tire. Something that's quiet and comfortable riding. Even though it is AWD, I don't need anything too aggressive because if the weather conditions are too bad I'll just take the truck or SUV. Besides, I see the car only has a little over 5 inches of clearance and even with aggressive tires it would get hung up in deeper snow.

And I know what you are saying regarding different circumference being hard on the drivetrain, but I don't thing the difference is enough to have that happen.

Thanks again
Gary

 

[D2R]

Best tires for your Regal

I did search entire forum and there was no single thread dedicated to overall tire choices for Regal, TourX and GS. So here it is. I could not fit all brands under voting. I know Nexen, Hankook and Kumho make decent tires as well, I just haven't tried them yet. Cooper tires are also good in...

buickforums.com

The thread above may help you with your needs on the tire shopping.

 

[G-787390]

Continental had troubles with the glue eating away at the foam. That problem has supposedly been corrected. The original tires used a light gray foam inside and switched the foam color to white when they corrected the glue.

Check again for the logo, it's easy to miss. If the newer tires have the logo, you may be able contact Continental with the DOT numbers to see if they know if the tire has the newer foam/glue combination.

What concerns me more...is that you have an AWD with two pairs of tires with different wear. Depending on the difference of circumference, you may be damaging something in your drivetrain.

I wish that was true, as there are photos of loose white foam on internet forms.

 

[skypilot170]

Continental had troubles with the glue eating away at the foam. That problem has supposedly been corrected. The original tires used a light gray foam inside and switched the foam color to white when they corrected the glue.

Check again for the logo, it's easy to miss. If the newer tires have the logo, you may be able contact Continental with the DOT numbers to see if they know if the tire has the newer foam/glue combination.

What concerns me more...is that you have an AWD with two pairs of tires with different wear. Depending on the difference of circumference, you may be damaging something in your drivetrain.

I wish that was true. However there are photos here of Conti's with loose white foam.

 

[Gary L]

Thanks D2R. It looks like lots of good tire discussion on that thread. I'll have to go through it.

Gary

 

[FavaBean]

I wish that was true. However there are photos here of Conti's with loose white foam.

I should clarify.....It's a very light gray foam (almost white). There is a guy on the Facebook site that works in the Continental warranty department who has explained what I have above.

 

[FavaBean]

My apologies, but I gave incorrect information on foam color.

This was posted today and it's straight from the horses mouth.

 

[PrincipalDan]

My apologies, but I gave incorrect information on foam color.

This was posted today and it's straight from the horses mouth.

View attachment 36540

Ummmm yeah but sorry I'm tired of being a beta tester. (Which is a classic experience of GM customers.)

 

[Jmlo96]

The thing I find most interesting is the experiences/run around so many members got from both GM and Continental when they clearly knew this was an issue. I personally don’t plan on buying any more Continental tires.

 

[L J]

I have take offs with very little mileage, they are off my early 18 TourX with no foam. Do you have same size tires as TourX?
PS I see some have 17 some 18 inch wheels.

 

[garbageguy]

I had the white-foam conti's on our 2019 TourX. Replaced 1 when new, my fault (hit pothole, ruptured sidewall). Almost no miles, so I bought a new one from Dealer. Then put a hole in tread and field-patched it, had a tire shop attempt a more permanent repair - they couldn't do it, saying the foam was so stuck to the tire (not loose), they couldn't repair it.


In a pinch, I bought 4 new General Altimax all-seasons (put the barely-used Conti's in the basement). I did not notice any difference in noise, and the Generals have been just fine (even in Adirondacks in the winter).

Not sure what I'm gonna do with the Conti's I kept - if need be, I can get rid of tires, no need to pay the NY "scrap tire fee"

 

[L J]

Conti's still sitting with less then 1000 miles.
I guess I was lucky they did not have the crapysilents available yet.

 

[Scott in PA]

My Conti-Silents just threw foam chunks...at 42,000 miles. I don't understand the negative press here... they performed extremely well, particularly in wet conditions.
I replaced them with ProContact's, non-silent edition, and after two months and a roundtrip to Florida I don't notice any additional noise, or any letdown in ride comfort.

 

[Jmlo96]

My Conti-Silents just threw foam chunks...at 42,000 miles. I don't understand the negative press here... they performed extremely well, particularly in wet conditions.
I replaced them with ProContact's, non-silent edition, and after two months and a roundtrip to Florida I don't notice any additional noise, or any letdown in ride comfort.

I became displeased with them when I bought a set of winter tires and they had better all-around traction and lower noise than the ProContacts. They aren't an awful tire (sans the foam), but I think there are far better options out there.

 

[PrincipalDan]

My Conti-Silents just threw foam chunks...at 42,000 miles. I don't understand the negative press here... they performed extremely well, particularly in wet conditions.
I replaced them with ProContact's, non-silent edition, and after two months and a roundtrip to Florida I don't notice any additional noise, or any letdown in ride comfort.

They get bad press because for many of us they've gone to hell a lot sooner than 42,000 miles AND most of the dealers act like they have no freaking clue. Remember mine is the one where the tech put more than 10% of the total weight of the tire and wheel in wheel weights on the rim and called it good.