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-   -   Review: Continental MC5 tyres on my Honda Civic (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-alloy-wheel-section/173324-review-continental-mc5-tyres-my-honda-civic.html)

I started this dedicated thread as I feel it deserves it! Too much of confusion in the general Continental Tyres thread.

I installed the MC5 or to use it's un-abbreviated name, the Continental Max Contact 5 in 205/55-16 on my Civic last May.

My car was at 1,13,xxx kms at that time.

I was earlier using 205/65-15 MRF ZLO.

Instantly, I found the ride to be a bit harder but more planted. It felt more European. The steering felt better and the tyres were super silent compared to the ZLOs which are known to be a bit noisy.

On the highway, I absolutely LOVED the MC5. I've never loved a tyre this much since the Falken ZE912 on my Getz 1.3. It is not technical. It's just the way my car felt with the bigger rims and tyres.

It felt planted and stable and quiet. I started enjoying my drive more though it was a bit harsher on bad roads.

Within the first few thousand kilometres I realised that these were soft. I realised these wont last as long as other tyres in this segment like the Michelin Primacy 3STs.

Since May 2015, I've logged on about 25k kms on my car. Out of which 22k was on the MC5s. Why 2.5k less? Because I drove to Delhi from B'lore on my MC5s and in Delhi I switched to 15" Bridgestone tyres to Leh and back. Then I switched back to my MC5s and drove to Bangalore. I estimate the distance I drove on the 15" as 2,500 kms.

In these 22k kms, the rear tyres are gone.

This is the surprising part. Not the fronts which have to deal with power delivery and steering, but the rears. One of the tyres also was worn more on the inside.

This leads me to believe that I had an alignment issue somewhere. It is possible because I left a gap of almost 13k between alignments at one stretch. Out of this, 9k was on my drive to Leh and back and even after returning, I didnt get the alignment done in a hurry. And when I did, I realised that the rear left was worn out a lot.

In spite of this, I dont think the tyres would last beyond 35k kms.

So, while I am a bit taken aback with the abysmal life of these tyres, I would still buy these tyres again.

Also, I really dont think an average person would get such an abysmal tyre life, I put it down to the fact that I neglected my alignment (yes, I get the irony!) for too long.

To conclude I would say these are among the best tyres I've owned and the feel of my car is just phenomenal. And if I get 35k kms life out of them I would consider these to be just perfect!

I have whole heartedly recommended these to many people and only a couple of them have felt that they arent as good as I suggested.

I look forward to more reviews from the community.



This is an image showing one tyre which is almost done for.



This is a tyre that was worn the most. It has gone beyond it's tread wear indicators. This also suffered 3 punctures. I've had only 3 punctures on this set of tyres and all of them were on this specific tyre.



This is a tyre that was worn the most. It has gone beyond it's tread wear indicators. This also suffered 3 punctures. I've had only 3 punctures on this set of tyres and all of them were on this specific tyre.

Finally I replaced these two with two more Continental MC5s simply because of a lack of better options in the market!

After getting fed up with the tyre noise of the stock GT3 for the last 25000 km, I recently changed to MC5 upsized to 195/65-R15. Coincidentally, a colleague who has a punto also had his tyres changed to Michelin Primacy 3 ST a couple of months back. So this is as close to an apples to apples comparison as one can get!

Post the tyre change, my linea has run about 1200 kms on MC5 while his punto has done about 3000 kms on Primacy 3 ST.

Both cars are 90 hp and we ensured that both were running 32 psi front and 30 psi rear. We drove/swapped both cars back to back and almost unanimously agreed:

1) The steering feel/feedback on the Linea with MC5 was much better than the punto with P3ST. The punto's steering felt lighter and a bit 'floaty' so to speak. Even the turn in felt sharper on the MC5 and steering more direct.

2) Comfort wise, on broken patches, the P3ST felt ever so slightly more absorbent as compared to the MC5. I mean, I've experienced the comfort of PLC on a Laura before. So I almost knew what to expect from the P3ST. But I was really surprised by the MC5 here. My friend couldn't say for sure which was better/ more comfortable.

3) The tyre noise was a revelation for me! While my stock GT3 were deafening - especially on concrete roads, both P3ST and MC5 are just exceptionally quiet. For this test, we decided to run the cars upto road legal speeds (road to Tanirbavi Beach in Mangalore), put the car in neutral and "coast" with the music and even a/c off. Here, on concrete, if the P3ST are a 10 then the MC5 are a 9. While on smooth tar roads, we honestly couldn't tell the difference.

4) Braking - We did a couple of emergency stops each and both tyres felt excellent. Both cars are the Emotion variants with ABS. They stopped dead straight without any drama whatsoever. Again, too close to call as we weren't out with measuring tapes and such. We couldn't test Braking in wet.

5) Durability - It's still too early for making any kind of judgement here.

6) Longevity - Again too early to tell. However, from what Nikhil has observed, it seems the P3ST will outlast the MC5.

So, P3ST excels in Comfort and Silence but looses out on Steering Feel.

MC5 excels in Steering Feel/Feedback (especially for a car like linea/punto) while providing almost 90% the level of Comfort and Silence as the P3ST.

From a cost/value perspective, although the MC5 are cheaper, they will most likely wear out faster than the P3ST.

Objectively speaking, the MC5 are a superb alternative to the proven P3ST.

Also, my friend now has buyer's remorse and wishes he had got the MC5 just to get that great steering feel!

People, please do update me on the MC5 (s)!

I am looking for 205/60r16 idealy in XL

I can't find the EU tyre label nor UTQG anywhere!
Will make calls tomorrow!

Cheers!

PS: Any better tyres in 205/60r16 !!?

I've been using the MC5's for a year now on my Polo GT. I got the tires changed as soon as I bought the car - from the regular 185 to 205/55 R15. They have done about 5K km now. We use this car as a city cruiser, it very rarely even goes too far beyond the CBD.

Before these tires, I have never had a good experience with continentals in India. My merc's came with conti's as the OEM fit and I had to get them changed to Michelins soon after. So I wasn't very enthusiastic about the MC5's when I heard about them. But unfortunately the lack of choices in this size forced my hand.

I am very happy with these tires in general, I don't have a comparison on how the car was before the upgrade, but I find the car very planted now and good through the corners. But at some points I find a slight waviness that reduces your confidence ever so slightly through the corners. It has great grip and lets you put the power down on a standing start and race between the lights very easily.

All in all I'm happy. No idea on the durability, right now the tires look like they are new.

There's no XL (Extra Load?) Tyres in MC5.

Regarding the EU label/UTQG on my 195/65-R15 MC5

Alternative is Michelin Primacy 3 ST.

In my personal experience,

MC5 - Grip/Handling-Comfort-Silence.

P3ST - Silence-Comfort-Handling/Grip.

I totally agree with the observations for MC5. I changed two tires on my Swift ZXi from Bridgestone Potenza GIII 195/60/R15 to MC5 195/60/R15 last week, and I could tell the difference immediately after driving out of the dealer's shop. These tires are supremely silent compared to Bridgestones.

Now I am waiting to change remaining two at the rear to see the difference, but I can already imagine it to be a lot better than earlier with Bridgestones. I would have generally changed all four but dealer had only two in stock at the time and I was running without a spare so I just replaced two which were available. :(

My 2010 Honda city was on Michelin XM2s for past three years. Changed to continental MC5.

1) softer ride
2) steering is lighter (prefer the Weighted steering of XM2s).

Both XM2 and MC5s are upsized 195mm tyres (over the OEM 175mm).

@TaciturN: Could you please let me know from where exactly did you purchase the Continental MC5's for you Linea in Mangalore? I want to buy these tyres for my Linea too.

Place is called No Fear/ Underground - opposite Prestige Hotel in Mangalore. Although they give the best buyback for your old tyres, you will need to pay extra for fitting/ balancing/ alignment since they don't have that facility.

Wheel care, Mannagudda is the Michelin dealer in Mangalore who will have Primacy 3STs - in case you have difficulty in getting MC5s. Their prices are on the higher side. They usually don't do buyback but they have machines for fitting/ alignment.

Also, I forgot to update - during the monsoons, I found the MC5s to have outstanding grip and braking in the wet. Especially the confidence you get while literally wading through water.

In one instance, I was driving alone a bit spiritedly at night on the way back from the airport when I got caught totally unaware in a curve by a pool of standing water - The kind that can make you hydroplane and crash - but the tyres held on brilliantly and ensured I did not skid or lock my brakes. Saved me a trip to the hospital, or worse...

No Fear / Underground I know them. Also if you don't mind me asking, may I know how much did you pay for each tyre? I will have to go for 205/55/R16 since I have 16 inch wheels.

I had paid around 6000 per tyre for 195/65-15.

I had replaced JK Elanzo in my S-Cross 1.6 with Continental MC5 205/60 R16 in May 2017. I had got them installed at Madhus, Bangalore.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/bangal...ml#post4204817

The stock tyres were worn out in just 19K km. I don't know if it was because of me pushing the car or the alignment or both. Anyways I wanted to get rid of Elanzos and was very happy about early tyre change.

I have run around 9000 KM on MC5 in last 6 months. I am very happy with the tyres, the difference is day and night when compared to stock Elanzo. Many S-Cross owners have opted Michelin Primacy 3ST which is also a very good tyre and known for high mileage and low noise . I got to drive S-Cross on both these tyres back to back on same stretch of road.

Continental MC5 :
1. Better steering feel
2. Grip was slightly better

Michelin Primacy 3ST :
1. Tyre noise was lesser
2. It felt slightly more comfortable

Many believe that Michelin tyres have softer sidewall, but it's not the case anymore. Continental MC5 has softer sidewall if compared to Michelin. I am fully satisfied with MC5 as it met all my requirements. Mileage, tyre noise etc is something which I don't bother much. Few of my friends said that MC5 won't even last 15k km on my S-Cross as I had made the hard compound JK's fully bald in just 19k km :uncontrol. But, I am surprised.. Even after driving 9k km (oh yes, I don't baby the car), there is still good amount of tread left. I am sure that it would last 30k kms easily.

Present status


TWI : Marked in Blue
Noise breakers : Marked in Orange

Would I buy these tyres again?
Yes, for sure :D

Completed 60k kms on MC5 tyres and looks like they still have some more life left in them. :D

These tyres have lasted me more than any of the previous sets. (Goodyear GT3 - 50k kms. Yokohama AVS dB - 48k kms).

I recently moved from 205/60/16 MC5 on my Volvo to 225/50/17 Pilot Sport 4. So far, I honestly have mixed feelings about this upsize and tyre upgrade.

The MC5 definitely had less grip than the PS4 and would squeal once in a while over high speed turns. However I felt that the MC5 had far better steering feel compared to the PS4. Also body roll is more on the PS4 than the MC5 which is rather weird as the PS4 is a lower profile with larger rims. Maybe the tyres need some more time to settle down but I know for certain now that unlike the PS3, the PS4 is not an out and out sports tyre and is more of an all rounder.

My S-Cross has 205/60 R16 MC5. I had almost decided that I will go with 17 inch and get PS4 next time. I am very happy with MC5, but wanted to upgrade(Thanks to more aggressive map from Wolf :D) . Your mixed feelings have confused me now lol:.