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Head-to-head Updated May 2026

Continental ContiMaxContact MC6 vs Firestone firehawk S790 — Compared (May 2026)

Our Relative Score blends 60% objective test data with 40% owner-review signal — so any two tires can be compared even if they were never tested on the same day.

VS
Tire B Firestone

Firestone firehawk S790

Summer High Performance tires

Firestone firehawk S790 tread pattern
Objective (60%)
–/100
No test data yet
User signal (40%)
56/100
2 owner reviews
Dry
65
Wet
65
Comfort
45
Treadwear
65
Handling
75

Prices change daily — check the retailer for your size.

VerdictWinner: Continental ContiMaxContact MC6 — better comfort, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.
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Category breakdown

5 categories, side by side

Each bar is the Relative Score for that category. Expand a tile to see the test results and owner ratings behind it.

Dry

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) ContiMaxContact MC6 leads by 25
A — Continental ContiMaxContact MC6
90
B — Firestone firehawk S790
65
Why this score
SourceContiMaxContact MC6firehawk S790
Tyre Reviews owners 90 65

Wet

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) ContiMaxContact MC6 leads by 12
A — Continental ContiMaxContact MC6
77
B — Firestone firehawk S790
65
Why this score
SourceContiMaxContact MC6firehawk S790
Tyre Reviews owners 77 65

Comfort

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) ContiMaxContact MC6 leads by 34
A — Continental ContiMaxContact MC6
79
B — Firestone firehawk S790
45
Why this score
SourceContiMaxContact MC6firehawk S790
Tyre Reviews owners 79 45

Treadwear

Weight: Important
Score (0–100) ContiMaxContact MC6 leads by 6
A — Continental ContiMaxContact MC6
71
B — Firestone firehawk S790
65
Why this score
SourceContiMaxContact MC6firehawk S790
Tyre Reviews owners 71 65

Handling

Weight: Neutral
Score (0–100) ContiMaxContact MC6 leads by 12
A — Continental ContiMaxContact MC6
87
B — Firestone firehawk S790
75
Why this score
SourceContiMaxContact MC6firehawk S790
Tyre Reviews owners 87 75

Scores at a glance

Continental ContiMaxContact MC6 vs Firestone firehawk S790: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryContinental ContiMaxContact MC6Firestone firehawk S790
Relative Score 79 63
Dry 90 65
Wet 77 65
Comfort 79 45
Treadwear 71 65
Handling 87 75

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Tire A

Tire B

From owners

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews across retailers and review sites — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Continental ContiMaxContact MC6

The Continental ContiMaxContact MC6 is widely regarded as a high-performance tire that offers an exceptional balance between sporty handling and daily comfort. Users frequently highlight its impressive dry and wet grip, often comparing it favorably to more expensive premium alternatives like the Michelin Pilot Sport series. While most owners praise its value and steering precision, some report concerns regarding tread longevity and sidewall durability.

Pros

  • Excellent dry and wet traction with high cornering confidence
  • High value-for-money proposition compared to premium competitors
  • Direct and responsive steering feedback
  • Surprisingly comfortable ride quality for a performance-oriented tire

Cons

  • Mixed reports on tread life, with some users experiencing premature wear
  • Soft sidewalls susceptible to damage from curb impacts
  • Inconsistent noise levels, with some users finding them loud on rough tarmac
  • Wet performance may degrade significantly as the tire approaches the end of its life

Observations

  • Users noted that the tire provides a more direct and accurate steering feel compared to softer touring-focused tires, particularly on 17-inch fitments.
  • Drivers of heavier vehicles or those frequently driving on rough, coarse surfaces reported higher levels of road noise.
  • The tire is frequently praised for its ability to improve the handling characteristics of daily drivers and older sedans.
Tire B Firestone firehawk S790

The Firestone Firehawk S790 receives a poor reception from users, primarily due to significant issues with directional stability and handling predictability. While the tire demonstrates adequate grip levels, the driving experience is described as exhausting due to constant steering corrections required to maintain a straight path.

Pros

  • Progressive breakaway characteristics when grip is lost
  • Adequate overall dry grip levels

Cons

  • Poor directional stability and tracking
  • High driver fatigue due to constant steering corrections
  • Lack of ride comfort despite the profile specification

Observations

  • Users transitioning from premium performance tires like Pirelli report a significant degradation in vehicle stability and handling composure.
Specifications

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental ContiMaxContact MC6 B · Firestone firehawk S790
CategorySummer Ultra High Performance tiresSummer High Performance tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Final verdict

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental

Firestone

Winner: Continental ContiMaxContact MC6 — better comfort, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Continental ContiMaxContact MC6 scores 79 vs 45 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Continental ContiMaxContact MC6 scores 90 vs 65 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Continental ContiMaxContact MC6 scores 77 vs 65 on wet.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Continental ContiMaxContact MC6 scores 87 vs 75 on handling.

Tire A · Continental ContiMaxContact MC6
Tire B · Firestone firehawk S790

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements) normalized against the best tire in each test and weighted toward recent tests. 40% comes from thousands of owner reviews collected from retailers and review sites. When a tire has only one of the two, we use what exists and say so.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.