Comparison: Continental PremiumContact 7 vs. Firestone Roadhawk 2 vs. Falken e.Ziex vs. Continental UltraContact NXT

In this comparison, we will be looking at two summer tyres: the Continental PremiumContact 7 and the Firestone Roadhawk 2. Both tyres have rich histories, coming from leading manufacturers Continental and Firestone respectively.

The Continental PremiumContact 7, coming from a line of successful predecessors such as the Continental PremiumContact 6 and Continental ContiPremiumContact 5, earns an extraordinary rating of 97%. It is manufactured in France, Slovakia, Germany, and the Czech Republic. According to tests by Autobild and Autozeitung, the tyre excels in both dry and wet conditions, with noticeable strengths in wet handling, wet braking, wet safety, wet circle cornering, dry braking and dry handling. However, as per Autobild's 2025 report interestingly, despite the excellent rating, a suggestion for improvement was mentioned at managing electric vehicles efficiently.

On the other side, we have the Firestone Roadhawk 2. This tyre succeeds the original Firestone Roadhawk model. While its rating stands at 74%, it's worth noting that it outperforms its competition in aquaplaning - both cross and longitudinal according to Autobild. Manufactured in Italy, the tyre certainly has reserves when it comes to aquaplaning and compelling driving dynamics but highlighted in Autobild 2025's report that it needs further improvements to be recommended for electric vehicles.

When standing toe-to-toe in mutual tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 holds its ground better. In Autobild’s tests, it secured the 2nd position out of 8, while the Firestone Roadhawk 2 ended up 6th. Similarly, in the AutoZeitung test, Continental again outperformed Firestone, taking the top spot in a field of 9, whereas the Firestone Roadhawk 2 claimed the 5th place.

As a summary, both tyres have their strengths and areas of improvements. The Continental PremiumContact 7 scores higher in tests, showing excellent dry and wet performance. It could be a good choice for those seeking an all-around performing summer tyre while the Firestone Roadhawk 2 might be attractive to drivers who confront wet road conditions frequently as it has shown significant resistance to aquaplaning.