I had the standard Conti tyres on my 4/4 Sport. Changed them for Avon CR6ZZ's in 175 size and they worked very well in dry or wet. The only hassle was the tendency to pick up grit.
If I was honest I'd say that the handling was more fun on the Contis.....ok, they didn't grip as well as the Avons but I could get the back end out on them in the dry and that was more fun!
Jays you just weren't trying hard enough!! You can still drift on the Avons but it's a more controlled drift, not an all out drift that is hard to catch at speed like on the contis.