Gary/Gurus Tire wheel question

[Desertnate]

Gary and other Gurus

I am looking at a new set of wheels/tires for a '99 323i with SP. After digging and reading, I have come down to two possible wheels in 17x8.
1) A set of Type 71 replicas from WheelExchange
2) A set of ASA AR1s

I am looking at upgrading for apperence and the fact that two of my wheels are now slightly out of round. I could find no 16" that I liked. Tirerack listed none for my car. I was never happy with the type 54 v-spokes that came on the early 323 SP, but could never justify the change until now. I have not found a weight listing of the 54 wheel, but feel pretty safe that the new 17's will be lighter at 21lbs.

As for tires I am looking at PZero Nero M+S in 225/45/17

Questions
1) Anyone see any problems with either set up as a low cost cosmetic change?

2) Will the ASA's stand up to daily driving use? I have a fairly short commute each day right now, but the next time I move that could change.

3) When I added the Pirellis to my cart with the wheels it said that a set of 225/45/17s would not fit on the 17x8 ASA wheels. The specs on the tires say they will fit any rim 7-9" wide. Is this a software error or am I missing something in the specs?

4) The load rating on the OEM conti's were 92W the Nero M+S are 90W is that an issue? I didn't find a good explination, but it doesn't seem from the Nero's specs that weight of the car will be a problem.

5) Do I need to buy 5 wheels/tires, or can I keep one of my current wheels/tires as a spare. It would look really bad and handle like crap, but the aspect ration would be the same. A spare to me is only something to get me home/some place to fix the flat. Knock on wood I have not had a flat in a LONGGGGGG time.

I am leaning towards the ASA wheels from a cosmetic standpoint. The 71's look good, but I feel they look better on post facelift E46s than pre. Call me wierd.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[wrwicky]

Gary and other Gurus

I am looking at a new set of wheels/tires for a '99 323i with SP. After digging and reading, I have come down to two possible wheels in 17x8.
1) A set of Type 71 replicas from WheelExchange
2) A set of ASA AR1s


Questions
1) Anyone see any problems with either set up as a low cost cosmetic change?

I don't like reps in general as they are usually suprisingly heavy. But the ASAs seem like a nice all around wheel

2) Will the ASA's stand up to daily driving use? I have a fairly short commute each day right now, but the next time I move that could change.

I think so. The weight seems reasonable to make a robust cast wheel with, and the architecture looks sound

3) When I added the Pirellis to my cart with the wheels it said that a set of 225/45/17s would not fit on the 17x8 ASA wheels. The specs on the tires say they will fit any rim 7-9" wide. Is this a software error or am I missing something in the specs?

Gotta be an error. Usually somewhere around 7.5-8.0 inches wide is optimum for 225/40

4) The load rating on the OEM conti's were 92W the Nero M+S are 90W is that an issue?

Total non-factor, you can reference the max load rating and see that it is probably around 50% greater than needed.

5) Do I need to buy 5 wheels/tires, or can I keep one of my current wheels/tires as a spare.

A current tire is probably great. Just be sure there is not significant weather checking (small cracks) on the sidewall.

I am leaning towards the ASA wheels from a cosmetic standpoint. The 71's look good, but I feel they look better on post facelift E46s than pre. Call me wierd.

OK you're wierd:) . But I like the ASAs a little better too.

.

[Gary@Tirerack]

Sorry for the delayed reply, we're just now back online (no web access all day). We've had very good experiences with the ASA wheel so far, very good quality as a reasonable price. I'd agree that you've make a good choice. I also see no problem in the wheel/tire width matching up, sounds like the web site had an error there.

If you have any other questions or would like to place an order, please feel free to give me a call, or you can reference 'Bimmerfest/Gary' when you order online at http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AB2&url=index.jsp .

[Desertnate]

If you have any other questions or would like to place an order, please feel free to give me a call, or you can reference 'Bimmerfest/Gary' when you order online at http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AB2&url=index.jsp .

You can count on me giving you the credit for the sale. The tire choice may change, but the wheel probably won't. I will most likely do it by phone in order to clear up any last minute questions I might have.

Expect a call sometime in October after I get back from my little trip to Central Asia.

Thanks!

Have people been pretty happy with the Nero M+S? The search here has provided some positive feedback as has reviews on your website. I just didn't know if you had additional insight from dealing with customers. I don't need a snow tire, but the winters are very cold with chance of occasional white stuff to make the drive interesting. I was OK with my SP8000 all but once. That once made me think I might want a tire with a bit better winter performance. Since they are rated at 400 for wear, they should hold up better than most Pirelli's that I have seen.

Do you know anything about that new Kuhmo Ecsta ASX?

[HW]

i'm going from the 54's as well. p-zero nero ms w/ bbs rk's for me! :D i'm just waiting for them right now. 225/45/17

[The HACK]

The style 71 replicas won't be lighter than the OEM wheels. My style 71 reps at 18" weigh in at almost 27lbs and from a conversation LONG ago, I remember the 17" 71 reps are 24lbs each.

Why get the M+S? Pirelli Summer and all season compounds have dramatic difference in grip. Case in point, I had P7000SS all season, and they grip like crap. The P7000 Summer tires on the other hand supposedly griped well.

Unless you plan on driving in snow I'd recommend getting the regular Pirelli Summer tires.

[Desertnate]

The style 71 replicas won't be lighter than the OEM wheels. My style 71 reps at 18" weigh in at almost 27lbs and from a conversation LONG ago, I remember the 17" 71 reps are 24lbs each.

Why get the M+S? Pirelli Summer and all season compounds have dramatic difference in grip. Case in point, I had P7000SS all season, and they grip like crap. The P7000 Summer tires on the other hand supposedly griped well.

Unless you plan on driving in snow I'd recommend getting the regular Pirelli Summer tires.

I do plan on driving in a little snow. That and we have long periods of very cold temps. The SP8000s I have now did pretty well, but I found a couple of times when I needed something a little better. At the same time, I don't get enough snow to warrant snow tires and can't afford to have two sets.

I have yet to find a twisty road where I am living now :( so the great grip I needed in Europe has been traded on better cold/wet/snow traction so I can get to work and back.

[Desertnate]

i'm going from the 54's as well. p-zero nero ms w/ bbs rk's for me! :D i'm just waiting for them right now. 225/45/17

Very nice... :thumbup:

If I wasn't facing the purchase of a new car for my wife, I would be looking at some BBS wheels as well.

BBS and BMW have a chemistry that few other cars have. I don't think I have seen a BBS wheel I didn't like on a BMW.

[Gary@Tirerack]

You can count on me giving you the credit for the sale. The tire choice may change, but the wheel probably won't. I will most likely do it by phone in order to clear up any last minute questions I might have.

Expect a call sometime in October after I get back from my little trip to Central Asia.

Thanks!

Have people been pretty happy with the Nero M+S? The search here has provided some positive feedback as has reviews on your website. I just didn't know if you had additional insight from dealing with customers. I don't need a snow tire, but the winters are very cold with chance of occasional white stuff to make the drive interesting. I was OK with my SP8000 all but once. That once made me think I might want a tire with a bit better winter performance. Since they are rated at 400 for wear, they should hold up better than most Pirelli's that I have seen.

Do you know anything about that new Kuhmo Ecsta ASX?

Customers have been VERY happy with the Pzero Nero M+S, sounds like an ideal choice for what you're describing. The Kumho ASX looks promising, but its still new enough that we don't have much feedback and very little info at this time on it.

[Desertnate]

Thanks for the help everyone. Gary, I appreciate you taking the time to drop in here to answer questions.

[HW]

on the topic of A/S tires and the PZNero M+S, how is dry traction of these in comparison to summer tires? are there any comparable summer tires to these? or are summer tires just so much better?

[Gary@Tirerack]

on the topic of A/S tires and the PZNero M+S, how is dry traction of these in comparison to summer tires? are there any comparable summer tires to these? or are summer tires just so much better?

You can find summer tires that will handle better than the Pzero Nero M+S. Against other all seasons, however, they are near the top of the heap.

http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AB2&url=/tires/index.jsp

[HW]

You can find summer tires that will handle better than the Pzero Nero M+S. Against other all seasons, however, they are near the top of the heap.


i was actually thinking the other way around. more like how much am i losing in terms of dry/wet performance by going w/ pznero m+s. i was under the impression that almost any summer will outhandle the best a/s. it this true? thanks again for the quick response.

[Desertnate]

on the topic of A/S tires and the PZNero M+S, how is dry traction of these in comparison to summer tires? are there any comparable summer tires to these? or are summer tires just so much better?

Here is the test that I found to be a really good read courtesy of TireRack.

A/S Tire Test (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testResultsModel.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ContiExtremeContact)

In theresearch I have done, the Conti's and the Pireilli's had the highest customer satisfaction ratings and they are both tested in the link I inserted above. A couple of people have posted their happiness with the PZNero M+S here as well.

[HW]

Here is the test that I found to be a really good read courtesy of TireRack.

A/S Tire Test (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testResultsModel.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ContiExtremeContact)

In theresearch I have done, the Conti's and the Pireilli's had the highest customer satisfaction ratings and they are both tested in the link I inserted above. A couple of people have posted their happiness with the PZNero M+S here as well.

i've read that also. that was one reason i chose the the PZNero M+S. but i have not seen any test that compares the top a/s tires head on against summers (even cheaper ones). i'm just curious if the diff is very significant.

[Gary@Tirerack]

i've read that also. that was one reason i chose the the PZNero M+S. but i have not seen any test that compares the top a/s tires head on against summers (even cheaper ones). i'm just curious if the diff is very significant.

Against some of the entry-level summer tires (Kumho 712, etc..) , I'd say the difference is minimal/ slightly noticable. When you start getting into top of the line UHP tires and Max performance tires the difference is more obvious.

[HW]

Against some of the entry-level summer tires (Kumho 712, etc..) , I'd say the difference is minimal/ slightly noticable. When you start getting into top of the line UHP tires and Max performance tires the difference is more obvious.

ok that did it. i just changed my order to a set of t1-s :eek: ramen noodles for me for the next while.

[dlloyd1975]

I do plan on driving in a little snow. That and we have long periods of very cold temps. The SP8000s I have now did pretty well, but I found a couple of times when I needed something a little better. At the same time, I don't get enough snow to warrant snow tires and can't afford to have two sets.

I have yet to find a twisty road where I am living now :( so the great grip I needed in Europe has been traded on better cold/wet/snow traction so I can get to work and back.

Ah! Check out Highway 47 south of I-70 close to Hermann, MO. Also, Highway 19 way down in southern, MO is great (but beware of speed traps).