Michelin Energy Plus?

[ctbmw]

What do you guys think of them? I KNOW there are some very nice choices out there, but I have 2 that are like new, and am thinking about 2 more when snow tires come off.
I thought they were a good all around tire.
-Mel
Also: I know I want good grip in rear for traction, not planning on "romping". just general highway, a few twisties when we take the "scenic route", but I'm wondering if I should put better tires on front for steering control in rain?

[Gary@Tirerack]

What do you guys think of them? I KNOW there are some very nice choices out there, but I have 2 that are like new, and am thinking about 2 more when snow tires come off.
I thought they were a good all around tire.
-Mel
Also: I know I want good grip in rear for traction, not planning on "romping". just general highway, a few twisties when we take the "scenic route", but I'm wondering if I should put better tires on front for steering control in rain?


Despite the survey results, these are actually pretty good tires overall for their category.

Best to match with two more of those if you're only buying two to keep the handling predictable and balanced. Install the two new tires on the rear to keep the rear end in check.

[ctbmw]

Thanks!
Fronts good for awhile.
I was just concerned about steering control at speed at highway speeds in rain I guess.
I liked the way car handled prior to adding snows on rear. It now handles like a Yugo in high winds-hate it! I'll be so glad to lose snows after trip to Adirondacks this week end!!
Thanks for your reply/thoughts.
Hate to waste more of your time-just a quick one: What tire pressure do YOU think? I could come up with a dozen in the searches! Just a starting point? I don't have a manual, no stickers in glove box, on doors. (1995 318I) I'm guessing 75% driving is highway.
Thanks in advance,
-Mel
I don't know if you read other forums here or not but if I could tip you like you were parking my car like some do-I would!!

[Clarke]

Check the drivers doorjamb-it should have a sticker for tire pressures.

[ctbmw]

Clarke-REREAD my post.
-M

[Clarke]

Clarke-REREAD my post.
-MSorry!:confused: :ouch: :ouch:

[wrwicky]

Start at 35 psi all around. The MXV4 family likes a fair bit of pressure. Although you won't use more than 42 in all likelyhood with your moderate profile (60 series) tires on 15" rims. Don't let the autocrossers with 17s talk you into big pressures or you will likely burn up the center of your tires.

What to look for?
Assuming a decent alignment which should match your driving style;

Car feels vague, rolls on its side excessively when cornering - more psi
Car rides too stiffly - less psi
Excesive shoulder wear - more psi
Excessive center wear - less psi
Turn in vague/slow/understeers (more front psi)
Tail happy when exiting corners hard (more rear psi/less front)

Hope that helps, your final answer should probably end up in the 30s somewhere.

[ctbmw]

Thanks guys! ALL of you!! Last I knew I was running 31lbs, front and rear. I thought that kept rear end from "bouncing around" on bumpy corners-maybe it was just me?
Better tire pressure to try? 35 seems high to me-just a thought.
Just looking for "predictable" handling I guess.
I'm a wimp when it rains, but I LOVE the twisties when I can find them.
Need help here!! I don't understand "understeer/oversteer" I just hate it when rear-end seems to jump up on buckles in the road, or lots of bumpy curves! So I guess I want to go lower air press. so tires not very hard. It seems like if I exceed 32lbs in the rear, the back end will hop a bit at high speed when road is bumpy.
I'm sounding dumber by the minute! HELP!!
-Mel
I just can't wait to get the rear snows off this week!!!!
Try to think you are helping a 4 year old with a license-you won't go wrong.

[ctbmw]

wrwicky-when you wrote "tail happy more rear-and less front" did you mean if my rear jumps around while on a high speed/ bumpy corner I should increase rear tire press. and lower front? I want to stress bumpy.
NOT being a jerk-just sincerely looking for some help!
(and not with my spelling or punctuation)
-Mel/ "color me slow"

[wrwicky]

wrwicky-when you wrote "tail happy more rear-and less front" did you mean if my rear jumps around while on a high speed/ bumpy corner I should increase rear tire press. and lower front? I want to stress bumpy.
NOT being a jerk-just sincerely looking for some help!
(and not with my spelling or punctuation)
-Mel/ "color me slow"
Mel,

You're doing good, don't bust yourself. It just takes a fair bit of both experience and education to get a handle on this stuff, but it's really not that complex. Just keep ansking questions and you'll figure it out in a way that matches your experiences.

So, from your earlier post, 35psi IS a little high, but since I didn't have your manual and I know that tire relies a lot on air pressure I had to guess high to keep things safe. The right answer could definitely be down around 28psi (normal loads). For SURE less than 26 is a mistake, and if you run your pressures low than you have to be more careful than most about maintaining them.

You did a very nice job of describing the hopping/boucing sensation of too much pressure (leaving the suspension out of the equation). So try
28-29 in the rear and see if you like that better.

Here's my crack at describing under/oversteer
Understeer (push, tight) - The car does not turn as well as you expect from a given amount of steering wheel input and you routinely find yourself adding turn input in the scond half of a corner to complete a turn. ALL cars come from the manufacturer with some understeer because it is predictable and easy to correct (slow down, control returns)

Oversteer (loose) is when your car wants to spin out. That is when you are turning and the car starts to rotate and you need to steer opposite of the turn direction. Auto crossers and some (not all) track drivers like some oversteer to help their car be extra agile to rotate around tighter corners. Not really great on the street when suprises catch you out. So most aggressive drivers strive for neutral handling to a slight understeer.

Please remember that these conditions change based on your technique (a lot of us slide/drift on purpose at some point for fun) and only try to fix car behaviors you observe when you are using good technique. All cars will push if you enter a corner too fast and turn the wheel too much.

[LmtdSlip]

Start at 35 psi all around. The MXV4 family likes a fair bit of pressure. Although you won't use more than 42 in all likelyhood with your moderate profile (60 series) tires on 15" rims. Don't let the autocrossers with 17s talk you into big pressures or you will likely burn up the center of your tires.

What to look for?
Assuming a decent alignment which should match your driving style;

Car feels vague, rolls on its side excessively when cornering - more psi
Car rides too stiffly - less psi
Excesive shoulder wear - more psi
Excessive center wear - less psi
Turn in vague/slow/understeers (more front psi)
Tail happy when exiting corners hard (more rear psi/less front)

Hope that helps, your final answer should probably end up in the 30s somewhere.

I run mine at 36 all around. They are fine at that pressure for the mostly highway commuting I do.

I might do a test at 38-40 and see if I can feel any difference or improvement in gas mileage.

[ctbmw]

wrwicky-Thanks for the time you spent on advice, appreciate the help!
I guess I lean more towards understeer. I'll try 30 lbs. rear for awhile and go from there. I don't think I'd ever go as low as 28 though! I suppose I'll keep gas tank around 1/2 -3/4 full so as not to vary weight too much.
Thanks!
-Mel
(Thanks everyone!)

[wrwicky]

You're welcome.

I'd guess that 28 is probably a little low but you sound smart enough to try different settings and observe the tires behavior. Don't worry too much about any particular number though, Miatas use 26-28 psi routinely. If you have a lot of tire relative to the vehicle's weight, like almost every BMW, you don't need much pressure. And if you know you're running pressure low to get the feel you like, just make sure you air 'em up when you go on long, heavily loaded, or HIGH speed trips.

Keeping the vehicle weight constantish is good testing procedure but you don't need to be terribly careful, so long as the tank is not completely full or empty.

[ctbmw]

Thanks again for help/support! (ran higher press. than that on my Miata BTW)
Appreciate your help, all the best,
-Mel

[wrwicky]

Thanks again for help/support! (ran higher press. than that on my Miata BTW)
Appreciate your help, all the best,
-Mel
So did I originally, but doing so caused me to burn up the center section of the tires (MXV4s, in fact) prematurely and increased the dreaded 65 mph shimmy. I had an early M1 with the 14x5.5" original wheels which I'm sure exaggerated center wear a little.