Just looking for some input on pros and cons. I am switch back to summers in the next month or so, and have the following options (fitted, per wheel, run flat [which I'd rather keep, even though people say they're crap]):
I'm switching off of winters (Dunlop winter 3d) and my old Pirelli Pzero are goosed, so have to buy new. Eek.
Are there any "top pickers"? I looked at lots of reviews, but interesting in real world usage. I'm perplexed as to why Pirelli have a couple at the same kind of price though ...
Don't know the Dunlop SP MAX GT - but the OEM tyres on my vehicle were German manufactured Dunlop SP Sport MAXX TT DSST - which I now replaced at 46 000km with Pirelli Cinturato - all RFT. Very satisfied with the Dunlop's - both in wet and dry conditions. The Pirelli replacements were significantly cheaper than getting the Dunlop's again - they seem to be quieter and softer in compliance - going over speed bumps for example. For the 1'st time ever I also heard some "chirping" wheel spin from the front tyres and I think I also felt the ABS once kicking in at a lowish speed - which I never experienced on the Dunlop's. Strangely enough the Dunlop's appeared to be more "aggressive" in appearance and subjectively also seemed to fill the wheel wells better than the Pirelli...will still observe what the endurance properties of the Pirelli's are. Still too early to detect any difference in handling - if any. Hope this helps...
How hard do you drive your X3? If you drive it like a sports car I agree with using summer tires. I also run a dedicated set of winter tires and rims on my X3. However I decided to stick with all season run flats for summer and fall. I like not having to rush out and slap on the winters at the first hint of snow. The all seasons perform ok in the snow and I have not yet found their limit even in the summer, and I drive fairly aggressively. Get caught out in snow with a full set of summer tires and you could have an interesting commute. However I didn't answer your question. I run Dunlop Direzza Z1's on my M. Very sticky summer tires. I haven't confirmed sizing is available in them for an X3.
Thanks for the input, I do tend to "use it" quite hard ;-) Therefore I suspect a harder tyre would be the best, I might stick with what I had on before with the Pzero, knowing that I got at least 35000miles out of the last set, should be good till end of lease (and when I change I'll get the winters stored for next winter, then the bin for them saviours!).
The vehicles in North America are sometimes equipped with the Pirelli Cinturato P7, although they are the all-season versions of them, so that's a safe bet. I've also had the ContiSportContact3 on my mother's 325i sport and they were fantastic while still reasonably priced and lasted roughly 50k km although the X3 is a much heavier vehicle so that may affect longevity.
I use ContiCrossContact UHP summer tires 9 months of the year on my E83 X3; good life, handling feel and characteristics (progressive breakaway), braking, but pricey and not for people who live in an area with poor roads. I'm on my second set of these so count me in as a satisfied customer. Obviously they don't work when its cold or snowy but I also have a separate winter set as well.
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