Review: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Tires

There has been a fair amount of discussion on this forum and others regarding the run-flat tires BMW specifies on most of its’ current range. Like most, I didn’t care for their high replacement cost ($1600 plus shipping/mounting/balancing from the Tire Rack) and stiff ride. Wanting an all season high performance tire, I found my choices when I purchased limited to one – the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. Having now put a few thousand miles on a set, I can offer a reasonably informed review.

I got about 22k miles out of the rear OEM Bridgestones, and right at 30k from the fronts. Judging by the wear on the rear Michelins, I think they will last about the same – somewhat disappointing given that the OEM tires had a 140 UTQG rating and the Michelins are 500. In fairness, my experience has been that tire wear is much more a function of driving style than anything else.

I am generally pretty sensitive to performance differences in tires – steering precision, grip, etc. However, in this case I have to say that the Michelins, in aggressive street driving, feel little different from the OEM rubber. In particular, I don’t feel any meaningful difference in ride quality. Thinking about it, it’s likely that the extreme low profile of the Sport package tires means that the sidewalls have to be stiff, run-flat or no.

With regard to the risk of having a flat, I did purchase the BMW M Mobility kit. However, I have not had a flat with either the OEM or current tires, so I can’t comment on any issues that might arise with either type of tire.

In sum, the main thing recommending these tires over OEM is their price (about $1200 plus shipping/mounting/balancing). Since there is now another all season high performance choice for our cars (the Continental ExtremeContact DWS) that is even cheaper (about $900 a set) and has been well reviewed, I will probably give those a try when the Michelins wear out.

Thanks for the review. My experience with the Continental Extreme Contact tire with my E39 540 soured me on them in general -- the flatspotting was horrible and I finally returned the tires - I couldn't take it any more.

Now these tires might be a new generation of the compound, but with such a heavy car (relatively) I would hold off on the continentals until we see how they play out in the market - at least for our e63's...

I was fortunate enough to find my chrome eppy wheels on Craigslist with a brand new set of run-flats along with a second complete set of run-flats for $800. When I bought the car a few months ago, it also had a brand new set on. With 3 sets of run-flats, I think they will outlast the car lol.