New tires on my 550iX M Sport - please HELP!

After numerous bubbles and lots of cringing every time I hit a pot hole, I'm seriously considering new tires. I'd really only like to do this if the new tires will improve my ride considerably and/or noticeably. I'm one who is a little disappointed with the soft feel of the f10 coming from an E60 535iX sport. I will get a separate set of Winter tires IF there is a noticeable difference in the high performance summers vs the all seasons. The two tires I think I've narrowed my decision down to are;

Michelin Pilot Super Sport (max performance summer)

or

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus (ultra high performance all-season)

I would probably prefer the A/S if they will last much longer, I won't have to change tires during the winter, and they are a little stronger and less prone to bubbles.

I will chose the Pilot Super Sports if someone can tell me they've switched from the Eagle LS2's (after driving with the LS2's for a good while) and are MUCH happier.

If anyone has first hand experience with either of these after having driven with the LS2's for some time, please help me out.

I only want to do this if there will be a considerable performance handling boost and these non-run flats will be less prone to bubbles.

Thanks so much!

The Pilot Super Sports are 6 or so lbs per tire lighter (than OEM RFTs) and the grip and handling are much improved. You will notice this even driving out of your neighborhood. The high performance tires are not going to match the treadwear rating or life of an all season tire as you know, so they must be considered a discretionary treat. You can run them March-November or a bit less (April-October) to take advantage of superior A/S treadwear ratings.

The pilot sport a/s are terrific and if I could only have one set of tires, I would get them without hesitation.

The good news for a winter set is that you can drop a size and the tires are cheaper, but the wheels can get pricey if you want to keep an OEM look. In that case, you could check out the forum sales or eBay for used or refinished wheels for about 60% of new cost.

PS. I have both Pilot Super Sports and Pilot Sport A/S for my F10.

I did come from LS2s, but took them off at 150 miles.

The value justification of the super sports is subjective. You could buy a set of the A/S and put them on. Those are noticeably better than LS2s also and you might be happy enough.

Originally Posted by cynerjist

PS. I have both Pilot Super Sports and Pilot Sport A/S for my F10.

I did come from LS2s, but took them off at 150 miles.

The value justification of the super sports is subjective. You could buy a set of the A/S and put them on. Those are noticeably better than LS2s also and you might be happy enough.

Have you had both the super sports and the A/S on? if so, is there a noticeable difference between the two?

Yes, I have tried both. The Sports are noticeably better than A/S no question in cornering and traffic circles. If you want to remove only tires as a performance limiting variable, this is a good set to work with. I think you will enjoy them most coming from the LS2, but the value of doing it is up to the individual. If you have the cash, curiosity, and driving style, it's worth it to check them out.

I have the Pilot Super Sports and the ride is quality is pretty good. My guess is that they will be noisier than the LS2s.

The handling and grip is prodigious. It will reduce acceleration times and increase cornering speeds noticeably.

Originally Posted by cynerjist

Yes, I have tried both. The Sports are noticeably better than A/S no question in cornering and traffic circles. If you want to remove only tires as a performance limiting variable, this is a good set to work with. I think you will enjoy them most coming from the LS2, but the value of doing it is up to the individual. If you have the cash, curiosity, and driving style, it's worth it to check them out.

How many miles have you put on them? Any idea how many you should realistically expect before they will need to be replaced?

I am not finding the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S ZP to fit my car, it is not offered as an option on Tire Rack, am I missing something. I would prob perfer A/S at this point to get more milage out of the tires.

I also recently switched to Michelin PSS as well. To-date, I have driven about 400km on them, the tire shop told me it will take about 500km to break the tire in and afterwards, I will definitely notice the grip & cornering ability improvement of the PSS.

I don't intend to do any tracking with these PSS but I do want better dry & wet grip, ride & cornering performance out of them. The GY LS2 is just a poor choice to put onto a sporty performance car and these tires are preventing the owners from getting the most of them.

Originally Posted by bobblehead

I also recently switched to Michelin PSS as well. To-date, I have driven about 400km on them, the tire shop told me it will take about 500km to break the tire in and afterwards, I will definitely notice the grip & cornering ability improvement of the PSS.

I don't intend to do any tracking with these PSS but I do want better dry & wet grip, ride & cornering performance out of them. The GY LS2 is just a poor choice to put onto a sporty performance car and these tires are preventing the owners from getting the most of them.

Have you noticed a difference so far?

Originally Posted by kenhamm

I am not finding the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S ZP to fit my car, it is not offered as an option on Tire Rack, am I missing something. I would prob perfer A/S at this point to get more milage out of the tires.

You must be doing something wrong. It is definately there.

I also have the Michelin Pilot Super Sport, put about 3,000 miles on them. Will go to 18" wheels and winter tires (which ones are tbd) come November.
Huge improvement in handling - wet and dry, only negative for me is noise.

Originally Posted by RH512

I also have the Michelin Pilot Super Sport, put about 3,000 miles on them. Will go to 18" wheels and winter tires (which ones are tbd) come November.
Huge improvement in handling - wet and dry, only negative for me is noise.

Is the noise that noticeable?

So subjective, I'd say it is noticeable coming from the LS2 but not offensive or irritating.

Yes. They are a bit more noisier. In particular, driving on concrete pavement at highway speed.

Originally Posted by x5 '08

Is the noise that noticeable?

Originally Posted by x5 '08

Is the noise that noticeable?

It's a lot quieter than Michelin PS2s.

Originally Posted by kenhamm

I am not finding the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S ZP to fit my car, it is not offered as an option on Tire Rack, am I missing something. I would prob perfer A/S at this point to get more milage out of the tires.

If you are looking for 19" A/S RFTs, the only choice is the Goodyear LS2. If you are willing to forgo the RFT feature you have a much wider choice. I notice that a Pirelli winter RFT is now available. That's a good sign that maybe more are coming. Thank goodness!

In my opinion, there are no perfect tires out there. All tires will have trade offs.

Originally Posted by x5 '08

You must be doing something wrong. It is definately there.

No, it's not available in a run flat version in our size, just the crappy Goodyear LS2's.

I had the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires on my Audi S5 and liked them, did not have a single tire issue in 3 years with in 19" 40 series tires.

They were good in the dry and wet and passable in snow. Any summer only tire will give you better dry and wet traction. If your emphasis for an all season tire is dry and wet performance and passable in the snow, this is a good tire. If you want fairly good snow performance this is not the tire for you. I was willing to give up some snow traction for better dry handling but I had to be pretty careful in the snow.