Please recommend nice soft tires for my 335i

I'm thinking that BMW picked our tire size based on looks/bling. They cetainly aren't very functional. Especially on my roads.

Originally Posted by twowinns

I'm dumping my Bridgestone Potenza RFTs this week and replacing them with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. I'm also increasing the tire size a little to 235/40/18 in front (stock is 225/40/18) and 265/35/18 in back (stock is 255/35/18).

I plan to use this setup for daily driving, and purchasing a separate set of UHP summer tires for use during driving schools at the track.

All the tire salesmen I've talked to tell me I won't be sacrificing traction and handling on the street, and will improve ride softness and noise.

I'll post my impressions this weekend after the swap.

I'm also thinking about switching to the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus tires. The only thing that bothers me is the reviews from owners on Tirerack say their mileage and acceleration decreased with these tires. My second choice is the Bridgestone RE 760's. But that is strictly a summer tire...I would prefer an all season for a little flexibility. Any opinions from owners of Sport A/S greatly appreciated.

I'm leaning towards the Yoko Advan S4's.

Originally Posted by captainaudio

The fact that BMW uses higher profile non RFT tires on the M3 should tell us something about the "performance advantage" of low profile RFTs.

CA

Which is why I use 225/45 and 255/40 R18 non RFT. Matter-of-fact I discussed that issue with an expert - not any expert but the one at TÜV Süd Automotive who does all the wheel approvals for BMW. He told me it would be a good idea since BMW M GmbH tried a larger wheel setup and got his approval a few weeks back with an E87 already.

Using 235/40 and 265/35 R18 gives a smaller difference in wheel diameter than using the next larger width/height ratio. Also, going much wider in the front makes turns somewhat harder. Combining both changes is not possible without work on the wheel wells (the original M3 front wheel size of 245/40 R18 would probably fit but the wheel will rub in curves).

Originally Posted by meyergru

Using 235/40 and 265/35 R18 gives a smaller difference in wheel diameter than using the next larger width/height ratio.

Yup, I did the math.

Stock (225/40/18 and 255/35/18) sidewall is 90mm.

If you keep the profile the same and increase the width (235/40/18 and 256/35/18), the sidewall will be 94mm.

If you keep the width the same, but increase the height (225/45/18 and 255/40/18), the sidewall will be 101mm. I thought about this set up but was concerned because the rolling diameter is increased more than 10% over stock.

If you increase both the width and profile (235/45/18 and 265/40/18), the sidewall would be 106mm. Aside from not fitting well, I think this tire would look too big - a bit balloonish perhaps.

So far, I'm leaning towards keeping the profile aspect ratio the same and increasing the width. I think this will yield the best mix of ride and handling, while still looking aggressive.

Originally Posted by Spagolli94

If you keep the width the same, but increase the height (225/45/18 and 255/40/18), the sidewall will be 101mm. I thought about this set up but was concerned because the rolling diameter is increased more than 10% over stock.

No. Diameter increase is actually only ~4%, only the sidewall is more than 10% higher. I would not have gotten approval for more than 8% increase because of speedo error and emission regulations here in Germany.

Originally Posted by Spagolli94

So far, I'm leaning towards keeping the profile aspect ratio the same and increasing the width. I think this will yield the best mix of ride and handling, while still looking aggressive.

Diameter-wise your setup won't look much different than standard tires - of course, they are wider, but they don't really fill the wheel wells better. 4mm is within the normal variance of new vs. worn tires.

You have seen my photos?

http://www.auto-treff.com/bmw/vb/sho...89#post2263489

There's also other guys that have done it:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132580

I thought that setup was going to look way too high, but it looks great. I especially like the pics of that 330i, because that is the same car as mine. The Goodyears look great on his rims. I like how they are more square (the stock Bridgstones slant in, almost like they are too small for the rims). Dammit - I had made up my mind and now I'm torn!!

Originally Posted by Spagolli94

I thought that setup was going to look way too high, but it looks great. I especially like the pics of that 330i, because that is the same car as mine. The Goodyears look great on his rims. I like how they are more square (the stock Bridgstones slant in, almost like they are too small for the rims). Dammit - I had made up my mind and now I'm torn!!

Are you talking about the 335? Which pics do you see the Goodyears on, the blue or black car...

Originally Posted by BlindGoldfish

Are you talking about the 335? Which pics do you see the Goodyears on, the blue or black car...

Whoops, yeah. I'm talking about the black 335i. At first glance I thought it was the same as my 330i. It's a great series for comparison because our cars are visually identical (well almost).

Originally Posted by Spagolli94

Whoops, yeah. I'm talking about the black 335i. At first glance I thought it was the same as my 330i. It's a great series for comparison because our cars are visually identical (well almost).

I've also got a 06 330i 6MT spt that will need new tires soon. I think those larger profile tires on the 335 look just fine.

EDIT: I just realized he has the 335xi, which if I'm not mistaken doesn't have the lowered suspension, even with the sport package. I wonder how it would look on a 330i with the sport package...

I thought his car looked like it was riding a bit higher than mine. That must be why. I'm thinking 335i coupe might be a better comparison for how the taller profile would look in relation to the wheel well. I'm still leaning towards keeping the aspect ratio the same and bumping up the width.

Well I finally pulled the trigger. I ended up going with Yokohama ADVAN S.4.

I opted to go with 235/40/18 in the front and 265/35/18 in the rear. I will be posting my lightly used RFTs for sale soon. They were great on smooth roads. Too bad we don't have many around here. I hope to get the tires installed next week. I'll post a report, pics, etc.

Originally Posted by zampag

The good and the bad...

Good : Potenza RE960s are GREAT, what a difference than the stock Turenza EL42s.
Bad : Each wheel had a dent. Not too bad, dont notice it in the steering wheel. Damn Taconic State Parkway! 6000 miles....

Another 2000 miles on the RE960s and I think I made a mistake. While these do grip well, I feel the back end swinging out a little during tight turns. Almost like the tire is rolling a little. Tried adjusting the pressures, but didnt make much of a diff. I understand they're all season, but I figured ultra high perf/all season would have been better.

Once the re960s are done, my next move will be to grab 4 style 287 wheels + potenza re050a - staggered - for 3/5 of the year and remount the el42s on the original 161 rims for the other 2/5's. While there may be a tire that can bridge the gap bettern between ride, performance, and snow, IMO there's not substitute for having 2 sets of wheels/tires. (Should have just done this in the first place...)

There must be 100 threads on this subject including one of mine. I too didn't like the RFTs and finally got rid of mine for some Michelin Pilot Exaltos. So far, with about 1K on them, I like them. Quieter and softer riding than the Conti RFTs, but still provide good handling, etc. Like others, I suggest that you use the Tire Rack comparison feature to see what you like and don't. There are plenty of good choices in non-RFTs depending upon how you decide to trade off ride, quietness, handling, wet competence, etc.

I have Yoko Advan S4 on my car. They are technically all season, but are more slanted towards summer performance than winter driving. They probably suck in the snow, but they give me all the grip I need in the summer.

Originally Posted by meyergru

You are not missing anything, in fact that is the whole point. The suggested sizes are non-standard and deliberately cause a 4% larger diameter. I wrote in my original post that the normal speedo advance of ~5% (which is required by EU regulations) is almost exactly compensated by that measure. Although the diameter is higher, the suggested sizes still fit and fill the wheel wells better. And they give the same sidewall height as you'd get with 17" standard sizes.

Before anyone asks (I think I have heard all objections already):

Yes, effective final gear ratio is changed. This gives a higher effective max speed. And no, it does not influence acceleration figures that much since the longer ratio is balanced by longer gear reach. I'd rather say that it increases mileage per gallon because of the lower RPMs.

The car sits ~1/2" inch higher which you don't notice much since the 335i has a sports suspension which is 1" lower than the normal one. Also, the OP explicitely asked for a softer ride.

An interesting thread.
I would think that one change that hasn't been commented on is that with a larger diameter, even though the speedometer is finally corrected, the odometer will end up reading lower than the actual distance travelled. Which is probably not such a bad thing.

I replaced the wider rear rims so that I have the same 17 wheels on the four corners for more control of wear through rotation. I also have Bridgestone Turanza Serenity tires replacing Potenza RFTs. It has been a great move with a ride befitting a touring BMW.

I recommend Serenity tires from Bridgestone if you want the maximum improvement over performance RFTs that are intended for the track and not real world roads.

Another vote here for Bridgestone Serenity tires if you want a softer ride with some handling..

They mightbe good tires, I just can't get over the name.

I drove my 335i on the Lime Rock autocross course (the combined configuration which includes 12 turns and several elevation changes) with the original Bridgestone RFTs and then with Piperlli P_Zero Nero M&S non RFTs. In both cases I was with a friend (who also drove) who is a Skip Barber instructor and a 2 time national autocross champion. We both came to the conclusion that there is no handling advantage to the RFTs.

I see a lot of "the stiffer the suspension the better" and "the stiffer the tire sidewall the better" posts here. In both cases there is a point of diminishing returns and a point is reached where additional stiffness becomes detrimental to handling.

I think there has been enough evidence posted here to show that the OEM Bridgestone RFTs on the 3 Series with sport package have some pretty serious issues. Mike Harley (Emission) posted an article on Autoblog.com comparing the Bridgestone RFTs to non RFTs and the new third generation Bridgestone RFTs. It is an excellent article and a very worthwhile read.

CA

Hi,
I recently replaced the Potenza RFTs on my 330i with the staggered setup with General Exclaim UHPs. I got these tires from tirerack based on the stellar reviews and also the fact that they are supposed to be relatively quiet.
I now have less than 500 Miles on the new tires but I have noticed that there is a droning noise emanating (most probably) from the rear tires whenever the speed is over 40 MPH and it continues till around 70-75Mph. At higher speeds the noise still persists but is less pronounced. I took the car back to my installer to have the tires balanced last week but the noise still persists. It is annoying that I have to have my radio on all the time when driving esp if I am ferrying someone in the back seat.

I also recently installed 17" Yokohama S Drives on my 325CI and there is almost no road noise from those tires.

I was planning to take in the 330I to the dealer for regular service in a weeks time and was wondering if anyone had suggestions that I can pass to the SA. The steering response seems perfectly fine and there is no shuddering which leads me to believe that it may not be the wheel bearings. Any inputs ??

Tks.

I recently purchased my '07 335i CPO and it has new OEM RFT's on it. Has anyone had any experience with trading tires in? Mine are brand new and I'm interested (because of this thread) to get non-rft's. Would like to hear if trade-in's are common and what I should expect financially.

Originally Posted by zampag

Another 2000 miles on the RE960s and I think I made a mistake. While these do grip well, I feel the back end swinging out a little during tight turns. Almost like the tire is rolling a little. Tried adjusting the pressures, but didnt make much of a diff. I understand they're all season, but I figured ultra high perf/all season would have been better.

Ok, so now I have GLS (goldie locks syndrome) with the tires/wheels. Started with EL42 RFs but the ride was too hard, changed to RE960s non-RF, but the ride is too soft. Driven 5k miles on both.

Given the xDrive suspension is not adjusted with the sports package, will RE050a non-rf 18" staggered be a huge difference than the RE960s 17's? Or is the suspension my main roadblock for getting the desired feel. I'm basically looking for a stiff/firm ride (18's), no explosions over pot holes (non-rf), backend of the car staying put through tight turns (staggered), and little/no sidewall movement (18s). The RE960s really seem to roll over a lot.

Am I on the right track here or should I take the train to work?

I would just try upping the pressure a bit.

Originally Posted by Spagolli94

I would just try upping the pressure a bit.

Had them at 33/38, 35/38, 38/38 - nadda