New Tires

I've got just over 18,000 miles on my car and the rear tires are just about down to the wear indicator but the front tires look like they've got pretty good tread left. I'm surprised because I rarely get on it very hard.
I'm planning on putting on Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's. Even though the front tires still look good, I don't want to just replace the rear tires. Any thoughts from anybody? Thanks

If your going to replace all 4 this may be a good time to dump the run flats?

Originally Posted by GnattheCat

If your going to replace all 4 this may be a good time to dump the run flats?

My car has 18" wheels so the ride is actually pretty good even with runflats. I'll probably stay with them. I test drove a car with 19's and there was a huge difference!

Originally Posted by Z4golfer

My car has 18" wheels so the ride is actually pretty good even with runflats. I'll probably stay with them. I test drove a car with 19's and there was a huge difference!

Geez, I had RFT's on my 17" rims and my teeth rattled when I went over a bump. I couldn't wait to get rid of them and did in just the same way as you. Rears were bald and i dumped the fronts with 50% tread left. I couldn't be happier with the ride comfort and steering control. But to each his own.

Let me know what you decide on because I need to start looking as well. As far as the RFT's go I thought the ride has been pretty good with the 18" rims, they are however a bit noisy on our crapy roads.. I was thinking of staying with the RFT's as well. My son got rid of his run flats and now carries a repair kit and small 12v compressor and a couple bottles of a tire leak sealer.

I had the exact same experience at the same mileage. I had Costco replace the rears with the same tire and they did a great job at a very good price. BTW, I like runflats and mine ride fine unlike my '06 3.0si Z4. My plan is to replace all 4 at about 30k miles with Michelin PS2 ZP which is what came on my 335is and are fine at 20k miles.

My BS RFTs came off at delivery and sold to a guy with a 335i coupe that needed them for a lease return. I was paid enough to buy a set of Yokohama ENVigors. I have only put 5k on them but they have performed well. Nice handling even in cold weather, much improved ride and very quiet. I considered Conti DWS but really didn't need the snow performance as I do not drive my Z if there is any chance of snow or ice. Highly recommend the Yokos.

If you haven't already committed to a tire, you might want to check out the Bridgestone Potenza 960 RFT. They're a 3rd generation run flat. I did a review on them here: Bridgestone Potenza 960 RFT. I've put a couple thousand miles on them so far and I still love them. Good ride and a lot better mileage.

Originally Posted by johnsz4

If you haven't already committed to a tire, you might want to check out the Bridgestone Potenza 960 RFT. They're a 3rd generation run flat. I did a review on them here: Bridgestone Potenza 960 RFT. I've put a couple thousand miles on them so far and I still love them. Good ride and a lot better mileage.

How's the noise compared to the original tires?

I didn't have a noise problem with the original tires unless I was on a really rough road. With the new 960s, I don't notice any noise problem at all, even on the rougher roads. So.... better!

Originally Posted by mclaren

I had the exact same experience at the same mileage. I had Costco replace the rears with the same tire and they did a great job at a very good price. BTW, I like runflats and mine ride fine unlike my '06 3.0si Z4. My plan is to replace all 4 at about 30k miles with Michelin PS2 ZP which is what came on my 335is and are fine at 20k miles.

I talked to the tire man at Costco yesterday. He said that 18,000 miles on the rear tires with the original Bridgestones was very good mileage, and I probably could expect about 25,000 from the Michelin PS2. My main concern was wheather or not to mix tires, leaving the originals on the front (I've probably got another 5,000 miles of tread) and putting the PS2s on the rear. According to him it's fine just as long as both front and rear have the same speed rating.

I'll probably go with the Michelin PS2 ZP all the way around and then replace the front and rear as needed in the future.

Originally Posted by johnsz4

If you haven't already committed to a tire, you might want to check out the Bridgestone Potenza 960 RFT. They're a 3rd generation run flat. I did a review on them here: Bridgestone Potenza 960 RFT. I've put a couple thousand miles on them so far and I still love them. Good ride and a lot better mileage.

Thanks, I'm going to look into those too before making a decision.
You say better mileage, do you mean gas mileage or tread life?

The 3rd gen rft are supposed to be very good, I didn't know they were available. I'm going to check them out.

The BS 960s do sound like a decent tire but the cost for staggered 18" OEM sizes is in itself staggering, $1130. I bought a set of Yokohamas for about half this amount.

Your picture of the 1988 635CSI brings back memories of the thrill I had when I got the 1980 633CSI. That car cost $32,800 MSRP ! I wish I knew what the color was, it was a brown/gold color. Tan leather. It was head turner in those days. 1st day the right rear window wouldn't go back up.

As far as tires go I want runflats. The newer runflats are much improved and BMW has adjusted the suspension. I put goflats on my '08 135 and regretted it. I don't want a flat on an expressway or in a bad area or going fast. My 335is with 18" staggered came with Michelin PS2 ZP and they ride great.

Originally Posted by Z4golfer

Thanks, I'm going to look into those too before making a decision.
You say better mileage, do you mean gas mileage or tread life?

Tread life. They put a 40K tread life warranty on them (for what it's worth) and the tire test seem to bear that out. My gas mileage still suffers because I can't drive this thing slow!

Michelin Pilot Super Sports are the latest technology and better than the PS2's in every way. They are basically the next generation of PS2's. They are around the same price as PS2's.

I went with 4 new Pilot Super Sports a month or so ago. +++++