So I need new tires
As readers of this thread (http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97649) will discover, I have been victimized by potholes and poor Contis and will be in need of new tires. I have done the Tire Rack's selection guide and have come up with the following choices:
Michelin Pilot HX MXM4
(Grand Touring All-Season)
Kumho ECSTA KH11
(Grand Touring Summer)
Goodyear Eagle RS-A (Multiple choices due to different ratings and such)
(High Performance All-Season)
Pirelli P6 Four Seasons
(High Performance All-Season)
Knowing next to nothing about purchasing tires, I would appreciate some practical advice from those who know these tires well. Durability is my main concern, given what has happened to my current tires. Any knowledge and experience is welcome.
Michelin Pilot HX MXM4
(Grand Touring All-Season)
Kumho ECSTA KH11
(Grand Touring Summer)
Goodyear Eagle RS-A (Multiple choices due to different ratings and such)
(High Performance All-Season)
Pirelli P6 Four Seasons
(High Performance All-Season)
Knowing next to nothing about purchasing tires, I would appreciate some practical advice from those who know these tires well. Durability is my main concern, given what has happened to my current tires. Any knowledge and experience is welcome.
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All season tires in Florida? Does Florida even have seasons? 
Why not look at something like the BFG KDW2 or Toyo T1-S? Tirerack doesn't sell the Toyo but it's a good price/performance compromise.
I don't think you are going to find any low-profile tire that will withstand pot-holes. You'll just have to try to slow down and/or avoid them.
Why not look at something like the BFG KDW2 or Toyo T1-S? Tirerack doesn't sell the Toyo but it's a good price/performance compromise.
I don't think you are going to find any low-profile tire that will withstand pot-holes. You'll just have to try to slow down and/or avoid them.
From what I've heard, RS-As pretty much suck as a performance tire. I wouldn't put them on my 330, that's for sure. I've read a few magazine road tests with RS-As on the test car as the OEM tires, and they said that they're sure that cornering would have been better with a better set of tires.
If you're not going to ever drive in snow, get a set of summer tires. I'm with bren, forget the all seasons unless you travel north in the winter.
From my experience and from what I've read, Michelins are durable tires. My brother had a couple sets of Pirellis blow out on him in the past. :dunno:
If you're not going to ever drive in snow, get a set of summer tires. I'm with bren, forget the all seasons unless you travel north in the winter.
From my experience and from what I've read, Michelins are durable tires. My brother had a couple sets of Pirellis blow out on him in the past. :dunno:
Most of the choices in the decision guide were all season tires. I'll do a manual search and check those out. Anyone else?
EDIT: Just saw the above post. Seems I can drop at least one off the list. I'll do a dedicated look at summer tires. I expect to be in Florida at least 2 more years.
EDIT: Just saw the above post. Seems I can drop at least one off the list. I'll do a dedicated look at summer tires. I expect to be in Florida at least 2 more years.
bren said:All season tires in Florida? Does Florida even have seasons?
Why not look at something like the BFG KDW2 or Toyo T1-S? Tirerack doesn't sell the Toyo but it's a good price/performance compromise.
I don't think you are going to find any low-profile tire that will withstand pot-holes. You'll just have to try to slow down and/or avoid them.
What are your priorities?
Dry traction?
Wet traction?
Comfort?
Noise?
Price?
Dry traction?
Wet traction?
Comfort?
Noise?
Price?
SAZMan said:
Yes.
Just kidding. I'd say durability and price most of all. Wet traction is important as we get a fair amount of rain. Am I wrong to assume that good wet traction implies good dry traction?
P.S. Do I need Road Hazard Protection? What's the consensus on that?
Just kidding. I'd say durability and price most of all. Wet traction is important as we get a fair amount of rain. Am I wrong to assume that good wet traction implies good dry traction?
P.S. Do I need Road Hazard Protection? What's the consensus on that?
Nick325xiT 5spd said:
Yes you are wrong. Generally speaking good dry traction implies a lot of rubber on the road (think slicks which have no tread), whereas good wet traction means a lot of sipes and grooves to evacuate the water better. However, this is just one characteristic that contributes to traction, the compound of the rubber is another huge factor.
SAZMan said:
The BFG KDW2 seems good. Any comments on the Bridgestone Potenza RE750? TR rates it a bestseller.
I just bought a set of the Bridgestone Potenza RE750 to replace my Contis.
I wanted PS2s but couldn't afford a set of those.
I wanted PS2s but couldn't afford a set of those.
I was considering the Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 because they were in the same price range as the RE750s. The PE2 actually was the one tire that out performed the RE750s in one Tire Rack test.
I went with the RE750s because it had a lot more review feedback, probably because the Bridgestone has been out longer. I wanted some owner info on long term wear and noise.
I went with the RE750s because it had a lot more review feedback, probably because the Bridgestone has been out longer. I wanted some owner info on long term wear and noise.
They're great in the wet. However they're loud and will give a slightly rougher ride.
SAZMan said:
Hmmm. So it would be down to the Potenza or the Kumho. The Kumho is quite a bit cheaper, so I would lean more to that, I guess.
elbert said:
Are you speaking of the all-season Kumho from your post above? I don't think you can really compare the two. The RE750 is more performance oriented which means more direct steering response and better traction. The Kumho will have a softer ride and most likely longer tread life.
Do some searching on this site and the net for the Toyo T1-S. I think you'll find a lot of positive reviews.
Do some searching on this site and the net for the Toyo T1-S. I think you'll find a lot of positive reviews.
SAZMan said:
I can vouch for the fact that the Goodyears suck. I got those as my OEM tires and I got so sick of them that I swapped them out after a year -- I replaced them with the ContiTourings (long story) and even those were much better than Goodyears. However, if you have a non-sport 330i and want all-seasons, try the Michelin Pilot Sport All-Seasons -- I hear they are good though expensive. When my contis wear out I'll probably get those (need all seasons here in the Northeast), but would love to hear your experiences with the other brands as well.
I'm with Bren on that one. I just bought them for my e46 and I'm happy.
Alex
Alex
bren said:
As you can see from all the different recommendations there is no one ultimate tire for the 3 series. Even a good tire has strengths and weaknesses, though the PS2 performance tire does come close, but even that tire has its bad points like not the best tread wear and it can be noisy when it wears down.
List these eight things below in order of importance and then choose the tire that best fits the top 4 or 5 categories. That's how I finally made my decision. Good luck.
1. Dry traction
2. Wet traction
3. Cornering Stability
4. Responsiveness
5. Ride Comfort
6. Noise Comfort
7. Tread Wear
8. Price
List these eight things below in order of importance and then choose the tire that best fits the top 4 or 5 categories. That's how I finally made my decision. Good luck.
1. Dry traction
2. Wet traction
3. Cornering Stability
4. Responsiveness
5. Ride Comfort
6. Noise Comfort
7. Tread Wear
8. Price
SAZMan said:
I actually meant the Grand Touring Summer tires (Kumho ECSTA KH11) I'll look into the Toyos too.
bren said:
BTW if you have to drive in snow, you are better off with two sets of tires. Summer tires for good weather and true snows for winter. All season just means they suck in all seasons.
I like this approach. Since the original poster is looking into Toyo T1-S (along with some others' recommendations), I'll try to use this to describe the T1-S. Order is from best to worst:
1. Ride Comfort
2. Dry Traction
3. Wet Traction
4. Cornering Stability
5. Price
6. Responsiveness
7. Tread Wear
8. Noise Comfort
1. Ride Comfort
2. Dry Traction
3. Wet Traction
4. Cornering Stability
5. Price
6. Responsiveness
7. Tread Wear
8. Noise Comfort
Artslinger said:
Comparing my new RE750s to the stock Contis. In order of my importance…
1. Tread Wear – Both wear good for a performance tire but the RE750 is supposed to have some of the best tire wear in this tire category. Wear was high on my list because I want good amount of tread left on my tires when I sell the car in a couple of years.
2. Noise Comfort – Right now the RE750s are very quite. I have read they can become noisy when worn, but most performance tires are like that. The Contis became very noisy when worn.
3. Price – The RE750 and Contis are priced about the same, both are priced about mid range for a performance tire.
4. Dry Traction – RE750 grips better, I noticed the DSC goes off a lot less than with the Contis.
5. Wet Traction – RE750s are much better than the Contis in wet weather; the RE750 has a good wet weather tread design.
6. Ride Comfort - RE750 has a slightly harsher ride than the Contis because of a stiffer side wall. The RE750 trammels a lot less than the Contis which had a terrible trammeling problem. And unlike the Contis the RE750 tracks great on the highway.
7. Responsiveness – The RE750 feels a little dead in the center but once they hook up it feels like rails. The Contis where less dead in the center but lost some responsiveness when cornering hard.
8. Cornering Stability – The RE750 has a stiffer side wall and a rounded shoulder this makes for superior corning.
9. I left out one point “looks”. This would be the last thing on my list. The Contis are a nice looking tire, the RE750 is not a real aggressive looking tire because of the rounded shoulder and tread design. The RE750 also has rubber rim guard ridges on its lower sidewalls to function as bumpers to help protect wheels from curb damage, some people may not like the look of this though it doesn’t bother me.
1. Tread Wear – Both wear good for a performance tire but the RE750 is supposed to have some of the best tire wear in this tire category. Wear was high on my list because I want good amount of tread left on my tires when I sell the car in a couple of years.
2. Noise Comfort – Right now the RE750s are very quite. I have read they can become noisy when worn, but most performance tires are like that. The Contis became very noisy when worn.
3. Price – The RE750 and Contis are priced about the same, both are priced about mid range for a performance tire.
4. Dry Traction – RE750 grips better, I noticed the DSC goes off a lot less than with the Contis.
5. Wet Traction – RE750s are much better than the Contis in wet weather; the RE750 has a good wet weather tread design.
6. Ride Comfort - RE750 has a slightly harsher ride than the Contis because of a stiffer side wall. The RE750 trammels a lot less than the Contis which had a terrible trammeling problem. And unlike the Contis the RE750 tracks great on the highway.
7. Responsiveness – The RE750 feels a little dead in the center but once they hook up it feels like rails. The Contis where less dead in the center but lost some responsiveness when cornering hard.
8. Cornering Stability – The RE750 has a stiffer side wall and a rounded shoulder this makes for superior corning.
9. I left out one point “looks”. This would be the last thing on my list. The Contis are a nice looking tire, the RE750 is not a real aggressive looking tire because of the rounded shoulder and tread design. The RE750 also has rubber rim guard ridges on its lower sidewalls to function as bumpers to help protect wheels from curb damage, some people may not like the look of this though it doesn’t bother me.
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