Which tyres for my new wheels?

[beanbag]

I managed to snap up a bargain basement deal and picked up a set of BMW 207 style alloys for my car:



They now need some rubber on them and unlike my old 16" wheels where I was limited to Michelin's fantastic PS3's, I now have a lot more options. They are staggered too so I need the following sizes:

205/50/R17 and 225/45/R17

Is it worth sticking with a new set of PS3's or is there anything else that would be fun to try?

Just to note. I do very heavy mileage (600 miles per week), and the PS3's lasted very well giving me more than 31k miles so whatever I choose should have good wear.

ETA: No run-flat options! I've heard they are crap and destroy the ride of a car.

[Claudia Skies]

beanbag said:

Is it worth sticking with a new set of PS3's

ETA: No run-flat options! I've heard they are crap and destroy the ride of a car.

Yes

and I agree about the runflats.

[Al U]

Not sure if they are available in those sizes, but for that mileage I would recommend "Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance". They are the best tyres I have ever used, great grip in wet and dry weather, handle standing water really well, are silent on the motorway and to top it off they have a fuel efficiency rating of B.

They had 30,000 miles on them when I took them off my car and were still legal, I only took them off as I got new bigger wheels.

[beanbag]

Al U said:

Not sure if they are available in those sizes, but for that mileage I would recommend "Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance". They are the best tyres I have ever used, great grip in wet and dry weather, handle standing water really well, are silent on the motorway and to top it off they have a fuel efficiency rating of B.

They had 30,000 miles on them when I took them off my car and were still legal, I only took them off as I got new bigger wheels.

Do these fuel efficiency tyres genuinely work? I've often wondered how much I expect to gain by using them.

[SMB]

we replaced some goodyear nct version x tyres on the dd, with ther performance efficient grip, saw a 8-10% improvement in MPG, noticeable from the start.

[amusingduck]

31k out of a set of tyres is fantastic IMO.

If you have no issues with the PS3s, why not stick with them? I went for the PS3s after comparing reviews online - very pleased with them.

[beanbag]

Interestingly the PS3 for the front 205/50/R17 is only available with a higher load value (93W).

Does this affect anything and does it also mean I need to get the higher load value for the rear tyres too (225/45/R17). Currently I've selected 91Y which are also cheaper than the 93W's.

[Monty Python]

Claudia Skies said:

Yes

and I agree about the runflats.

It depends which run-flats you get and the size of the wheels. The vast majority of complaints come from people who specced 19" wheels or the original Bridgestone RE050s.

On 18" or smaller rims, the current run-flats are fine - I have P-Zeros on 18" wheels and there's nothing wrong with the ride or handling.

[Matt UK]

When I had a 5 series I liked continental contact sport 3's. Think they are 5s now.

Also used Falken 452s. Not a bad tyre. Cheaper but didn't last as long, so negligible fiscal benefit IME.

[ManOpener]

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 would be my choice. Or Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas, which seem to suit BMWs well.
For the price, both are better than PS3s in my opinion.

[beanbag]

Matt UK said:

When I had a 5 series I liked continental contact sport 3's. Think they are 5s now.

Also used Falken 452s. Not a bad tyre. Cheaper but didn't last as long, so negligible fiscal benefit IME.

I think the rears already come with ContiSport Contact 3's (runflat) with very limited wear, but I planned to sell those off as haven't heard great things about them. The fronts are pretty much gone with a set of Goodyear (Sport Maxx I think). These definitely need replacing.

[nickofh]

Al U said:

Not sure if they are available in those sizes, but for that mileage I would recommend "Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance". They are the best tyres I have ever used, great grip in wet and dry weather, handle standing water really well, are silent on the motorway and to top it off they have a fuel efficiency rating of B.

They had 30,000 miles on them when I took them off my car and were still legal, I only took them off as I got new bigger wheels.

I had the Goodyear Efficient Grip on my Mitsubishi Lancer, they gave good mileage and were the best all rounder ( even did ok in the snow ). My best for outright grip and sporty feel were the Dunlop SP sport fast response.

I have found that Michelin seem to last the longest but if its worth the difference is down to you. £88 for a Vredstein , Uniroyal or Dunlop vs £101 for a Michelin.

Edited to add - watch for the free fuel offer that Michelin sometimes run.

[JakeThePeg]

Monty Python said:

It depends which run-flats you get and the size of the wheels. The vast majority of complaints come from people who specced 19" wheels or the original Bridgestone RE050s.

On 18" or smaller rims, the current run-flats are fine - I have P-Zeros on 18" wheels and there's nothing wrong with the ride or handling.

I had runflat on mine using 205/45/17 and the ride was atrocious! Followed every camber and there was literally no give in the tyre at all. So glad when 1 got a puncture so I could replace them both, non Run flats transformed the whole car.

(was Pirelli's euphoir@'s swapped to P Zero Nero GT's.

[beanbag]

That runflat story is the same I've heard for many. Not to mention that if you do get a puncture, running on the tyre destroys them so I'm told so even a minor puncture would require a complete tyre replacement whereas a standard tyre can be repaired with a mushroom and some temporary goo.

I'll definitely steer away from runflats.

Question is can I mix tyre load types?

[JakeThePeg]

beanbag said:

That runflat story is the same I've heard for many. Not to mention that if you do get a puncture, running on the tyre destroys them so I'm told so even a minor puncture would require a complete tyre replacement whereas a standard tyre can be repaired with a mushroom and some temporary goo.

I'll definitely steer away from runflats.

Question is can I mix tyre load types?

You can repair run flats, under same parameters as normal tyres. Personally, I can't see it being an issue, but happy to be proved wrong.

[Claudia Skies]

JakeThePeg said:

You can repair run flats, under same parameters as normal tyres. Personally, I can't see it being an issue, but happy to be proved wrong.

Yes, they can be repaired but this should only be done if the sidewalls haven't been damaged by "running flat".

[beanbag]

Just got my new wheels and they come with a part worn (less than 5000km), ContiSportContact 5 SSR (run flats), on the rear wheels.

How do these tyres rate? They appear to be ok but wear fast so I'm wondering should I replace the fronts with the same or should I put a pair of Pilot Sport 3's on the front and then replace the rears when they wear out?

Also....another thing. Can you mix runflats (rear), with non-runflats (front)?

[amusingduck]

beanbag said:

Just got my new wheels and they come with a part worn (less than 5000km), ContiSportContact 5 SSR (run flats), on the rear wheels.

How do these tyres rate? They appear to be ok but wear fast so I'm wondering should I replace the fronts with the same or should I put a pair of Pilot Sport 3's on the front and then replace the rears when they wear out?

Also....another thing. Can you mix runflats (rear), with non-runflats (front)?

Based on the reviews I read, the CSC5 have comparable performance to the PS3's, but a much faster wear rate.

You can mix, yes.

[JakeThePeg]

amusingduck said:

Based on the reviews I read, the CSC5 have comparable performance to the PS3's, but a much faster wear rate.

You can mix, yes.

But not across axles. Make sure both tyres on front and the rear are the same, (non RF) as if they are it'll make the handling crap.

[Monty Python]

amusingduck said:

Based on the reviews I read, the CSC5 have comparable performance to the PS3's, but a much faster wear rate.

You can mix, yes.

That's not the advice you'll get from the tyre places:

"As a general rule of thumb, you should avoid mixing different tyre types on a vehicle. This is also true of combining conventional and run flat tyres on a car – as their handling characteristics may differ, they should not be mixed on a vehicle." (National)

"Tyre manufacturers' websites have little to say about replacing runflats with conventional tyres. Most recommend replacing runflats with runflats and not mixing different runflat brands. One thing they all agree on is that runflat and conventional tyres should never be mixed on a vehicle."

"Never mix run flat tires with tires that do not have run flat technology (conventional tires) unless in an emergency situation on a limited, temporary basis. The conventional tire should then be replaced with a run flat tire as soon as possible. It is not recommended to mix different run flat technologies/products." (Michelin)

If you're going to replace run-flats with normal tyres, do them all and sell the run-flats.