Hopefully swapping to standard tyres

[craigsup]

Hi guys,

I'm close to pulling the trigger on ordering some standard tyres for my 330d.
Just put my bridgestone Potenza runflats up for grabs on ebay and gumtree etc. so hoping someone will help contribute to the price of my new tyres!

Been looking on blackcircles at 225/40/18 fronts and 255/35/18 rears.
I obviously want the best tyre I can get, which I understand is the Pirelli Pilot Super Sport, however none of the online tyre shops seem to stock the rear size. So I'm now considering:

1. Continental Sport Contact 2/3/5 (I presume 5 is best as it'll be the newest release?) ~£80 each so quite cheap.
2. Michelin Pilot Sport 2/3/4/5 (Again I presume 5 is the best....) £80-110 each depending on the model.
3. Michelin Pilot Super Sport £112 per tyre so quite expensive but I hear these are amazing?

I guess I don't need the absolute best tyre, but I would like to get good tyres for a reasonable price.

Can anyone suggest the best out of my options? Are the Michelin PSS worth the extra £35 a corner compared to the Conti SP5?

[Smuler]

craigsup said:

Hi guys,

I'm close to pulling the trigger on ordering some standard tyres for my 330d.
Just put my bridgestone Potenza runflats up for grabs on ebay and gumtree etc. so hoping someone will help contribute to the price of my new tyres!

Been looking on blackcircles at 225/40/18 fronts and 255/35/18 rears.
I obviously want the best tyre I can get, which I understand is the Pirelli Pilot Super Sport, however none of the online tyre shops seem to stock the rear size. So I'm now considering:

1. Continental Sport Contact 2/3/5 (I presume 5 is best as it'll be the newest release?) ~£80 each so quite cheap.
2. Michelin Pilot Sport 2/3/4/5 (Again I presume 5 is the best....) £80-110 each depending on the model.
3. Michelin Pilot Super Sport £112 per tyre so quite expensive but I hear these are amazing?

I guess I don't need the absolute best tyre, but I would like to get good tyres for a reasonable price.

Can anyone suggest the best out of my options? Are the Michelin PSS worth the extra £35 a corner compared to the Conti SP5?

I switched from RFTs to MPSS , 19s on 335i, and I find them excellent. I drive the car very hard. That said, I know the tuners Birds recommend contis when doing their upgrades so I really can't see why you won't be very happy with them.

Plus if tyre is not easily available, then it can be a pain having to plan in advance to replace. worst case scenario puncture, unrepairable.

[E-bmw]

craigsup said:

Hi guys,


I obviously want the best tyre I can get, which I understand is the Pirelli Pilot Super Sport

Not sure where you get that information from.

Look at the linked site, on the right hand side half way down in a list of all magazine sponsored tyre tests from 2015 & I think you will see the Conti S/C 5s won 50% with only 1 other tyre winning 2.

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/

[craigsup]

E-bmw said:

Not sure where you get that information from.

Look at the linked site, on the right hand side half way down in a list of all magazine sponsored tyre tests from 2015 & I think you will see the Conti S/C 5s won 50% with only 1 other tyre winning 2.

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/

I can't remember but I looked at a few websites a while ago and I remembered they had come top a few times. But yeah from your link it looks like the Conti's are the way to go.

So I'm now set (unless anyone can change my mind?) on getting the Continental ContiSportContact 5's.

Question regarding that model; when I go on myTyres/Blackcircles they have of the same model but one which is MO (merc approved) and one that is standard. The standard is a few quid more - no biggie. However the label ratings are different for the two. Surely they are the same tyre so should be the same?!

See the picture

[Dannbodge]

Michelin PS3/4 or Goodyear Eagle F1 Assym 3s would be my choice.

Never really been a fan of Contis

[Monty Python]

Also consider the Bridgestone S001.

[E-bmw]

The Contis are a superb tyre, I have used them for years as my preferred tyre on an e39 530i, e36 328 track car & 318 D sport.

Not sure on the MO thing, but if they are the same spec then it seems like a no-brainer to me.

[aeropilot]

Pirelli P Zero (NOT THE P Zero Nero or P Zero Rosso) are worth a try..... I have used them on my 135i, and they are very good, although quite stiff. Unlike MPSS, they retain good performance through to end of life, whereas the MPSS can 'go off' before you get down to the wear bars.

[DVandrews]

E-bmw said:

The Contis are a superb tyre, I have used them for years as my preferred tyre on an e39 530i, e36 328 track car & 318 D sport.

Not sure on the MO thing, but if they are the same spec then it seems like a no-brainer to me.

Another vote for the Contis, I have them on my 335i, recommended by Birds when I had the suspension kit and LSD fitted. Brilliant tyres.

Dave

[Frances The Mute]

craigsup said:

I can't remember but I looked at a few websites a while ago and I remembered they had come top a few times. But yeah from your link it looks like the Conti's are the way to go.

So I'm now set (unless anyone can change my mind?) on getting the Continental ContiSportContact 5's.

Question regarding that model; when I go on myTyres/Blackcircles they have of the same model but one which is MO (merc approved) and one that is standard. The standard is a few quid more - no biggie. However the label ratings are different for the two. Surely they are the same tyre so should be the same?!

See the picture

MO is 'Mercedes Original' so this will be of a different specification to that of the standard, unmarked tyre, to suit the requirements of the OEM.

That information won't be publicly available, though.

[nickfrog]

Outside of the MPSS and the Conti, there is a 3rd avenue which I will be taking next time : Yokohama Advan Sport 105. More details here http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

My issue with the Contis is longevity, as often the case with the brand.

To quote myself

nickfrog said:

Yep but I would try and source a 92 if still around - you'd be fine with a 88, depending how much you lean on the front end (see previous post).

I would consider the Yokohama Advan 105 in those sizes 225 40 18 (92) and 245 35 18 (92).

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.j...
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2015-EVO-Maga...

£70 for the fronts https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres/yokohama/ad...
£117 for the rears https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres/yokohama/ad...

Not sure how that compares to the MPSS but at £374 + fitting...

In fact the set of MPSS is around £120 more.

Edited by nickfrog on Monday 25th January 16:08

[aeropilot]

nickfrog said:

Outside of the MPSS and the Conti, there is a 3rd avenue which I will be taking next time : Yokohama Advan Sport 105. More details here http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Ooooh......Yoko's in the right sizes

Back in my yoof, Yoko A001/A001R and later the A008's were the mutts nuts, and I was a big Yokohama fan, so I will very much look at these instead of the P Zero's in a few months when I need a new set of summer rear boots for the 135i.

[anonymous-user]

Wife had Potenzas on her BM. She wanted to keep RFTs so I had Goodyear Eagle F1 RFTs fitted via BlackCircles.
Far far superior comfort & cheaper too. Ride like proper tyres

[JNW1]

Slightly off topic but I had a puncture on one of my run flats today. Thankfully I hadn't quite got as far as joining the A1(M) and was able to get to a local supermarket with filling station to check and, sure enough, the right front was soft. I therefore inflated it to the correct pressure and, hoping it would be if anything just a slow puncture, headed off for my appointment (which just happened to be an interview!). According to the i-drive the pressure appeared to remain stable on the journey down but when I got back in the car to head home a few hours later the tyre looked soft and sure enough the warning chimed almost immediately and the steering didn't feel right; I therefore headed straight to a nearby filling station for another go at reinflating the tyre and by the time I got there (less than half a mile) it was almost flat. Cutting a long story short I managed to get the car home and have now ordered a full set of AS2's to replace the run-flats; as it happens the fronts were about ready to change anyway but I'll be chucking away a pair of rears if anyone's interested in a pair of 18" Bridgestone run-flats (255/40) with about 5mm of tread left!

However, the really annoying thing about all this is that the one time I needed a run-flat to do what it's meant to do - get me to a destination without needing a tyre change or stopping to reinflate the tyre - it failed miserably. I could have done what I did today with a conventional tyre so what exactly is the point of these bloody useless run-flats? I keep hearing people say they're worth having because they avoid the possibility of the wife having to try to change a wheel on the hard shoulder when it's wet and dark but based on my experience today I wouldn't put my house on that being true. I do actually think the latest generation run-flats are an improvement over the originals of a decade ago but they seem more prone to picking-up punctures and, when they do, they don't actually run-flat and seem to offer little or nothing over a conventional tyre. Perhaps I just had an unfortunate experience today but by choice I'm afraid there's no way I'd choose a run-flat over a conventional, premium, tyre....

[anonymous-user]

JNW1 said:

Slightly off topic but I had a puncture on one of my run flats today. Thankfully I hadn't quite got as far as joining the A1(M) and was able to get to a local supermarket with filling station to check and, sure enough, the right front was soft. I therefore inflated it to the correct pressure and, hoping it would be if anything just a slow puncture, headed off for my appointment (which just happened to be an interview!). According to the i-drive the pressure appeared to remain stable on the journey down but when I got back in the car to head home a few hours later the tyre looked soft and sure enough the warning chimed almost immediately and the steering didn't feel right; I therefore headed straight to a nearby filling station for another go at reinflating the tyre and by the time I got there (less than half a mile) it was almost flat. Cutting a long story short I managed to get the car home and have now ordered a full set of AS2's to replace the run-flats; as it happens the fronts were about ready to change anyway but I'll be chucking away a pair of rears if anyone's interested in a pair of 18" Bridgestone run-flats (255/40) with about 5mm of tread left!

However, the really annoying thing about all this is that the one time I needed a run-flat to do what it's meant to do - get me to a destination without needing a tyre change or stopping to reinflate the tyre - it failed miserably. I could have done what I did today with a conventional tyre so what exactly is the point of these bloody useless run-flats? I keep hearing people say they're worth having because they avoid the possibility of the wife having to try to change a wheel on the hard shoulder when it's wet and dark but based on my experience today I wouldn't put my house on that being true. I do actually think the latest generation run-flats are an improvement over the originals of a decade ago but they seem more prone to picking-up punctures and, when they do, they don't actually run-flat and seem to offer little or nothing over a conventional tyre. Perhaps I just had an unfortunate experience today but by choice I'm afraid there's no way I'd choose a run-flat over a conventional, premium, tyre....

But you got home. You wouldn't have done without RFTs. What's your problem again?

[Mr Tidy]

REALIST123 said:

But you got home. You wouldn't have done without RFTs. What's your problem again?

Exactly - you surely wouldn't have managed what you did on non-RFTs!

I had a puncture in my 320td in 2007 on a lovely summer's day and stopped and put the space-saver on away from the road in Windsor Great Park - no problem!

Had 2 punctures in the 6 years I had my 123d with Pirelli RFTs and both days it was snowing - I was so pleased to have them! Especially as the 2nd time it was during a snow-storm in the half-dark and I was half-way round a roundabout leading onto an NSL dual carriageway - would not have rated my life-expectancy too long if I had needed to change a wheel in those conditions!

Saying that the Potenza's on my Z4C are terrible, but it looks like there may be better options.

[E-bmw]

Sport contact 5 test results (done by professionals)




Yoko Advan Sport 105 test results (done by professionals)




They would have to be MUCH cheaper to tempt me, the reviews are good, but remember these are written by the "man on the street" not professionals.

[JNW1]

Mr Tidy said:

REALIST123 said:

But you got home. You wouldn't have done without RFTs. What's your problem again?

Exactly - you surely wouldn't have managed what you did on non-RFTs!

Sorry chaps but my point is that I only kept going with the run-flat by stopping at 3 different filling stations within 50 miles to reinflate with air and I thought the point of these things was you're meant to be able to keep going for that sort of distance without needing to do that? I would have thought I could have done the same (i.e. just keep topping-up with air) on a conventional tyre but that's hard to say for certain without knowing exactly what the damage is to the run-flat (going to have a closer look at that in daylight this morning). The other aspect to this is that for whatever reason run-flats seem more to be prone to picking-up punctures than conventional tyres (several of my friends and work colleagues have experienced multiple punctures with them having gone for many years without on conventional tyres) so there's a question in my mind as to whether I'd have even had the problem in the first place had it not been for the run-flats......

[craigsup]

E-bmw said:

Sport contact 5 test results (done by professionals)



They would have to be MUCH cheaper to tempt me, the reviews are good, but remember these are written by the "man on the street" not professionals.

Cheers for showing those results - yeah i'm pretty set on the Conti's. Just searching around for the best price at the moment as the 255's are over 30% more expensive than the 225's.


The reason I'm swapping away from run-flats is that the ride is terrible. The steering wheel feels numb and when going over holes/bumps, they crash around. Never had runflats before - the idea sounds good but in the practise they just don't live up to what I had hoped. Plus, If I do get a puncture I can simply phone the AA and get them to recover me to a garage where I can order a new tyre. I don't really drive enough miles to warrant the run flats as I don't use my car every day so waiting a few days for a tyre to arrive won't be a biggie, plus most punctures will be repairable (cheaply).

Edited by craigsup on Tuesday 26th January 07:46

[aeropilot]

E-bmw said:

Sport contact 5 test results (done by professionals)




Yoko Advan Sport 105 test results (done by professionals)




They would have to be MUCH cheaper to tempt me, the reviews are good, but remember these are written by the "man on the street" not professionals.

Maybe not then.....

Shame, as I said, back in the day, Yoko's were the dog danglies, especially those A001R's.