Hopefully swapping to standard tyres
Discussion
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:
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'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:
- Continental Sport Contact 2/3/5 (I presume 5 is best as it'll be the newest release?) ~£80 each so quite cheap.
- Michelin Pilot Sport 2/3/4/5 (Again I presume 5 is the best....) £80-110 each depending on the model.
- Michelin Pilot Super Sport £112 per tyre so quite expensive but I hear these are amazing?
Can anyone suggest the best out of my options? Are the Michelin PSS worth the extra £35 a corner compared to the Conti SP5?
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.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/
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
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.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.
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
Just another quick question.
The current setup on the car is 225/40/r18 at the front and 255/35/r18 at the rear.
Would having a square setup (225/40 front and rear) affect the car?
I don't exactly push my car to the limit so I can't see there being an issue?
The current setup on the car is 225/40/r18 at the front and 255/35/r18 at the rear.
Would having a square setup (225/40 front and rear) affect the car?
I don't exactly push my car to the limit so I can't see there being an issue?
Edited by craigsup on Tuesday 26th January 13:08
Apologies I had a mistype in my post - it's 225/40/r18 front and 255/35/r18 rear.
Does that change the circumstances in terms of putting 225/40/r18 all round?
Edit: Thinking about it, I guess it would still be a stretch. So I guess rears have to be 255/35
Does that change the circumstances in terms of putting 225/40/r18 all round?
Edit: Thinking about it, I guess it would still be a stretch. So I guess rears have to be 255/35
Edited by craigsup on Tuesday 26th January 13:20
Edited by craigsup on Tuesday 26th January 13:20
Smuler said:
Your correction doesn't change my point, the difference in wheel size (8 fr, 8.5 rear) dictates the tyre size differences.
I had staggered 18s on my E46 and did wonder about square, as the fronts were cheaper!
It's probably over complicated but could you buy 2 used 18s rims to match the fronts, then have a square set up and then sell the larger rears ?
Ah fair enough, I have a complete gap in my knowledge when it comes to tyres. So now I understand the width 225/255 is determined by the alloy width and shouldn't be changed. the 35/40/45 side is the height of the tyre wall.I had staggered 18s on my E46 and did wonder about square, as the fronts were cheaper!
It's probably over complicated but could you buy 2 used 18s rims to match the fronts, then have a square set up and then sell the larger rears ?
I think I'll stick to the current size, and just find the right priced and quality of tyre. Looking at the Conti Sport Contact 5 and the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 (or 3 but that new so not many reviews).
The Goodyear is slightly cheaper and has similar test results to the Conti...Decisions decisions...
JNW1 said:
As others have said, I'd be inclined to stick with 255 on the rear as the rim width on the rear wheels will almost certainly be different from the fronts; if the rears are 8.5" wide then 225 is probably about as narrow as you dare go (see link below). If your main concern is ride quality I actually think you'll be fine with conventional tyres on 18" wheels but nothing to stop you fitting a slightly higher profile than standard (so perhaps go 255/40 on the rear?).
http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/tyre-size-for-ri...
Cheers http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/tyre-size-for-ri...
What would the taller profile offer? Looking at the sizing of tyres, the higher profile (40 from a 35) doesn't alter the price much so no real difference unless there is a performance/ride quality increase?JNW1 said:
A higher profile means a slightly bigger (taller) sidewall and, all other things being equal, a more compliant ride; the lower the profile the less sidewall you've got to absorb road imperfections and hence ultra low profile tyres can tend to result in compromised ride quality. Having said that, I still think you'd be fine sticking to the standard sizes on 18" wheels if you fit a decent conventional tyre.
On that subject I've thought quite hard about Contact Sport 5's in the past but what's put me off has been the numerous reports of them not wearing very well. If you want ultimate performance from the sounds of it Pilot Super Sports take a lot of beating although I've no experience of them myself; however, they're quite a bit more expensive than the Conti's or the AS2's and I'm about to switch my F31 335d to the Goodyears. Had them on an E91 335d and an E92 335i and they're very good tyres IMO.
Brilliant, thank you for your help/advise. Yeah the wear reviews on the CCS5 seem to indicate they don't last very long. I think I'm going to go for Goodyear AS2's. On both http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre-Size/18-Inch-Tyr... and http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre-Size/18-Inch-Tyr... the AS2's are very near the top (if you ignore the tyres which haven't had many reviews / miles done in them). And I'm currently looking at around £370 for the 4 tyres which doesn't sound too bad.On that subject I've thought quite hard about Contact Sport 5's in the past but what's put me off has been the numerous reports of them not wearing very well. If you want ultimate performance from the sounds of it Pilot Super Sports take a lot of beating although I've no experience of them myself; however, they're quite a bit more expensive than the Conti's or the AS2's and I'm about to switch my F31 335d to the Goodyears. Had them on an E91 335d and an E92 335i and they're very good tyres IMO.
Going to spend the next couple of days shopping around to see if any discounts / bargains appear!
JNW1 said:
The Conti's have probably finished higher in more professional reviews than the Goodyears but the people doing those reviews are testing new tyres over a relatively low mileage. That certainly doesn't make their findings irrelevant or invalid but for normal users how long the tyre will last and reproduce that performance is also an important factor and the conclusion I reached was that the Goodyears seemed to have the edge in that respect. Michelins also last reasonably well in my experience but only the Pilot Super Sport appears to better the AS2's and they cost a fair bit more.
On the subject of price £370 for 4 AS2's on 18" wheels sounds very competitive so who's that with? Assume it doesn't include fitting/balancing but even including those things you're looking at less £450 which is a good deal!
That's true - and while optimum performance is great, if that tyre wear is significantly higher I'd rather take the slightly less optimum and have the tyre last a lot longer. AS2's seem like the best compromise for me On the subject of price £370 for 4 AS2's on 18" wheels sounds very competitive so who's that with? Assume it doesn't include fitting/balancing but even including those things you're looking at less £450 which is a good deal!
www.tyres-outlet.co.uk have 2x 255/35/18 and 2x 225/40/18 inc delivery for £383. It doesn't include fitting etc just delivered to your house.
JNW1 said:
Just by way of an update, a set of AS2's went on my F31 yesterday and I've since done a round trip of just under 400 miles (mainly motorway and dual carriageway running). Although the ride wasn't too bad on the Bridgestone run-flats it's definitely better on the Goodyears but the most apparent difference on the drive I did yesterday and today is how much less road noise there is with the AS2's; perhaps other makes of run-flat aren't as bad as the Bridgestones but the AS2's make the car noticeably more refined on a long run. Not had a chance to give it a run on any twisty stuff as yet but already confident the Goodyears have made a favourable difference to the way the car drives!
That's good I'm looking forward to getting the AS2's - glad you've noticed an improvement over ride quality as mine is very harsh at the moment.
When I picked up my summer wheels out of storage the other day, I noticed that either the passenger side or the drivers side (can't remember which) tyres have worn unevenly, so much so that I don't think they'd pass an MOT. Booked my car in to AutoDynamics in Sheffield to get it put on their Hunter alignment thing and he's sorting out the tyres for me. Seems like a decent chap there.
Jimboka said:
Strange. Wife's BM on RFTs has never cracked an alloy.
So not consistently..
(Goodyear Eagle F1 now, far superior ride. Very Harsh & more expensive Potenzas previously)
Just seemed to be a common occurrence when google searching around BMW alloys + runflats. I suppose I'm just glad that it's only one alloy and it's not a large bill So not consistently..
(Goodyear Eagle F1 now, far superior ride. Very Harsh & more expensive Potenzas previously)
The alloy that my tyres are going on are these:
REALIST123 said:
You should google a bit harder. Several manufactures, including Mercedes and Jaguar have similar issues to BMW. Nothing to do with RFTs, all to do with pointlessly low aspect ratios.
I don't need to google harder - I have no interest of Merc or Jag, only BMW. During my googling (or apparent lack of), the common response to people's cracked BMW alloys were the stiff side wall of RFT causing increased vibrations to the alloy thus deteriorating them quicker. Added with a large impact (going over a speed bump too quickly etc), the RFT causes the crack.I'm not saying the alloys are absent from blame, but in my opinion majority of the blame lies with the RFT.
Edited by craigsup on Thursday 4th February 10:08
Just thought I'd do an update.
Got my alloy repaired and the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2's fitted. I've done about 150 miles in them so far and they are so much nicer than the RFT. The ride is much comfier; going over small potholes / bumps in the road doesn't crash the car around any more. The cabin noise is slightly less as well (not much of a difference though). I'm not going to comment on grip as of yet, simply because I've done so little mileage and they won't have worn in yet.
Never going to go back to RFT.
Got my alloy repaired and the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2's fitted. I've done about 150 miles in them so far and they are so much nicer than the RFT. The ride is much comfier; going over small potholes / bumps in the road doesn't crash the car around any more. The cabin noise is slightly less as well (not much of a difference though). I'm not going to comment on grip as of yet, simply because I've done so little mileage and they won't have worn in yet.
Never going to go back to RFT.
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