Best E46 M3 Tyre choice
Best E46 M3 Tyre choice
Author
Discussion

M3

Original Poster:

2,142 posts

277 months

Sunday 29th November 2009
quotequote all
Sorry to keep asking all these wheel tyre questions, but new to BM, I used Conti SP2 on the 911s... whats best for day to day on E46 M3?
Also cheapest place to buy?

darreni

4,352 posts

293 months

Sunday 29th November 2009
quotequote all
Pilot sport 2's without a doubt.

M3 TKR

282 posts

291 months

Monday 30th November 2009
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For best tyres agree with Pilot SPort 2 - however these are very expensive for everyday driving and I have used the Bridgestone RE050A for the last year with no problems and excellent levels of grip wet or dry. Perfect for the 70 mile a day commute and also for the fun days at weekends.... £400 for 2 fronts and £450 for 2 rears....

good luck
R

the_smalls

1,003 posts

226 months

Monday 30th November 2009
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Maybe someone could enlighten me - what's wrong with the Continental M3 tyres that I believe are the factory standard???

Rawhide

978 posts

236 months

Monday 30th November 2009
quotequote all
I am using PS2's but they are all dead. My car does not get driven to an inch of it's life so I'm trying Kumho KU31 all round today.

Normally I stay away from 'non premium' tyres but I have heard almost perfect feedback from the M3 community on these tyres. They seem to be about 90% as good as the PS2 but at a fraction of the price.

M3

Original Poster:

2,142 posts

277 months

Monday 30th November 2009
quotequote all
What money are the Kumho

Rawhide

978 posts

236 months

Monday 30th November 2009
quotequote all
M3 said:
What money are the Kumho
Circa £114 - £120 for the front, £116 - £130 for the rear. I'm paying a bit more as I'm having them fitted at my house.

I'm using event mobile tyres. Camskills seem to be cheap for mailorder as are Bracknell Tyre and battery for drive in (if your in the south)

Edited by Rawhide on Monday 30th November 11:49

M3

Original Poster:

2,142 posts

277 months

Monday 30th November 2009
quotequote all
3 miles from Bracknell....result!

Martin W

135 posts

252 months

Monday 30th November 2009
quotequote all
Heard very good things about Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta on the M's - about the same money as the Kumhos.....

jp darcy

15 posts

196 months

Monday 30th November 2009
quotequote all
M3 said:
Sorry to keep asking all these wheel tyre questions, but new to BM, I used Conti SP2 on the 911s... whats best for day to day on E46 M3?
Also cheapest place to buy?
the best i found were conti sport contact proper m3 spec

jontysafe

2,370 posts

201 months

Monday 30th November 2009
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Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta`s get some very rave reviews, especially this time of year for their wet weather performance which is FARRRRR better then the Continental OEM M3 spec tyre. I Have the OEM Continantal M3 tyres on my Z4MC and they are indeed pants. When renewal time comes on the rears I`m going to go Vredestein.

MattOz

4,017 posts

287 months

Monday 30th November 2009
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I'm running Conti Sport Contact 3's on my M3, in N1 rating. They're not the M3 specific tyre, but in my opinion, they're at least as good as the PS2's I have on my other alloys. Can't see why people moan about the Contis as they're a very capable tyre. I've done 250 miles in all sorts of weather today and they've been sure-footed with plenty of grip available.

shim

2,051 posts

231 months

Monday 30th November 2009
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contis are wk but cheaper!

JNW1

9,200 posts

217 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
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Martin W said:
Heard very good things about Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta on the M's - about the same money as the Kumhos.....
Got Vredesteins on my M3CS and agree they're good tyres! Prior to fitting Ultrac Sessantas the car was on PS2's and to be fair they were also good; however, a comparison test in Evo magazine rated the Vredesteins more highly than the Michelins and, given they were also significantly cheaper, I decided to give them a go. No regrets and recently replaced the rears for just under £300 from Camskill; all in the cost was about £320 for the pair including fitting (which I arranged locally). I suspect PS2's would have been around half as much again and, in my opinion, they're not worth the extra!

shim

2,051 posts

231 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
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you wasted your money on a 350bhp car, you should have got a Nissan Micra and then your cheap hard tyres wouldnt have mattered a jot!

phatgixer

4,988 posts

272 months

Tuesday 1st December 2009
quotequote all
Michelin PS2.

Definitely NOT the Conti sport contact 2. Dreadful grip in the dry compared with PS2

JNW1

9,200 posts

217 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2009
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shim said:
you wasted your money on a 350bhp car, you should have got a Nissan Micra and then your cheap hard tyres wouldnt have mattered a jot!
Or maybe some people waste their money on PS2's when there are other (cheaper) tyres available that perform just as well! I've nothing against Michelins but, having experienced both PS2's and Ultrac Sessantas on the E46 M3, I just don't think the PS2's are worth the extra. Infact, even if they were the same price I'd still go with the Vredesteins for road use; never found them short of grip in either the wet or the dry but less road noise and a slightly better ride than with the Michelins (all IMO of course!).

Rawhide

978 posts

236 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2009
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JNW1 said:
shim said:
you wasted your money on a 350bhp car, you should have got a Nissan Micra and then your cheap hard tyres wouldnt have mattered a jot!
Or maybe some people waste their money on PS2's when there are other (cheaper) tyres available that perform just as well! I've nothing against Michelins but, having experienced both PS2's and Ultrac Sessantas on the E46 M3, I just don't think the PS2's are worth the extra. Infact, even if they were the same price I'd still go with the Vredesteins for road use; never found them short of grip in either the wet or the dry but less road noise and a slightly better ride than with the Michelins (all IMO of course!).
I was going to respond along the same lines earlier.

My Kumhos' are peforming very well. Obviously they will feel better than the PS2s they replace as they are new but tyre noise is down, and the ride does feel better. Grip even in this weather is fine.

M3

Original Poster:

2,142 posts

277 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2009
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Rawhide what size did you go for, are you pleased, I am lined up for a set on friday...

Boss Hogg

100 posts

252 months

Wednesday 2nd December 2009
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PS2s, i bought some 18" rims with contis on them and found the grip levels noticeably less than the PS2s that are now fitted, especially in the wet. If you want a better ride switch to 18s.