X1 Tyre Choice?

[mustyblowfish]

Hi Guys,

I have a 66 plate X1 20d X drive and the front is coming close to needing new boots. It currently has the original Bridgestone S001's on it (I think they are runflats?). Handling is fine for a car like this but the road noise is a little higher than expected. Does anyone have any recommendations? I see that the Continental Contact 5 is well reviewed?
Any issues with not using run flats?
Do I need to replace all 4 due to the X-drive (which is what the dealer is telling me to do?
Thanks!

[smashy]

Hi

Ive just gone back to runflats with a lot of trepidation.After a ton of forum and review searching I put on the Goodyear Eagle F1 assymetric 3

tyres on and im pretty impressed , far better than the last lot which were Continentals I think. Noise far better than those but not as good as my non runflat Michelins but they really are not bad from a crashy point of view

[mustyblowfish]

Thanks, what made you return to run flats? Where the tires you bought * rated?

[Ranger 6]

With experience of mixed and non * marked tyres on an X3 I'd say if you've got staggered wheels the definitely stick with * marked tyres. If you've got an all-square set-up then it shouldn't be an issue as long as they're all the same size and make - although don't blame me if you do . I use the word 'shouldn't' deliberately as it's always possible....

I wouldn't say either that they have to be run-flats, that's a risk you need to be happy with and either carry a spare or a can of sealant. I've just put some new run-flats on the X3 because the latest generation of tyres aren't as bad as the old ones. When I had my 130 I put 'normal' tyres on at the first opportunity as the RFTs were awful.

[Smuler]

mustyblowfish said:

Hi Guys,

I have a 66 plate X1 20d X drive and the front is coming close to needing new boots. It currently has the original Bridgestone S001's on it (I think they are runflats?). Handling is fine for a car like this but the road noise is a little higher than expected. Does anyone have any recommendations? I see that the Continental Contact 5 is well reviewed?
Any issues with not using run flats?
Do I need to replace all 4 due to the X-drive (which is what the dealer is telling me to do?
Thanks!

My 17 plate X1 , 20D M Sport X Drive, I avoided RFts and from the factory got 18s with Bridgestone Turanzas, but when the fronts got to about 4mm I swapped them around, as BMW advises, to make things last longer. I found that the fronts really need the most tread, least the way I drive. The rears hardly wore at all in 11-12k miles.

I'm a Michelin fan, so will probably take one of their tyres next. Not sure what is available on 19s, I assume you have those.

I have a space saver, but on a previous car 335i I ditched RFTs without fear, the odds of punctures are not worth the crap ride, replacement cost.

Also the tyre pressure monitoring system is very good, notices slight changes so there's a heads up.

I don't see why you need to replace all 4, unless the tread on rears is low? I can confirm that when I put the fronts on the rears (they were 4mm ) the car rides, handles, grip etc. perfectly. On the front now is 7mm, so that sort of difference is no problem.

Thus in my opinion, if you don't go for all 4 , put the new ones on the front.

However, I don't know if the X1 (unlike say the old E46 generation) is sensitive to having different brands of tyres, front and back. That might be a reason to replace all 4 now, say, if there's a deal (offer) to be done on getting all 4 at once.

• Edit for clarity, my 18s are a square set up, so all 4 the same.

[smashy]

mustyblowfish said:

Thanks, what made you return to run flats? Where the tires you bought * rated?

Hi only because maybe my last set before handing back re PCP or PX and guess dont need any last minute grief re wrong tyres leading to more expense.Plus my non runflats Michelin PS 3s had ultraseal in them to seal up punctures instantly and the distributor has moved,I do a lot of miles and last thing I wanted was a puncture in my tyre on a cold rainy night a long way from home.

Have to say bizarly im beginning to enjoy the extra "hardness" of the ride. Dont know if they are star rated but have read that its all smoke and mirrors

I quote The branding of the tyres is to do with the deals the tyre companies do with the manufacturers to get their tyres onto new cars. That is where they will gain most of their profit from people who buy the cars new and will generally stick to the original tyre for the first three sets (thats what they work it out to as a benchmark)the tyres are no different and not tuned to Mercedes or BMW spec infact the same size tyre is the same unit price to the wholesaler, weather it be AO, *, or MO. The thing anout the rolling radius is rubbish too, that is worked out on the profile change between the different width front and rear tyre.

People who have problems with BMW and tyres are generally either using poor quality or midrange tyres or they are mxing brands of tyre on or between the axles which these car are quite fussy about. unquote

Edited by smashy on Monday 25th September 17:23

[mustyblowfish]

Thanks guys for the great input!

[mustyblowfish]

weird, all the websites say that I need 225/55/r17 for this X1 but my tyres are actually 225/50/r17. Thoughts?

[Smuler]

Bmw , have a configuratir for tyres these days?
What does the door jam (is it called A pillar) section say ?

I'm pretty sure mines a 55 , on the 18s ; but if what you've had works I would probably stick unless, the 55 is cheaper and you are changing all 4.