BMW E46 330d Sport advice

[jimbobd]

Hello all,

i have been a long term reader of pistonheads, but have only just signed up for an account. I have just got myself an E46 330d sport to use for my daily commute, as well as a bit of spirited driving where possible.

The car needs 4 new tyres on it, as it has a mish mash on it, all of which are nearly in need of replacement anyway. I have always used "premium" tyres in the past, and i would like to know if anyone has any recommendations as to the best ones to use? The car is on the standard 18" MV spoke M-sport wheels, with the usual 8J front and 9J rears, both of which are 40 profiles.

I don't know what would have been originally fitted to the car either, so don't even have them as a starting point

Any advice appreciated!

Cheers,


James

[rooney1000]

Depends what you want.

I have used all types on mine (same car) but for the last 40,000 miles have used Avon ZZ3's. Prob not the best tyre but ride fine, no obvious noise over and above your more 'premium' makes and never had a problem with grip.

Reason I went for these is cost and that they wear well (about £130 for a rear).

I do mostly motorway driving.

[jimbobd]

That sounds good as i am quite a fan of Avon's (i have used them on track cars before)

What size are your's? (some people seem to run 35 profile, others use 40 profile)

cheers,

james

[mikez328]

I would suggest (from personal experience) that using 8J & 9J you certainly don't want wider than 225 (front) & 235 (rear). I had a 320Ci on 18" MV's & fitted Falken 451's 225/35 front & 235/30 rears & was very happy - especially with the price!! I believe you can only get Falken 452's now but if you spend an hour Googling (Try "Essex Tyres") you can get the fronts for approx £75 & the rears for £100 delivered....

[jimbobd]

mikez328 said:

I would suggest (from personal experience) that using 8J & 9J you certainly don't want wider than 225 (front) & 235 (rear). I had a 320Ci on 18" MV's & fitted Falken 451's 225/35 front & 235/30 rears & was very happy - especially with the price!! I believe you can only get Falken 452's now but if you spend an hour Googling (Try "Essex Tyres") you can get the fronts for approx £75 & the rears for £100 delivered....

again, that sounds good.


also, does anyone have any tyre suggestions that have a good amount of rim protection (you know how some seem to have a thick bead that overlaps the rim to protect it?) - the missus is insured and the wheels are about to be refurbished so any protection would be great!

cheers

Edited by jimbobd on Monday 2nd March 11:27

[jimbobd]

Oh, and which speed rating do i need?

Thanks,

[jimbobd]

Just checked the car and the (only) good tyre it has on it is a 255/35 R18 Michelin pilot sport. This size is replicated on the other side, although the tire needs replacing. This seems to be quite a bit bigger than people have been recommending...

now i am confused!

[mikez328]

jimbobd said:

mikez328 said:

I would suggest (from personal experience) that using 8J & 9J you certainly don't want wider than 225 (front) & 235 (rear). I had a 320Ci on 18" MV's & fitted Falken 451's 225/35 front & 235/30 rears & was very happy - especially with the price!! I believe you can only get Falken 452's now but if you spend an hour Googling (Try "Essex Tyres") you can get the fronts for approx £75 & the rears for £100 delivered....

again, that sounds good.


also, does anyone have any tyre suggestions that have a good amount of rim protection (you know how some seem to have a thick bead that overlaps the rim to protect it?) - the missus is insured and the wheels are about to be refurbished so any protection would be great!

cheers

The Falkens have "rim protecting" beads - unlike the Conti's fitted to my Z4M. I don't care what anybody says, but in something like the last 15 years, whenever I have had to replace "summer tyres" like Pirelli's, Conti's etc - which are all dangerous IMO on wet & icy roads, I've gone for Falkens. They work in dangerous conditions. A personal opinion though.

Edited by jimbobd on Monday 2nd March 11:27

[jcas]

I've just fitted Goodyear Eagle F1's to mine and very impressed. Great all round grip, and they do have a decent amount of rim protection as well (unlike the Kumhos I had before!).

James

[jimbobd]

Still talking about the 330d, but this time about its performance, does anyone have any experience with chipping them using one of the "chiptuning" boxes, widely available off the internet and ebay?

Do they actually work?!

thanks.

[Gusbang]

As for Tyres go for the Falken FK 452's, Bridgestones were the original fitment but Falkens are much better - you won't get better for the price. Mitchelin sports are also good but nearly twice the price. Don't bother with the tuning box, for the money a remap is much better, I had mine done by E-maps, they come highly recommended on the BMWland forum site - about £300 from memory, well worth it.

[jimbobd]

Gusbang said:

As for Tyres go for the Falken FK 452's, Bridgestones were the original fitment but Falkens are much better - you won't get better for the price. Mitchelin sports are also good but nearly twice the price. Don't bother with the tuning box, for the money a remap is much better, I had mine done by E-maps, they come highly recommended on the BMWland forum site - about £300 from memory, well worth it.

Thanks for the advice - i think the falkens are a winner! (i am surprised how cheap they seem to be for a well respected tyre actually)

I have been thinking about getting 225/40 R18's for the front and 235/40 R18's for the rears, although other people have suggested lower profile i can't help but notice the 40's are considerably cheaper and presumably give the car marginally better ride quality without sacrificing too much of the car's sporty edge?

opinions greatly recieved!

thanks

[Fox-]

jimbobd said:

I have been thinking about getting 225/40 R18's for the front and 235/40 R18's for the rears

This is the wrong size. Your rear wheels need 255/35/18.

[Vee]

BMWs sizes are 225-40-18 front, 255-35-18 rear.
I've been using Continental SportContact 2s and lately 3s on my coupe for the past 4 years. They seem to be a good compromise to the original Michelin PS which are ££££ for the kind of mileage my car does - town and motorway.
Last year I picked up a 330 sport saloon for my wife to use - it came with Goodyear F1s. Much better comfort, more grip and lower noise than the Continentals. Don't last as long though.

[rswheelnut]

this site is excellent for helping with what brand of tyre to pick;

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

From this i bought a set of Falken tyres for the rear of my M5. they were cheap yet they get such good rating i thought worth trying. Indeed they are good. Half the price of the stock michelins and i don;t mind having more fun in the car as a result I'm not worried about having to buy them at this price (were 130 pounds each for 285/35/R18)

[Dominic H]

I have the Bridgestone RE0040's 225/40-18 255/35-18, which were the tyres fitted as OE. Been happy with the grip, noise and ride (as well as you can be on 35 profiles).
I used these guys...

http://www.elitedirect.com/

Who matched the best price I could find, and didn't use the garage junior to chew lumps out of the rims, unlike the monkeys I had used previously.

I'd go for Bridgestones at Elite!