BMW Brake Pads

Initial Review, 3,545 Miles on Tires
May 20, 2012

A bunch of us recently did a mountain tour from Santa Fe thru Alamosa to Crested butte, Glenwod Springs, over Independece Pass thru Leadville to Salida & home, 929 miles on secondary roads. We stuck pretty much to the speed limits (55 a 65 mph +/- 5-10, depending on conditions). Lots of twisty mountain roads, good weather. All in all, the Pirellis did quite well - accurate, responsive steering and braking, good, quiet ride (ran the twisters in 'Sport' mode), andk excellent mileage ( average 28.5 mpg for the whole trip). This is my first set of run-flats, and I was prepared to be underwhelmed, but the Pirelli P7s were every bit as good as the Scorpions I had on our '04 X3 3.0.

Initial Review, 2,500 Miles on Tires
May 07, 2012

Have only had these tires a short while; replaced the OEM Bridgstone PolePosition RE050 RFT's; I did not have the same problems as other BMW owners, but after three sets, wanted to try something new. Read all of the reviews on Tire Rack and went with the SS's. Amazing. Took a few day's to get used to the lack of a sidewall not made of concrete, but man what a difference. Purchased the Continental ContiComfort Kit for emergency tire repair, and it stows away perfectly within the small storage area in the floor of the trunk. Back to the tires, I feel like I am riding on rails. Cornering, acceleration and hard braking are all met with positive road feel and feedback. I typically drive with a "Drive it like you stole it" mentality (when traffic permits, and have to say these tires are the most "sure-footed" of any tire I have ever used. These tires are also a much smoother and quieter tire on the Fwy (than the RFT's). In 6th gear at about 3000 RPM, my car glides along at about 90MPH, and these tires, while responsive, feel like i am driving a down pillow. What a change. There are other reviewers (look at the (Z06 guy) who have some track time on the tires; I can only compare to the RFT's which I had for the last 4.5 years, but for the money, comfort and ride--will never go back. Oh, not to mention, four tires, the ContiComfortKit, and BMW install, still $200 cheaper than the RFT's...
Hope this will help any of you on the fence about switching from RFT's, save your spine-you will not be disappointed. Will try to update this review when I get to 10-15K.

Initial Review, 20 Miles on Tires
March 31, 2010

Just put these on my 2003 X5 3.0 Sport this morning. Took them out for adrive to get a feel for them having come off of Michelin Latitude Tour HPs. I ran the Latitude's for 42k miles which is high for this tire on the X5 (negative camber kills inside treads).



While early, the difference between the Latitude and Envigor is, the Michelin has a slightly softer sidewall giving a more supple ride whole the Envigor has a slightly stiffer feel. Turning is super easy on the Envigor and you can easily feel the tread set in a full turn while accelerating.



On bumps, again the Envigos is slightly more stout while the Latitudes has a little more cushion. Having the Sport suspension on the X5 I am okay with this difference as it does not make the ride uncomfortable or harsh.



Braking grip feel good, very similar the Latitudes. Acceleration felt normal, good grip and no squealing or slippage.



I bought the Envigor base upon what I was reading online about the tire and it abilities. For $100 less per tire than the Latitude's I believe Yokohama is delivering high value to the market with the Envigor.



Being a business person, one can assume that 30% the cost of a product is advertising expense. So with the Latitude costing around $260 per tire for my car, that means $75 per tire can be advertising which means the value proposition difference between the Latitudes and Envigors is pretty close.



Overall, with such a short ownership experience to date, I am happy with my initial impression and will report back over time. If I get another 42k miles from these Envigors I will consider my choice fabulous as I saved over $300 choosing the Yokohama Envigors over the Michelin Latitude Tour HPs.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
April 13, 2012

What else can be said about these tires that have not been said: They're too expensive, but better than anything else out there available for this car. Just bite the bullet, grin and bear it.
They last, they're quiet, they grip hard when braking, they let go predictably and consistently, they re-grip as smoothly as any tire I've ever had the pleasure of sliding.
Steering feel is excellent, straight tracking is arrow like, turn-in is only slightly above average, but the payoff in ride is more than worth it. All this and its still the quietest tire.
These are not green tires that will gain any mgp, but they're not meant to be. Will I still be willing to pay so much the next time as the car ages, we'll see, but for right now, at 3 years old and 32K miles, yes it is still definitely worth it.

Initial Review, 10,000 Miles on Tires
July 21, 2011

A great tire for drivers with crossovers and SUVs looking for excellent cornering stability and feel. Excellent feedback to the driver's inputs and predictable handling at the limit, with a progressive breakaway. Although not necessarily the grippiest tire out there, the handling characteristics overall more than make up. These tires handle wet driving conditions easily with excellent hydroplaning resistance even in the heaviest downpour at highway speeds. Stopping distances are very short for those emergency braking maneuvers. Drawbacks? This probably isn't the tire for those looking for ride comfort or all-season capability (it's a summer tire; I don't use it in the winter). On bad pavement, it doesn't absorb imperfections quite as well as less-performance oriented tires and although they're reasonably quiet, they're not the quietest ones out there. But for driving performance and handling, these Continentals are one of the top SUV tires out there.

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
March 04, 2012

I wrote Michelin in dec 2011 asking them to come out with a tire to fit my 135i sine none were available. They answered with the Super sports! I have always been a Michelin fan, and these tires make me even more of one. First they are comfortable about absorbing bumps and anomalies in the road but the steering response and accurate handling would lend you to believe they would be teeth chattering. Second the braking is much better! I noticed the responsiveness as soon as I left the tire shop. These tires are expensive, nearly the cost of the run flats but I would buy them again considering they actually have a tread wear warranty it's a no brainer. Good job Michelin. Great tire!

Initial Review, 2000 Miles on Tires
January 26, 2012

We have put these tires on my wife's BMW Z4, and they utterly transformed the car for the better. When I recently purchased 2009 Mercedes ML350, it needed new tires especially with 28K on the OEMs and 4mm of remaining tread going into winter. I looked around, and once again landed on the Conti DWS, which I find ironic, because other than being German, these cars have nothing in common. Guess what? They are great on an SUV also. In a recent light snow (3-4") they were flawless, no Traction lights coming on even on Seattle's hilly streets. Braking was as much as one could ask, and only when asked to ascend a snow/ice berm of about 8" did I feel the conditions were too much for the tire. I'm beginning to think that unless you autocross, or live on a long muddy road, these may be the only tire anyone ever needs for any passenger car. The only negative, and it's a nit, is that you can feel the more aggressive tread pattern slightly through the steering, but they are no noisier than the highway tread tires. And, at $100 a tire less than Option B, they are a steal. Incredibly highly recommended.

Initial Review, 50,000 Miles on Tires
February 20, 2012

I owe it to these tires for avoiding an accident in the rain. I hit the brakes hard and the tires just gripped the road. Great cornering in all conditions... I don't ever have to worry about the tires breaking loose. I've put 50,000 miles on this set of tires on an all wheel drive BMW... all those others complaining of premature tire wear need to check their alignment or something. I also purchased this same tire for my daughter's Eclipse!

Initial Review, 2000 Miles on Tires
January 11, 2012

Decent tires for my 335i coupe. Pleasantly surprised by braking on the pure ice. As expected from studless winter tires (which softer than studded) steering is vague and reaction is delayed. Both acoustic and ride comfort are great. Response in snow is predictable and linear. I had a lot of fun fun making donuts in snow and skidding the car in corners. Rubber itself is much softer than in high performance tires models (like Michelin Alpin) that are actually for mild european winter. That makes it more suitable for the severe winter. Overall I can recommend these tires.

Initial Review, 1000 Miles on Tires
January 21, 2012

Early days yet, but winter is finally here in Michigan and that's starting to give a sense for the tires. So far, I can say definitively that in cold and dry pavement conditions, these are not as good as summer performance tires in warm weather - duh, right?. But the drop off isn't so much that I can bring myself to care. In cold and wet, performance is just excellent. Noise, not appreciably more than the summer tires. Stable, and comfortable at highway speeds - have done several hundred miles now at 75-85. No wandering, no floating. First major snow was this week - 4" coming down hard, mid-teens temperatures, several hours on unplowed, snow-packed freeways and surface streets. This is the stuff I bought winter tires for, and these were great. Acceleration, braking, cornering all rock solid, stable and safe.

Initial Review, 10000 Miles on Tires
January 03, 2012

I have never reviewed a tire on this site but felt compelled to after driving on these the past 2 winters. I picked up an unused set of these on eBay for my 95 M3 after reading some reviews around the web and have been very impressed. They proved excellent in all snow conditions that I have encountered and are in fact some of the best rain tires I've had on my car. They will simply not hydroplane at sane speed. I have driven my M3 in snow deep enough to get plowed by the front bumper and while it takes some finesse to get moving from a stop in those conditions, once underway traction was excellent.

As can be expected, these tires do reduce steering response and their softness makes its presence known through the corners and under hard braking. These tires also get quite squirmy at north of 45 degrees or so. All this is par for the course with winter tires of any make I feel.

After having my car perform as well as it did with these tires on I recently suggested a friend put them on her '12 Subaru Outback for the Syracuse winter. No snow as of January 3rd but I suspect once it does come her car will be an absolute tank.

Initial Review, 19450 Miles on Tires
January 18, 2011

These tires were original equipment on my 2010 Touareg TDI. Drove the car home from the dealer in a big MN winter storm and raved about the new SUV being the most stable and confidence inspiring vehicle I’ve ever driven in snow. Head and shoulders above the Subaru Outback and Honda Pilot, which were both great. Made the RWD BMW 530i I traded in seem like a bad joke (even with Dunlop performance snows). However, this second winter, the Contact 4x4s are down to 6/32 tread depth. They are now treacherous in snow or ice conditions. The advanced 4WD, weight, and traction control of the Touareg help the car launch ok and feel moderately stable underway, but there is huge understeer when turning and nearly zero braking action in anything slippery. In addition, these tires ride hard, and hammer the suspension. Tire wear is unacceptably bad as well. Looking at $1,400 to replace set of tires after less than 20,000 miles. That is 7 cents per mile, or $3.50 worth of tire to go to work and back. Fuel is only $7! Very similar in ride and handling to the Conti Contact CH95 which came standard on BMW sedans for years. Handles ok, and performs fine when new. Decent grip and turn-in in dry conditions. Very poor in snow after a few miles, and tread wear about half of what you expect from a comparable Michelin. Why did you do this to me VW? Why? Planning to go to Michelin Latitude Tour HP for round #2. Wish me luck.

Initial Review, 8000 Miles on Tires
November 09, 2011

Purchased this tire to replace a worn set of Dunlop Sport Signatures. After a few road trips I consider these tires a great riding tire with light sporting tendencies. The strength of the Dunlops was its braking and handling. The Continentals are QUIET for a All Season Performance tire. The grip of the Continentals is good. The steering control is best described as the difference between stirring a spoon in a glass of room temp maple syrup to stirring spoon in a glass of refrigerated maple syrup, it moves well just a tad slower. Every tire should not be a track tire, you have to consider at the roads you drive on. I consider the characteristics of delayed steering input, good grip, and quiet ride great for a daily driver.