BMW Tires

Initial Review, 400 Miles on Tires
February 02, 2012

I wanted to change from run-flats to standard tires, and at the same time, I wanted to increase the tire size and reduce the very harsh ride I was gettinging from the factory run flats. My BMW is a 2010 128i with the sport suspension and staggered 17" factory wheels(7" wide front, 7.5" wide rear). I also wanted a spare tire. So heres what I did. I went online and purchased two, new condition used, 7.5" facory wheels to replace the front 7" factory wheels($320.00). I used one front tire and wheel as the spare. I figured out how to strap the spare and jack kit down in the trunk but that's another story. I now have 7.5" wheels on both front and back. I had the Dunlop Star Spec 225/45/17 installed on the front, and Dunlop 245/45/17's installed on the rear. I was a bit concerned when I first started driving it in that it was so sensitive to the road, but after breaking them in with about 300 miles, I couldn't be happier. The harshness has been significantly reduced but it still has the traction and handling that you would expect from a performance vehicle/tire. It also looks FAT with these tires on it. I absolutly love it. I don't know how they will wear long term, but I will post again once I get about 10k miles on um. Oh, one more thing, with four people in it, you might experience a very,, very minor tire rub up in the fender well on the rear tires if you hit an aggressive dip. It's not very noticable,,, ever so slight. I experienced it once in 400 miles of driving. Not a concern for me. Could be more of a problem without a sport suspension. So if that's a concern for you, a 235/45/17 would probably totally eliminate that. Of course the trade off would be a slightly smaller tire. Hope this helps you.

Initial Review, 10000 Miles on Tires
December 31, 2011

I had two different sets of Perelli, Scorpions and P-0 Neros. I had dry rot issues with the Scorpions but they performed well, there really nothing good I could say about the P-0, the ride was mushy and they wore out quickly. The Pilot Sport A/S+ are awesome! Although I am putting less miles on my car than I had in the past, these tires made driving my X3 a joy again, the car drives like it is on rails. Great in rain, I haven't really taken them out in the snow. Stiff sidewalls allow for great cornering without the kind of body roll that I had with the P-0 and they seem stickier than the factory Scorpions. Great tire! If you are used to a soft cushy ride this is not the tire for you. If you want a great handling A/S tire, this one if for you. They put the FUN back into driving my BMW X3 with the sport suspention.

Initial Review, 1000 Miles on Tires
February 04, 2012

This is my second set of these tires. I got approximately 20,000 miles of winter duty out of the first set. I put another 5,000 miles over the summer in anticipation of replacing them for the winter of 2011-2012. These don't have the snow traction of a Bridgestone WS-50, which were superb on my Saab 9-3. What the LM-25 gives up in snow traction is more than made up in non-snow driving. They are a great winter run-flat for E-90 series BMWs.

Initial Review, 15600 Miles on Tires
January 12, 2012

Great all around tire. Excellent dry traction and a lot better wet traction than I had expected. I would buy these again but am probably going to get the PSS since they're supposed to be an improved version of these.

Initial Review, 1200 Miles on Tires
February 06, 2012

We have had Conti Extreme tires on both our vehicles for several years now. We got a set of DWS's for my wife's Mercedes 4Matic wagon when they first became available. She drives 25K - 30K miles per year so we are on our second set now. This tire on that drive train is fantastic. - Snow traction and handling is almost as good as with pure winter tires. This is a great safe all-year setup for her.

This is the first set of DWS's for my BMW. So far, they have performed as expected. The combination of the tires and stick shift with traction control work well in snow and ice. From experience I know a set of pure winter tires would be better but then in the really bad stuff I'd be overdriving almost everyone else on the road (dangerous) so the Conti's become a good all year compromise, and I don't have to put up with the dry road problems and swap-out twice a year. I really can't believe their combination of price, handling in all conditions, quiet ride and longevity. No doubt in my mind that right now this is the best tire value on the market.

Initial Review, 25000 Miles on Tires
January 10, 2012

These are the best all a round tires for daily driving that I have ever had on a performance car. An excellent balance of ride comfort and handling with excellent wet traction. I run these tires from mid March to mid November and they preform well down to around 40F which is better than most summer performance tires that I have used before. I currently have about 25,000 miles on these tire and they will need to be replace soon. I can't ever recall getting more than 20,000 miles out of summer performance tires.

Initial Review, 3000 Miles on Tires
January 20, 2012

The main reason I bought this tire is because I'm poor. I couldn't shell out for a dedicated set of winter tires, so I looked for the best all-seasons I could find, and these fit the bill. I was most apprehensive about our Chicago blizzards; I hoped these tires would cut it. Well, today we got hit, and hard. Now, my car has wide OEM M5 wheels... that's 275 in the rear. And it's RWD. And stick. It shouldn't have gotten anywhere in this weather. Cabs were being pushed along as they were sliding all over the place, FWD cars were getting stuck on uphill inclines. Yet my 5-series soldiered on. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't dignified. But these tires got the job done, and I'm home. Well done, Continental.

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, 10000 Miles on Tires
January 24, 2012

They were good when new, after 10000 miles forget it, even had them rotated couple times, terrible on ice, freezing rain. Never Bridgestone again.

Initial Review, 8000 Miles on Tires
January 16, 2012

I purchased my car used and it had Primewell tires one the rear. They were not low on tread but very skittish in the wet. I quickly became accustomed to the rear end sliding out under mild acceleration. Normally I have no problems letting my friends drive my cars but not with those tires so I replaced them with General AS-03's after reading several reviews from frequently visited forums and a discussion with the TireRack rep.

New tires generally have a coating applied that will wear off after putting some miles on them so I know not to judge a tire right as it is brand new. As soon as I left the tire shop I felt a difference but it wasn't good.

The steering response was horrible but I'm used to driving performance vehicles that generally come with performance tires that have great response so let's be honest, most people probably won't notice it. What I did notice was that I could feel the rear end of the car reacting in a delayed manner. I would make a steering input and a split second later I would feel the car reacting. A great example of this was when making a lane change. This behavior is due to the soft sidewall which helps in comfort as well as both dry and wet traction (more on that later). After several weeks of driving I got used to the feeling to the point I no longer noticed unless I drove a similar car back to back.

The good news which far outweighs the poor steering response is the traction. Even in the rain I found it to be a struggle to break the rear tires loose. I know the limits of my vehicles and the level of grip that these tires provide on the street is simply fantastic! Don't misinterpret my enthusiasm though. This is no autocross or track tire but for street use on a 240 horsepower sports coupe it is plenty good.

Initial Review, 1000 Miles on Tires
January 30, 2012

While the winter has been mild with only one snowfall I have had the opportunity to test them in snow and freezing conditions. Simply a great tire - but you get what you pay for with these - run flat snows are not inexpensive. Most shocking was how quite the tire is in normal conditions, far less noise than the OEM run flats. I have not driven them long enough to comment on tread wear. This was one of the only size options available for the car. Handling is very good. Some slight slippage on really icy conditions, but nothing that is major. With traction control and a modest pedal they seemed to pull or push the car through the snow with ease. Backing up is very good with this tire - some snows have an issue in reverse-these do not. I would buy them again-they are impressive beyond expectation for a snow tire.

Initial Review, 2000 Miles on Tires
January 21, 2012

Living in Cleveland, and driving a rear wheel drive vehicle (BMW 750Li), I wanted a tire that would be quite on the highway when dry, comfortably cruise at 80 mph, but handle the ice and sudden lake effect snow that the area can dish out. I have had several sets winter tires over the pst 15 years (original Blizzak's, Michelin Ice and Dunlop SP3 Winter Sport) and all I can say is they all keep getting better. Dunlop 3D's have to date met my expectations/needs perfectly. No way I could run my 19's here in the winter without being in a ditch, but with 17's for winter I have the confidence to go anywhere anytime, no matter the weather and they provide a bit of extra sidewall to handle everpresent and multiplying Cleveland potholes, so ride/handling is well balanced. No regrets on Tire Rack's tire/wheel combo (easy on/off for spring/winter). This is my 8th set of tires/wheels from TR. They continue to deliver. And if you are in Cleveland and need tires mounted the team at Whhite Wheel on Lorain Ave. is the best. They have been doing my tire work for 10 years on various luxry/sport cars and their attention to detail and service is tops. Hunter Road Force balancing on any tires is a must these days an they do it right.

Initial Review, 15000 Miles on Tires
January 19, 2012

OEM tire on 2011 BMW X3 xDrive 35i. Reasonably responsive, very stable in all conditions including ice and light snow. No deep snow experience yet here in Colorado. Really have to work hard to elicit a squeal from these guys. Some road noise but not at all bad considering the RFT capability and overall tire performance. Seem pretty heavy when lifting the tire/wheel combo but not particularly harsh on rough pavement. Either RFT or suspension technology or both are improving!

Initial Review, 5000 Miles on Tires
October 29, 2011

These tires are great. While they don't handle as well as the RE760 Bridgstones that I had on the car before. they will be a far better value. The RE760s lasted less than 15K these tires have 5k on them and they are barely worn. The only wear I can see is feathering on the edge from cornering. I drive agresivly and use all of the BMW's sporty characteristics and these tires come through. No squeeling in the corners. The tires are in no way as sticky as the RE050s that were the best handling tires that I had on the car but who can afford a new set of tires every year? These tires are half the cost and will lst three times as long.

Initial Review, 5000 Miles on Tires
January 20, 2012

I had these tires put on my BMW 528i (Sport Package) in late October before the snow started in Stuttgart, Germany. I've never really had to drive in snow unless on a skiing trip. I drive fast, aggressive and I enjoy driving on the Autobahn. I'm not much of a tire guy, but a friend that is said I can't go wrong with Bridgestone Blizzak LM-60. I found these tires at Tire Rack, read the reviews and thought they were one of my best choices. I'm glad now that I did take the leap and purchase these as find myself maneuvering (under control) around traffic in bad weather. These tires just grip and have a very deep tread! I live on a very steep hill and wanted to invest in a great snow/ice tire for the price and I made the right choice. You pay for what you get and now in challenging weather I'm confident I have reliable tires gripping the road. Thanks Tire Rack for the easy ordering process, payment, shipping to APO (overseas) and it only took 10 days until they arrived!

Initial Review, 100 Miles on Tires
January 26, 2012

Just bought - 245/40 fronts and 275/35 rears. Initial thoughts - very happy so far. Ride is as soft and quiet as summer-only tires, and better than OE run-flat tires in both categories. Still breaking them in, so have not pushed performance criteria. Have driven on wet interstate at 70+ mph with no hydroplaning. No freezing conditions yet. BMW dealer recommended increasing TP by 2 psi over BMW factory specs. Will write more after driving more miles.

Initial Review, 10000 Miles on Tires
January 23, 2012

I purchased a set of 19" rims as a summer set up and went with the recommended 8.5 & 9.5 package. I choose the Pilot Super Sport when I heard they were replacing the PS2's based on Tire reviews and E90 Post reviews. At first I was afraid of moving up to a 19" wheel and tire from my O.E.M. 18" Bridgestone run flats because I really like the way road and handled. These Super Sports are by far the best tires I have ever purchased. They ride exceptionally quiet and smooth and handle like nothing I have ever experienced. I can't say enough about the performance and the killer aggressive look. The only complaint I may have is the tread life. I recently removed them from my car to change over to my factory 18" rims and Blizzaks and noticed that the tread depth is going quick. This being said, I plan to use them till the end and then I may switch to a High Performance All Season tire (DWS?) that will give me more than two summer seasons. If money wasn't and issue I would keep buying them. Fantastic tire for the true sports car enthusiast!

Initial Review, 40000 Miles on Tires
January 22, 2012

My car had the OEM runflats which made more noise then a 4 whell drive truck. The Continental Contiprosport 3 was very quiet all the way to 40,000 miles. I just replaced the tires with the same ones, and will try for 40,000 miles again. The ride, and traction was about as perfect as possible. The OEM Bridgestone Runflat I achived about 30,000 miles, but the noise was very loud, and the ride very rough. I would recomend these tires to someone who is looking for a good clean ride with out the noise.