Having owned about every BMW known to man over the last 10 years, my new 135i cab is the most consistent fun I have had in a long time in a BMW. I have to lose the runflats. Question is, I have the sport package and therefore some pretty low profile tires, in my replacement tires I would like more sidewall to absorb the potholes etc around Chicago. What is the largest tire I can go to on my car and not interfere with the body?
135i City Tires Yes, that 135i is sweet! I'd highly recommend that you do a minus downgrade to a 17" wheel and tire rather than install a higher profile 18" tire on this car. The handling is going to be very adversly affected with larger diameter and softer sidewall tires. Fortunately this car has large enough wheel wells to accommodate very large tires all around so clearance is not a big issue. A 50 series 17" tire is the non sports package tire on this car and will be more compliant for our horrible upper Midwest roads. Have fun with your new car!
I really don't want to have to replace rims. I love Michelin Pilots. I am looking at the All Seasons but the sizes are off a little. What will happen if I go from a 215 40 in the front to a 225 40? And in back from a 245 35 to a 245 40?
There is a great deal of discussion of this issue on www.1addicts.com under the forum on wheels and tires moderated by Gill from TireRack. Most owners who are not racers and who want to keep their stock 18" rims are going +1 at either end: 225/40/18 in front and 255/35/18 in back. I'm planning to make just that switch in the near future, still trying to decide whether to remain faithful to Michelin and plump for PS2s (very pricey) or whether to take a chance with the latest Sumitomo equivalent, Z III, at a much lower price. TireRack's extensive and authoritative tests make this tire look like a real steal. Owners who have stuck with the stock rims and ditched the RFTs seem satisfied that the ride is much improved, even with OEM profiles (40 front, 35 rear). Take a look at the forum, do some searching, and query some of the owners who have made the switch. 1addicts.com is a prime source for discussions of the 1 series. Sign up and introduce yourself to a selection of well-run forums.
Of course the real answer would have been to buy the car without the sports package as the only real "sports"performance difference is the 18" wheel, but I couldn't have settled for the relatively ugly 17" wheels either so understandable. So, yes you could do the +1 tire all around and I have done this to customers cars. However, if it was mine I would do the 225/40/18 in the front but stay with the OEM size in the rear as anytime you can reduce that ridiculous stagger BMW thinks we need you will ultimately improve the handling. I'm a Yokohama man normally but they don't provide that size in their best street tire, so Michelin PS2 all the way in my opinion for an all around good performance tire. If there is one thing in the world you can measure by what you you pay for, it is performance tires. I have never ever owned or sold a bad Michelin. On this subject one of my customers has a 335i equipped with Michelin PS run-flats and it seems to me they actually are much more compliant and have better ride quality than the Dunlop or Bridgestone BMW has been using. Anyone else think that may be true?
Thanks, EuroWerkz1, for a great suggestion. I had actually been wondering about reducing the stagger in just the way you mention and am glad to hear you've experienced success with the 25/45 setup. As to Michelins, I've had nothing but good experience with them for over forty years, so I'd probably end up with them in the end. So far as I can see, the only real plus of the Sumitomos would be price and the expectation of better tread life. Some users have complained that they are especially hard to balance, and some have also found the steering response a bit disappointing (a problem I have never encountered with Michelins). If you run across anyone with actual experience of the PS2 RFT, I'd love to hear how they perform. So far, my only experiences with runflats--Dunlops on a 2005 MCS and the Bridgestones on the 135--have not endeared them to me. Michelin Exaltos completely transformed the MINI, and I'd expect similar magic from PS2s. And they'd have to wear at least as well as the Bridgestone RFTs, surely.
+1. Yes! Terrific resources on RFTs over there. As much as I miss the Michelin Pilots and Alpins I had on my old Boxster, I am - slowly - warming up to the RFs on my 1. When the time comes to swap them out, I'll probably be sticking with RFs, but I'll defintely heed some of the good advice passed along from tire guri over on 1Addicts.
