Conti's and Michelin's are pretty good. The Michelin will be the most expensive. I run 235/45 ZR 17's on my E39 that are Cooper tires and they have held up great so far at about 15,000 miles. Tire rotation is key as your 540i will burn up the rears. Hope this helps. -Chris Beacon, NY 87 528e 92 525i sold 92 535i BMW heaven 99 528i sold 01 525i 03 325xi
Tire to purchase I have a 99 sport. I have used Kuhmo Tires with great success. The price is right, wear and handling are very good. They are not to noisey either
I highly rec amend the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW-2. I used them on my e46 M3 and never had an issue with wear. They also have very good wet traction. I was actually able to use my M when it was soggy out.
We have been fans of the Avons sold at Tire Rack for several years. Whatever you put on the 540, it is going to wear quickly and you can't rotate them due to the stagger. Very good dry handling with OK perfomance in the wet. Don't even dream of running them on ice or snow.
Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 I've had various Michelin for our 530i and 540i. But I really like the Goodyear Eagles. * great grip - especially dry * not bad on noise - better than the OEM Michelin * I've had decent mileage - but it pays to rotate ever 10k These tires have been Consumer Reports' Best Buys and also been picked by C&D in their tire track test. At around $1,100 fitted they're also a better deal than the PS2's.
Tires for 39 I bought my car with the factory Conti's, but felt they were too stiff. The next two sets of tires were the factory recommended Dunlop's and think that they are a great all around tire. However, the last time I needed tires (about 8k miles ago), I took a chance on the Kuhmo's. They are a really nice tires and for the price, I don't think it gets any better. (Not that an E39 with sport package is meant for the snow, the Kumho's will not be any help.). If you are in Long Island area see Goodyear- Barnwell House of tires in New Hyde Park on Jericho Tpk they will match tire rack
Brigdgestone Turanzas Had a very bad expeience with Michelin Pilot Primacys. The started cupping within 10,000 miles. The rode noise became unbearable. Purchased a set of Z- rate Bridgestone Turanzas. What a great tire. Grippy even on wet pavement, Quiet on dry. I can't speak to ice and snow driving because I don't experience it. Just rotated tires again (every5K) front to back. Now have 25K on the tires and still have good tread remaining.
I bought Goodyear American Eagle HR for my 540i and they have been very good. I drove them in snow rain and ice. I was not disappointed. I have 24k on them and they still have plenty of tread. I think the tire was discontinued and is replaced by the Eagle H2. I got them at Walmart for $75 a piece.
good all around tire i have bridgestone G009's they wok good on any condition even during the last wisconsin winter. i've got 30k miles on them and will use them at least thru november. ps used to work for michelein
I have an 02 e39 w/sport pkg. The original tire was the Conti. sport contacts which are a good warm weather tire. I replaced them with the Conti. extreme contact which is a all season ultra high performance tire. The price was right at Tire Rack , as it also got good reviews for all weather conditions. They have good traction and handleing in all conditions, however I did noticed a 2 mpg decrease in fuel economy compared to the summer tires. I have approx. 9k on them with no noticable wear. They do have a little noise as they wear, but not significant. As you can see, there are a lot of choices. Wish you well !
I recently put Kumho Ecsta LX tires on my 02 530. The are a W rated tire with ATOG of 600 A A and 60K treadlife warranty. Very good handling, and very quite. At $101 per tire, it doesn't get much better than this.
I LOVE my Nexen N7000's. Under $400 for all 4. Have over 10k miles on them and they still have 3/4 tread left. I never have to think of my tires. That's how I know they are good.
