I have an e92 328xi. I swapped out RFT's about a year ago due to the typical complaint of harsh sidewall. Did not do enough research and feel victim to soft sidewall, nondescript steering, and body/tire roll with the Conti DWS non-RFT. I wanted to keep the compliance over bumps but regain performance so I installed KW V1 coilovers. While I see significant improvement, there still is some roll and nondescript reeling. (feels like body roll, but I figure it must be sidewall roll). I have tried pressures up to 40 PSI to no avail. There are so many opinions out there regarding RFT vs. non RFT. I need to get better performance, specifically in turns, and need advice on if there is a better performing non-RFT (Michelin PSS seems to be the best option here) that would solve my problem or if I need to go back to RFT. Willing to do either, just need a solution! Thanks!
I'd suggest talking to the Tire Rack folks about what options might fit the bill for you, tire-wise. The coilovers should have helped in the lean department - you might consider some larger front & rear swaybars with some poly swaybar bushings. Also perhaps front & rear shocktower/strut braces. You can plus-size your wheels with lower-profile tires, rft or not, adding risk of blowouts and bent/damaged rims, but gain less sidewall flex in the process, and turn-in immediacy. What size tires are you running? Handling performance typically comes at the expense of ride quality - you can give a street car race-car handling - but, by the time you have larger dia. rims running tires with aspect ratios of 30, springs so stiff you can't even get the car to move if an elephant or 1500lb. cow lies on it, and every single suspension bit replaced with solid steel or 50,000 durometer polyurethane, you'll find you're chipping your teeth if you hit the slightest road imperfection on the street, but it's absolutely killer on your local road course. The Tire Rack site classifies the Conti DWS as "Ultra-High Performance All-Season" - if that's not working, maybe Extreme or Max Performance summer tires might get you closer.
