Soon, I will be needing to replace the OEM Bridgestone 19" RF tires that came with my 2013 335i sport vehicle. When I attended the PDS in Spartanburg last fall, they equipped all the 335i sport vehicles we used for training with Conti DWS tires. They were very sticky and a lot of fun, especially on the slaloms and sudden lane change courses. And, I will say the OEM RF tires on my own F30 model seem to be stickier than the OEM Bridgestone 17" RF tires that came on my e92 previous model bimmer. Even still, if I go with non-RF tires for replacements now, I'm torn between the Conti's and the Michelin Super Sport tires. I've heard they are similar until their end of life when the Michelins hold up better than the Conti's as far as the Conti's exhibiting more road noise. So, my question to this forum is who's stuck with OEM's for your second set of tires, or made the change to Conti or Michelin or some other brand for this model, and what have you experienced so far? Are you happy with staying the course (ie, OEM replacements), or did you jump ship to non-RF tires, and what has been the result so far? Is one or the other a clear winner? BTW, I do modest mileage (8k or less per year) and take only occasional road trips of 500 miles or less. And occasionally, I ride with my bimmer club on curvy and/or challenging road rallies. Even so, I'm looking to enhance the driving experience, given that kind of usage. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks.
rft vs standard tires - perhaps the primary consideration is risk tolerance, since there's no spare. There are spare kits however, if you can 'spare' the trunk space. RFT's aren't a perfect solution to no spare, of course it's possible for a rft to suffer damage that negates its ability to keep rolling on the sidewalls, but it's still a capability over standard tires. I downsized my wheels to fit the smallest dia. wheels that clear the front brakes, went with a square setup so I'd have the same size tires on all 4 corners and could rotate them to even out & maximize wear, & neutralize the handling, & went with non-rft Bridgestone high-performance all-seasons since street usage doesn't absolutely necessitate the stickiest, shorter-lived o.e. rubber. Got a size that keeps stock overall diameter, and the smaller dia. wheels allow for maximum sidewall height, meaning somewhat less chance of rim damage or pothole blowout, and ride-quality improvement. It's a street-usage-oriented choice, vs. something more performance-oriented. Keeping a doughnut spare kit from ECS Tuning in the trunk. E92 335is. Satch has been commenting that the rft's have been getting better, so I wouldn't be surprised you'd find your tires better than what you had before. There's been lots of discussion of forums & Roundel letters, etc. on rft vs. non-rft, I don't think there's any consensus on what's best, depends on anyone's priorities, feelings about the differences & what they want. Sounds to me like you want to to stick w/ a more performance-oriented tire, which sounds appropriate enough for the type & amount of driving you're doing. Having no comparison experience between the two tires to share, I'd say talk to someone at Tire Rack and see what they can tell you about how the two compare and see if that helps with the choice.
Appreciate the advice. Lots of good information to consider. Much appreciated. I will continue to evaluate RFT vs. non RFT tires at this current snapshot in time (and agree the RFT's are getting made with a ratio of compounds to make them stickier, probably at the expense of some degree of durability after a puncture event), and make a decision. As you observed, my inclination is to go with Conti or Michelin non RFT tires performance oriented tires, going for the stickiest solution, but I will continue to evaluate, as I have at least another 5k or more before needing to make the call. Thanks!
The Michelin PSS will be a more performance-oriented choice than the DWS, as the DWS is an all-season tire. Many people are liking the Michelin PS A/S all-season version as much as the DWS. If you want a tire to compare with the PSS, you need to consider the Conti DW (no S). Tirerack.com is your friend. Although I've stuck with Michelin PS2 ZP rft until now (86K miles), I'll probably switch to the cheaper go-flat PS A/S when I get the chance. Flat tires mostly don't happen...
