The RFTs on my '06 E90 330i (Sport pkg) sound and feel like the stone wheels on Fred Flintstone's ride, so I have had enough. It's time to swap them out with conventional rubber, "staggered" sizes (wider in the back). I'm looking at an all-season performance tire, like the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. (And please, save your time and energy and don't bother asking me why I'm looking at all-season, not snows for my car this time of year. Since I'm self-employed, and with the advent of wireless net access, and can work from home when need be, I rarely drive in snow! ) My dilemma is thus...the reviews on these tires are back and forth...some love them, some don't. For some they last and perform well, for some...not so. Has anyone had any experience with these shoes? Does anyone have another suggestion on a conventional (non-RFT) tire selection for this car?
Well, I've always thought once you run through a set of tires, it's prudent measure to just go get a new car and avoid the whole chaotic mess of trying to decide what tires to replace the old ones with. Ah, what a dream world I live in most of the time. I have found that tire rack has an excellent "live chat" with a tire professional that helps quite a bit. If you are explicit with your needs, they'll find you the perfect tire. Heck, sometimes when I'm really lonely I just chat with them to see what's new in the world of tires. My personal bias is this - I've ran Conti DWS on two different cars now and am a firm believer. I sound like a broken record, but they really are a great tire. My set up is also staggered, and my car might be a tiny bit smaller than yours but not by much. The sporty feel has never let me down, but then again, that's just my "honest opinion".
Tire Rack is my eventual destination...been on that site a lot the past few weeks! I didn't realize they had a "live chat"; that will be very useful. Thanks for the info.
I couldn't find on the site where to initiate a chat session, but had a dialog box popup if I poked around on the Tire Rack site long enough - of course, a phone call will get ya there too.
I couldn't find a chat link either. But in their FAQ there was a blurb that they sometimes take the option away if they're too busy. We should all be lucky enough to have that option in our jobs ! Anywhoo...I ended up calling them and talked to a very helpful gent. Will be ordering me' new tires soon...
Looks like the winnah isssss...the Michelins! About to place the order as we speak...Merry Christmas to ME (and my car)!
...There is no shortage of opinions on current all-season tires. Some will swoon over them and some will retch. My driving habits are similar to yours, rarely (never) driving my toys in snow. We have a couple of 4-wheel drives for that. But, I like to drive my fun cars in all seasons, when things are not icy. "Summer" tires are not advisable during the low temps we often encounter in mid-winter. I run all-seasons on everything, all the time (except for my Star Spec track tires). I've gotten very good service out of Continental Extreme Contact DWS, long life and very nice handling. Also, I've run Kumho Ecsta 4X with good results.I tried the Yokohama Advan S on my 540i. Not a particularly good experience. Short life. After all that, I must admit the Michelins are Really good tires, just expensive$$$. They've carried my Grand Cherokee through a lot of winters. As long as the snow isn't up to the headlights, I'm still going.
Welllll...the new Michelin tires are on and looking good. Very nice...what a difference in the ride. Car still handles like a dream but no longer feels like I'm driving on the original caveman-invented STONE wheel !! Interesting thing is, on the day I had them installed, it poured rain so I was able to test out the "all weather" feature. So far I'm very happy. Also, my doctor, who used to own an '08 335i, has a spare kit and is making it available to me cheaply. "dmmai" - yes Michelins are expensive but you'd be surprised...some of the Continental and Bridgestone choices are comparable in price to the Michelins. And with Tire Rack, I know I've saved some $$$ with this whole experience.