Need tyre advice for a BMW 330Ci

DezUk · 2 Nov 2009 at 17:32

Just back from a trip in the car and had a puncture in the passenger rear. Had to change the tyre at the nearest BP garage. Now driving about with a stupid space saver on.

So now looking for suggestions for best tyres for the back of a BMW 330Ci. The ones that were on the car are Pirellis but I have heard these are no the best. Ideally value comes in to it but just looking for suggestions and where to buy?

Cheers

They are MV2 alloys btw!

paradigm · 2 Nov 2009 at 17:37

Michelin Pilot Sport 2.

Wicksta · 2 Nov 2009 at 18:01

I wouldn't mix PS2s with Pirellis, a lot of people seem to have had strange handling problems with PS2s on one end only, even with PS1s on the opposite end.

DezUk · 2 Nov 2009 at 18:14

Am i right in saying the tyres are 225/35/18 Z rating?

Also on the back of the last comment will i need to replace all 4 tyres?

e36Adz · 2 Nov 2009 at 18:21

DezUk said:
Am i right in saying the tyres are 225/35/18 Z rating?

Also on the back of the last comment will i need to replace all 4 tyres?

I think it would be slightly wider than 225 for the back tyres. How much tread is left on your other rear? Ideally it would make more sense to replace both rears so that the wear is even on them, bit of a pain if the other tyre has plenty of life in it. I would go for a similar brand/ tread replacement if possible.

If the front tyres are fine there is absolutely no reason to replace them.

Spuderoony · 2 Nov 2009 at 19:27

Isn't the 330 the same as the Z4 tyre wise? If so, the rears are 255; it's the fronts that are 225.

Hamish · 2 Nov 2009 at 19:43

DezUk said:
Am i right in saying the tyres are 225/35/18 Z rating?

Also on the back of the last comment will i need to replace all 4 tyres?

They are 255/35/18 Z on the MVs

When I got a rear puncture on my 330Ci I ended up getting a pair Avon ZZ3's as they were only £125 each fitted, they're really good though.

When I asked on here before the main recommendation was for Vredestein ULTRAC's, however they seem difficult to get hold of.

[TW]Fox · 2 Nov 2009 at 20:50

Vredestien Ultra Sessenta, Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric, Continental Contisport Contact or if you are on a budget, Falken FK452.

If you dont care about wet braking performance and wish to spend 50% more on your tyres, get the Michelins

mjt · 2 Nov 2009 at 22:50

PS2s are rather expensive, but i can't comment on whether they're worth the premium as i have no experience with them.

I highly recommend Conti SportContact 3s. not cheap, but cheaper than the PS2s and not that much more than F1s. certainly a very good tyre

Guv · 3 Nov 2009 at 08:18

I've had Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric on my 330ci for 18 months and they're excellent. The first set of rears didn't last long though!

For a few weeks I also had some cheapo budget tyres on the rear - definitely don't go the cheap route!

Firestar_3x · 3 Nov 2009 at 08:25

Eagle F1 Assymetrics offer better transition between dry and wet roads, when the roads are damp the Ultra Sessenta find it hard to grip.

merlin · 3 Nov 2009 at 08:54

I have PS2's on my 325D sport, lots and lots of grip and they break away smoothly. Expecting to get 20k out of the set.

rG-tom · 3 Nov 2009 at 09:17

Firestar_3x said:
Eagle F1 Assymetrics offer better transition between dry and wet roads, when the roads are damp the Ultra Sessenta find it hard to grip.

found the opposite on my car, far better traction in all circumstances especially wet dry transition where the f1s just lit up, maybe car dependant.

My vote goes for the ultrac sessantas without a doubt

DezUk · 3 Nov 2009 at 10:18

Thanks fpr all the advice guys!

The cheapest i can find an EAGLE F1 Asymmetric for is £145, is that about right?

Firestar_3x · 3 Nov 2009 at 10:32

rG-tom said:
found the opposite on my car, far better traction in all circumstances especially wet dry transition where the f1s just lit up, maybe car dependant.

My vote goes for the ultrac sessantas without a doubt

Interesting, clearly with me having a totally different car coupled with a different drivetrain layout changes the results somewhat.

I must admit though MRK commented on how poor the transition was on his 318, it must be car and weight dependant, both tyres offer fantastic performance anyways.

[TW]Fox · 3 Nov 2009 at 11:12

Firestar_3x said:
Interesting, clearly with me having a totally different car coupled with a different drivetrain layout changes the results somewhat.

Not entirely sure as neither myself nor Olly who also run F1's (Olly tried FK452's and didnt like I dont think) find our experiences mirror yours not rg-toms, and our cars are far more similar to his.

Firestar_3x · 3 Nov 2009 at 11:16

Interesting, how do you find the Asymmetrics for road noise vs the GSD3's and whatever else you've run on the car?

Housey commented on an increase in tyre roar, i've found no discernible noise increase over the Ultra Sessenta's, can't really comment vs the GSD3 road noise since i've never had Aysmmetrics and GSD3's back to back.

[TW]Fox · 3 Nov 2009 at 11:18

I've not noticed them being any louder than the GS-D3's I had before. They are louder than the Dunlop SP Sport 01's which were before the GS-D3's though. My car isolates road noise quite well though.

DezUk · 3 Nov 2009 at 11:34

Just ordered a couple of Vredestein ULTRAC SESSANTA, hopefully they will arrive at the garage tomorrow get em fitted.

Cheers guys

PMKeates · 3 Nov 2009 at 15:35

I've driven about 50,000 miles in my E46 and my preferred tyre is the Michelin PS2. I've driven on the Dunlop SP Sport 9000 and the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric as well, though most miles have been on the Michelin PS2.

The thing is that the wet braking performance tests recreate conditions quite similar to a pretty serious downpour. This is going to represent a fraction of overall driving time. The majority of driving is going to be conducted firstly in the dry and then secondly in damp conditions.

It's a toss up between enhanced performance in wet braking and cornering versus enhanced performance in dry braking and cornering. The former is going to represent, say, 5% of driving and the latter, say, 95%. However, that 5% is going to represent the time you are mostly likely to be cornering or braking hard in an emergency. The 95% is going to be the normal driving time where you have a lot of room for error as overall grip levels are much higher.

My personal preference is for better dry performance as long as the wet performance is not abysmal (which in the case of the PS2, it isn't). I usually drive relatively sedately in the wet as I can't really have fun anyway. In the dry, the enhanced braking and cornering is going to be enjoyable at least some of the time.

Horses for courses