Another "which tyres" thread.

[DevonPaul]

There hasn't been a tiring tyre question for a while, and as new tyres appear all the time and all 4 of the wife's are getting low, I have a couple of questions.

It is a standard Z4MC, no mods, used daily as a commuter. We're not after anything massively grippy, but quiet and comfy is important, and I certainly want to avoid anything like the Kumho Ditchfinders that the MR2 came with.

So, it is worth going up a size as this seems to give a higher sidewall and a bit more comfort over the potholes, or will it make them too 'squishy'?

It has Pirelli PZero (Rosso I think), which I also have on my car, but mine is far more GT than sports. Mich Pilots seem to get a lot of recs, but what is the difference between PS3, PS4, and PSS?
I'm assuming avoiding the runflats is a good idea, but is the XL rating required?

thanks,

Paul

 

[mmm-five]

In the 'premium' brands I'd be happy with Michelin Pilot SuperSport, Michelin Pilot PS4, Goodyear F1A-2 or 3 or Conti SportContact 5 or 6

I'd also be quite comfortable with some of the mid-range brand tyres too...Hankook S1 Evo or Evo 2, Vredestein Vorti/Satin/ultrac.

 

[abar121]

I would go for Goodyear Asymmetric 2 or 3s. They are quiet, fantastic in the wet and still great in the dry too.

They have really transformed my M compared to the stock Contis. Cheap too.

 

[philbo909]

goodyears f1a3 are awesome all rounders, they're what i put on my coupe as they're great all year round, also very quiet and cheaper than michelins!

 

[Dablk]

PS4 on the back of mine now. It's more of a sport tyre than the PS3 was.

 

[Steve84N]

You don't need Pilot Supersports as they are more grip, less longevity etc.

Eagle F1 A3 don't feel like an improvement over the F1 A2 having had them myself back to back. The 2 had a much squarer profile for the same given size, which resulted in more sidewall protection and more rubber contact patch. However, the 2 is now typically coming up as more expensive than the 3. I like the tyre, it is grippy but it tends to wash wide a bit too much for my liking.

I've recently fitted a Pilotsport 4 and it may be rated as being noisier than the F1 but it's not really noticeable. What is apparent though is the extra grip, it really digs in hard in a turn where the F1 always feels like it's floating more than keying into the tarmac.

In summary I'd recommend the PS4 (PS3 is older technology) but if you don't prioritise grip then the F1 is a good tyre to go for and it's a bit cheaper. I can get 20,000 miles plus out of it which is mostly commuting so not heavy use but I do like to rail corners when the roads allow...

 

[Mister T]

I've just replaced the dreadful Vredestein Sessantas on my Mercedes E350 with the Pilot Sport 4s and I'm very impressed with them.

 

[RedUn]

Sounds like some PSS and some eibach springs to me, really makes a difference to the ride quality and handling etc

 

[bmwaddict]

goodyears f1a3 are awesome all rounders, they're what i put on my coupe as they're great all year round, also very quiet and cheaper than michelins!

I echo this exactly, been running f1s for a few years now on my daily s.i. coupe, great in the rain albeit a bit compromised in perfect dry conditions as others on this thread have alluded to, great all rounders though. I'll be swapping the Bridgestone Potenzas currently on my M coupe to MPSS once they're worn out, as having experienced a mates MR with them fitted the grip is simply awesome.

 

[wspohn]

You don't need Pilot Supersports as they are more grip, less longevity etc.

I guess it depends on what sort of mileage you put on your car. For anyone using their car as a summer only vehicle, they will probably age out the tires (around 5-6 years) before they wear them out, so why not use something sticky with a slightly lower wear index?

 

[mmm-five]

My annual mileage was 25,000, in all weathers except heavy snow where it stayed on the drive.

With a mix of commuting, track data, ring trips and weekend hoons, my Z4MC was eking 20,000 miles out of the rear MPSS and almost double that on the fronts.

That's about twice the life of previous PS2s or Conti M3s.

Total cost probably about £350 a year for rears, and £300 every 2 years for fronts.

With the limited mileage I'm doing in it now though, I might consider going to a stickier tyre, but then I wonder if they'd be useless if I hit a damp patch or puddle

 

[Adam D]

You don't need Pilot Supersports as they are more grip, less longevity etc.

I guess it depends on what sort of mileage you put on your car. For anyone using their car as a summer only vehicle, they will probably age out the tires (around 5-6 years) before they wear them out, so why not use something sticky with a slightly lower wear index?

I don't do many miles at all, what would be the stickiest road legal tyres ?

 

[wspohn]

I don't do many miles at all, what would be the stickiest road legal tyres ?

The Michelin PSS have a 300 AAA wear index. The hot solo tire seems to be the Bridgestone RE71-R which has an index of 200 AA. Anything lower is really an event tire that probably won't get hot enough to run well until quite hot and will suck when cold.

 

[vester86]

Sounds like some PSS and some eibach springs to me, really makes a difference to the ride quality and handling etc

How in the world do you combine this in a DAILY driver??? Sorry, but PSS is not for daily driven cars....

 

[wspohn]

Sounds like some PSS and some eibach springs to me, really makes a difference to the ride quality and handling etc

How in the world do you combine this in a DAILY driver??? Sorry, but PSS is not for daily driven cars....

Don't tell my Solstice - I've been running them happily for awhile now.

Agree that it might be different if you put high miles on a car using it for commuting, but for sunny day and weekend work, the PSS are a great choice. Excellent combination of dry traction and good wet performance.

The RE71-R are slightly better than the PSS in the dry but significantly inferior in the wet. The PSS is a great all round tire and I wouldn't want to sacrifice wet handling/braking given that l live in a rain belt.

PS - agree that if you do 10K a year, you might not want to spend the money on ultra high performance tires.

 

[Steve84N]

You don't need Pilot Supersports as they are more grip, less longevity etc.

I guess it depends on what sort of mileage you put on your car. For anyone using their car as a summer only vehicle, they will probably age out the tires (around 5-6 years) before they wear them out, so why not use something sticky with a slightly lower wear index?

RTQ.

OP uses it as a daily with no desire for maximum grip, instead prioritising being more comfortable and quiet.

 

[RedUn]

Sounds like some PSS and some eibach springs to me, really makes a difference to the ride quality and handling etc

How in the world do you combine this in a DAILY driver??? Sorry, but PSS is not for daily driven cars....

BMW seem to think so... they come standard on a lot of the M performance cars such as the m135/140 and have for many years...

It's not a Michelin cup tyre... just a really good road tyre, they have lovely supple sidewalls which means the ride quality is much improved and they are relatively quiet on the road.

Driving daily or not, it is still a 340bhp rwd car that deserves some good quality rubber (IMHO)

 

[dgm]

Sounds like some PSS and some eibach springs to me, really makes a difference to the ride quality and handling etc

How in the world do you combine this in a DAILY driver??? Sorry, but PSS is not for daily driven cars....

I'm sorry to be blunt but what are you talking about? Of course PSS are suitable for daily driven cars. Are you mixing them up with Cups?

 

[Silverzedtom]

I have been looking at tons of reviews and specs over the last couple of days as I need 4 new hoops to go on a set of 19's I'm ordering soon.

I've decided to go for Goodyear eagle f1 asymmetrical 3's.

Superb reviews and great bang for buck

 

[ratty64]

Are PS4 available in the standard size for the Z4mr?