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[gregthegr8]

Hey guys,

I know there are lengthy discussions about swapping out the runflats, and having previously owned a 135 with them, which at times were unbareably bone-jarring on city streets, I'm considering getting either the Michelin Pilot Super Sports or Continental ExtremeContact DW tires for my new 135 on order.

My questions are really about tire life between the 3. The car will just be driven as a normal daily driver, never taking it to the track, so grip and performance aren't an issue, just comfort and longevity. The Continentals are several hundred dollars cheaper, but I can't figure out how long any of these tires should last to accurately gauge the long-term cost of just keeping the OEM runflats and losing a few fillings on bumps and potholes or swapping them for one of the two non-runflat options that may need to be replaced every 15-20K miles.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone was able to swing something with the dealer where they swap the tires at a discounted price or for free, that'd be good to know as well since we're paying for more expensive tires we don't want when we buy the car. Thanks in advance.

[TwinTurboed]

If you want comfort and are not looking for all out performance, I recommend Michellin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. The tires are very comfortable and provide excellent grip and feedback. They are priced right between the Conti's and the PSS.

If you are driving the car normally (everyday city/ hwy + canyon carving), the rears on the A/S Plus will last you upto 25k miles. The all out performance tires will last you between 15k - 20k.

[bmw1racer]

I'd guess the grade markings (wear, traction, etc.) on the tire would give you some baseline indication regarding durability...

[gregthegr8]

Thanks guys. I'll have to look into these Michellin Pilot Sport A/S Plus as they didn't show up on tire rack, at least not in OEM size, but sounds like a great option as the uber high performance summer tires I think would be wasted on me sadly and I'd like a longer tire life than they're likely to provide.

[b1aze]

Depending on the type of driving you do, i found the PSS to be very durable on highway driving on my STI. 275/35/18 all around and i got ~16k miles out of 2/32 of thread life. If it stays linear, that would be 60k miles till wearbars! I plan on a 235/265 setup on my 135 and ill see how they wear, including a few autox events.