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[N55_BBM]

Hey guys, just got my 2011 135i 3 weeks ago, love the car.

I've heard so much crap about these stock RFTs that I'm considering changing them. I feel like they're really hard and whenever I happen to drive on a bumpy road it's the worst feeling ever (or is that just how our suspension is designed)?

anyway, I am NOT putting this car on a track, just driving mainly to and from work and on weekends. I like to drive pretty fast and want a tire that gives me good handling. However, since I don't plan on owning spare wheels or tires due to space constraints in my leased apartment, I need all season tires that I can use throughout the whole year and that will last me at least some 15-25k miles (mostly highway miles).

now, I have nowhere to start.. anyone mind giving me a couple options I could look at?

thanks!

[atr_hugo]

Conti ExtremeContact DWS

[pixelblue]

I had pirelli pzero nero m+s on my audi s4. great all year tires. drove through 6" snow w no problem. also decent dry grip but wet traction was sub par. had a few heart stopping moments on wet roads. otherwise solid tires

[thez99]

Originally Posted by atr_hugo

Conti ExtremeContact DWS

x10

Fabulous tire, one of the highest rated on TR. Rides like a dream, more than outperforms the RFT's. Really not a bad thing I can say about em. Oh and excellent treadwear and VERY LOW noise, hell I could go on n on. ANDDDD not near as expensive as ones like the PS2's (which actually were rated lower than the Conti's) This is my first set of Conti's and im very impressed

/end

[miiipilot]

Bruno,

I am in the same situation as you...almost. I've had my car for 6 weeks and have been searching for A/S tires too.

It seems we have only a few options that are highly recommended:

1: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus
2: Continental ExtremeContact DWS

These is a thread started that deals with these:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=399204

Let us know what you decide...all input is appreciated.

miiipilot

[N55_BBM]

hmm yeah.. right now I'm actually debating whether to wait til these RFTs are all worn out or if I should just get new tires right now.. Because it's not like the RFTs are going to have much salvage value I'm thinking... what do you plan on doing with yours, miiipilot?

I know mine are brand new (4 weeks old to be exact), but I should put around 12k on my car within a year..

I looked at that thread and the whole thing about an A/S tire not excelling under either type of weather does make sense... the best thing WOULD be to have a set of summer and a set of winter tires, but can't afford to have two sets lying around, especially since I have zero storage space and im not going to hang them on my apartment walls..

[thez99]

I sold my stock set of wheels and RFT for good money low mileage. Sell your tires now, get money for em, buy tires that dont suck ass and be happy =D

And btw, I believe I was talking about the Conti DW's not the all seasons. Forgot there were two

[N55_BBM]

Originally Posted by thez99

I sold my stock set of wheels and RFT for good money low mileage. Sell your tires now, get money for em, buy tires that dont suck ass and be happy =D

And btw, I believe I was talking about the Conti DW's not the all seasons. Forgot there were two

hey i live in the harrisburg area as well! downtown actually... nice to hear theres someone else around here

anyway, i need a set of tires for daily usage throughout the year, and they kinda have to be all season to handle the snow and rain here (i was living right by allentown til a month ago, i'm guessing snowfall is the same here). so that's why if it's the Contis I need to go with the DWS. i have absolutely no way to do changeups because I have 0 space to store tires.

anyway, so you've been using the DW, not the DWS? how does that behave between november and march?

[thez99]

Originally Posted by brunobm

hey i live in the harrisburg area as well! downtown actually... nice to hear theres someone else around here

anyway, i need a set of tires for daily usage throughout the year, and they kinda have to be all season to handle the snow and rain here (i was living right by allentown til a month ago, i'm guessing snowfall is the same here). so that's why if it's the Contis I need to go with the DWS. i have absolutely no way to do changeups because I have 0 space to store tires.

anyway, so you've been using the DW, not the DWS? how does that behave between november and march?

I just had the contis put on, and they are def a perf summer tire, not winter. I do have space to store, hell even if its right inside my front door, I ALWAYS get snow tires AND snow wheels. Typically beat up wheels i dun care if they get damaged or messed by snow, ice n salt. Personally I say fuck AS tires, waste of money and they dont perform near as well during winter, nor during summer months, they are simply the medium which isnt gud nuff for me, specially driving a bimmer =D

If I was driving a kia POS then ya id be running AS tires. But i recommend that you FIND space to store 4 wheels n tires, and run a similar setup to mine. Little more expensive, but it pays off, ESPECIALLY when you dont hafta run your sweet spring summer wheels during the winter.

[miiipilot]

Bruno, I live in Cleveland. So I am going to have to switch tires soon. I was planning on keeping the RFTs on till Nov and then switching to A/S.

My plan (and plans change), is to abuse the RFTs until they are gone. Whether that is another season or not. Put the A/S (DWS or PS A/S) on and get through the winter here in Cleveland. Then either put the RFTs back on and abuse them until they are toast. Once they are toast, I am going to grab a set of VMR 710 and switch to v12 or Star Specs.

Thez99, I actually like my stockies (261 M-Sport). Just not the tires.

miiipilot

[N55_BBM]

Originally Posted by miiipilot

Bruno, I live in Cleveland. So I am going to have to switch tires soon. I was planning on keeping the RFTs on till Nov and then switching to A/S.

My plan (and plans change), is to abuse the RFTs until they are gone. Whether that is another season or not. Put the A/S (DWS or PS A/S) on and get through the winter here in Cleveland. Then either put the RFTs back on and abuse them until they are toast. Once they are toast, I am going to grab a set of VMR 710 and switch to v12 or Star Specs.

Thez99, I actually like my stockies (261 M-Sport). Just not the tires.

miiipilot

so why not just get winter tires for now, then switch back to the RFTs and then the v12 or star specs once those are gone? i thought you were in the same situation as i'm in, with no space to store tires/wheels..

are you actually able to sell those RFTs individually with no wheel for a decent price? i like my stock 264s..

because if i switch tires the plan is to use them on the 264s for a bit and then once I'm able to spare some more money to get a set of VMRs and switch the tires to those..

would 225/40 and 255/35 tires look good on stock 264 wheels, or are they too wide?

[thez99]

Every tire will have a slightly diff width of tread, for instance the Conti DW's have a slightly more curved up sidewall, they are not straight up from the wheel edge to the tread edge. I think they are constructed like this for reasons of which they are rated so well to be honest. But every tire is different. 225s on a 7.5 wheel will roll over a bit but it probably wont look too nuts, same with the rear.

[N55_BBM]

ok so i'm getting more and more convinced to get winter tires by what i've been reading out there... so i have two options:

1) Buy performance winter tires for my stock 264s and use them in the winter. Then I can take it from there and once summer arrives I can: a) put the RFTs back on, b) invest on a new set of performance summer tires to use with the 264s, or c) buy some BMW Perf or VMR wheels and performance summer tires. All depends on what my financial situation looks like at the time.

2) Buy a set of winter wheels AND tires, and leave my 264s and RFTs for the summer (and maybe get a set of performance summer tires). But right know I could probably only spend about $1000 or so.

what do you guys think is my best option??

[thez99]

#2 or you die

And you can easily get a set of used wheels and new winter tires for under $1k

[N55_BBM]

Originally Posted by thez99

#2 or you die

And you can easily get a set of used wheels and new winter tires for under $1k

haha

well i'm looking around in the forum not finding all that much...

would probably have to go with 17" for that price right? what are the decent winter tires out there? I've heard good things of the blizzaks and the dunlop 3D, but at least for the blizzaks there are several different models.. are those just due to sizing?

oh one other thing: how would this work with the tire pressure monitor? do i have to buy another tpms and get it installed in the car?!

[thez99]

Originally Posted by brunobm

haha

well i'm looking around in the forum not finding all that much...

would probably have to go with 17" for that price right? what are the decent winter tires out there? I've heard good things of the blizzaks and the dunlop 3D, but at least for the blizzaks there are several different models.. are those just due to sizing?

oh one other thing: how would this work with the tire pressure monitor? do i have to buy another tpms and get it installed in the car?!

I would certainly go with 17" over 18", mainly due to the performance and comfort of a larger thicker tire in snow and ice as well as the lower price. I already 86ed my TPMS when I installed my VMRs so I dun really care about that. Honestly, if you arent able to notice when your tires are low yourself, you shouldnt be driving a car
Nowhere near important enough to justify the rediculous cost

[N55_BBM]

Originally Posted by thez99

I would certainly go with 17" over 18", mainly due to the performance and comfort of a larger thicker tire in snow and ice as well as the lower price. I already 86ed my TPMS when I installed my VMRs so I dun really care about that. Honestly, if you arent able to notice when your tires are low yourself, you shouldnt be driving a car
Nowhere near important enough to justify the rediculous cost

yea definitely, i don't need the TPMS, never had that on another car and it's always been fine. problem is i read online that it keeps beeping if you don't hook it up? do i need to take it to a dealership to mess around with the computer?

[thez99]

Originally Posted by brunobm

yea definitely, i don't need the TPMS, never had that on another car and it's always been fine. problem is i read online that it keeps beeping if you don't hook it up? do i need to take it to a dealership to mess around with the computer?

Not at all, it pings once when u start her up and shows the icon, then u just hit the "reset" button that u use to wipe the HUD clean of the DTC shit and any other warning and thats it.

[ptack]

If you're really into the car and are considering upgrading the wheels and tires for looks and performance then option 1 is the way to go. If you live somewhere where the snow and roads require 17s, then you may well have the wrong car to begin with. Since you live in Harrisburg, I know the snow isn't that intense. If you don't have storage space, some BMW dealers will store your off-season tires for you for a small fee.

[N55_BBM]

Originally Posted by ptack

If you're really into the car and are considering upgrading the wheels and tires for looks and performance then option 1 is the way to go. If you live somewhere where the snow and roads require 17s, then you may well have the wrong car to begin with. Since you live in Harrisburg, I know the snow isn't that intense. If you don't have storage space, some BMW dealers will store your off-season tires for you for a small fee.

would my stock 264 rims get ruined with snow/salt though? i'm actually taking a look at multiple 17" wheels and can't seem to like any.. the ASA GT1 is alright but then I can't find anything else. i'm seriously considering option 1 right now

[ptack]

The only thing that is a significant threat to the OEM wheels is curbs. If you plan on upgrading to better wheels later it's not an issue.

[thez99]

In any area that can get significant snow and ice (salt) I always go with a cheaper smaller wheels option for winter. Maybe a used set, etc. because THEN i dont have to worry about the snow n salt n shit damaging them, cuz then its no big deal, whereas with nicer rims Id be freakin all the time.