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[segfault]

I just stumbled across this:
http://www.bridgestone-firestone.com...d=2005/050415a

Looks like they can supply the full fitment for the E90, although I'm sure other manufacturers will follow. The EL42's have awful reviews on Tire Rack, but the RE050A's seem to be okay.

All-season Turanza EL42* RFT tires in size 205/55R16 91H
All-season Turanza EL42* RFT tires in size 225/45R17 91H
Summer Potenza RE050AI* RFT tires in size 225/45R17 91V
Summer Potenza RE050AI* RFT tires in size 225/45R17 91V – front, with Summer Potenza RE050AI* RFT tires in size 255/40R17 94V, rear
Summer Potenza RE050A* RFT tires in size 225/40R18 88W – front, with Summer Potenza RE050A* RFT tires in size 255/35R18 90W, rear

[Wildcat Jon]

Terrible news. I noticed the word 'exclusive' wasn't mentioned so pray that yours doesn't come with these EL42s. These tires came oem on my 2004 acura TL and are absolute GARBAGE. Why oh why would BMW put these crap tires on the 3? This may force me into the sport pkg just to avoid the el42s - they are THAT bad. I wonder if the 330xi will have the same tires this fall. I may wait.

[segfault]

The RE050's (sport package models) look decent, but I don't think there are many runflat snow tires available. The suspension tuning is calibrated for runflats, and my experience with aerosol flat repair products is not good, so I'm hesitant to plan on replacing them with non-runflats. There are a ton of great non-runflats to choose from in those sizes, though!

I also noticed that they didn't claim exclusivity. IIRC the standard 205/55/16" tires on the old 325i were Michelins, Continentals, and Goodyears; perhaps there will be a similar selection. OTOH, they are asking tire manufacturers to introduce a new tire to the US market for this car--I searched for all-season runflats on Tire Rack in the indicated sizes and came up empty.

Edit: The 17" EL42 all-seasons can be replaced with the summer Bridgestone tires, or Continental or Goodyear summer tires, and a Dunlop runflat winter tire is available.

I have heard of a lot of flat-spotting problems with those tires on the TL, in addition to complaints about the traction/handling of the tire.

[E90Fleet]

The tires they are fitting are from the following, depending on the what is in the factory on the day of assembly

19"
Pirelli Euforia

18"
Michelin Pilot sport 2
Bridgestone Potenza RE050

17"
Bridgestone Potenza RE050
Pirelli Euforia
Continental Sport Contact 2

16"
Michelin Pilot Primmazy
Continental Premium Contact
Bridgestone Turanza ER300

[thedocmoz]

Good info E90Fleet. Yep unfortunately what tires you get depend completely on chance.

[Wildcat Jon]

Like I said, pray you don't get el42s. I noticed Fleet didn't list those specifically, although the Bridgestone press release specifically lists those as the 17 inch std. run flats. I wonder if certain of the brands will go on the German produced cars vs. others in the South African produced cars. I'm doing ED so it might make a difference.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Wildcat Jon

Like I said, pray you don't get el42s. I noticed Fleet didn't list those specifically, although the Bridgestone press release specifically lists those as the 17 inch std. run flats. I wonder if certain of the brands will go on the German produced cars vs. others in the South African produced cars. I'm doing ED so it might make a difference.

Im from South Africa

Im told our production of 325i for the USA will only start late this year

Continental have started making their SSR tires locally for the factory in 17", but most E46 here came with Bridgestones

The EL42's arnt on any list I have for our or european cars

[Wildcat Jon]

Fleet, look at the press release posted at the top of the thread for the U.S. cars.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Wildcat Jon

Fleet, look at the press release posted at the top of the thread for the U.S. cars.

Yes, Im just saying they are notlisted for our cars here or european cars ( at least not on the list I have as of March 2005 )

But then again we only fit summer tires here

[segfault]

Good info, E90Fleet...

The EL42's may be a backup/standby/last resort option, but that would still enable Bridgestone to brag about them...

Edit: US models come standard with all-season tires, unless you get the sport package. The ER300's, Pilot Primacy's, Conti Premium Contact's, etc., are all summer tires. I really hope that we have more than one all-season tire available here in the US!

[RichReg]

Question for anyone regarding the list of tires from E90Fleet:

I've read that SOME run-flat tires can be repaired, but not all.....in particular I've heard that Michelins can be. Is there any truth to this, and if so, shouldn't I ask for those instead of the Bridgestones?

Thanks!

[illmatic]

I can vouch for the RE050s they are amazing!

[robertb]

Is the Pirelli Eufori@ a summer tire or all-season?

[Jason]

Originally Posted by robertb

Is the Pirelli Eufori@ a summer tire or all-season?

Robert, these are considered "Ultra High Performance Summer" tires by Tirerack.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.j...odel=eufori%40

[robertb]

What are the likely tire possibilities for a non-sports pkg 330i?

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by RichReg

Question for anyone regarding the list of tires from E90Fleet:

I've read that SOME run-flat tires can be repaired, but not all.....in particular I've heard that Michelins can be. Is there any truth to this, and if so, shouldn't I ask for those instead of the Bridgestones?

Thanks!

The reason they say you must not repair a run-flat is because after you drive on it with no air in it you damage the sidewall, but that damage cannot bee seen, so for safety reasons you must replace it.

[segfault]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

The reason they say you must not repair a run-flat is because after you drive on it with no air in it you damage the sidewall, but that damage cannot bee seen, so for safety reasons you must replace it.

I've heard that if you don't drive very far on it, it can be repaired.

Edit: Tire Rack says, repair or add air to a RFT at the first opportunity, if the monitor goes off.

Originally Posted by robertb

What are the likely tire possibilities for a non-sports pkg 330i?

I'm sorry to say that the crappy EL42's will probably be a possibility. With the cars beginning to arrive in dealerships, hopefully someone "in the field" will clue in us tire geeks as to what tires the US-spec cars are coming with.

[NuovoTech]

I was at BMW dealer today in Kenner, LA, they just got in some E90's. I noted they all had Turanza EL42's on them...

[BimmerJon]

Way to remember to look at the tires. I know I'm going to forget to check what tires the 4 demo cars have

[NuovoTech]

Bridgestone Corporation and BMW engineers worked together closely on developing and optimizing performance of both the Bridgestone Potenza and Bridgestone Turanza tires to meet the demanding requirements of the new BMW 3 Series.

Lets hope they came out with a newer/better version of the EL42 tire than was used on the Accuras???

[YYdoodle]

Has anyone remembered to check the demo cars at the dealers to see what kind of tires we've been seeing?

[analogue]

Yes... I was at my dealer yesterday to test drive the 325 and 330. Both were non-sport package cars and had the EL42 tires.