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      11-19-2011, 12:04 PM   #1
jlehrer
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Ideal Tires and Sizes for 2011 135i M Sport - 261M

Hello everyone! I am new here (and relatively new to BMW) but I am loving my 2011 135i M Sport with DCT. Car is totally stock with 261M rims and Bridgestone RFT tires, 215/40/18 front and 245/35/18 rear. It's come time for me to get new tires...and I really do not like the hard ride and noise of the RFT's.

I have read through this entire Wheel and Tire forum trying to determine what the next move should be, and I am left with lots of questions. The first being a general one...it appears that some people are dissatisfied when moving to non-RFT's because of the softer sidewall, which reduces steering quickness and feel. Is this solely because they do not have enough pressure in their new tires, or will I have to live with that "floaty" feeling? I am aware that the general consensus is RFT's are awful. I do not take my car to the track but enjoy frequent spirited driving around South Florida where I live, with bi-yearly trips to the mountains of North Carolina.

The other issue is size. The car stock of course is 215 front 245 rear, however there are only limited options for that size. Cost is not a factor here. The Continental ExtremeContact DW tires seem perfect, however the front 215's are back ordered for a very long time, and I want to get all 4 tires replaced at once. The other option is the Hankook V12, which seem well regarded here as a good value but inferior to the Michelin PSS and PS2. Michelin makes PSS in the rear 245 but will not be releasing the 215/40/18 until May of 2012 at the earliest.

The other option is moving up one size and going to 225/40/18 front and 255/35/18 rear. Anytime someone asks about this on the forum these days it appears the answer is that many, many people use this setup. I am fine with larger sizes, but it does appear that using slightly larger tire sizes contributes to that "floaty" feeling. Am I missing something here? I do not want to compromise if I don't have to. If going one size up IS in fact the perfect setup (and the floaty feel is simply due to under-inflation) then it seems like going with the PSS (as it is available in those sizes) is clearly the best option, with the Continentals being second-best.

Sorry to be so long winded! Any input, experience, photos, etc is greatly appreciated.
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      11-19-2011, 02:29 PM   #2
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Upsize to 225 F / 255 R.

I am very impressed with the Conti Extreme Contact DW (summer) and Extreme Contact DWS (summer + shoulder seasons...I can't condone an all-season for real winter, that's what winter tires are for).

Can't go wrong.

As to the "floaty" feeling, well, that's actually what the car feels like, it's just completely numbed out with the run-flats, which are truly, not the way to go. M-cars don't come with run-flats...for a reason, as they're still not very good (and too heavy, and too expensive, and too fragile if you were to actully drive on it while flat).
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      11-19-2011, 02:43 PM   #3
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Go with 225/40/18 in the fronts and 255/35/18 in the rears. Also if you have the cash to spend I would go with Michelin pilot super sports, they are truly amazing tires. You will not regret the purchase.

Last edited by delta-9-ginseng; 11-19-2011 at 06:57 PM.. Reason: I was wrong with the rear tire width
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      11-19-2011, 04:40 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by delta-9-ginseng View Post
Go with 225/40/18 in the fronts and 255/35/18 in the rears. Also if you have the cash to spend I would go with Michelin pilot super sports, they are truly amazing tires. You will not regret the purchase.
Corrected rear tire width :-)
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      11-19-2011, 04:53 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlehrer View Post
...Sorry to be so long winded! Any input, experience, photos, etc is greatly appreciated.


Here you go...


My new Michelin PS3’s 225’s & 255’s…

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=510873&highlight=michelin+PS3%27s



Go with the 225/255 setup, you won't be sorry. Also make sure you go with an XL rated sidewall tire like the Michelin's have. Even though I went with PS3's, this Spring I will replace my rears with PSS. The PSS's are a better tire and they are even cheaper than PS2 or PS3's.
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      11-19-2011, 06:58 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by schteve97 View Post
Corrected rear tire width :-)
haha good looking out schteve
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      11-19-2011, 07:33 PM   #7
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Thank you for the feedback. All things considered, it would appear that going one size up and getting the PSS's is the best option. Given the popularity of this setup, I gather no one has had any issues getting their cars serviced under the BMW warranty? I've heard talk of rubbing, ABS not working, speedometer and odometer not reading properly...etc. I take these grumblings lightly but everything needs to be considered.

Also I have been told that the PSS's are quite soft and might not last very long for normal driving, which would be a shame as they are so expensive. What kind of mileage are 1-series owners getting with these?
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      11-20-2011, 12:46 AM   #8
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As for warranty there are no questions asked. The 225/255 setup is probably your best bet especially if you end up going with the PSS. I have no problems whatsoever with the speedo, ABS, rubbing and etc. and im running everything stock. Just get a alignment and a balance and you are good to go.

Based on my understanding is that the PSS will also outlast the run-flats, but im sure someone can chime in on that...
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      11-20-2011, 08:22 AM   #9
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Just ordered a set of the upsized PSSs. Get here Wednesday! Super excited!!!

Does anybody have any info on the differences in weight between the PSSs and the stock RFTs?
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      11-20-2011, 10:04 AM   #10
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I see everyone is really big on the PSSs here, but does anyone run/see anyone running Nitto NT05 for summer tires?

Thinking about doing Apex arc-8 wheels with wide NT05s for my summer setup and 225/245 Alpin's on the M261s for the winter.

opinions?
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      11-20-2011, 10:09 AM   #11
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While I said cost was not a factor, it is interesting to me to see that the upsized set of PSS's is $1,020 and the same set of the Continental DW tires is $772. Are the PSS's worth the extra $250 which I could use to buy an extra rear replacement Conti tire? I do not doubt that the PSS's perform wonderfully, does anyone have experience with the Conti tires in the 225/255 size? They are quite well reviewed it seems.
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      11-21-2011, 02:58 PM   #12
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+1 for the Michelins. They are excellent tires! You can't go wrong with them to be completely honest with you. Continental ExtremeContact DWs are a great summer performance tire, but when they are pushed hard they do leave a little bit to be desired. All my customers that have ordered the Michelin Pilot Super Sports have nothing bad to say.
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      11-21-2011, 04:24 PM   #13
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I'm using the PSS 225/40R18 and 255/35R18. They have been great and the sizes work perfect.
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      11-22-2011, 10:40 AM   #14
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Thank you everyone for all of the great insight. I just purchased a set of PSS's, 225/255. They will be installed this Friday the 25th, so I will be sure to share a few photos and my overall thoughts once I get some mileage on them. Very excited!
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      11-23-2011, 01:28 AM   #15
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nice good choice
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      11-25-2011, 09:22 AM   #16
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Anone know why BMW puts 215/40/18 front and 245/35/18 rear on the 135 when everyone seems to think 225/255 is better? There must be a reason BMW uses that as the OEM setup.
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      11-25-2011, 03:49 PM   #17
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Only driven about 25 miles so far, but my car feels better than ever. Ride is MUCH quieter and the grip is incredible...I've yet to have the DTC warning light come on. I do feel a tad bit of the "numbness" that people talked about, but I enjoy it. This is going to be a fun weekend! I will post some photos and a more detailed assessment once I get some more mileage. Thanks again everyone!
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      11-25-2011, 04:14 PM   #18
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Best for all around driving.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MAR View Post
Anone know why BMW puts 215/40/18 front and 245/35/18 rear on the 135 when everyone seems to think 225/255 is better? There must be a reason BMW uses that as the OEM setup.
BMW doesn't size wheels for the enthusiast, but follows the laws of averages. Some have upsized wheels with some regret, and others love them.

It is purely a personal preference and the compromises you are will to live with.

For my, traction and ride quality was an issue with runflats OEM wheel sizes.

I replaced my wheels with lighter and wider wheels. After 4000 miles, I am a bit mixed. Traction is other worldly, but straighline tracking is a bit iffy and while the ride quality softer it isn't necessarily better without replacing the front suspension with M bits.

I will go back to OEM runflats and OEM wheels after I have blown through this rather expensive experiment in wider and lighter tires.
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      03-27-2012, 11:10 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MAR View Post
Anone know why BMW puts 215/40/18 front and 245/35/18 rear on the 135 when everyone seems to think 225/255 is better? There must be a reason BMW uses that as the OEM setup.
I think BMW puts such a small front tire on for 2 reasons:

1) Cost.
2) To help dial in the amount of understeer the engineers wanted, while making it possible to be reduced by the enthusiast.

However, a 225/245 setup would be better for reduced understeer. i have no proof of BMW's motivation, but this is what I surmise.
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      03-28-2012, 03:03 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by delta-9-ginseng View Post
Go with 225/40/18 in the fronts and 255/35/18 in the rears. Also if you have the cash to spend I would go with Michelin pilot super sports, they are truly amazing tires. You will not regret the purchase.
I'm LOVING my new Michelin Pilot Super Sports (PSS) tires. Was running BF Goodrich prior and these handle so well, are so smooth, quiets - OMG!!!
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      03-28-2012, 03:12 PM   #21
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With regular tires instead of RFTs, is the bounce and jiggliness really that bad? I can't stand how the rear of the car hops all over or pushes with the current RFTs but don't want to exacerbate the prob with diff tires..
Any input?
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      03-29-2012, 11:39 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlehrer View Post
I do feel a tad bit of the "numbness" that people talked about, but I enjoy it.
Is this numbness in the steering or the turn in response or both?
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