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[jo]

my '08 135i is down to the wear bars in the rear, so i took to the internet to research what to replace them with (thank you, 1addicts). it's been a rather circuitous headache thus far.

my current tires are what i bought the car with.
front: michelin pilot sport ps2 ZP 225/40/18
rear: michelin pilot sport ps2 ZP 255/35/18

how i feel about them... well, they're runflats. i hate the ride. they are, of course, grippy as hell in dry weather, but absolutely horrible in the rain.

so i started researching with my normal tire provider, costco. problem 1: if i search via my car on their website, i only get spec 245/35/18 tires (RFT and non-RFT both). problem 2: if i search via size, i.e. 255/35/18, i only get non-RFT tires. i considered swapping out all 4 for non-RFT (i have AAA, would buy a compressor and flat fix, etc.), but the two costcos i've been to refuse to put non-RFTs on my car! "store policy" requires RFTs for cars without a spare. in addition, they claim that flat fix will corrode the shit out of any wheel on which it's applied (is this true?). vaguely considering borrowing a donut from someone and throwing it in my trunk...

at that point i started considering just replacing the rears with new RFTs. since the 3rd gen bridgestone potenza RE960AS RFTs were so highly lauded, i looked into their availability. costco didn't have them in their system at all; tirerack had them listed as available on 1/18/2012. i checked tirerack again today (it is 1/18, after all)... and now the availability is 04/02/12! what the hell? i also got a quote from firestone complete auto care (apparently there is an upcoming one-day "you pay what we pay" sale on 1/28), but when i called the local franchise, they said they couldn't get them, either. what's going on? it's not a summer tire. why is it not available til april?

so... am i stuck with the pilot sport ps2 ZPs, or is there a better option? costco quoted me $380 apiece... ouch, i guess rubber prices have gone way up. i'm not really looking forward to feeling ripped off by tires i don't like and hydroplaning around on bridges in the impending rain. and i'm guessing the OEM potenza RE050 RFTs aren't any better.

or... should i start looking at non-RFTs again? (anyone have a spare donut i can borrow? alternatively, firestone guy said they would install them, but not recommend them.)

thanks for listening. my friends have all gotten sick of me ranting about tires for two weeks.

[delta-9-ginseng]

On my '08 I swapped out the stock run-flats and put some Michelin pilot super sports (PSS) on them. I have never looked back. They are awesome tires...a little pricy, but well worth the price I think. You won't regret it...

Do some searches on the forum and you will see a lot of members have ended up going with the PSS.

Good luck

[jo]

oh, that's right, they discontinued the PS2. thanks for the recommendation. i did see a thread on here about the PSS... have you had a chance to drive them in the rain? that was my major complaint about the PS2 (other than RFT stiffness) - hydroplane city!

Originally Posted by delta-9-ginseng

On my '08 I swapped out the stock run-flats and put some Michelin pilot super sports (PSS) on them. I have never looked back. They are awesome tires...a little pricy, but well worth the price I think. You won't regret it...

Do some searches on the forum and you will see a lot of members have ended up going with the PSS.

Good luck

[jo]

another question for the 1er masses: how terrible would it be replace the rears only with non-RFT pilot super sports and leave the PS2 RFT on the front?

thanks again.

[calbear98]

I have the same question too - any issues with mixing sets of RFT on front and non-RFT on rear?

[danielbeast]

I have a friend with a 2007 328i running Hankooks (non-runflats) in the rear and his stock run flats in the front because there was still a lot of tread left on the fronts. He hasn't said anything bad about the configuration.

[PHANTOM666]

I avoid runflats like the plague...

[jo]

Originally Posted by calbear98

I have the same question too - any issues with mixing sets of RFT on front and non-RFT on rear?

i spoke to the shop i'd be most likely to use if i got tires through tirerack and asked this same question. i trust them -- good folks, attended a BMWCCA women's car clinic there a year or so ago. he said that he really didn't recommend mixing runflat fronts with non-runflat rears, but changing out all four for non-runflats and getting a mobility kit. i also asked him about the "fix-a-flat causing wheel corrosion" claim and he said he's never seen that happen, and they sell the Slime kit. i kind of figured the costco guy was full of it....

still haven't made a decision yet. tirerack shows the RE960AS now with a ship date of 2/29... wonder if i can wait another month... :/

[jo]

in case anyone cares, i got sick of watching the ship date for the bridgestone RFTs go between 4/1/2011 and random dates in february. it still shows a 2/11/2012 date for one warehouse in louisiana... but to hell with it.

i decided that i'd either get a compressor/patch kit or an OEM spare (been having trouble locating the spare tire people have mentioned on this forum - local dealership refuses to order even the wheel, citing lack of DOT approval). ended up ordering from tirerack. Continental ExtremeContact DW, 225/40/18 front, 255/35/18 back. excited about finally getting rid of the runflats. thanks for all your help, 1addicts!

[John Dempsey]

Well im not sure if this helps anyone but im running Hankook v12 ventus non rft all the way around and they are AMAZING.

[jo]

no more RFTs for me! the continental extremecontact DW showed an IMMEDIATE improvement - no more spine-jarring bumps, and i even had to drive over a bunch of railroad tracks today. they do seem slightly less responsive/sticky than the pilot sports, but i think the tradeoff is worth it. maybe that will change once they're more worn in?

thanks, 1addicts!

[ZIPNBYE]

Good for you...a very wise choice!

[HeyMoe53]

My 128 will be due for tires when it comes out of storage (and back on insurance) on 3/1. I have the Pirelli P-Zero RFTs, and while they weren't the worst tires I've ever had, I am really leaning toward the Conti DW, and a mobility kit.

I won't have any problem with getting them mounted. My local gas station owner/mechanic/friend, who stores the 128 and refuses to take money for the favor, will be ordering the tires, and installing them. Then, it will be a 1/4 mile drive to an alignment shop that I trust.

As my daughter says when I invite her over for some BBQ for dinner, "That works for me!"

[doublevanosrc]

Anyone here try the Michelin PS2 run-flats?? My rears will need replacing soon and I hate to go with the Potenzas again. I don't have a jack so I don't mine sticking with run-flats just want something with more grip.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by doublevanosrc

Anyone here try the Michelin PS2 run-flats?? My rears will need replacing soon and I hate to go with the Potenzas again. I don't have a jack so I don't mine sticking with run-flats just want something with more grip.

The OP said he has them. But I'd strongly recommend just ditching the RFTs. I've been without them for 12 years now, without a spare and had my car towed once because of a blowout in a heavily tracked Toyo. It cost $250 to tow it from Waco back to Dallas, or less than the savings in just one set of real tires over the dumb RFT's. You'll likely save more than that in gas and brake pads just from having lighter tires anyway.

What's interesting to me is that I had PS2 non-RFT and thought they were the best rain tire I'd used, absolutely stunning on the track, or highways. The PSS's are a little better, but the real advantage was in sidewall stiffness (much stiffer than the gummy PS2's), a small gain in dry traction and the lack of initial greasiness that the PS2's really had. I wonder if the RFT's, which have an identical tread pattern might have a different compound? Why else would the OP have not liked them in the rain? Even at triple digit speeds in heavy rain, my PS2's were excellent.

[doublevanosrc]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

The OP said he has them. But I'd strongly recommend just ditching the RFTs. I've been without them for 12 years now, without a spare and had my car towed once because of a blowout in a heavily tracked Toyo. It cost $250 to tow it from Waco back to Dallas, or less than the savings in just one set of real tires over the dumb RFT's. You'll likely save more than that in gas and brake pads just from having lighter tires anyway.

What's interesting to me is that I had PS2 non-RFT and thought they were the best rain tire I'd used, absolutely stunning on the track, or highways. The PSS's are a little better, but the real advantage was in sidewall stiffness (much stiffer than the gummy PS2's), a small gain in dry traction and the lack of initial greasiness that the PS2's really had. I wonder if the RFT's, which have an identical tread pattern might have a different compound? Why else would the OP have not liked them in the rain? Even at triple digit speeds in heavy rain, my PS2's were excellent.

Ah man I feel ya on the PS2s I had them on my E46 330 and i agree those had killer grip in the rain. I remember doing 95mph in the rain and the car was just locked in with tons of grip and confidence. I'm sort of leaning towards the PSSs lots of positive reviews here about them and tire rack has them for $282(rears) which is less than the PS2s.

[AKopp]

Originally Posted by John Dempsey

Well im not sure if this helps anyone but im running Hankook v12 ventus non rft all the way around and they are AMAZING.

I'm running the same. Great tire and very affordable. Under 800 bucks for all four. 265 and 235 sizes. Also the ride is considerably better compared to the RFTs. Damn those RFTs.

[jo]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

The OP said he has them. But I'd strongly recommend just ditching the RFTs. I've been without them for 12 years now, without a spare and had my car towed once because of a blowout in a heavily tracked Toyo. It cost $250 to tow it from Waco back to Dallas, or less than the savings in just one set of real tires over the dumb RFT's. You'll likely save more than that in gas and brake pads just from having lighter tires anyway.

What's interesting to me is that I had PS2 non-RFT and thought they were the best rain tire I'd used, absolutely stunning on the track, or highways. The PSS's are a little better, but the real advantage was in sidewall stiffness (much stiffer than the gummy PS2's), a small gain in dry traction and the lack of initial greasiness that the PS2's really had. I wonder if the RFT's, which have an identical tread pattern might have a different compound? Why else would the OP have not liked them in the rain? Even at triple digit speeds in heavy rain, my PS2's were excellent.

i'm a she, but yes. i'm not sure why they were so terrible in the rain. i did get the car used with them so i never had them brand new. i've only had the conti DW for two days but i had a chance to test them in the rain and they are WAY better than the PS2 in the wet, so maybe you're right and the PS2 RFT and PS2 are different. wet traction and stiffness aside, the PS2 was still a damned good tire, but the RFT had enough drawbacks (and the price of two rears was equivalent to 4 new contis!), so i ditched them.

EDIT: looking at this (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ay.jsp?type=MP), it does appear that the DW has better wet traction than the PS2, but not by much. it's possible that it was a combo of RFT plus my tires being old/worn that affected wet performance.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by jo

EDIT: looking at this (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ay.jsp?type=MP), it does appear that the DW has better wet traction than the PS2, but not by much. it's possible that it was a combo of RFT plus my tires being old/worn that affected wet performance.

Apologies for the gaffe! Yes, tread wear will certainly diminish wet performance. Glad you're happy with the DW's, they're great tires, enjoy.

[135iUSN]

Think I might go with the PSS once my 313's come in late March (I sill have to order them via Dan & United)

Tire Rack $1181.57 shipped

[Eddie135]

Will we have more body roll if we switch to non-runflats?
As our factory M-Sport suspension is tune soft to accomodate the for the rfts with stiff sidewalls.

I about to switch to MPSS but worry about the non-fts with less stiff sidewalls.

Thanks.

[Nikos120i]

Hey all.

Question.

Pirelli PZERO runflats or Michelin PS2 runflats?