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[i128]

im looking for a sticky street tire for 90% track usage. among the below choices, please chime in with your experiences:
I don't need it for comfort or noise, just DRY pavement grip.

I don't want a dedicated track tire as the wear index is relatively low, they are expensive, and the car is driven daily, so if I do not have time to swap out the tires, a least i'll still be ok. Not to mention I have little tracking experience and I don't want to go all out in case I end up not going very often...

Thanks for your input.

nitto invo

nitto neogen

good year eagle GT

BF goodridge KDW2

[135Pats]

I have a set of KDW2s on my car right now, I replaced the stock RFTs with them, and now have about 3k miles with the "new" tires. Dry grip is excellent, the back end stays in line unless you really give it sharp throttle inputs with TC off, and even then it's very correctable assuming there isn't serious driver error. They hook up very quickly from a dig, very little in the way of wheel spin. I can't comment on wear because I haven't had them on for more than 2 months or so, but frankly you're not going to see great life expectancy out of performance summer tires. In the wet they're OK, things can get a bit sketchy if you push it, but once again that's more a matter of driving reasonably when it's raining out. I'm contemplating winter tires in a few months, it doesn't snow much in DC, but it's not exactly Florida either. In terms of negatives, they aren't particularly quiet, and they seem to have significant rolling resistance under light acceleration/low speeds. But all in all, they're a solid tire that can be had for a pretty reasonable price. Mich PSS are the best out there, but at the time they had these in stock and would have required 10 days to get the PSS in, and I got impatient not being able to drive my car

A very good tire for the price, imo.

[Black Gold]

none of those are considered a decent or good track / street tire.

good choices for track and street would be

-dunlop star spec
-hankook rs-3
-yoko ad08
-bridgestone re-11 (best dual purpose tire of bunch)

more street oriented but decent at track depending on how hard you drive

-michelin pss
-bridgestone s04

[Gimlet]

^^Agreed. I liked the Invo's on my RX-8, but that thing had aout half the power of the 1er. I'd stear clear for this car. The KDW2s might satisfy what you are seeking, but I understand they are really noisy and some folks have had quality issues with 'em. Look into the suggestions from KP above - all are better choices.

[IZAGLO]

I have a PERFECT set of ADO8's and VMR Gunmetal 713's i am putting up for sale soon. All in great shape..I am do for a change. The ADO8 have about 2200 miles on them and have approx 90% rubber left front and rear. These tires are really good and grip is fantastic..If anyone interested in rims or tires let me no they will be up for sale soon. A thread will be started in a few weeks on the sale.
225/35/19 front
255/30/19 rear

rims VMR 713 Gunmetal
19/8.5 front 45 offset
19/9.5 rear 45 offset

This package requires a fender role as the ADO8's run wide,,,they are more like a 265 in the rear. No rubbing.
Package also comes with TPMS.



http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...z/IMG_1277.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...z/IMG_1697.jpg

[GeeRam]

The Toyo Proxes R1-R is well thought of for this use here in the UK, don't know if they are available in the USA....??

[woosh]

Keep the suggestions and comments coming guys!

[Frampton]

Dunlop Star Specs, for the price, can't be beat in my area IMHO. I've run a number of different tires over the past 2 years (Kumho Ecsta XS, Stock Run Flats, Yokohama S Drives) all on my car as a daily driver and track/autocross use. The start specs are smooth for every day driving and provide a lot of grip at the track.

Also have friends running the Hancook RS-3 that work really well all around. I'm not sure if this will be your year round setup or if you have a dedicated winter setup but down here with the heat you can't beat these two options for the money.

I'm on my third set of Star Specs and between daily driving and track use get very even tire wear with no need to rotate tires and get about 6-8K miles out of them.

[syenisch]

Seems like PSS's are the new thing, and they're cheaper than Star Specs. Check them out. Supposed to be grippier, last longer, and ride better than PS2's, which was already a great tire. New design FTW!

[Frampton]

Originally Posted by syenisch

Seems like PSS's are the new thing, and they're cheaper than Star Specs. Check them out. Supposed to be grippier, last longer, and ride better than PS2's, which was already a great tire. New design FTW!

They're the same price as star specs on tire rack from what I just looked up, I've wanted to try them but thought they were more expensive and not Michelins top of the line performance tire! Has anyone tried both tires on the track? I would love to know how they compare more on the track than anything else.

[jb2178]

Star specs, I used mine to autocross and still got almost 20,000 miles out of my rears. If you are running the staggered 17 inch wheels (7in fronts and 7.5in rears) you can (and should) go with 225/45s on the front and 235/45s on the rears for a closer to square setup, I love mine. The only issue is your cold weather - I wouldn't run star specs in Tennessee winters, forget about Canada, they are like rocks below 40 degrees.

[int2str]

Originally Posted by syenisch

Seems like PSS's are the new thing, and they're cheaper than Star Specs. Check them out. Supposed to be grippier, last longer, and ride better than PS2's, which was already a great tire. New design FTW!

I don't think the PSS are in the same league that the Star Specs and the RS-3s occupy. Nobody that I know here runs them for any competitive event. Michelin doesn't even pretend they're in the same league (treadwear 300 vs. <= 200 for the Star Specs).

So I'm not sure why people keep saying they're the same/better.

[Black Gold]

Originally Posted by int2str

I don't think the PSS are in the same league that the Star Specs and the RS-3s occupy. Nobody that I know here runs them for any competitive event. Michelin doesn't even pretend they're in the same league (treadwear 300 vs. <= 200 for the Star Specs).

So I'm not sure why people keep saying they're the same/better.

good post

i outlined this in my first post as well.

also, people should realize that grip doesnt necessarily translate to better handling.

grip AND sidewall flex is what determines handling prowess for tires. PSS flex way more than something like an RS-3, even on street driving. on the track, especially on a relatively heavy car like this, this become much more noticeable. notice how the PSS are lighter than these extreme performance tires. the light weight comes at the cost of less sidewall rigidity.

also, the more rounded edges of the PSS vs the true extreme performance tires will get eaten alive on the track and wear down quickly if you are a hard driver and drive fast.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by KennyPowers

grip AND sidewall flex is what determines handling prowess for tires. PSS flex way more than something like an RS-3, even on street driving. on the track, especially on a relatively heavy car like this, this become much more noticeable. notice how the PSS are lighter than these extreme performance tires. the light weight comes at the cost of less sidewall rigidity.

That said, could/would runflats with their more rigid sidewalls, handle better than its non-runflat equivalent of the same make and size?

[Black Gold]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

That said, could/would runflats with their more rigid sidewalls, handle better than its non-runflat equivalent of the same make and size?

The sidewall stiffness is the reason the steering response is nicely weighted and precise.

However, rft also are very heavy and typically are poor in terms of grip, which is why oftentimes they lack compared to a quality summer tire, much less an extreme summer tire.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by KennyPowers

The sidewall stiffness is the reason the steering response is nicely weighted and precise.

However, rft also are very heavy and typically are poor in terms of grip, which is why oftentimes they lack compared to a quality summer tire, much less an extreme summer tire.

So if a manufacturer made the commitment to make an RFT with a grippier compound like that of a extreme summer tire, we'd have something really good (weight notwithstanding), huh?

Actually, don't some manufacturers (Bridgestone?) have extreme summer tires in both RFT and non-RFT forms?

Guess I should check Tire Rack...

[Black Gold]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

So if a manufacturer made the commitment to make an RFT with a grippier compound like that of a extreme summer tire, we'd have something really good (weight notwithstanding), huh?

Actually, don't some manufacturers (Bridgestone?) have extreme summer tires in both RFT and non-RFT forms?

Guess I should check Tire Rack...

not really

it probably is somewhat dependent on the compound used to make the RFT tire in the first place. i dont know a lot about RFT construction.

im not sure how it would be superior to a lighter, better riding, grippier extreme summer tire like the re-11. oh, and it also would be less expensive than RFT.

RFT is terrible imo because on top of all its poor performance characteristics (grip mainly) they are

-expensive
-un-repairable if they are punctured, like from a small nail
-heavy
-wear out extremely quickly
-ride extremely roughly
-transmit great deal of shock to the wheels

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by int2str

I don't think the PSS are in the same league that the Star Specs and the RS-3s occupy. Nobody that I know here runs them for any competitive event. Michelin doesn't even pretend they're in the same league (treadwear 300 vs. <= 200 for the Star Specs).

So I'm not sure why people keep saying they're the same/better.

Until the tyres get up to 35 to 40°C tread temperature (typical from one autocross run or one track lap), the PSSs grip better than the Star Specs. Below 20°C air temperature or if the roads are wet, the PSSs also grip better in normal road use. Overall the Star Specs are better in warmer temperatures on the track or if driven hard on the road when warm, but otherwise the PSSs are a better all round summer tyre for mixed use.

[int2str]

Originally Posted by aerobod

the PSSs are a better all round summer tyre for mixed use.

Yes, the one (PSS) is an all-purpose summer tire, the other[s] (Star Spec; RS-3) is a High Performance "Enthuiast tire". I just don't think you can compare them for a given application. PSS can't win on track, Z1's might not be best on the road, but they've been doing fine for me.

Again, I just don't understand why people keep trying to argue the PSS up for track/autocross. Wrong application...

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by int2str

Yes, the one (PSS) is an all-purpose summer tire, the other[s] (Star Spec; RS-3) is a High Performance "Enthuiast tire". I just don't think you can compare them for a given application. PSS can't win on track, Z1's might not be best on the road, but they've been doing fine for me.

Again, I just don't understand why people keep trying to argue the PSS up for track/autocross. Wrong application...

It depends where you live, if the ambient air temperature is only 15°C (common here for summer months outside of July and August) it is hard to get the tyres above 35°C. based on my infrared thermometer readings on two 135is (one with PSSs the other with Star Specs in the samesize) and the set of Star Specs I had on my Z4M last year and the PSSs I have on this year, the PSSs and Star Specs grip about the same at that temperature.

The Star Specs grip better from 40°C to 60°C tread temperature then become very greasy and go "off" (managed to remove 4mm of tread in 12 autocross runs when they overheated). The PSSs don't grip as well at 40°C and above, but I've never got them as hot as the Star Specs to see if they go "off" at the same point. Add in water at any temperature, the PSSs grip better.

When the temperature drops below 10°C ambient, the Star Specs loose grip rapidly compared with the PSSs, at 0°C the Star Specs have much less grip than my SottoZero winter tyres, whereas the PSSs have a similar grip to the winter tyres.

It all depends on how hot you can get the tyres under hard use, to which grips better, the Star Specs having a much steeper gradient of grip versus temperature than the PSSs, and hence a narrower operating band.

[andrey_gta]

so much choice, I honestly cannot pick a tire for my 128i sport 18's.

[M2 Blur]

The tire choice need to come into consideration with the wheel offset, suspension components and other important factors.

What 225/255 summer performance tire have:
- Adequately stiff sidewall (steering response)
- Rounder sidewall/tread (additional clearance from fender/suspension)
- Great Overall performance (Wet/Dry)
- Decent tread life (So you are not replacing the tires every year)

These questions would seem important for the people who are:
- Worried about lowered 1 series and possible clearance issues on the 225/255's
- Compromise between what is more important (Performance, clearance, DW, tread life)

I am going to be running 18" CS7's (45/48 offset) with KW C/O's and I am personally concerned about clearance running 225's/255's and reports toward rubbing.