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Old 03-28-2008, 08:26 AM
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Originally Posted by Allen' post='552266' date='Mar 28 2008, 11:26 AM
IMHO...if it's not a Michelin...you are not getting the best ride in your car. I've tried Bridgestone, Continental, Pirelli, Dunlop, Toyo and NONE even come close the ride/noise of the Michelin. If I were rich, I would immediately remove these piece of shxx Dunlop RFTs and put Michelins on. It really pisses me off that I have to put up such a crappy tire on a $60K car for another 20K miles or so. Why BMW put on these tires on this car is beyond me. I feel better now...
And I TOTALLY disagree. I liked the Pilot Sports that came on my M3 but when I replaced them with Bridgestone Pole Position SO3 the car handled way better. I cannot comment on road noise since Led Zeppelin did an excellent job of masking it.
Old 03-28-2008, 09:19 AM
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Originally Posted by Allen' post='552266' date='Mar 28 2008, 08:26 AM
IMHO...if it's not a Michelin...you are not getting the best ride in your car. I've tried Bridgestone, Continental, Pirelli, Dunlop, Toyo and NONE even come close the ride/noise of the Michelin. If I were rich, I would immediately remove these piece of shxx Dunlop RFTs and put Michelins on. It really pisses me off that I have to put up such a crappy tire on a $60K car for another 20K miles or so. Why BMW put on these tires on this car is beyond me. I feel better now...
+10,000
Michelins are the best when it comes to comfort and traction. I have tried numerous brands as well and noticed that all these other brands can't be compared to what you are paying for a Michelin. I'm not rich but i don't compromise on a set of tires. Something i learned through experience.
Old 03-28-2008, 09:47 AM
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Keep in mind that your RFTs had extremely stiff sidewalls, hence very little flex in cornering and the illusion of better handling. I bet if you could do a side-by-side comparison, your Pirellis are actually handling better but just don't feel like they are. I had a set of P-zero Neros before and they were really good tires. Quiet, too.
Old 03-28-2008, 09:56 AM
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So what was your conclusion on the advice from the guys on e60.net? I see from the above that there is a diversity of opinion.

Originally Posted by juventus' post='552232' date='Mar 29 2008, 12:02 AM
After chewing everone's brain out on this forum regarding which tire was best for a 535i sport, I fell in for the advice by the guy at Tire Rack. ..........

This is what happens when you don't listen to the guys on E60.net
Old 03-28-2008, 10:22 AM
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Originally Posted by JeffNNJ' post='552289' date='Mar 28 2008, 11:26 AM
And I TOTALLY disagree. I liked the Pilot Sports that came on my M3 but when I replaced them with Bridgestone Pole Position SO3 the car handled way better. I cannot comment on road noise since Led Zeppelin did an excellent job of masking it.
I guess it's really the ride and road noise that I'm talking about here. As far as performance handling goes...I think either the Bridgestones, Pirellis, or many other would do fine for me on my 535i. I really don't push it to any kind of performance limits enough for that to be a consideration. Mine is a highway commuting car, so ride and noise are by FAR my main concern for a tire.

As for the Bridgestone SO3s...I have those on my 911 and they are a great tire for that car...although I'm am pretty ticked that they stopped making that tire. Now I have to find a different tire for the rears to go with the SO3s on the front...the fronts typically last for 3 or 4 sets of rears.
Old 03-28-2008, 10:37 AM
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I too have used PZero's on my previous car (e38/740i).
I selected them for 4 purposes:
1) high comfort and low noise,
2) good wet braking scores,
3) highway cruising tread life, and
4) four season traction.

Add to that their price is $50-$100 lower per tire than others (Except RFT's and the price difference really grows there)! So, it was a no-brainer for me.

Though rated highly across all categories at tirerack.com I knew full well the Pzero's could not out-perform a high end brand tire categorized as an Ultra-High Performance Summer Tire. That is simply NOT what they are! And if I had a non-sport 528 I'd give them another shot. However, for the 535 or 550's ... well you get the idea!
Old 03-28-2008, 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by juventus' post='552255' date='Mar 28 2008, 10:55 AM
The car handles like crap in crosswinds whereas with the RFT's it was rock solid. On certain road surfaces it does not grip as well as it should. This was never the case with the RFT's.

I don't think it needs reallignment since the steering wheel seems centered ok.
Never knew crosswinds were an issue in Arkansas. Are you driving on a track?

I've experienced crosswinds going over Autobahn bridges at 100mph - the Pirelli's weren't a problem.
Old 03-28-2008, 02:16 PM
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Originally Posted by GT Premi' post='552320' date='Mar 28 2008, 01:47 PM
Keep in mind that your RFTs had extremely stiff sidewalls, hence very little flex in cornering and the illusion of better handling. I bet if you could do a side-by-side comparison, your Pirellis are actually handling better but just don't feel like they are. I had a set of P-zero Neros before and they were really good tires. Quiet, too.
This is true. Turn-in is often confused with handling and there are some great handling tires that have soft turn-in, like the Toyo Proxes line.

I think the Dunlop RFTs are actually really good tires in terms of performance. They just don't maintain civility for the life of the tire. As long as you can get them replaced free, why stray? I'm on my second pair and they still drive like a dream.
Old 03-28-2008, 02:26 PM
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Originally Posted by faarcanal' post='552321' date='Mar 28 2008, 11:56 AM
So what was your conclusion on the advice from the guys on e60.net? I see from the above that there is a diversity of opinion.

Michellin PS2.

I don't understand what the problem is. Even my balding RFT's were better. I feel so insecure.
Old 03-28-2008, 02:32 PM
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Originally Posted by juventus' post='552470' date='Mar 28 2008, 06:26 PM
Michellin PS2.

I don't understand what the problem is. Even my balding RFT's were better. I feel so insecure.

I love the RFTs and I'm no fan of Michelin... there has never been wide concensus regarding tires here though. Will TireRack let you swap them? They just might...


I'd look at these if I were you - http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...Model=HTR+Z+III




This is the DSST Dunlop tread...





Turn one upside-down and they're pretty similar.


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