I had 166 M5 wheels on my 550 sport with michelin PS2 in 245/40 front, 285/35 rear. The car rode terribly. Required both hands on the wheel and even the passengers noticed how nervous it rode on the highway. I went back to the 172 550 wheels with Continentals in the OEM sizes. Car is perfect now. Night and Day.

Now that the Contis are wearing down, I'm scared to put the Michelins in the OEM size on the 172 550 wheels. The tires I think are soo responsive to the road surface that it takes away from straight line stability and makes the car more "darty". They grip wayyy better in turns than the Contis, but I'm not willing to give up one ounce of stability and civility to gain grip.

So has anyone tried them? Any feedback? BMW puts PS2s on the M3 and even some M5s, so one would think that BMW made a decision not to put them on the 550?

DRP

 

PM sent

 

I am assuming they don't put them on the 550i for the exact reasons you stated above. The 550 is not a pure "sports" car like the others, and I believe the Conti's add a more "civilized" or tamed down aspect to the overall driving experience.

If you hated the PS2's so much before, why even consider putting them back on? Just get some new Conti's, or try something different all together.

 

The grip and wet traction were far superior to the Contis. I figured maybe the nervousness was just due to the wheel offset on the M5 rims which is significant.

 

I doubt the rims' offset would make a difference as to how it drives. I am sure it was the tires alone. The offsets of the M5 166's are not that different than the 172's....et12 vs et18 Front, and et28 vs ET32 rear, respectively....no biggie.

 

I'm on my second set of PS2 (Style 172 wheels) and love them! They are the best tires IMO. Not sure about the problem you've experienced with 166 wheels. Are they OEM of replicas? Perhaps they were not balanced properly.

 

I replaced the stock Dunlop runflats on my 545 with PS2s. The ride is infinitely more comfortable and the handling is great, but there can be significant tramlining with these tires on the grooved freeways of Southern California.

Pieter

 

tire pressure can make a world of difference in the feel of PS2s. I had several sets on my old E39. If I didn't inflate the rears enough (38 or so) it felt like the rear tires were tramlining the car wherever they felt like taking it. a few more psi and problem disappeared.

the PS2s are fantastic. I have no grip issues with my current Contis though, they are equally silent, and the price difference certainly helps. If you do go PS2, make sure you get the XL (extended load) ones. Seem to last longer. You may/not have the option on the sizes you're looking for.