Ray Hull

Since I got new Dunlop ThumpFlats under warranty in July--that I believed to be a ride improvement over the old OEMs--I have tended to forget just how harsh they still are...at least until today. My 17" wheels and Y speed-rated Semperits were refitted today, and what a relief.

Not only is there much more minor road fault insulation/damping, but they even seem more responsive in just twitching the wheel back and forth. Sure, they won't corner as well, but OVERALL, I certainly prefer them. Just a thought for those thinking of ditching thumpflats.

Cheers,
Ray Hull

Oaktree

Sad to say but I feel the exact same way. The car is much quieter and the ride is superb. Over the winter I am replacing the thumpflats.

SergeyM

If you willing to give up cornering for a better ride you've probably need a different car. E.g. Lexus has even better ride. Personally I hate my winter setup (17' with M3s) so much that probably will go through this winter on summer tires.

Ray Hull

My friend, I've been driving high-performance 5s since they were introduced in 1987. I know what I am talking about: Jarring ride does not equal good handling. Since when did you ever hard corner on snows?

With any luck, Al Gore will bless you in Jersey with your summer tires.

doug_999

Why? I have the same setup and LOVE it - much better ride quality compared to the RFTs and the handling is actually better (due to the cold weather and the RFTs turning into glass).

SergeyM

From my experience summer tires are still better in winter when road is dry. You just should take it easy first 3-5 miles until tires warm up. You also have to take it easy in wet with temperatures below 35 F. There is no question that winter tires are much, much better in snow. But for me it means to live with a sub-par handling for 4 month (120 days) to have much better (safe) 4 days with snow on the road. Not a fair trade. E.g. last winter I gave up high speed race with G-coupe at 130 mph. Did not trust winter tires at those speeds. BTW my Dunlop M3 rated at 130 mph only. On the other hand when the white stuff was finally on the ground I drove w/out of any necessity 5-10 miles around my house just to justify the winter tires expense. This year I'd rather work from home or take a train those 4-5 days.

ImolaRedM

I think you're missing Ray's point. The RFT's are horrible. They are better at cornering than winter tires but they're don't offer a better ride than non-RFT tires that may handle as well or better. I've even found the RFTs to be subpar on wet roads.

Ray, What is this high performance 5 that was introduced in 1987? I've been driving big six 5ers since my first (used) 1977 530i. The 535is was introduced in 1985 as a 1986MY wasn't it?

Ray Hull

Don't think so...I bought the 87 535 iS as BMW's 'Return to High Performance" at least according to the magazines. Maybe earlier models had larger engines, but it wasn't until 87 that they got serious about all the other accoutrements...including those goofy spoilers under the chin and on the trunk, big brakes, sport seats and even the "diamant schwartz" metallic black.

And speaking of low profile tires, I think that 87 featured the first (to my knowledge) low profile Michelin TRX tires on metric wheels...grrrr....made us captive customers, forever. I guess you can still buy them at $300+ a pop. Again, to my knowledge the TRX series were only used on the big 535s and 6 coupes and Hotted-up Mustangs...there may have been another in the Michelin "sucker" class, but I don't recall.

All said and done, I loved that 535iS, and was really "crushed" when it was T-boned on the way home from skiing (150K miles). When that baby came on cam at 3200rpm,....wow, you knew what the "sport" was all about.

ImolaRedM

I know my 1983 and 1984 533i's had the same TRX's on the same wheels your '87 did. Only I had the big six when it was a higher revving 3.2L before they went with the 3.4L in the 535i. The 535is had the better suspension and the garnish on the body but same engine. I too loved the 533i and it's big six engine up until it gave up it's life to save mine.