UUronL

I used to run 17" low-profiles on my old Jetta that were Sumitomo HTR-Z II.

I had previously run Pilot Sports and Toyo Proxes T1-Rs on the car, and the Sumitomos were nearly identical. They didn't degrade or wear badly over time.


I'd seriously consider the HTR-Z III when my E60 is due for a tire change. So far, I've been milking the free RFTs.


This is the tread - very similar to the OEM variants on the E60...




My OEM Dunlops...




They are also rated well by owners:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...Model=HTR+Z+III

Mrsosoo

i can vouch for sumitomo as well, drove on them for years with other cars....decent prices and good quality

Techno79

A really good website for tyre reviews is: http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Un...ainsport-2.htm

According to the website, Uniross Rainsport 2 is a very good tyre for your setup (which is the same as my car). They are currently my 1st preference for when I change tyres. I don't think they are budget tyres but they are certainly a lot cheaper than other premium brands.

Dandle

Uniroyal are part of the Continental tyre group along with Barum. Barum are their budget brand with Uniroyal being the wet weather tyres and Continental being the premium/high performance tyres.

As for what tyres I would use, I will always buy the best performance tyre available for my car. Its not a budget car and i wouldnt use a budget tyre on it(not that Uniroyal are budget).

Techno79

But the user ratings imply that the uniroyals are better in the dry and wet than most other tyres including the continentals. I had a good look at the tyres available in the size the OP mentioned and the uniroyals do have the best ratings.

Dandle

If they are user ratings rather than independant test ratings then they are next to useless. Users don't tend to compare tyres of the same age and condition on the same car in the same conditions. Their comparisions may be several years between tyres and it's human nature that people will defend their purchasing choices. Continental target Uniroyal tyres as the wet weather tyre group in their range. That doesn't make them a bad tyre at all but for premium tyres in normal weather tests they submit Contis which are a better allrounder when it's not wet the majority of the time.

swajames

That's not strictly true. One user rating taken in isolation is probably of limited value, but thousands of reviews covering millions of reported miles do tend to have substance. Broad consensus will develop over time, and that broad consensus is reasonably reliable. It is no coincidence that the top rated tires on TireRack for example tend to mirror the top rated tires per independent tests performed by car magazines and Consumer Reports etc.

kaiten408

I'm running Sumitomo HZR tires and they're pretty good. Not the best, but they are budget tires and came with my car when I bought it so I can't complain. They ride well, handle good, only complaint I have is that they don't have the best grip when taking off. Maybe it's just the V8 and my heavy foot, but I always get a bit of squeal out of them when driving around town.

Have you tried look at Bridgestone g-Force sport? These will be my next tires for sure, I had them before and they are just awesome. Awesome grip, really good cornering, and they have pretty good treadwear.

uheenada

Well, I'm pretty sure I'll get lots of flames but I'm gonna say it.

It seems that a lot of people here on e60.net forum are obsess with its tires.
Yes, Michelin Pilot sport, BStone Potenza SO3 ya da ya da are the top of the line products.
However, you'll hardly feel the difference b/w other "budget tires" on the street.
Most of other tires are perform at 90% of top brand tires. Top brand tires will have slight edge however,
that doesn't mean "Oh same 550i next to me huh, well since I have put pilot sport I can dust him off the line"

I'm sorry but Max performance summer tires won't blow away high performance all season tires like you think.
Those are not dedicated racing tires. BMW v8 have enough torque to spin the wheel given any street tires.
IT'S ABOUT HOW YOU MANAGE YOUR AVAILABLE GRIP. There's a big difference between not enough traction
out of your tires and suspension setup and simply going WOT/take corners bypassing law of physics(and complaining lack of grip).
I'm blaming PS2/3 Gran Turismo for this. There are so many people think/expect a day and night difference
after putting summer tires. Slick tires? Yes Street tires? NO
People think by putting summer tires, you'll gain so much grip like Gran Turismo
qualifying/soft slicks. No you won't.

What I'm trying to say here is that just simply putting Michelin Pilot sport compare to less expensive brand tires
doesn't mean you'll always have more traction. Mathmatically yes, but we are not racing drivers to exploit those
few tenths of extra time/grip at the track. Don't be slaved by brands/marketing.

I would put decent brand tires like Falken etc and save $600 per set and buy KW2.
Any cheap summer tires like Nexen with KW2 will OUTGRIP any of top of the line tires with stock suspension.
Tires are just one source of ingredient for grip. Meaning, depends on each car's setup, it might not allow the tires to perform at its full potential.
Camry with top brand summer tires won't gain more than few tenths of sec(1/4 run). Why? simply their suspension set up
doesn't utilize the tires grip to its full potential. Their suspension gives up before tires exceeds their grip even with regular tires.

Suspension is just as important as the tires. Without proper suspension, no matter what tires you put it won't perform well.

*I typed without much thinking to it/without organizing but I'm sure you'll get an idea what I'm trying to say.

Techno79

The most important aspect about tyres for me is how they handle in unexpected conditions e.g. emergency braking, swerving, wet/icy road conditions. In those situations, the performance of the tyres is crucial and I'm happy to be extra to ensure that I get the best performance. I'm not too bothered about the performance of the tyres when pushing the car to the max round bends or getting the best 1/4 mile times etc etc. However, for me it is a balance as I don't want to buy the best tyres in the world as they will be stupidly expensive, I'd be looking for a balance in between performance and cost. Same for everyone else but their balance will differ.