[7 4 7]

Front : 225/45
Rear : 245/40









Rear 3/4 Stance



Side stance remains unchanged



Tires were imported from TireRack.com as the PSS arent available in India.

Key observations post Fitment & after 500 kms of running in;

1) Ride quality;

These Michelins are super soft & the way the car rides on smooth roads is of a different level altogether, also on the rough patches (not that i have tried going at high speed over the rough roads but still) the ride quality has increased to a great extent.

2) Increased traction;

The stock RFTs in the 225 setup were struggling for traction off the line and somehow i felt betrayed when i got Good Year as OE when globally Conti Sport Contact 5 & Potenza s001 were offered as OE too.
The supersports are doing the job really well. Thanks to the staggered setup the rear 245s are coping well with the launches & pedal to the metal action in the first couple of gears. Have a strange feeling that my sprint to the 100 has become better by a margin.
Mind you the car still wheel spins in Sport+ mode (on concrete roads) but on tarmac it is crisp nonetheless.

3) Handling;

The car feels very confidence inspiring now.

Also another point here about the car not the tires is that sometimes it is so engaging to drive that one doesn’t even have time to look at the speed on the HUD display.

I can now really throw the PSS-shod F30 into the corner and it would stick and rotate with minimal push. On the other hand, the OE Goodyears felt unstable, like it was bouncing or hopping, which was unsettling during hard braking.

So in short the PSS do what you expect a high performance tire to do i.e. keep the car steady and controlled, letting you properly set up for your turn-in.

4) Bounciness / flat rear end;

I had reported in my review of the F30 that the rear isn’t as flat/planted as desired.
However now, thanks to Wider, stickier rubber at the back this has reduced to a certain extent.

5) Better Braking;

Yes, noticeable improvement in the braking.
Somehow i feel post fitment of the PSS, the Michelins allow harder brake pedal pressure before the ABS to kick in.

6) Stance Correction;

The wider track offered by the rear 245 setup looks much more better & much deserved for the large 18"ers

Was wanting to go for the 255's at rear but would have needed 8.5J rim width so couldnt have gone wider than the 245s.

However the car is now standing with a more commanding stance.


7) Weight Reduction/Lighter Tires;

The OE stock Good Year 225/45 R18 weighed 27 lbs/tire
Squared setup set weight ( 27 x 4 ) = 108 lbs

In comparison the Super Sports (new setup);
Front – 225/45 weigh 22 lbs/tire , Rear 245/40 weigh 24 lbs/Tire
Staggered set Setup weight (22x2+ 24x2) = 92 lbs

Total weight reduction = 16 lbs (7.25 Kg)

This reduction of unsprung weight has definitely helped handling

[Jackson743]

I bought the Michelin PSS and I love them, too. I don't love the price and probably will not be happy when I have to replace them for $1200 earlier than I like, but the car is transformed.

I came from an Infiniti G35 with a constant tire eating/cupping front suspension issue that produced horrendous road noise. I read reviews on Tirerack that the Michelin's were silent. They are. I'm very happy.

[makonto]

Nice review Karan, bought myself a set of 19" as well from tirerack after reading your review But ending up paying terrible custom tax clearance of $560 in indonesia.

[dcg71]

Nice write up. I was thinking of doing exactly the same with my 397s at one stage, so its interesting to see the results.

The Goodyears came as stock on my car, and was not impressed at all, particularly as I had just come from an E92 with PSS. There's a huge performance difference between the two tires.

[7 4 7]

Originally Posted by Jackson743

I bought the Michelin PSS and I love them, too. I don't love the price and probably will not be happy when I have to replace them for $1200 earlier than I like, but the car is transformed.

I came from an Infiniti G35 with a constant tire eating/cupping front suspension issue that produced horrendous road noise. I read reviews on Tirerack that the Michelin's were silent. They are. I'm very happy.

Great stuff Jackson

Originally Posted by makonto

Nice review Karan, bought myself a set of 19" as well from tirerack after reading your review But ending up paying terrible custom tax clearance of $560 in indonesia.

Thanks makonto,

Well talking about taxes & freight my landed cost was aprox 2000 U$ (freight + Duties) i.e. i paid almost double the cost of tires.

Originally Posted by dcg71

Nice write up. I was thinking of doing exactly the same with my 397s at one stage, so its interesting to see the results.

The Goodyears came as stock on my car, and was not impressed at all, particularly as I had just come from an E92 with PSS. There's a huge performance difference between the two tires.

Thanks !!!

Do keep us updated when you change ur tires on ur 397 rims

[makonto]

Originally Posted by 7 4 7

Great stuff Jackson



Thanks makonto,

Well talking about taxes & freight my landed cost was aprox 2000 U$ (freight + Duties) i.e. i paid almost double the cost of tires.



Thanks !!!

Do keep us updated when you change ur tires on ur 397 rims

Wow ... we are on the same boat then, I thought im paying too much already.
tires $1030 (225/40/19 and 255/35/19)
shipping $375
Tax + freight $560
wire transfer $25
total $1990

[utenigma]

I did 245/40R18's on the 8" 397 rims on all four corners using Bridgestone Potenza RE-11A's

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showpo...46&postcount=7

It's like a night and day change from the stock all-seasons

Originally Posted by 7 4 7

I can now really throw the PSS-shod F30 into the corner and it would stick and rotate with minimal push.

Just imagine how little the car pushes with an extra 20mm of tread on the front as well - not to mention you can rotate the tires for even wear (My rears were wearing about twice as fast as the fronts when autocrossing - I was rotating after every event)

[topcat87]

shoulda went 245/40 square. The budging tire sidewall is just so darn aggressive. I initially wanted to go 225/45 but went with 245/40 no regrets

[MassBimmer]

If the wheels are square all around, why bother with different tire sizes front and rear? Now you can't rotate and you'll get decreased tire life

[7 4 7]

Originally Posted by utenigma

I did 245/40R18's on the 8" 397 rims on all four corners using Bridgestone Potenza RE-11A's

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showpo...46&postcount=7

It's like a night and day change from the stock all-seasons

Just imagine how little the car pushes with an extra 20mm of tread on the front as well - not to mention you can rotate the tires for even wear (My rears were wearing about twice as fast as the fronts when autocrossing - I was rotating after every event)

Originally Posted by topcat87

shoulda went 245/40 square. The budging tire sidewall is just so darn aggressive. I initially wanted to go 225/45 but went with 245/40 no regrets

Originally Posted by MassBimmer

If the wheels are square all around, why bother with different tire sizes front and rear? Now you can't rotate and you'll get decreased tire life

I Agree regarding the reduced tire life bit & the disadvantage of tire rotation but this time wanted to go staggered and see how the car behaved, as frankly this is my first staggered setup in my life so wanted to experiment a bit

But yes the next change i will experiment with the 245/40 squared

PS - Sorry for the late reply as i was travelling

[Mako]

Originally Posted by Jackson743

I bought the Michelin PSS and I love them, too. I don't love the price and probably will not be happy when I have to replace them for $1200 earlier than I like, but the car is transformed.

I came from an Infiniti G35 with a constant tire eating/cupping front suspension issue that produced horrendous road noise. I read reviews on Tirerack that the Michelin's were silent. They are. I'm very happy.

$1200 is that for 19"? Should be able to get the 18" for $900-$920 before tax/shipping and installation.

Coming froma C63, if the tires last me over 10,000 miles I will be

the OEM tires on my C63 lasted 6,000 miles (rears, front lasted 18,000), my replacement Hankooks lasted 10,000, then decided to get PSS before trading it in, only drove about 2,000 miles on those but the difference compared to the Hankooks was unreal.

[Viep]

Hello 747,
Your review was so informative thanks your for time.
I have a 335i xDrive sport line(f30 chassis) with 18' all season.
I was so upset to find out at delivery that my tires were not staggered, not summer and they would not want to help me get at least a new set of summer tires.
I am going to follow your advice and put on those Michelin PSS.
I was not aware that we could do a staggered setup with these e 397 style wheels. Is these a definite advantage over a square setup with the Michelin PSS?
I am new to all this performance stuff so please excuse my dumb questions.

Thx

[7 4 7]

Originally Posted by Viep

Hello 747,
Your review was so informative thanks your for time.
I have a 335i xDrive sport line(f30 chassis) with 18' all season.
I was so upset to find out at delivery that my tires were not staggered, not summer and they would not want to help me get at least a new set of summer tires.
I am going to follow your advice and put on those Michelin PSS.
I was not aware that we could do a staggered setup with these e 397 style wheels. Is these a definite advantage over a square setup with the Michelin PSS?
I am new to all this performance stuff so please excuse my dumb questions.

Thx

Hi Viep,

I'd suggest as you are having an xi model to get an squared setup

Our Sportline, rims style 397 (8") can accommodate easily a 245/40 squared setup, going any wider will require 8.5" width.

[Harshalkpatel]

hello 7 4 7

how are your tires performing on Indian roads?

have you faced "cupping" issues after switching to non RFT.

i have same car and have already replaced 4 tires SECURE policy and now the 5th one is ready.

[7 4 7]

Originally Posted by 5_3_1

hello 7 4 7

how are your tires performing on Indian roads?

have you faced "cupping" issues after switching to non RFT.

i have same car and have already replaced 4 tires SECURE policy and now the 5th one is ready.

Hi,

Good to see another 328i owner from India

The car is performing much better in terms of grip levels & also the ride quality.

As the Michelin PSS' are tubeless their sidewall flex is much better & softer so they dont get cracked(sidewall) when hitting the bumps like in case of firmer sidewall RFT's.

I have driven about 5k kms with these Michelins & thank god no issue of side wall crack or bubble.

Yes you need to be extra careful when approaching bad roads etc

I'd suggest you too switch to tubeless as they will be much of a relief.

Let me know if you need any help.

Thanks !

[Harshalkpatel]

thanks for your prompt reply!

i will go by your advice,which tires you suggest now shall i go with same tires or michelin pilot sports ps 2 or pilot sports AS 3.

[7 4 7]

Originally Posted by 5_3_1

thanks for your prompt reply!

i will go by your advice,which tires you suggest now shall i go with same tires or michelin pilot sports ps 2 or pilot sports AS 3.

1st check the availability as in 18"ers the options will be limited.

The 2 sizes which will fit our cars will be stock 225/45 R18 or an upsize 245/40 R18

Michelin PS 2 is an old model try looking for PS3 or try other brand like Yokohama

[ossanboy]

After the tax, is it still cheaper than to buy from local store?

Thanks

Originally Posted by makonto

Nice review Karan, bought myself a set of 19" as well from tirerack after reading your review But ending up paying terrible custom tax clearance of $560 in indonesia.

[Harshalkpatel]

Originally Posted by 7 4 7

1st check the availability as in 18"ers the options will be limited.

The 2 sizes which will fit our cars will be stock 225/45 R18 or an upsize 245/40 R18

Michelin PS 2 is an old model try looking for PS3 or try other brand like Yokohama

planning to put 17" alloys as yesterday another tire got balloon its just 3 months and 11566 kms on odometer and this is the 6th tire damaged! i dont think 18" are suitable for our road condition.

[7 4 7]

Originally Posted by 5_3_1

planning to put 17" alloys as yesterday another tire got balloon its just 3 months and 11566 kms on odometer and this is the 6th tire damaged! i dont think 18" are suitable for our road condition.

Well dont lose hope that way, i believe as soon as u switch to tubeless type tires will make a world of a difference.

Swap to tubeless asap, that off course doesnt mean you can b careless over bad roads or potholes, but indeed would be much secure than how a run flat tire would perform.

[ossanboy]

I am debating whether to get Michelin PSS to replace my RFT Continental or not.

I live in Indonesia with very bad road condition and almost constant traffic jam.

I have 18" M sport package, which PSS should I get?

[7 4 7]

Originally Posted by ossanboy

I am debating whether to get Michelin PSS to replace my RFT Continental or not.

I live in Indonesia with very bad road condition and almost constant traffic jam.

I have 18" M sport package, which PSS should I get?

If you are facing problems with your current RFT set then it makes sense replacing otherwise why not use them till their life permits.

But if you want to replace RFT to Michelin PSS & you are having a M sport staggered rim setup you can go in for 225/45 R18 front & 255/40 R18 rears.