Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[oby_1]

I'm looking to replace the stock run flats soon and I was wondering if there are any tires that are comparable to the Michelin Pilot Super Sports?

My main goal is to spend a little less but still retain good performance.

My car is currently Cobb AP Stage 1 Aggressive and I want to make sure I can hook up well. There will be no more mods made to the car.

Please let me know if anyone has any opinions....

Thanks...

[Stucks]

its hard to top the Michelin pss, but check out conti dw and goodyear eagle f1 asymmetric 2.

[oby_1]

Originally Posted by Stucks

its hard to top the Michelin pss, but check out conti dw and goodyear eagle f1 asymmetric 2.

will do. thanks..

[gary88]

Conti DW would probably be the most similar, but honestly I'd just save up a little more and go for the PSS. I wouldn't put any other tire on my car.

[oby_1]

Originally Posted by gary88

Conti DW would probably be the most similar, but honestly I'd just save up a little more and go for the PSS. I wouldn't put any other tire on my car.

Thanks for your input

[flip4335]

Originally Posted by oby_1

I'm looking to replace the stock run flats soon and I was wondering if there are any tires that are comparable to the Michelin Pilot Super Sports?

My main goal is to spend a little less but still retain good performance.

My car is currently Cobb AP Stage 1 Aggressive and I want to make sure I can hook up well. There will be no more mods made to the car.

Please let me know if anyone has any opinions....

Thanks...

Catch Tire Rack when they have Michelin Pilot SS on sale. That's how I got mine. I wanted to see how a premium tire felt after rocking budget Hankooks and I was very pleased! I have Cobb AP Stage 2+ with dps and FMIC, and I sometimes find it very hard to lose traction because the PSS hook up immediately!

Second choice would be Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position at $60 less per tire, but nearly equal in performance. When transitioning to non-rft, many think they lose cornering ability because the sidewalls seem much softer than rft's. After a few miles, those feelings tend to fade with the newfound comfort and after getting used to the superior cornering capabilities of most all of the non-rft tires, without the tramlining and skipping associated with the former.

Really good alternative at a whopping $80+ less per tire are the Conti DWs. While some might scoff at the soft sidewall feeling, the DWs perform at nearly the same levels as PSS and Potenzas, while offering the budget friendly price you are seeking.

G/L with your choices! Here is a pic of my ride on Michelin PSS at standard OEM specs (225F/255R) on 219M 18-inch wheels:

[oby_1]

Thanks for the tips.

Can I just buy your setup? Lol it looks great.

I want to pick up some OEM wheels and I figured now would be a good time since I'm getting tires anyway. May wait though....

I think I'm leaning toward the continental as I'd like to get an alignment as well so it will be nice to save on the tires. I don't think I'll be too worried about the sidewall feel as I don't track the car aside from a straight line (unfortunately).

[flip4335]

Originally Posted by oby_1

Thanks for the tips.

Can I just buy your setup? Lol it looks great.

I want to pick up some OEM wheels and I figured now would be a good time since I'm getting tires anyway. May wait though....

I think I'm leaning toward the continental as I'd like to get an alignment as well so it will be nice to save on the tires. I don't think I'll be too worried about the sidewall feel as I don't track the car aside from a straight line (unfortunately).

Hahaha... thanks for the kind words!

I just wanted to show you in my pics that standard spec tires on 8.5 inch front and 9.5 inch rear look fine, with no stretch look.

I also pumped up the tire pressure above the norm, which for me is 35PSI Front/41PSI Rear, to eliminate any "soft" sidewall sensations one gets when transitioning from super stiff rfts to non-rfts.

There are plenty of M3 wheels on sale in the M3 forum, which is a great place to get my setup! LOL...

I like 18-inch wheels, because it has a little more sidewall than the 19s. Besides, the tires are much cheaper... and lighter... at 18-inch.

I like your choice of tires. If you go to a non-BMW stealership, beware of the fact that our setups have a natural negative camber, especially in the rear. When I got my alignment, I noticed that the rears had -2.2 negative camber... because racecar (LOL)...

[oby_1]

Definitely sticking with 18s. I was actually going to ask of it is worthwhile to get a little meatier tire than stock if I don't plan on dropping it?

[kaede]

Bridgestone S04 for sure but it isnt that much more cheaper last i checked.

The Continental DW is only comparable only in the wet, but not in the dry. It is much more comfortable tire than PSS in the dry and has no where near as much grip (however, PLEASE keep in mind that you probably don't push you tires hard to begin with. normal driving wise it is not gonna make a huge difference. But when you do some spirited driving, auto x, or track days, then ya, the PSS is much much better). For the price tho, DW is quite unbeatable.

Originally Posted by oby_1

Definitely sticking with 18s. I was actually going to ask of it is worthwhile to get a little meatier tire than stock if I don't plan on dropping it?

Yes.

[driverman]

I've run the DWs and the S04s. I like the S04s much better.

The DWs felt much softer and rode better but I lost the wonderful "planted" feeling, especially when new. Towards the end of their life, the DW's tightened up.

The S04s felt good on day one and they still feel good after 11,000 miles. Great combination of ride, handling and low noise.

Car & Driver tested 9 maximum performance summer tires. They rated the PSS first, S04s second and the DWs fifth. Tirerack has also tested max perf summer tires.

[Gary@TireRack]

As others have mentioned, the next best would be the Bridgestone S04 Pole Position and Goodyear F1 Asymmetric 2.

Bridgestone is offering a mail in rebate now... Tires http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AH8&...ires/index.jsp

[Keyser Soze]

I really liked the value of the Conti DW's and ran them the last two years on my E46, but they are really really lumpy when cold (below 40) and take quite a while to warm up and I'm not sure shops can balance them correctly in the winter (that's my weird theory). Sumi HTRZIII used to be a bargain option in the past as well and I found those perfectly acceptable for DD. It looks like their ratings have dropped a bit over the last 5 years.

I've had PS2 in the past and of course those handle significantly better but not quite as comfortable for DD and won't last as long.

[flip4335]

Originally Posted by Keyser Soze

I really liked the value of the Conti DW's and ran them the last two years on my E46, but they are really really lumpy when cold (below 40) and take quite a while to warm up and I'm not sure shops can balance them correctly in the winter (that's my weird theory)...

Conti DW's are summer tires and should not be driven below 40.

Conti DWS are the all-season version and I have them on my wife's M-B E350 4Matic with no issues, whatsoever with regard to handling and driving in light snow.

I think this thread was mostly about summer tires, so I don't understand the significance of the winter reference. I would recommend a dedicated winter set below 40 degrees, myself.

[oby_1]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Yes.

Care to elaborate? I'm guessing a size up on each pair (235 fronts and 265 rears)?

What would be the benefit? Better ride? Better grip?

[oby_1]

Originally Posted by flip4335

is this on stock sport suspension?

I've been reading a lot on how to make the e9x m3 wheels fit on the 335is and was just curious.

[oby_1]

also, I'm a little concerned on dealing with a flat.

I definitely don't want to carry around a donut in the trunk.

I figured I would grab a fix-a-flat (either bmw's kit or others) and a portable air compressor. will using the fix-a-flat type substances destroy the tpms? anything else to worry about if I go this route?

[StealYourFace]

I love the way the m219s look, but I really want to go w a sq set up,
I wonder if I could buy 4 fronts, put 255s on them and a space in the rear so they look right if that would look right.

I'm pretty sure the rears wouldn't fit on the front

[VMRWheels]

If you can, save up for some PSS. They are the top of the line right now!

[flip4335]

Originally Posted by oby_1

is this on stock sport suspension?

I've been reading a lot on how to make the e9x m3 wheels fit on the 335is and was just curious.

Sport suspension. If you go square, you would be fine with 18x8.5 all around at 235/40 or 245/40 because the offset would be 29 and that would clear the LCIs.

[Meeni]

I've had Bridge Turanza (car came with it, trashed with half thread left, that bad) Bridge 760 (meh), Sumitomo something (reviews said you get more than what you pay for, well, no, not really), Michelin PS2 (great!), and last Michelin PSS. I'll have PSS again. They are better than anything I had tried before by a substantial margin (PS2 included, and the PS2 where already -really- good), and cherry on the cake rated 300 threadwear (do include this in your price comparisons, many tires are rated half that and will cost more over time, even if you pay less today).