Tyre recommendations

[BeemerBoy888]

Hey guys,

What tyres are M owners using? Pros and cons?

Which tyre would you recommend for the M3? What sort of price to expect to pay per corner?

Thanks as always chaps:)

[peppernick]

Plenty out there to choose from Steve. If you ask me, I will spend no more that what I could get for a set of Goodyear GSD3 F1s. If I want to spend less, Kumho Escta :) These are my 2 choices if I were to go out and buy just tyres.

[robinh20mrv]

hi m8,

i use gsd3 f1,s on the front and toyo proxies t1s on the back.

cheers robin.

[cableguy]

hi m8,

i use gsd3 f1,s on the front and toyo proxies t1s on the back.

cheers robin.

You really shouldn't mix and match :confused: different compounds and grip levels can really effect handling and braking tolerances, particularly when driving hard.

C.

[Shuriken]

You really shouldn't mix and matchIt may not be ideal mate but sometimes the wallet dictates.

Kumho's are meant to be very good for the money as are Nankang NS-2's but be sure to avoid the NS-1's, theyre a death-trap of a design - so I hear.

Shuriken.

[Davidch]

PS's are the best Conti's are OK.

[Chaos]

The wallet may do the dictating, but the tyres convey the braking Sam. Cut corners on the road, not on the car. ;) Mixing tyre brands isn't ideal unless you know exactly what you're doing with them, especially on something as volatile as an M. That said, maybe Robin knows more about the Toyos than me, so far be it for me to criticise him specifically.

Personally I run PS2 all round for track and road. Having said don't mix, if you look like you're going to be doing a lot of motorway driving then you could save a few quid and run PSs on the rear (same manufacturer, different compound and pattern) and squeeze quite a few more miles out of them, but don't run PS2 on the rear and PS on the front or you'll find some very interesting roundabouts and corners in the wet. Tested and confirmed as part of my investigation into my optimal 'Ring tyre setup. ;)

F1's are meant to be very good, not to my personal taste but I've seen the sort of times Doc puts in on the German circuit with them and you don't do that by accident, so they may work for you and are slightly cheaper than the PS2.

Tyre Man can do you some serious prices on all of the above, and could probably offer a professional opinion rather than an experimental one too. :)

[BeemerBoy888]

I've looked at a potential M3 vert, which definitely needs 2 new rears and possibly 2 new fronts (which we priced into the sale price).

I normally use Elite which is fairly near me.

Dan - Does Tyreman also do fitting aswell as supplying dude?

thanks

[Chaos]

Yeah he prefers that actually Steve, just means a trip to Bracknell to go see him, but if you combine it with a trip up west for something else then he'll probably save you the fuel bill on 4 tyres. ;)

[BeemerBoy888]

Cheers bro:)

[BeemerBoy888]

The PS2's do seem good

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Sport+PS2

[Defector]

Brand snobbery aside, Nankang NS-2s are very very good tyre produced by Yokahama. They score better that Pilot Sports and Eagle F1s on various tyre test sites.

Unless you're Michael Schumacher, of which few of us are, you're not going to have issues with them. Couple of very very good/skilled drivers on BMWCar are now singing their praises (http://forum.bmwcarmagazine.com/viewtopic.php?t=45157).

Khumo Ecsta Supras are very slightly better but only because they are a tiny bit more quiet and look better. But at over £30 a corner more expensive for 18s i don't think they're worth it at present.

If you have money to burn then the usual suspects are a safe bet. If not NS-2s are worth a punt IMO. They are certainly not the shite budget stuff you'd expect a la Avon, Nokian, etc.

[Shuriken]

Cut corners on the road, not on the car.You clearly haven't seen the state of my car already.. My point was only that some may not have the luxury of replacing all four for the sake of it. :)

Shuriken.

[Chaos]

True, Yoko make good tyres, always have done really and always been quietly understated about it. My only comment would be that they're not a 'typical' M3 tyre. Most people run M cars as God intended - like a mad woman taking a dump (arse end all over the place ;)), and hard compound and/or durability-built tyres tend to be at a bit of a cross-purpose for that. Certainly one of the better budget tyres if you're not looking for performance, just not sure who would buy and M3 and not be looking for performance though. :)

Sam, my point was that it's not a luxury, in the same way that decent pads and discs aren't a luxury either. If you can only afford to replace an axle at a time then either you replace one axle with the same tyres as the other axle or you accept the fact that you've over-budgeted on the car that you thought you could afford to run and do something about it. Some things you just can't afford to cut corners on, and your tyres are the only 4 things between your car and the road. Not lecturing, just making a point with the interests of safety in mind. ;) (I'm not sure I get your point either, but in any respect I wasn't aiming my post at you, it was a general post about making sure that tyre replacements are given due consideration - just in case there's any confusion).

[peppernick]

Nankang NS-2s are very very good tyre produced by Yokahama
Nankang is Taiwanese, Yokohama is Japanese. This was a statement from a Yokohama representative when the same claim was made on an Australian tuning forum.


Yokohama do not own Nankang. Yokohama does not have anything to do with Nankang. I'm sure Nankang would like to be associated with Yokohama but they are not. In fact we are peeved that their logo looks similar to the Yokohama one.


However, the NS-2s are pretty good tyres for the price.

[InvIs Inc]

In fact we are peeved that their logo looks similar to the Yokohama one.
lmao Yokohama seriously said that? thats funny

[Defector]

Some valid points here. Have to admit, missed the part about them going on an 'M'. Provided the 'M' is being driven 'as designed' then i agree that budget tyres are probably not a great idea.

For all but the most enthusiastic they're fine IMO.


Nankang is Taiwanese, Yokohama is Japanese. This was a statement from a Yokohama representative when the same claim was made on an Australian tuning forum.

However, the NS-2s are pretty good tyres for the price.

Have to admit Nick i didn't know that. I was always told they were and they're logo has identical font design! :eek: Wouldn't have though they would be able to pass that one by Yoko's legal team, surely a decent lawyer could sue for trademark infringment?

[peppernick]

Wouldn't have though they would be able to pass that one by Yoko's legal team, surely a decent lawyer could sue for trademark infringment?

As long as it fulfills the 2% difference law, they can't do jack.

[robinh20mrv]

hi guys,

the reason i mix the tires is i do a lot of b roads blasting in the back roads of sunny scotland and i find the f1s a wee bit soft on the back, they are good on the front but find they can "go off" a bit fast on the back!
saying that, i am used to 4 wheel drive cars (evos and subarus) so perhaps i will change the rears in a few miles, the car wont be used over the winter so perhaps a set of mich ps2 in the spring? what do you guys think of the ps2,s?

your thoughts please!!

cheers robin.