Budget/Mid-range tyres

[MRkSTL]

Hi,



Has any of you got experience with pocket-friendly tyres, like Accelera, Three-A etc.? I know they are Chinese and quality may not be the same as Bridgestone, Continental or Pirelli, but for the price of one premium tyre, you can get a whole set of those budget ones.



I wonder what's the traction, handling, grip on wet surface like? And obviously how long they last...

[StradaRedlands]

Pay the $$$ and do it right. BMWs aren't budget-friendly vehicles.

[MRkSTL]

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

Pay the $$$ and do it right. BMWs aren't budget-friendly vehicles.

That's for sure. I bought it some time ago and still keeps spending money on it as it wasn't well maintained by the previous owner.

There are Continental run flats in the front and two different ones at the rear (one run flat ,one standard). Front ones are slightly worn out on the outer edges, so I could replace them but it's not urgent. However one of the rear tyre is badly worn out on the inner edge + the fact that there are two different ones tells me that the transfer case won't like it for too long...

I need to replace rear tyres asap, so I could go for premium ones at the back and then wait until the front ones require replacement. Or simply replace all 4 at once ,which would be more beneficial I guess for the car (same tread etc) ,but not necessarily for myself...Hence I was thinking about those cheaper ones. To be honest, I had a MB CLS before and used Pirellis PZero on her as I thought it's worth buying premium tyres since MB, BMW are premium brands too. However I found them noisy and they didn't last too long, so I started to have mixed feelings and realized that not always spending $$$ will mean that you did it right.

[Spaceme1117]

Always a good idea to cheap out on the only thing that connects the car to the road.

Toyo, Continental, Michelin, Goodyear. These are the only brands I would consider for tires.

[jbash87]

Originally Posted by MRkSTL

I need to replace rear tyres asap, so I could go for premium ones at the back and then wait until the front ones require replacement. Or simply replace all 4 at once ,which would be more beneficial I guess for the car (same tread etc) ,but not necessarily for myself...

It will be much cheaper in the long run to replace all 4 with the same tires. You should NOT run mismatched tires on modern AWD cars.

Not sure how the prices compare but my buddy has been satisfied with the General Gmax-AS tires on his Audi. I think he was able to get them from COSTCO if that is an option for you.

Ditch the runflats and you'll be much happier with the ride comfort/noise.

[MRkSTL]

That's what I heard about the run flats from people who swapped them for standard ones. More comfort and less noise, but you need to keep some kind of tyre sealant in case of a puncture...

I know I shouldn't have different tyres on the Xdrive car, but that's how I bought it. I've got some Driving stability control issues (as well as the ABS, Flat Tyre Monitor) and I made a separate post about them, however I believe that's because of some kind of electrical/wiring problems. Still, it will be better for the transfer case if I had 4 of the same tyres fitted on my car, but I wanted to consider alternative options.

[CarFan]

I've had a great experience with the Michelin Latitudes. I buy 2 at a time about 6-9 weeks apart when it comes time to replace.

I get mine from Tirerack. With the full set the X5 drives like new!

[StradaRedlands]

I LOVE Michelin Pilot AS 4... they are just the perfect tire. About $200 more for a set of four, but IMO worth it. Conti is a close second, and I happily buy them as well if they are having a sale. Costco regularly has promotions, and the BMWCCA has a great one as well (or at least did last year?).

As mentioned, it's recommended to get a set of four on AWD cars. My X5 was similarly mismatched like yours when I bought it. It had a transfer case code as well! After replacing all four, the code went away, so there's some anecdotal info as well!

[ryansbmw]

OP- my grandpa had a saying- " dont skimp out on things that separate you from the ground". Shoes, mattresses, tires...

It will only take 1 time for that crap tire to show itself and you have a repair bill much higher than the cost of 4 decent tires. Save up a little more and get a name brand tire from a reputable company.

Originally Posted by StradaRedlands

I LOVE Michelin Pilot AS 4... they are just the perfect tire. About $200 more for a set of four, but IMO worth it. Conti is a close second, and I happily buy them as well if they are having a sale. Costco regularly has promotions, and the BMWCCA has a great one as well (or at least did last year?).

As mentioned, it's recommended to get a set of four on AWD cars. My X5 was similarly mismatched like yours when I bought it. It had a transfer case code as well! After replacing all four, the code went away, so there's some anecdotal info as well!

I plan on switching to the Michelins when I am due. Ive had the Conti DWS06 for a while now and I have not been a fan of them. Maybe its the wheel size, but they have not done well in the snow for me and feel splashy in the rain. Sidewall seems very soft. Hope the AS4 is better in that department

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by ryansbmw

I plan on switching to the Michelins when I am due. Ive had the Conti DWS06 for a while now and I have not been a fan of them. Maybe its the wheel size, but they have not done well in the snow for me and feel splashy in the rain. Sidewall seems very soft. Hope the AS4 is better in that department

SoCal life, so rain/snow aren't that big of an issue. I've also had fine experience with DWS06, so maybe I'm not that observant

[MRkSTL]

Originally Posted by ryansbmw

OP- my grandpa had a saying- " dont skimp out on things that separate you from the ground". Shoes, mattresses, tires...

It will only take 1 time for that crap tire to show itself and you have a repair bill much higher than the cost of 4 decent tires. Save up a little more and get a name brand tire from a reputable company.

I got your point, but somehow can't find any bad reviews about them. Quite often premium brands parts tend to be of a better quality, however sometimes you just pay for the name. If people were saying - don't buy Three-A or Accelera tyres because I had an accident as I couldn't stop the car when I needed - then obviously I wouldn't even consider them. As I mentioned before, I used to use Pirellis mostly on my previous car and I can't say I was happy for what I paid. And the reason why I consider cheaper tyres is simply because I spent a lot on the car recently and still have to invest more, hence I'm on a tight budget right now. The alignment is bad and current tyres already show uneven wear, so I need to sort out the suspension first (front is done, but need to change the lower wishbone bushes at the back) and change the tyres as well and do the alignment afterwards. Apart from that, I got some electrical issues (K-Can fault codes etc.) and who knows what's more...if the car will occur to be endless money pit, I may need to get rid of her. Hence I don't want to buy premium tyres and regret it even more if I have to say goodbye...

If...I was to keep the car and everything would be sorted, I will put decent tyres next time. So it's more of a temporary solution ,just to have the alignment done and get rid of those worn tyres

PS.

I've checked Camskill again and started to consider other options...

Bridgestone Alenza001

Bridgestone Turanza 6 Enliten

Continental Conti Sport Contact 7



The only problem is that they sell Alenza and Continentals in size 275/40/20, but not in 315/35/20. If I were to order the whole set from them, I would need to go for Turanza 6 Enliten. Or just try to get Contis or Alenza for the rear axle somewhere else

another edit:
Correct me if I'm wrong...but you shouldn't mix speed ratings, should you? Since I've got 275 40 on the front axle and 315 35 at the rear one, I noticed that some of the tyres I was looking at, will have different speed index, for instance front one are W and rear ones Y. Is that an issue? or they have to be all the same?

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by MRkSTL

another edit:
Correct me if I'm wrong...but you shouldn't mix speed ratings, should you? Since I've got 275 40 on the front axle and 315 35 at the rear one, I noticed that some of the tyres I was looking at, will have different speed index, for instance front one are W and rear ones Y. Is that an issue? or they have to be all the same?

Just a WAG, but I don't think that matters. As long as wear is the same so the circumference is similar, you're good.

[MRkSTL]

I found out that the speed or load index can go up and that's fine. However you shouldn't put tyres with a lower speed/load index to those that were originally fitted.

Regarding my previous post - can't find Continental Conti Sport Contact 7 in size 315/35/20 and the Alenza 01 have got mixed opinions.

so if I had to stick to the * rated tyres, I would probably go for Conti Sport Contact 5 SSR or Pirelli PZero PZ4.

Lot of people say though that the * rated tyres is just a marketing bs and actually the ride is better with non run flats.

If that's the case, I would go for either Bridgestone Turenza 6, Michelin Latitude Sport 3 or Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3. They all seem to have good reviews and are pricewise similar.