[booforty]

In advanced screen you select "start a poll" or something...

[andy69]

Originally Posted by rogerxp

It's a nightmare chosing the right tyre, hence the reason for starting this thread in the first place.

I'm tempted to give the Falkens a try even though I usually subscribe to the 'you get what you pay for' philosophy. My reckoning is that you'll not get twice the wear from tyres costing twice as much (or whatever proportion they cost more!!). If you get two-thirds of the wear before needing to replace then it's money well saved.

Obviously changing away from the RFT's is famed to improve the handling/comfort/etc however at least if you bottle it and go back to RFT's then you've not spent so much of your hard earned cash. Note: I don't know why you'd want to change back but it's one of the things bubbling around in my head!!!

I've heard that 'Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas' are good 'budget' tyres too.

Would be interested to hear what you went for in the end and the review...

thats what I thought at least if I get the cheaper ones and all goes pear shaped for some reason i havent done my money...plus i could always ship them over to one of you lot to buy

i probably have a month or two before the fronts have had it so once i have had the new ones fitted i will post up the results

[vivekk]

Originally Posted by rogerxp

If I knew how to start an official 'poll' it would be here - any offers??

Roger, just list the tyres you want to be in the poll & I'll do it for you, ok.

You do need to have a list of tyres to start the poll, but other brands can be added to it as time goes by, ok.

Viv

[rogerxp]

Viv, how's about these for a starter-for-ten...

Falken 452

Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas

Goodyear Eagle F1

Bridgestone RE040

Continental Sport Contact 3

Michelin Pilot Sport 2

Feel free to add any I've missed.

[vivekk]

Done.

Viv

[rogerxp]

Nice work Viv. Thanks.

[booforty]

Viv's good when he's not carpark attending...

[dxb335d]

How can anyone vote without trying all of them.

Ive tried two different types now and ones not even in the list.

[rogerxp]

Maybe the poll should be 'which tyre were you most dissatisfied with' - getting complicated now!!!

[gIzzE]

Falken 452 - Great all round tyre, similar to the GDS3 but nearly half the price plus it has more feel on turn in and is more progressive.
Good grip in both dry and wet. Not the most comfy and quite noisy.

Vredestein Ultrac Sessantas - Naver tried them.

Goodyear Eagle F1 - Same as the Falken 452 really, but not as progressive when they let go so can catch you out, less feel than the 452 and the turn in is a bit wooly, great for Audi and Vag FWD and AWD cars.

Bridgestone RE040 - Really like these, great turn in, seem to last pretty well and fairly comfy considering they have a pretty stiff side wall (nothing coampared to the stiffness of a run flat though). A little bit noisy though, but a good tyre.

Continental Sport Contact 3 - The SC2 was not my favourite so I will not bother with these, nothing wrong with them but nothing magic either and they are pricey.


Michelin Pilot Sport 2 - Absolute favourite trye out there.
They have a soft compound so they don't last long, but the grip levels are superb, and you can feel everything that is happening, this is the tyre to use if you want to learn about your cars handling, it is so progressive when it lets go you can control it without really thinking about it. The ride is also very smooth, the turn in as just about the best bar some slicks or semi slicks out there and overall a fantastic tyre.
But expensive!
This was the tyre that made me realise just how a tyre can affect your car so radically.

[gIzzE]

Originally Posted by rogerxp

Maybe the poll should be 'which tyre were you most dissatisfied with' - getting complicated now!!!

Well I have had a set of pirellis and a set of Bridgestones sat at mine with 8 miles on them both waiting to hear back from both manufactuers as the wear is disgraceful, every other block on the pirellis is at a different level to the next one, and the bridgestones have worn on the insides really badly, like worn on the inside completely and still 6mm left on the outer edge. However, some no run flats on the same car have worn perfectly.

[MOB]

Originally Posted by gIzzE

Michelin Pilot Sport 2 - Absolute favourite trye out there.
They have a soft compound so they don't last long, but the grip levels are superb, and you can feel everything that is happening, this is the tyre to use if you want to learn about your cars handling, it is so progressive when it lets go you can control it without really thinking about it. The ride is also very smooth, the turn in as just about the best bar some slicks or semi slicks out there and overall a fantastic tyre.
But expensive!
This was the tyre that made me realise just how a tyre can affect your car so radically.

I briefly changed the standard Bridgestone RFT's to PS2 RFT's recently on my E90 and the PS2's are sooooooo much better - the car felt much more connected to the road and much more fun to drive. Plus less tramlining, better ride etc.

I can only imagine the non-RFT's to be even better.

But I costed up changing my 19"s on the E92 to PS2's and it was nigh on £1000 for non-rft

[booforty]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

How can anyone vote without trying all of them.

Not everyone goes through tyres like you Shamzie! lol

[roofer]

I did a track day Monday, did a tank of derv and thrashed the living daylights out of the car.

The tyres took everything and more, were predictable, and didn't melt like GSD/Bridgestones do.

PS2's are overated, and not worth the extra expense. My tyres? Nero's, twice as hard wearing as Rosso's, and sensibly priced.

There were a number of cars there on PS2's, they scrubbed their shoulders off.....and most had to indicate right to let the tractor by.

[gIzzE]

Originally Posted by roofer

PS2's are overated, and not worth the extra expense.

Agree the are over expensive, but definitley not overated. They don't last long but as a road tyre they are fantatstic. However, unless my car had 300+bhp and a Limited slip diff I wouldn't pay the extra.

[booforty]

I don't doubt the Nero's but the PS2's are the best tyres I've ever had - didn't pay for them though!

Got 23k out of them and still with plenty of tread left

[gIzzE]

The Neros I had on my 535d were good, but the rears were gone in 9k miles.

[roofer]

Originally Posted by gIzzE

The Neros I had on my 535d were good, but the rears were gone in 9k miles.

Genuinely suprised by that gIzzE. I got 20k from the rears, and the fronts still have life in them even after the track day.

If BMW had got my turbo's working again, i'd go out and take a pic.

[rogerxp]

Given the input so far I still think I'm favouring the Falkens. Seems they give great handling & comfort (perhaps a little loud?!?) but at virtually half the price I'd happily forgive the short life & keep replacing them when they worn out or got punctured. Even if you only break even after two sets (compared to one set of harder wearing tyres), if you factor in having to replace one, or two, from nasty punctures (i.e. can't be repaired) the saving starts to add up.

Whenever I've had punctures on previous cars the large alloy has basically shredded the tyre before any action could be taken. Even my 335i shredded a RFT after only a couple of miles - 100 miles even when flat; phaaaaa!!!!

Just want to box off nothing being physically wrong with the bushes, etc, before making the change. Hopefully get round to switching the wheels of another M Sport around next weekend at BMW.

[gIzzE]

Originally Posted by roofer

Genuinely suprised by that gIzzE. I got 20k from the rears, and the fronts still have life in them even after the track day.

If BMW had got my turbo's working again, i'd go out and take a pic.

Oh, I gave them some stick!!

The 5er is also quite heavy on rear tyres compared with the 3er.

[dxb335d]

Originally Posted by roofer

Genuinely suprised by that gIzzE. I got 20k from the rears, and the fronts still have life in them even after the track day.

If BMW had got my turbo's working again, i'd go out and take a pic.

Roofay, whats up with your turbos?

[roofer]

Originally Posted by dxb335d

Roofay, whats up with your turbos?

Actuator is kaput.....being done now.