suggestions on tire choice

KUTCH · 03-25-2003, 08:09 AM

I have a set of M5 style 17" rims with worn out "yokie", AVS sports. Need to find a good set of summer tires without going to crazy. Any suggestion? BMW dealer said that Yokahamas are not recommended for our cars, stick with Michelin/dunlop/continental.
Also, I have a '98 328is, should I stick with 225/45/17 all 4 corners or could I go to 235/40/17? will they fit in the front as well?
thanks...

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

Dealer is smoking crack, IMHO.

Not sure about the fitment, but if you can get Falken Azenis tires in the correct size you will like the grip. They're noisy and not all that long-lasting, but they are fairly cheap and the dry grip is very good for a hard-compound tire.

Yoko AVS dB should be a reasonably-grippy tire which isn't that loud. Yoko ES-1, I think it was, are supposed to be good dry-weather-only tires as well.

Dunlop SP-2 (I think) is an all-season that gets good reviews. I have them on my "other car" and like them, but they aren't the most grippy street tires I've ever used. Dunlop SP-9000 should be grippier but with less wet-weather capability.

Michelin has some good tires, but I don't have experience with them.

Sumitomo seems to get good reviews but I wasn't very impressed with the one set of them that I bought.

Kumho 712s have a very good rep for grip. They evidently don't last that well and are a bit noisy and somewhat uncomfortable, but are supposed to be pretty close to the Azenis in dry grip.

BFG Comp T/A KD tires are supposed to be just about the best dry-grip hard-compound street tires you can get. Grassroots Motorsports did an autocross test last issue and found them to be equal to or just a tiny bit better than the Azenis, but for more money. They were also judged to be a better tire for the street, as they are a bit nicer to drive on and quieter and so on.

Good luck!

--DD

GeoPappas · 03-25-2003, 04:03 PM

Check out http://www.tirerack.com.

They have a lot of reviews and comparisons on their web site.

FWIW, if they have them in your size, the Dunlop SP Sport A2s are great tires.

Jared at Pelican Parts · 03-25-2003, 04:11 PM

I second what Dave says about the dealer. I find it very hard to believe that a dealer would say that. Im thinking that they wanted you to buy a set of Michelins from the dealer.

As for Yokohamas, I have a set of A509's on my BMW. I always liked these tires, had them on my 914 and they seem to give really good traction for the price.

You may want to look at B.F. Goodrich. They offer some really good tires for the money, and are made by Michelin.

stupenal · 03-31-2003, 12:20 AM

Im runnin yoko avs intermediates. Great grip in dry, horrible in wet. Who cares! I live in SoCal! My friend told me to go with kumho ecsta 712 next. My yokos wore out FAST. After around 7k miles, the rears are down to maybe 30%. Meanwhile, the fronts are like at 90%. I guess it shows something about my driving! Anyways, I got them rotated, and no more stupid stuff for me....tires cost too much.

Anyways, my friend ran kumho 712s on his e46 323i 5spd. He said he really beat them and did lots of stupid things, yet they withstood the abuse better than his stock all seasons. He highly recommends them.

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

Hmm. My AVS-i tires were always pretty good in the wet. Well, until they wore down. Something about water and no tread depth doesn't work very well...

The AVS-i is not being made any more. Shops seem to have some, and they are usually pretty well discounted, but if you shred one six months down the road it might be a little tough to get a replacement.

Stupenal, if you're wearing out the AVSes in 7,000 miles I think you'd better just get used to buying tires frequently. There aren't going to be that many "fun" tires that last significantly longer than AVSes, IMHO.

The "stupid" stuff may be hard on tires, but damn it sure is fun!!!

--DD

umnitza · 04-02-2003, 12:09 AM

My expert Tire guy, who distributes TireRack stuff says ES100s from yokohama.

mbanks21 · 04-11-2003, 12:02 PM

I have Falken Azenis St-115's on my 328Ci and I love em...theyre 225/40-18 so the 17s might feel differant but mine grip and theyre not that noisy at all

Jared at Pelican Parts · 04-11-2003, 12:21 PM

I've heard Falkens are kind of a hit or miss in quality. Any truth?

mbanks21 · 04-11-2003, 12:33 PM

I dunno bout that...everything Ive heard about Falkens are good...I think their from Germany too. The cheaper ones might be hit or miss but Ive had nice Falkens on my 00 328Ci and my 99 M3 and I loved em