Tire Deal...

[Jr ///M5]

There's a hell of a sale on Michelin Pilot Sport A/S going on at the Tire Rack. The PS A/S are being discontinued, and replaced by a "Plus" series, which has the same tread design, just a little different compound. The cost of the tire in size 235-45-17 is $109 plus shipping. You can't buy those crap tires for that!

First off, I don't work there or have any relationship whatsoever with the Rack. I just came across a good deal and wanted to share it with you guys.

I bought a set of 4 and had them mounted last night, installed new tie-rods and aligned the front end. They balanced out with hardly any weights and ride smooth and quiet. The weight of the tire in this size was the least of any I had researched, weighing in at 24 pounds....for an all season tire, you can't beat this deal. They were priced at $182 just a couple of weeks ago.

So if you've been waiting for a good deal, strike now while the iron is hot!

JR

[Jeff N.]

Drat. Not in my size. Thanks for the tip.

[shogun]

You must have mucho Dollares. $109.00/tire?
I just bought Nexen tires made in Korea. 225/60/15, $60/piece.
One of my buddies has them on his car since 1 year, very happy with them, I installed them last saturday, also balanced them DIY in my friends garage. Good tires for small money. Smooth and quiet. But of course, we have no snow here and a speed limit of 100 kmh on the Highway, so I do not know how they are at higher speeds, but also read good comments from users in Germany.

[ILoveMPower]

Low profiles are quite a bit more expensive for the bigger wheels

Seems like a great price considering I paid about 1k for a set of 4 PS2's and an alignment about 6 months ago

[Tiger]

All season tires?! Tsk, tsk, tsk.

[BMWCCA1]

That's a great price on a very good tire. Pretty darn nice for an all-season. I probably would have bought those at that price over the Yoko Avid W4S I put on last Spring.

I can't believe the crap some of the "experts" here run on their cars. Did y'all buy a BMW to drive, or what? ;)

[shogun]

you know, I live in Tokyo, greater Tokyo Area around Tokyo Bay is a population of around 35 million people. Or 1/3 of the total population of the country (abt).
There is a speed limit of 100 kmh on the Highway which i could theorectically drive, if there would be not the crowded roads and all the traffic jam. It does not make the car faster in traffic jam, no matter if Pirelli , Bridgestone or Nexen are mounted. Before I had 2 times Pirelli tires which cost me 4 times the price of the Nexen, then the best and most expensive Bridgestone, and now I finally decided that under the local traffic conditions Nexen is o.k. Also do not feel any difference with the Nexen compared to the Bridgestone.

There is no snow here, no ice on the streets, at least not on the Pacific side in Tokyo Bay Area.

[632 Regal]

we have 4 inches on the ground here, took 4 tries to get up the drive and slide sideways into the road...need to put the snow tires on.

[Tiger]

Absolutely... Snow tires! And for everyone's sake, don't buy all season tires! Have two sets of tires and you will have maximum traction all time.

[BMWCCA1]

you know, I live in Tokyo, greater Tokyo Area around Tokyo Bay is a population of around 35 million people. Or 1/3 of the total population of the country (abt).
There is a speed limit of 100 kmh on the Highway which i could theorectically drive, if there would be not the crowded roads and all the traffic jam. It does not make the car faster in traffic jam, no matter if Pirelli , Bridgestone or Nexen are mounted. Before I had 2 times Pirelli tires which cost me 4 times the price of the Nexen, then the best and most expensive Bridgestone, and now I finally decided that under the local traffic conditions Nexen is o.k. Also do not feel any difference with the Nexen compared to the Bridgestone.Logic would dictate under those conditions a Kia would perform as well as a BMW, too. How do make that choice, logically? :D


Probably looking to swap to my E34 M5 wheels with Pirelli WinterSport tires next week for a trip to NY. All-Season tires let me actually drive my car on the local country roads in low temps even when there's no snow. My Ultra High Performance Summer Tires didn't even like the driveway in damp cold weather. That's why they call them "Summer" tires.

[tim eh?]

'snow tires' should really be called 'low-temperature tires'. my all-seasons do just fine in the snow until it hits around -3/-4'c lower than that and performance drops pretty drastically. i really have to put those on soon...

[Jehu]

I've been driving on all season Fuzions since I bought the car. They were on it then though in a Z rating I switched to H 235/45/17 and have driven is heavy Snow,Sleat,Slush and Freezing Rain on dark windy country roads at night with no street illumination other than my headlamps and fogs and made it fine. Certain steep hills I wouldn't attempt without sufficient speed nor would i enter deep snow pack over say10 inches unless it was downhill.. but I have no plans to buy Snow Tires after making it thru last Winter, a heavy one for snow here in NH . I paid about the same as this sale prce for the Fuzions made by Bridgestone . I may see if this local shop will match that price and save me the shipping expense of around $55...which is still not bad for four tires..

[repenttokyo]

you know, I live in Tokyo, greater Tokyo Area around Tokyo Bay is a population of around 35 million people. Or 1/3 of the total population of the country (abt).
There is a speed limit of 100 kmh on the Highway which i could theorectically drive, if there would be not the crowded roads and all the traffic jam. It does not make the car faster in traffic jam, no matter if Pirelli , Bridgestone or Nexen are mounted. Before I had 2 times Pirelli tires which cost me 4 times the price of the Nexen, then the best and most expensive Bridgestone, and now I finally decided that under the local traffic conditions Nexen is o.k. Also do not feel any difference with the Nexen compared to the Bridgestone.

There is no snow here, no ice on the streets, at least not on the Pacific side in Tokyo Bay Area.

i think he is referring to performance driving, as in cornering and whatnot. I autocross on all season tires, and they are total ass - and this is at speeds well under 100 km/h.


people also need to realise that winter tires are NOT 'snow tires' - they use a rubber compound that stays soft even at near zero temperatures.

Once the mercury hits around 35 degrees, your all season tires are no longer safe, especially in emergency stopping or maneuvering situations. The rubber compound no longer provides a level of traction that is safe for the automobile.

I just wrote an article about this for Boston Bimmer in an attempt to help convert people from running all-season tires in the winter bc their region doesn't see much snow accumulation. temperature, temperature, temperature, people.

[Kibokojoe]

This is what I run and they are a great tire. Got them at www.unsertire.com. Free shipping

Looked around on the internet and got a deal at BigO tire for mounting, balancing and valves stems for $13 a piece. I think I payed $65.00 a tire.

[genphreak]

I just wrote an article about this for Boston Bimmer in an attempt to help convert people from running all-season tires in the winter bc their region doesn't see much snow accumulation. temperature, temperature, temperature, people.

Wherever there is a well engineered solution that has tangible benefits such as saving people's lives and reducing accidents, there are armies of marketers with products that defy science. They are keen to help the general public pay their way through a fog of ignorance and apathy, as they are never held accountable for peddling folie and tripe.

Pay extra or believe the ad. Works every time with a majority of consumers, even when it defies common sense. Our society tells teaches kids not to accept fault and always come back to... "they stated X, they sold it to me, how was i to know? that it was not half the price and 10 times as good?"

When i fact they stated X (subject to A-W, Y and Z that denies all liability) and had no idea what they were doing.

[Rick L]

Buying snow/winter tires is one of my best purchase I have ever made for my Bimmer. I have Blizzak WS50. It gives me so much confidence driving during Chicago winters. I have to say it is day and night difference. I used to use all-season for winters but found a set of snow/winter at a good price so I gave it a try. UNTIL YOU DRIVE WITH SNOW/WINTER TIRES, YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT REALLY MAKES! Safety is always priority for me. And what's funny now is that when there is much snow, I'm passing SUVs in my Bimmer! :D



I've been driving on all season Fuzions since I bought the car. They were on it then though in a Z rating I switched to H 235/45/17 and have driven is heavy Snow,Sleat,Slush and Freezing Rain on dark windy country roads at night with no street illumination other than my headlamps and fogs and made it fine. Certain steep hills I wouldn't attempt without sufficient speed nor would i enter deep snow pack over say10 inches unless it was downhill.. but I have no plans to buy Snow Tires after making it thru last Winter, a heavy one for snow here in NH . I paid about the same as this sale prce for the Fuzions made by Bridgestone . I may see if this local shop will match that price and save me the shipping expense of around $55...which is still not bad for four tires..

[Tiger]

Exactly... Well put. Same is said for strictly summer high performance tires.

[632 Regal]

Until you bank and theres a nice size puddle.
Exactly... Well put. Same is said for strictly summer high performance tires.

[BMWCCA1]

Until you bank and theres a nice size puddle.My high-performance summer Yokos handled superbly on wet roads, including puddles. What they don't do is get any traction at all on slightly damp surfaces in cold weather. That's why they call them summer tires. All-season tires work OK in summer and OK in winter. They're not snow tires and they're not optimized for any particular weather and aren't great in any, either. If you want the best handling in mild weather, get summer tires. If you want the best traction in snow, get a dedicated snow tire. If you don't drive in snow or have another vehicle that's better in snow, and don't really require the best handling available from your BMW, get all-season tires and live blissfully ignorant. Otherwise, two complete sets of wheels and tires work best. Even then, I'm not comfortable with my Summer tires after Fall even when there's now snow on the ground so I choose to use all-season tires on my E34 when the Winter tires aren't mounted. If I want sharper handling, I'll drive my E28! ;)

That being said, thanks for the head-up on the tire sale. I passed it to a friend who bought one set for his E34 M5 and another for his E39 528i 5-speed wagon. He'd previously had these on his wife's Volvo and remembered paying nearly twice that price to replace them.

[Rick L]

Not really. The compound of the rubber does make snow/winter tire very soft in cold temperature but it doesn't end there. Snow/winter tires have specific tread design. Tread depth is much deeper with sipe. Sipe is small cuts in tire or shoes (like boat shoes - you don't want to slip off the boat) that will cause flex and when it contracts, it tend to grab the surface (even very slippery surface like ice).


'snow tires' should really be called 'low-temperature tires'. my all-seasons do just fine in the snow until it hits around -3/-4'c lower than that and performance drops pretty drastically. i really have to put those on soon...

[tim eh?]

Not really. The compound of the rubber does make snow/winter tire very soft in cold temperature but it doesn't end there. Snow/winter tires have specific tread design. Tread depth is much deeper with sipe. Sipe is small cuts in tire or shoes (like boat shoes - you don't want to slip off the boat) that will cause flex and when it contracts, it tend to grab the surface (even very slippery surface like ice).

that is interesting, i will have to compare treads when i switch... my snows do have kick-ass treads, they are also 2cm thinner which helps a lot!

[BuckNaked]

Until you bank and theres a nice size puddle.

been there done that. Last week.
I am 20 miles north of Buffalo, NY. My immediate neighborhood is protected from lake effect by some freak of nature only the weathermen understand. I'll be damned: I work in the city. The weather here goes from highs in the low 80's to lows in the zero - 10F. rain, sleet, snow. Deep snow. Got 7 feet once. All at once.
Anyways, where was I... oh, yeah, bank. Thruway exit posted 30mph, doing 35 in the rain, and I know the exit has a blind curve with a quick stop sign.
I run Kumho Ecsta ASX for summer, mostly because of the rainy conditions and I drive almost all thruway, 60 - 70mph. The day before was supposed to be the last nice weather for a stretch and I was gonna put the 4 snows on. I got stuck working overtime and didn't get 'round to it. Stupid is as stupid does. I know I would have been clean if i had done the snows like i was supposed to, but I am damned disappointed in the Kumho's. No way should I have lost it and I think the Michelin's I will be buying would have been fine.