Tire Recommendations '95 530i

[530iBall]

I may need to replace my front tires this month should they fail inspection. I'm currently running Yokohama AVS dB decibels 225/60R15 95V. I've been pleased with the handling although the fronts seem to wear a little more on the outside edges.

Question #1 - Can anyone recommend a good all-season tire? I live in Philly and yes, this car doesn't do well in the snow - I know I need snow tires and some weight in the trunk for it to ever do that. I'm more concerned about the other 330 days when there isn't any snow.

Question #2 - What's the general opinion about 4-wheel alignment. Myth or necessity?

Thanks everyone.

[Hector]

17" wheels. Opinions very. Check out these posts from others and myself.

http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=3704

If you don't do all 4s then at least do the front wheel alignment but I'd do all 4 of them and start with a clean slate.

[tim s]

i have a set of dunlops right now & they suck. good handling, but they will not stay balanced, they only have 6000mi. & are 75% gone. i have a small shake i did not have with my blizzacks. i live near pottsville, pa. in the mountains & i had no problems getting around in the snow last year even before i got the blizzacks. i will most definitly buy blizzacks again. my local stealer suggested michelin or conti's. i have a set of m3 rims that i intend to mount next spring with conti's after removing the snow tires. the first thing i did before mounting the blizzacks last year was a 4 wheel alignment, sure enough it was out enough to cause bad wear patterns. it does seem to take much to through out an alignment.
tim s.

[chamilun]

your Yokohamas are recommended by many bmw shops.

im running them now and they wear and last well. only a pirelli may be better, and not by much

[Elekta]

Michelin xgt's: great, safe, all season, warranty...and yes they're worth the extra money

[tim]

I have the Michelin Pilot XGT's, and I like 'em well enough on my stock 15" basketweaves. (You can stop laughing now!). Although they're rated for 40k mi, I'd be surprised if they last 20k. That said, they give a good OEM style ride and are pretty quiet for their grip. We don't see much snow here in Dallas but I have to assume that they would suck for snowy driving.

As far as snow- most who have experience recommend a dedicated set on dedicated rims. The issue is width, and there's no tread design that's going to make a 225mm width tire act like a 185. But the thinner the tire and the deeper the tread, the better it's going to be on snow.

[Elekta]

I have the Michelin Pilot XGT's, and I like 'em well enough on my stock 15" basketweaves. (You can stop laughing now!).

What's to laugh...that's my set up exactly...must be a Texas thing

[tim]

What's to laugh...that's my set up exactly...must be a Texas thing

Your car is bitchin'

The nerviness is due perhaps to wheel envy. So many guys on the board have sweet wheel setups that I'm almost embarrassed to admit my lowly stock setup (although I'm certainly not disappointed, mind you, with the performance)

[DallasBill]

I absolutely LOVE my 235x45/17 Bridgestone Potenza RE950's!

TireRack's site has some amazing feedback on them from all types of owners, they are not toooooo expensive, and Discount Tire will sell you 'road hazard replacement/lifetime rotate & balance' certificates for all 4 for less than 90 bucks!

[Hector]

want wide tires and yes deep treads for snow. For worn out tires, you want the best tires with the deepest tread in the rear (contrary to what many believe.) That way, when the car does skid, the rear doesn't swing much when you brake because the front of car is heavier and will serve as pivot... otherwise it's gonna be bye bye... Another thought, you can decrease tire pressure to the low 20s psi to accomplish relatively good snow grip.

To avoid hydroplaning on the other hand, you do want the tires to be as thin as possible. The worse combo for a car in wet conditions is wide tire section width and a lightweight vehicle. That's just begging for trouble. Wider tires, however, are only better for wet traction if no hydroplaning is involved, that is, for speeds below 50 mph. Wet traction can also be improved by increasing tire pressure to cut through water better, and suppressing the bouyant force which is the cause of hydroplaning.


I have the Michelin Pilot XGT's, and I like 'em well enough on my stock 15" basketweaves. (You can stop laughing now!). Although they're rated for 40k mi, I'd be surprised if they last 20k. That said, they give a good OEM style ride and are pretty quiet for their grip. We don't see much snow here in Dallas but I have to assume that they would suck for snowy driving.

As far as snow- most who have experience recommend a dedicated set on dedicated rims. The issue is width, and there's no tread design that's going to make a 225mm width tire act like a 185. But the thinner the tire and the deeper the tread, the better it's going to be on snow.

[tim]

Last winter we had a pretty big ice/snow storm here in Dallas. I'm from upstate NY originally, and I happen to have a set of chains. I had to be the only guy on the road that day. Unless you're in a place where snow is on the road all winter long, chains are a pretty good solution to the occasional snow, without having to compromise too much tire performance during normal conditions.

[Robert K]

Up to a few months ago, I was running Michelin XGTV4's on my T-Bird and XGTZ4's on my '91 535i. I loved them. They were a great combination of many things. They handled and stopped great, were above average in the rain, offered some traction in the snow, and were fairly quiet too. I've run Michelins for about the past 15-20 years now and have never had a problem with them going out of round, developing tread bubbles, or going out of balance. Michelin builds quality tires if you ask me.

I recently put BF Goodrich Traction V's on my T-Bird. It was just my beater car for when I didn't want the 535i in the rain or snow. The Tractions are supposed to get about 60,000 miles, which is about double what you can expect out of XGT's. They were also quite a bit cheaper and have turned out being pretty decent tires. So far, I'm pleased with them.

When the XGTZ4's are done on the 535i, I may be looking at the Bridgestone G009's or RE950's. I'm also considering the Pirelli P-Zero Nero M&S, which has been getting rave reviews on the Tirerack site. The main reason I'm going away from Michelins is simply price. For 235/45-17's, they are around $200 per tire. The Bridgestones and Pirellis are just too much cheaper to ignore. Also,we have Bridgestone Turanza LS-H's on my wife's V-6 Camry. If those weren't so much for the 235/45-17's, I'd put them on my 535i in a second. They are GREAT all season, grand touring tires. We love them!

Well, there's more info for you to think about. Hope this helps some. I'd also suggest reading the reader reviews of tires on Tirerack's site. Lots of great info there.

Grace and peace,

Robert K
1991 535i

[Mr. BILL]

I'll second the Falkens.

I put them on my E39 and what an improvement! Smooth, quiet and good, (not great) handling.

[Mobius]

My tire history...

Sumitomo HTRZII: Excellent grip on the dry and in the wet - but they suffered from a lot of road noise.
BFGoodrich G-Force T/A KDW (not the 'flame tread' ones): Similar to the Sumitomos, but with slightly worse treadwear and less road noise.
Yokohama AVS-ES100: Disappointment. Louder than the Sumitomos, and when they were on the front of the car, I learned that even though I had set up my Dinan sway bars to pretty much eliminate understeer when I had the Sumitomos, I was now back in understeer mode. They're hard to break free - but they sure like to scrub the road a lot when pushed.

I can't really give reviews on ride quality, because I'm running 235/40-18 and 265/35-18. :)

The Sumitomo and the BFGs I'd buy again without hesitation. The Yokohamas... Well, maybe if they were cheaper...


As far as the alignment thing goes, I'm under the impression that unless you have an M5, the ONLY adjustment you can make to your alignment is front toe. I know this is true for my '93 535, at least. Most shops are going to charge you 4-wheel alignment rates anyhow, which kinda feels like a ripoff, but most of the work is in getting the car on the rack and mounting the alignment pods - which you would have to do regardless..

[Bimmer Nut Ed]

I got an opinion, and I'm gonna share it; AKA, The Bimmer Nut Ed Philosophy on Tires:

This applies to our RWD BMW cars only. I have no opinion on FWD or AWD as "they suck". No Flames, everyone has their opinion, I just don't like steering torque of FWD, or the extra complexities/weight of AWD. And I really like the perfect balance on 50/50 weight ratio RWD Bimmers.

Anyway: Buy winter tires for the winter, and high performance summer tires for the summer. Buy good winter tires (most named brands work great and will last you 3-5 seasons easy), but the high performance summer tires can be any reasonable (inexpensive) brand, Sumitomo's, Kuhmo's....

I say, use your tires. I don't want tires to last long. I have an aversion (right or wrong) to Michelins. I used to run 60,000 Michelins on my Volvo's and they did go 60,000. But they also turned to plastic over time, and sucked in the rain and snow. Heck with that, I want soft rubber, something with grip, something I can run the rubber off in a couple 2-3 years max.

Now if you have to compromise and only run one set of tires I really like the Bridgestone RE950's. They've got the dual rubber tread compound, which, as the tire wears, exposes softer rubber so you tires still feel new. Old rubber turns hard, these tires prevent that, which is especially good after your had the tires on a while and the tread depth is reduced. I looked at the G009's and they do not have this feature, so I would not recommend them.

Also, whenever I go to the Bridgestone Firestone dealer near me, I bring in the Tire Rack Price, and they sell the Bridgestone’s for only $5 per tire more. Which is a great deal since if you bring in your own tires from tire rack for them to mount, they would charge you that much more for balancing and mounting anyway.

[Russell]

I have 15,000 miles on them. Seem to wear well. Rotate every 5,000 miles. Upgraded from the stock 205/65/15 tires. They are great in rain, worked fine in snow. Seem quiet. I am sure they are not the best handling tire, but this is my commute car.



I may need to replace my front tires this month should they fail inspection. I'm currently running Yokohama AVS dB decibels 225/60R15 95V. I've been pleased with the handling although the fronts seem to wear a little more on the outside edges.

Question #1 - Can anyone recommend a good all-season tire? I live in Philly and yes, this car doesn't do well in the snow - I know I need snow tires and some weight in the trunk for it to ever do that. I'm more concerned about the other 330 days when there isn't any snow.

Question #2 - What's the general opinion about 4-wheel alignment. Myth or necessity?

Thanks everyone.

[530iBall]

Let's get to question #2. I once heard a mechanic say that alignments were "one of the largest frauds perpetrated on the American public." Pretty strong words. I have to confess my ignorance. Do alignments work or are they poor substitutes for replacing marginally performing suspension components? If they do have value, what kind of alignment should i have done to my RWD vehicle? What kind of $$ am I looking at? Thanks!

[Scott C]

Well,
Unless I am grossly mistaken, the 525 e34 alignment (front) consists of toe in only!!!! I have done mine for the last two years cause I can't stand to put up with scheduling through the dealer (other shops Won't touch BMW) and the $$$.

The alignment supposedly calls for putting weight in each seat, yada yada yada.... My tires are wearing just fine (no discernable difference in outer or inner wear)

Scott

[black_bird_blue]

"one of the largest frauds perpetrated on the American public."

Crikey. Speaking as someone who uses alignment to tune the handling behaviour of a vehicle, I think it matters. Of course it may not matter on a Pontiac Grand Am since it's only the difference between "dire" and "dismal"...but on an E34 I'd say it matters, particularly to the 'feel' of the car around centre.

Damian

(Afterthought) Of course, whether or not the car needs "re-aligning" on a regular basis is anoter matter. Maybe that's what he meant about the fraud thing.

[Robert K]

I'm not quite so sure about the mechanic who made that statement. Yes, the only real alignment adjustment on the E34 is toe on the front. But if it's wrong, the car will not handle properly and will most likely wear the front tires unevenly and quickly. I messed with my front suspension once and did my best to put it into specs myself. But then I noticed my $800 set of Michelins wearing a little too quickly in the front, and also getting noisy. Took it to a friend who had the latest alignment equipment. He said the toe was out (that's what was wearing the tires and causing the noise) and he also said the one rear tire was just out of spec. The only way to fix that issue is to purchase offset rear control arm bushings and experiment to get it right. I decided to just run it as is. Anyway, the moral of the story is that alignment does make a difference...especially if you're putting high dollar tires on your car. I've just about made the decision to get alignments done on my cars everytime a new set of tires get put on. They are getting too expensive to just scrub tread off because the alignment's bad. And by the way, many newer front and rear drive cars do now have toe and camber adjustments. Those types really need an occasional alignment to make certain a huge pothole didn't knock something out. Anyway, more info for you to think about.

Grace and peace,

Robert K
1991 535i

[530iBall]

I live in a shoebox of an apartment with not much room for me let alone for tires and a pocketbook to match so I fall into the compromise category. I checked out the RE 950's you recommended but I need a 225/60R15; Bridgestone doesn't make this tire in that size. BTW, my mechanic passed me on my inspection, God bless him, but he did tell me that all 4 tires need to get changed out soon and that I should make that my next priority. So, Ed, what would be your #2 pick? Thanks in advance.

I got an opinion, and I'm gonna share it; AKA, The Bimmer Nut Ed Philosophy on Tires:

This applies to our RWD BMW cars only. I have no opinion on FWD or AWD as "they suck". No Flames, everyone has their opinion, I just don't like steering torque of FWD, or the extra complexities/weight of AWD. And I really like the perfect balance on 50/50 weight ratio RWD Bimmers.

Anyway: Buy winter tires for the winter, and high performance summer tires for the summer. Buy good winter tires (most named brands work great and will last you 3-5 seasons easy), but the high performance summer tires can be any reasonable (inexpensive) brand, Sumitomo's, Kuhmo's....

I say, use your tires. I don't want tires to last long. I have an aversion (right or wrong) to Michelins. I used to run 60,000 Michelins on my Volvo's and they did go 60,000. But they also turned to plastic over time, and sucked in the rain and snow. Heck with that, I want soft rubber, something with grip, something I can run the rubber off in a couple 2-3 years max.

Now if you have to compromise and only run one set of tires I really like the Bridgestone RE950's. They've got the dual rubber tread compound, which, as the tire wears, exposes softer rubber so you tires still feel new. Old rubber turns hard, these tires prevent that, which is especially good after your had the tires on a while and the tread depth is reduced. I looked at the G009's and they do not have this feature, so I would not recommend them.

Also, whenever I go to the Bridgestone Firestone dealer near me, I bring in the Tire Rack Price, and they sell the Bridgestone’s for only $5 per tire more. Which is a great deal since if you bring in your own tires from tire rack for them to mount, they would charge you that much more for balancing and mounting anyway.

[chamilun]

go to tirerack.com

yokohama dbs. good tires, last well, good price.

[myblack540i]

I had a set of the Bridgestone RE950's on my 318 (e36).

Absolutely loved'em!!! 2 thumbs-up!!!!

[SharkmanBMW]

It depends what the roads are like where you are.
For me in Montreal, the roads are full of cracks and holes all over SO, frequent wheel balancing and regular alignments are a must.

In fact an unmarked construction zone that I hit the other day put a nasty flat spot on all four alloys :( , so the wheels will be sent soon for re-alignment - about 50$ a wheel.

Once the alignment of the car is set, it should be good for awhile - although I get mine aligned after a few big hits from pot holes, or after changing a set of tires.
I run Toyo tires and at $1500 a set, you want the alignment to be accurate!

For all of you who live down south where the roads are smooooth, you may go for a longggg time without really needing an alignment

http://www.cardomain.com/id/skullfracturebmw