Seeking tire recommendation: 2003 325xi

firts question... are these summer or all season tires you want? I am not a fan of yoko... I have toyo proxes T1S on my 540i... fabulous, quiet, sticky and smooth. Lasted a long time as well, treadwear is 280. Toyo has a new tire this year called the proxes.... the name escapes me!... (anyway NOT the FZ4) Japanese tires have excellent quality control and are generally better than others

a great tip ... Dunlops are some of the best and cost a little less! they should be considered, Kumho also get good reviews at a lower pricepoint

Pirelli is also a brand I have had (3 sets P700) and will never buy again (wear very fast anbd shitty in rain!)

If you are considering all-season tires, stay away from the Continentals. A manufacturing issue has rendered many of these tires "out of round" (meaning they defectively asymetrical and cause vibration). A tire I've been very pleased with is the Kumho Ecsta ASX. It's much cheaper, non-defective, and ranks second in its class only to the aforementioned Conti's on Tirerack.

Rob

I have the extreme contacts on my 540iA. I would not buy them again. They did not balance well and are somewhat "out of round" which causes some occasional thrumming at 60-65 mph. Granted E34's are very particular about wheel balance. They were inexpensive. I wish I had paid more for better tires. I will wear these out and get something better next time.

I'm looking closely at the BFG g-Force Sports as an alternative.

-Fred W

If they are available to you, Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 tyres outperform Toyo Proxes in the wet and are their equal in the dry. Fantastic tyres, I have them on my 330dSE Sport Auto. Badger.

Thanks. I live in New England and bought the 325xi to go in the snow when I need to, so they would definitely be all-season.

Do yourself a big favor and consider buying a set of summer skins now and a second set of wheels and tires for the winter months later. All season tires will never perform as well in the warm months. In the winter you really want some narrower tires for better performance in the crappy weather we get (I'm a New Englander too) and assuming you keep the car long enough to wear out both sets of tires, you will be ahead $$ in the long run.

YMMV,

-Fred W

the problem with all season is you really lose out in the long run, they suck in rain, ok in snow, ok in dry. depending how much snow you deal with.... you should consider winters and summers, to really get the best of both worlds! I just cringe at the thought of a 330xi having all seasons! it should have nice wide summers to fully enjoy the twisty scenic routes of new england!!! and then some Nokian Hakkepelita winters when the snow falls! put them on steel wheels or your alloys (steel is a better idea) No all season is really a joy to drive once you try a real summer set up..... and a bmw is all about the feel! I wish I had the cash for a 330xi, enjoy your sweet ride with whatever tires you get! my car:

"waywardguy" wrote: > I investigated things on TireRack and thought I had settled on > the > Continental ContiExtreme Contact. Then, the local Town Fare > Tire guy > suggested Yokohama AS430's as an alternative (comparable > cost). Tried > investigating the AS430 on tirerack, but perhaps it's an > after-market model > number for certain suppliers? Not sure what it equates to in > the standard > Yokohama line... I did have Yokohama's on an old Nissan I had > that > performed well. > > Any thoughts/opinions? The car came with Pirelli P6's, which > got me through > 41K+ miles, but they run loud... > > Thanks in advance, > -Dave

Just purchased a set of Yokohama AS430s from NTB. TYey ride very smooth an quiet and perform very well. NTB has a "buy 3 get 1 free" ad thru 5/31/05.

This is my 3rd set of Yokohamas for a Nissan Maxima. Previous tires were S305s, which were rougher riding, but performed very well in wet, dry or icy conditions. I got over 40K miles of wear on both sets of

305?s. The AS430s are rated UTOG 440 AA/A which is higher than the S305 and should mean longer wear.

The AS430 is basically the Avid H4/V4 with a slightly diffferent tread design and some additional sizes. This tire is sold at some of the major tire Companies like NTB, but not through normal Yokohama tier stores,as well as NTB.