Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandman99
Maybe you guys can help me out with the same issue...I am in DC area...lots of rain throughout year...minimal snow (usually)...but can get quite cold in winter...I am ordering a 335 xDrive M-Sport and trying to decide on 18s A/S or 19s Summers but do not want to deal with 2 sets of wheels/tires...and the 19s do not come in A/S RFTs so no option there for A/S...Any opinions on looks, feel, driving, would be appreciated...
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Your conditions sound ideal for ultra high performance all seasons.
Bridgestone RE970's Conti DWS.
Check them out on tirerack.com.
There is a test of those and Michelin and Pirelli UHP AS tires.
From experience I can tell you that the Conti DWS are excellent in the rain and cold and wet roads. They have a bit softer sidewall than the other UHP AS tires, but they are awesome in the rain and cold, and light to moderate snow. They also wear very well. For a UHP tire you'll get over 30K miles on them.
Take a look at the performance tests for the UHP AS tires, with the RE970, and compare them to one of the Max summer performance tests, with Michelin PS2's.
The UHP AS tires don't post slalom and track lap times as fast as the Max summer tires. But, over all the UHP AS tires post the same dry stopping distances, UHP AS have a bit better cornering grip, and they beat the Max summer perf tires in wet conditions.
UHP AS also compare favorably to UHP summer tires. UHP summer perf tires seem to do a bit better in wet conditions than Max perf summers.
Max perf summer tires maximize warn and dry grip.
I went with 18" summer tires on my Msport because I wanted the staggered sizing, with a wider rear tire.
If you get the AS tire option, I believe the tires are square, meaning same width all around. Square is good because you can rotate the tires and get longer wear. Staggered gives wider rear for a bit better lateral grip around turns.
This likely won't matter to you, but if you go with AS tires from the factory, the speed limit is set to the lower speed and not the 155mph limit.
The OEM AS tires aren't the best AS tires for performance.
If BMW would have offered a UHP AS tire, like the Bridgestone RE970 or Conti DWS, I would have optioned those instead..
I'll be swapping my 18" staggered set for UHP AS's in October.
They are non RFT, which give a better ride, and handle sharp bumps better.
I will use that set for my 3yr lease year round.