[ouengineer]

When I first got the car, I was quite happy with the stock run flat tires (225/45/18 Continental ContiProContact SSR) that came on it. They were comfortable and quiet enough on smooth roads, provided the tire pressure wasn't above the mid 30's. They gripped well enough to take corners very hard, though I could occasionally push the limit. Overall, they seemed to be quite good tires. However, from reviews, it seemed possible to change the car quite a bit with better tires.

After a lot of research, I went with the Pirelli P-Zero All Season Plus Revised Compound in 245/40/18. After looking through tons of tests, individual reviews, and forum posts, these seemed to be the best for what I was looking for and were also at the lowest price point. For more winter traction, I would have went with the BFGoodrich or Continental version of UHP A/S, but I really just limp my vehicle home during the occasional snow and stay there or don't drive at all.

After reading all of the individual reviews, I shouldn't have been surprised when the tires completely transformed the car. But I was. The car now went from having accurate steering and good turn-in response with not much feel to having very precise steering and excellent response with good feel. I can now actually feel the road when I drive. Not like the previous generation hydraulic steering, but enough to know what the surface underneath me is like and what the tires are doing to grip it.

And the grip, it is phenomenal. It even seems to talk to you about how much is left; and it always seems to say you're not even close, keep pushing. It is incredibly confidence inspiring. The car went from "fun to drive" to "I can't believe I get to drive this car again today!".

All of this would be moot though if I had turned my daily driver into a harsh, noisy, uncomfortable vehicle. Instead, the ride comfort and noise got much better. No longer does a bump or pothole sound and feel like a bomb went off and jar the entire car. There is little to no detectable road noise inside the car and it is so much smoother over any road imperfections. The ride, to me, is absolutely perfect.

In summation, I really can't imagine a better tire for anyone looking for luxury and sport in a daily driver. I can't wait to take it to the local mountain roads.

[maduroz]

I agree completely. I switched to these on my e90 335i xDrive instead of the stock Conti RFT's which were just horrible. It baffles me that if you do want all-season tires on a car like this the only option is a touring tire.

I even tried the Michelin Pilot Sport AS3's and the Conti DWS 06's. The Michelins were the best for grip but worst for winter and wear. The Conti DWS would probably been the best in winter but were unstable for cornering. The Pirelli was the best all around tire and I will be taking the stock Conti RFT's off my 2017 340i xDrive soon enough and putting on a set.

I started doing 3,000 mile rotations to try and get more miles out of them and to keep the wear more even. I also kept an eye on the air pressure. I liked mine at 35psi all around.

Does the 245/40/18 feel like a good size? That's the size I want to go with but on my e90 when I tried 245/45/17 with the Conti DWS's, it felt like the wheel was not wide enough. Even though the recommended wheel width was fine for that tire. It might have just been that tire too. I ended up getting a 235/45/17 in the Pirelli for my e90 because I didn't want to deal with it not fitting or feeling right.

[Rick4345]

If it helps I have the M Sport package and it came with 225/45R18 and255/40R18 in the rear. I don't know if 245 would be a good choice for the rear.

[ouengineer]

Originally Posted by maduroz

Does the 245/40/18 feel like a good size? That's the size I want to go with but on my e90 when I tried 245/45/17 with the Conti DWS's, it felt like the wheel was not wide enough. Even though the recommended wheel width was fine for that tire. It might have just been that tire too. I ended up getting a 235/45/17 in the Pirelli for my e90 because I didn't want to deal with it not fitting or feeling right.

245/40 is perfect on an 8" or 8.5" wheel with this tire. It's a completely square sidewall on the stock 8" wide wheels and feels very stiff. Was it a 17x7.5 wheel maybe? It could also just have been softer sidewalls on that particular tire that flex too much when they aren't stretched a bit.

235/45 works. I had considered that size as well, but it was quite a bit more expensive. Going wider is not necessarily better (or grippier) either. Especially for an awd vehicle that doesn't need straight line traction. The compound the tire is made from and the temperatures and conditions its made to perform in makes the difference. You could have 275 summer/race tires on your car and it might not take a corner faster because you aren't able to get the tires hot enough to work properly (this is why competitive auto-x cars will have tiny width tires that are perfectly matched to the heat their car can generate on an auto-x course).

So, basically, don't worry too much about size. As long as you have a square setup and run the same tire pressure all around (or you have calculated reasons not to), the tire itself will be the difference maker.

I'm anywhere from 35-39 psi (same all around) depending on the temperature that day (wild swings right now in April). Hopefully, I'll get a feel for whether or not I like the higher pressures, but likely I'll lower it soon to try to keep it fluctuating between 34 and 36 psi and just stick with that.

[maduroz]

Originally Posted by ouengineer

245/40 is perfect on an 8" or 8.5" wheel with this tire. It's a completely square sidewall on the stock 8" wide wheels and feels very stiff. Was it a 17x7.5 wheel maybe? It could also just have been softer sidewalls on that particular tire that flex too much when they aren't stretched a bit.

235/45 works. I had considered that size as well, but it was quite a bit more expensive. Going wider is not necessarily better (or grippier) either. Especially for an awd vehicle that doesn't need straight line traction. The compound the tire is made from and the temperatures and conditions its made to perform in makes the difference. You could have 275 summer/race tires on your car and it might not take a corner faster because you aren't able to get the tires hot enough to work properly (this is why competitive auto-x cars will have tiny width tires that are perfectly matched to the heat their car can generate on an auto-x course).

So, basically, don't worry too much about size. As long as you have a square setup and run the same tire pressure all around (or you have calculated reasons not to), the tire itself will be the difference maker.

I'm anywhere from 35-39 psi (same all around) depending on the temperature that day (wild swings right now in April). Hopefully, I'll get a feel for whether or not I like the higher pressures, but likely I'll lower it soon to try to keep it fluctuating between 34 and 36 psi and just stick with that.

I had it on a 17x8" wheel so it should've been fine. Maybe it was just the tire. I'll go with the Pirelli's again but I think I will go the 245/40/18 like you did. Thanks.

[taranfx]

Originally Posted by ouengineer

When I first got the car, I was quite happy with the stock run flat tires (225/45/18 Continental ContiProContact SSR) that came on it. They were comfortable and quiet enough on smooth roads, provided the tire pressure wasn't above the mid 30's. They gripped well enough to take corners very hard, though I could occasionally push the limit. Overall, they seemed to be quite good tires. However, from reviews, it seemed possible to change the car quite a bit with better tires.

After a lot of research, I went with the Pirelli P-Zero All Season Plus Revised Compound in 245/40/18. After looking through tons of tests, individual reviews, and forum posts, these seemed to be the best for what I was looking for and were also at the lowest price point. For more winter traction, I would have went with the BFGoodrich or Continental version of UHP A/S, but I really just limp my vehicle home during the occasional snow and stay there or don't drive at all.

After reading all of the individual reviews, I shouldn't have been surprised when the tires completely transformed the car. But I was. The car now went from having accurate steering and good turn-in response with not much feel to having very precise steering and excellent response with good feel. I can now actually feel the road when I drive. Not like the previous generation hydraulic steering, but enough to know what the surface underneath me is like and what the tires are doing to grip it.

And the grip, it is phenomenal. It even seems to talk to you about how much is left; and it always seems to say you're not even close, keep pushing. It is incredibly confidence inspiring. The car went from "fun to drive" to "I can't believe I get to drive this car again today!".

All of this would be moot though if I had turned my daily driver into a harsh, noisy, uncomfortable vehicle. Instead, the ride comfort and noise got much better. No longer does a bump or pothole sound and feel like a bomb went off and jar the entire car. There is little to no detectable road noise inside the car and it is so much smoother over any road imperfections. The ride, to me, is absolutely perfect.

In summation, I really can't imagine a better tire for anyone looking for luxury and sport in a daily driver. I can't wait to take it to the local mountain roads.

How is the body roll vs stock RFTs?

[yoon_209]

i switched from run flats to pirelli pzero all season were okay for me. made alot of road noise and didnt grip very well better than run flats but not the best

i just switched to pilot super sports and you cant even compare. wow