[LMK5]

Had to get rid of the ContiSportContact SSRs after just 10k miles. They just made the car feel/sound like an armored personnel carrier. Never have I ever had to replace tires this early or for this reason, but hey, live and learn. I wound up going the Driveguard route, getting the $70 off plus free installation at Costco. These tires are also covered by a "30 day buy and try" guarantee from Bridgestone.

First a word about Costco. You got to love these guys. I was going to order the tires online from Costco but it said that it would take 5-10 working days. I was hoping to get them on sooner. So I called our "go-to" Costco and a very pleasant guy mentioned that if I come down and pay for them he'd likely have them in 48 hours. Less than 24 hours later I got a call and was told they're at the store. I was then able to have them installed the next day (Saturday). The store opens at 7AM so I thought I'd be slick and get there at 6:45AM so I could be the first one. Not quite. I was number 10 in line. I had the car back at 11AM and, I had mentioned to them that I wanted to keep the tires that came off (they have 6/32 left) in case I needed them for lease return. What a nice surprise it was when I saw that they had put each tire in a bag and loaded them in the car for me! BTW I had already emptied the trunk and folded the seats down.

Now, about the tires. I immediately felt the improvement. The car is softer over bumps and the road noise has been cut. Most of all, I don't feel that unpleasant grittiness through the steering wheel. As of this time I have felt no handling deficiency vs. the supposedly AA traction rated Conti RFTs. The slight shimmy I've had in the steering wheel from 40-55MPH since day one is now gone. Cornering is fine. Highway speeds are stable and quiet. The car is just more pleasant to drive.

Hopefully the performance will be there as the miles accumulate. I'm hoping I can keep these on when I return the car at lease end after 20k additional miles.

[bavarianride]

Good to hear another happy Costco, and Driveguard customer.

Costco just had a Bridgestone discount ($70) plus $0.01 installation, it was an awesome deal, just ended yesterday.

My Driveguard works really well for last 25k miles, it should last another 5k+ and the next set will also be Driveguard.

The tire is so good, it really eliminates most of the harshness from OEM RFT, plus it is still a RFT!

[LMK5]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

Good to hear another happy Costco, and Driveguard customer.

Costco just had a Bridgestone discount ($70) plus $0.01 installation, it was an awesome deal, just ended yesterday.

My Driveguard works really well for last 25k miles, it should last another 5k+ and the next set will also be Driveguard.

The tire is so good, it really eliminates most of the harshness from OEM RFT, plus it is still a RFT!

That's the deal I got.

[bavarianride]

Very cool. The $0.01 installation did not include TPMS kit, right?

[ooshnoo]

Is 30K miles really the expected life of the Driveguard tires? If so, the I gotta start budgeting.

[LMK5]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

Very cool. The $0.01 installation did not include TPMS kit, right?

Correct.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by ooshnoo

Is 30K miles really the expected life of the Driveguard tires? If so, the I gotta start budgeting.

BS tire wear warranty on Driveguard is 50k to 60k miles dependent on speed rating, but that is usually ignored in my household as that only applies when tire is worn to 2/32, with mandatory 5k-7k miles per tire rotation.

Both BMW and CR suggest new tires when current ones are worn to 3/32-4/32, and for my usage, that is around 30k-35k miles.


https://www.bridgestonetire.com/cont...s-05-12-17.pdf

[X2 Monstah]

I put Driveguards on my wife's 1er. HUGE improvement over the stock Contis. She has about 30k miles on them now and they barely look worn. I rotate them once a year (about every 8-10k miles).

[Gijutsusha]

I also have Driveguards on my wife's E90 to keep the RFT set up for safety. (Went to MPSS on my F30). I've been happy with the performance of the Driveguards, although have had multiple replacements due to sidewall bubbling (or failure) after encountering potholes. Fortunately, had the hazard warranty from Discount Tire and was easily replaced. Wear and handling have been good. I plan to stick with them if/when need to be replaced.

[The Airman]

Great write up and review !!

And yes, Costco is the only place I go for tires. With the nitrogen fill, and the hand torquing of the lug nut, their professionalism and prices can't be beat.

My factory Potenza's have a tread wear index of 280 and the Driveguard's have an index of 460 in my size, so theoretically, they should last almost twice as long.

Good to know !!

[LMK5]

Originally Posted by Gijutsusha

I also have Driveguards on my wife's E90 to keep the RFT set up for safety. (Went to MPSS on my F30). I've been happy with the performance of the Driveguards, although have had multiple replacements due to sidewall bubbling (or failure) after encountering potholes. Fortunately, had the hazard warranty from Discount Tire and was easily replaced. Wear and handling have been good. I plan to stick with them if/when need to be replaced.

I did read some reports of sidewall bubbling on tirerack.com. I'll have to keep my fingers crossed.