[Wires]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

I think u meant OE versus genuine BMW, as fcpeuro defines OEM as:

"....produced by a manufacturer that supplies at least one OE part to a vehicle manufacturer. OEM parts may not have been original to the car, but are held to higher-quality standards and stringent quality control."

BTW, this is an interesting clip comparing BMW star vs. non BMW PS4S from Michelin, genuine BMW PS4S is designed to a different spec to non BMW PS4S.

Tires are a bit different. I cannot comment on BMW, but other manufacturers have the tire vendor skip certain processes to reduce cost. The Michelin's on my Acura were complete garbage, and when I mentioned it to the tire shop, they did the "yeh but, if it came delivered with those, it's a lessor product than we stock".

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by Wires

Tires are a bit different. I cannot comment on BMW, but other manufacturers have the tire vendor skip certain processes to reduce cost. The Michelin's on my Acura were complete garbage, and when I mentioned it to the tire shop, they did the "yeh but, if it came delivered with those, it's a lessor product than we stock".

Just for fun I search for replacement tires of 2021 RDX(on tirerack), but the listed OE Pirelli Scorpion Verde has no Acura-specific marking(not like BMW RSC star).... Does Acura have such marking for tires?

So are those Michelin on your Acura really genuine Acura(like BMW's), or Acura installs a lesser generic Michelin(at factory) compared to high(er) quality Michelin that the tire shop stocks with?

[Wires]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

Just for fun I search for replacement tires of 2021 RDX(on tirerack), but the listed OE Pirelli Scorpion Verde has no Acura-specific marking(not like BMW RSC star).... Does Acura have such marking for tires?

So are those Michelin on your Acura really genuine Acura(like BMW's), or Acura installs a lesser generic Michelin(at factory) compared to high(er) quality Michelin that the tire shop stocks with?

This was years ago, but they "looked and smelled" like normal Michelins, with no additional markings. Tire guy said they typically remove special treatments to help with longitivty, etc, to reduce cost. They were absolute garbage in all weather and driving conditions though.

My current Potenza S001's that came on my 340 have no markings either, are lasting, and I'm very happy with traction, so who knows. Being the "ultimate driving machine" I'd suspect that they get the "real deal" for tires.

[Billfitz]

The idea that OEM tires are sub-par doesn't get any traction with me. Low cost comes with economy of scale, so tires that aren't off the rack are likely to cost more, not less. Where OEM tires do come up short is with the warranty. For all intents and purposes there is none. That does lower the cost, and also gives the dealer the opportunity to sell seriously over-priced tire and wheel insurance coverage.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

The idea that OEM tires are sub-par doesn't get any traction with me. Low cost comes with economy of scale, so tires that aren't off the rack are likely to cost more, not less. Where OEM tires do come up short is with the warranty. For all intents and purposes there is none. That does lower the cost, and also gives the dealer the opportunity to sell seriously over-priced tire and wheel insurance coverage.

The insurance can easily be resolved by going with Costco/Americastire with prorated road hazards by default. In addition some tire brands(e.g. Pirelli in the past) have their own prorated road hazards too.

And BMW RSC star can be be low cost too, e.g. Pirelli P7 A/S RFT for F30 with BMW star was cheaper than others.

So one strategy is to get BMW star tires installed at Costco/Americastire to get best of both worlds, yes/no?

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by Wires

My current Potenza S001's that came on my 340 have no markings either, are lasting, and I'm very happy with traction, so who knows. Being the "ultimate driving machine" I'd suspect that they get the "real deal" for tires.

The S001's from factory should have the star RSC markings, maybe that's why u are happy with traction.