so i am getting close to needing new tires and not sure what to get. i hate the run flats with a passion. i live in NC so i don't need all season tires, want something good for handling and grip and somthing that would ride better than the run flats and less noise if possible. i have the 17 inch rims. too many options out there, wonder what what people here will recomend. so far seems like M pilot super sport would be ideal.

 

Yeah, I've seen the most recommendations for the Michelin pilot super sports. I'm still on the original tires myself for another few thousand miles.

 

Bridgestone Potenza's check them out, non run flats.

 

How many miles are you at? I just broke 25k yesterday, I'm curious how far the run flats will go. They look good still.

 

I have 17k most of the roads I drive daily are undergoing construction so very ridged roads and I I can't say I drive casually. On my first car which was a Honda I changed my tires at 36k

 

Even though I run Blizzaks in the winter. I went with A/S tires after doing a ton of research. I ended up with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrical in 225/50x17. In TireRacks survey they were on a par with Conti DWS except they outscored the Contis in all categories except snow. That didn't matter to me as I run the snows in winter.

I read review-after-review for every time and all tires except the Goodyears had problems from noisy after break-in to low treadlife to bad wet traction. I've had mine now for 5k miles and just rotated them and they are performing just as good as when new.

Just because they're Goodyears don't discount them. They're a great tire.

 

I had Slickyear F1's on my GT500...stock tire. They SUCK!!! I would never buy them as a replacement tire.

 

And the above two posts demonstrate why I hate picking new tires and reading tire reviews. I just get more confused by the minute. . .

 

The thing about tire reviews is that different tires from the same manufacturer are different and everyone has a subjective experience. So while someone might have had a terrible experience with one tire model from a specific brand, it only represents their personal experience and only with that specific tire, not the whole brand. For the average tire reviewer, the only empirical data they can provide is mileage. Noise, ride quality, and grip will all be subjective if you aren't measuring them with instruments or doing a back-to-back test with different equipment on the same car. Would you say that the S2000 is a terrible sports car because the Fit is slow? For example, I hate Bridgestone RE050 tires. I think that they are loud, have sidewalls that are disproportionately hard for how much grip they provide, and begin to "slap" badly as the mileage adds up. Would I discount everything that Bridgestone makes because of that experience? No, but I won't ever spend my money on RE050s.

For what it's worth, I have never read a negative review of the Michelin Pilot Super Sports. I'm sure they exist but they must be pretty rare. The overall sentiment I've seen on the Continental Extreme Contact DW is very positive but not as enthusiastic as on the Michelins.

 

TireRack's tire tests are quite informative. Reviews and surveys not so much. Internet wannabe critics and fanboys? Pffft.

 

I like looking at the survey results matrix on tire rack. That shows how a specific tire stacks up in user reviews vs other tires in the category in a number of performance areas. I agree that individual reviews are pretty meaningless, but I've found that the survey results matrix to be very informative. I think you can get the overall character of the tire from this data. I particularly like the "would you buy it again" percentage. That really says it all.

 

On my second set of these. Love them - great stick wet or dry, very quiet, very smooth tire. I upsized from 205s to 215. They are cheaper in 215 size.

 

I have a set of Cooper RSA-3 and they have been very good so far. I was unable to get the Michelins in the size i wanted and these were rated well on quite a few reviews. Not as popular in some areas but they have been around for a while and are big in the racing screen, if that coutns for anyhting.

hey the name is pretty cool also, it matches a couple of other badges on my car

 

Just had my Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3's put on. Love them so far. So much quieter than my stock run flats. Had to go up to 225/50-17's but they look good and handle great so far.

 

I have a 2003 Mini Copper and tires are my bane! The stock Continentals were fantastic tires, I had them on the car at least 4yrs before replacing. Even when I did replace them the dealer thought they still had life in them. the second set of Continentals were not so good. I got 2yrs out of them before they were no longer legal tread depth. So no more Continentals for me, next I went with Yokahama Avid Envigor. Again the first set was ok and this second set needs to be replaced after exactly a year due to dry rot. The tread is still great but I do not need rotting tires.
I do not buy goodyear anything (bad bad experience with them and their warrenty), my x-husband had Hankooks and hated them. I want good quality, all season/touring tires, that will last longer than a year. I am glad to see more variety in brands now but that does not make this any easier.
I appreciate any feed back on good, bad and stuff to totally avoid. Thanks. gonna keep reading posts

 

While on the tire subject, where is a good place to get rims for winter. Nothing nice because European roads aren't that awesome. Also a good place to order some winter tires from that ship APO any suggestions would be awesome.

 

Check out Tire Rack's website as mentioned above. It's a great resource. Ask about tires on any website and you'll just get confused with the multitudes of tire recommendations. I have to chuckle at tire recommendation posts as, other than the consistent opinion RFs stink, if you go through previous posts the overwhelming opinion is all brands and models of tires owners purchased are the best :-) This basically helps you come to the conclusion all you need to do is walk in a tire warehouse, throw a rock, and whichever tire it bounces off of is the perfect set. Harhar. Seriously, though, If you have an idea what you're generally looking for in a tire you can narrow your search down at Tire Rack's website to identify the best tire for you. Their test comparison information is pretty helpful. I was quite satisfied with both brands/models of tires I purchased from them.

 

Sitting on a flight reading this and this is my take...
All season tires are for non performance cars like Toyota, Buick and Honda, they are decent at everything a good at nothing. Using cheap tires is like a want-to-be runner showing up at the track with your new Chinese Wal-Mart's on your foot. The best summer performance tires are the Pilot Super Sports (pricy) and the Bridgestones S04 poles that I have on my Paceman. A lot of Mini guy's in my area run Bridgestone 760's and its a great tire having run two sets on our r56's.

 

Hv DWS on the Mini and on others cars and fam car and they are great tires in dry and wet and light snow. Price is great too and last well.

 

i got the michelin ps3's on my r60s, size is 225/50 17 . made the ride so much better and lots of grip.

 

I just dropped the ContiSportContact 5 SSR's (24k miles) from my R60 and went with the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's. I seriously considered the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2 as well (would've been ~25% cheaper).

A good analogy would be to say it's like a competitive runner going from track spikes to a high-end running shoe. It de-claws your paws.

Pros:

Quieter, smoother, more 'polite' ride. Not scared of road imperfections or speedbumps anymore. My dental work can appreciate that. The lack of droning road noise actually made my sound system sound better. 45000k mile tread warranty. New tire smell.

Cons:

Steering response is not quite as immediate. Definitely notice the softer sidewalls of the AS vs Conti RFs. Can feel them flex and spring back a bit when entering and leaving sweeping turns. Body roll more noticeable. Makes me wonder what it would feel like with the sport handling package I did not opt for. I peeled out (screeeech) for the first time ever when accelerating into a sharp left turn, trying to merge into traffic. Overall, it feels a bit less Mini and more sport wagon. I wonder if the difference would be as noticeable on an R56. Overall, it's somewhat more 'ride' than 'drive' now.

My advice:

Don't fool yourself. The Michelin AS3's are arguably the best high performance all season tire on the market. But it's a tradeoff. If you don't want to lose ANY performance or precision in handling, stick with a summer tire. Just accept the fact that you'll be replacing them every 20k or so.

I think I might have been happier with the Michelin Super Sports, treadwear be damned.

 

for those switching from rfs to non-rfs I suggest you increase tire pressure

I am running 38 rear and 44 front (cold pressure) with my michelin pss 18 inch

arrived at the pressure using a tire pyrometer

so far with about 8,000 miles and 2 tire rotations, all tires are wearing evenly

turn in is MUCH crisper and the tires do not howl at the limit

 

I went with the Michelin Pilot Super Sports on my R56 MCS and I love them. I can hear the wind, the stereo, conversations, and they have yet to squeal despite some abrupt cornering. They feel glued to the asphalt. I see others run much higher pressures but I do 90% freeway driving and have kept my pressures at: 38F and 34R with very nice gas mileage and they still corner just fine off the freeways. I hated the original Conti run flats, as others have said, I gritted my teeth and had concerns for my dental work every time I spotted a road imperfection and hung on. The new tires ride like glass in comparison. 8,000 miles so far, rotate for free after every oil change at 5k miles, looking good. I put on 215s rather than the standard 205s (215/45/17) and am pleased with the better protection from curb rash on the wheels.

 

Pirelli P7 tires are awesome, and top rated at Tire Rack. I got them at Sams for less than 100 each including road warranty. They are not run flats, so the ride is very smooth and handling excellent.

 

My CM has about 25K and the run flats are still looking good. Plan to rotate again soon.

When I replace I plan on getting Continental ContiSportContact 3 SSRs as they should have a much better feeling ride that the OEM Bridgestones that were on there. My girl friend has a Mini Convertible and she got those tires from Tire Rack and what a difference compared to the Bridgestones. An very different feeling car now and less road noise.