It just had to happen. I'm getting down the week before I order my wheels and tires and I just have to second guess my tire selection: BFG KDW 2s. It doesn't help though when I here others around me say, "Oh Mikey these Pirellis ride SOOOOOO SMOOOOTH," (Tire **** ). So I decided to come on trusty old NAM to get this thing sorted out in my LAST thread on my tire issue.

Tirerack.com shows that the only thing the KDW 2s do better than the Pirellis is in dry traction and that's only by .3. The Pirellis are quieter smoother and have better wet traction than the KDW 2s. In any other situation I would have gone with the Pirellis. But the KDW 2s just look so freakin' awesome! Plus they have this rim guard protector thingy, I guess ( is this actually useful?). <The Pirellis don't have this. The Pirellis only come (for a MINI) in 205/40/R17, a perfect excuse to get more low profile tires.

Which one should I get?

Mikey
Pirelli:

BFG:

 

Pirelli's have a higher UTQG # and less aggressive tread that will be quieter (in theory) as the tire wears. The BFG's like you already know are a bit better on dry pavement and are noisy, noisy as they wear. The rim protectors on most low profile tires are only slightly adept at keeping your wheels' lips from getting scratched. 99% of the people coming into my shop w/ lo-pro tires have some type of curb rash on the lips of their fancy alloys. They help w/ very minor curb contact, but don't expect them to save your wheels if you curb 'em w/ gusto. HTH

 

& thoose kdw's are it d pirellis pictured are not going 2 look like that on ur rim (as far as that nasty tire bulge) so they will look like d kdw's nice and low shoulders their both nice but if ur going 4 all out aggressive handling & looks u cant beat d kdw's im biased their my favorite but i did not buy them cuz could not get tire combo w/alex due 2 he does not carry piaa wheels so i got proxes 4... 17 40 215 on 7.5 wide rims & their nice and solid oh & that great rim guard edge will fight them curbs trust me iknow 4 a fact. kdw's rock though so u decide d pirelli's seem 2 tamed 2 me!!!!!

 

I've got the KDW-2s and I love them.
They've been on awhile now and I guess I've gotten used to the sound/ noise because I don't really notice it.
They've got great traction, as you know, and I couldn't pass on the look of that agressive tread design... its just too cool.

 

P Zero Nero.....

have them on both MINIs 215/35/18 & 215/40/18 they ride much better than the stock 17" run flats

Nice rain tire too, the Spec 2s I had sucked in the rain

I just don't go real agressive with my day to day tires. I think the Pirellis will wear well and give me a good all around tire. Soft "track tires" will wear too quickly and are made to run hot so they stay sticky

My 2 cents

 

But how do the two tires wear? I had a set of P Zero Neros in 18" and they looked like hell after about 6k miles. With my spirited driving and aggressive turning might be to blame. But after 6k they looked horrible. Also I have heard the tires have a projected lifespan of about 20k miles. Anyone else have such experience?

 

So, I have only got one pirelli vote, thats amazing. So would 205/40/R17 give me the lower profile look I am looking for, in the KDW 2s?

Oh, crap I just thought of this, will this^ screw up my ECU?

Please more votes!

Mikey

 

If you don't need an All Season tire it's a toss up unless the much noisier BFG's would be a problem for you. If you need an All Season then there is no question, get the Pirelli.

 

This is a joke right?

 

NO.
According to my dealer if I get slightly more low profile tires, it can throw off my ECU, Speedo, Flat tire Sensor,and other things.


MIKEY


HERE IS A COMPARISON CHART I MADE OF VARIOUS TIRES (attachment):
AS YOU CAN SEE THE STOCK TIRES SUCK, EITHER OF MY CHOICES IN AFTERMARKEET WOULD BE A HUGE GAIN OVER WHAT I HAVE NOW. THE PIRELLI WINS FIVE, THE KDW 2 WINS 3.

 

but of course i still don't know which one to get.

 

You shouldn't have any problems as long as the overall diameter is within ±3% of the factory specification.


You're comparing a summer tire with an all-season tire

 

Your dealer said what? Your choice of tires isn't going to mess up your ECU or how it functions. If you go with a rolling diameter that is significantly different than stock, it will affect your speedo accordingly. As long as you use same size all around, you'll have no problems with the flat tire monitor. I'm not sure where any of that came from. Going forward, I'd think twice about advice you receive from that individual at your MINI dealer.

As for KDW2 vs. P-Zero, they're both great tires. You have to ask yourself some questions about your needs. For aggressive driving in the dry, I'd give the nod to the KDW2. For ride, noise and rain, the P-Zero's going to be a bit better. Both are going to wear relatively quickly, especially if you frequently engage in spirited driving.

 

so 205/40/r17 will not affect my ECU? Interesting. Like I said before, either of the two tires are going to be significantly better than stock. I'm just looking for a tire that looks awesome and performs awesome. A tire and wheel combo that will help me draw more attention than what I am already getting with my car. I want to be able to take a clover leaf at whatever speed I want without the ABS kicking in. I just want to know the better tire of the two, that would meet these standards.

Thanks for the help so far!
Mikey

 

If looks and dry performance are the priority, KDW2 is the choice. If you want it all, consider the Goodyear GSD3.

Also, are you sure you mean ABS? Sounds like DSC to me.

 

I like the Perelli's... but then I just got them... very quiet... ifthe KDW's are not all season, then you don't want to drive them in the snow Mikey... so unless you have snow tires and rims or are going to store the car this winter... anywho, Adrian at The Tire Rack recomended the P Zero Nero's and I feel certain they're right for me.

 

I put the KDWs on my car a week ago, now have about 1400 miles on them. They stick far better than the stock Goodyears. They aren't as noisy either...Everyone said the KDWs were noisy but at freeway speeds even with the AC off the sound of the air coming in the vents is much louder than the tires.