Summer Tire Advice

[AlfaEric]

yes I do drive a M3 - but I am scared of tracking/autocrossing it - so haven't mustered up the courage of attending any events yet. Every year I get the complete checkup done with the intent of signing up for something - but chicken out at the last minute.

Registration is open for the autocross school.
http://www.nccbmwcca.org/index.php?id=98,64,0,0,1,0

---Eric

[pranu]

What tire pressures do u normally run?

I used to follow the placard for the 19" sizes. (Although my sizes are the non-OEM 19s - I figured that was good enough.)

Since the time I had the crack (and switched to winters then) I found out that a higher PSI would help me safegaurd my rims better.

So I guess this time around - I need more education on what might be right - and what would I sacrifice by going higher?

(I have much to learn )

[pranu]

Registration is open for the autocross school.
http://www.nccbmwcca.org/index.php?id=98,64,0,0,1,0

---Eric

Thinking about it

Not sure if I am in town that weekend...

Thanks for the heads up though!

[jkuper]

I used to follow the placard for the 19" sizes. (Although my sizes are the non-OEM 19s - I figured that was good enough.)

Since the time I had the crack (and switched to winters then) I found out that a higher PSI would help me safegaurd my rims better.

So I guess this time around - I need more education on what might be right - and what would I sacrifice by going higher?

(I have much to learn )

I think I ran smth like 37/38F and 35/36R COLD when I had the E49 with 19" CSL wheels. I think numbers on the door were considerably lower.

[bren]

So I guess this time around - I need more education on what might be right - and what would I sacrifice by going higher?

Ride comfort/harshness, and possibly wear if you over-inflate too much.

[magnetic1]

The T1R is a good all around street performer and is relatively cheap.

The Hankook would be another good bet for more grip, but higher wear.

[pranu]

So I spoke to Sam at Radial Tire - his view was

1. SPII - Very good - Expensive
2. Goodyear Eagle F1- GSD3 - Almost Equally good as the Michelins
3. Toyo - almost as good as the Eagle F1 - just gives you a quicker feel.

So i decided to go with the Goodyears - since I had them before and I really liked them. But apparently they are hard to get right now and the price is through the roof - so I decided to go with the Toyo's instead. Definitely a huge saving in $$$ over the others.

Thanks all for your opinions folks!

[1996 328ti]

You may want to wait until after this weekend to put on summer tires.
Expect temps in the low 20s.

[OwnedbyDuncan]

Nothing better than Easter Egg hunts in the snow!

Dave Apker

[4WDrift]

For a summer daily tire, my priorities are 1 - stiff sidewall for response/handling, 2 - wet traction, 3 - dry traction. Dry test results will be close enough and higher than most everyday conditions, while wet test results are much more relevant to daily use IMO: a poor wet tire will really show it, though the max perf category should already be close to your limits. My choice brands are: Bridgestone, Toyo, Yokohama, Firestone (BS clone), and Goodyear. Michelin is too expensive for the value.

[slantsixm3]

All:
I'm on my second set of Bridgestone RE950's, that should say something.
Good wear, smooth ride, good road feel, excellent rain performance, good dry performance. I just commuter-drive on the street. As should you.

We had a student car at SP-Jeff last year in moderate-heavy rain on Toyo T1R's that drove past us like it had claws. Amazing. Ask (our) Jenson Button...

Pranu-
An easy way to decide about getting involved with driving events is to attend without participating. It's free, at either autocross or driver's school. Just hang out and observe the scene. At either, the event co-ordinators can probably get you a "ride-along" with someone else, it's great fun, and the only way to really know what you are getting into. At some driver's schools, if you are around on Saturday evening, you also get a great bbq dinner.

[pranu]

We had a student car at SP-Jeff last year in moderate-heavy rain on Toyo T1R's that drove past us like it had claws. Amazing. Ask (our) Jenson Button...

Now that makes me feel VERY GOOD about my decision!!!

Pranu-
An easy way to decide about getting involved with driving events is to attend without participating. It's free, at either autocross or driver's school. Just hang out and observe the scene. At either, the event co-ordinators can probably get you a "ride-along" with someone else, it's great fun, and the only way to really know what you are getting into. At some driver's schools, if you are around on Saturday evening, you also get a great bbq dinner.

Yeah - I do hope to attend the AutoXs this year to see what the fuss is all about . Looking forward to it actually.

[mynameisBMW]

All:
I'm on my second set of Bridgestone RE950's, that should say something.
Good wear, smooth ride, good road feel, excellent rain performance, good dry performance. I just commuter-drive on the street. As should you.

I second this. I got my first set of Bridgestone's a couple of weeks ago and have just finished wearing them past the release agent. They stick as good as I can expect and are extremely quiet compared to the Falken's that I used to run. I run them with about 30 psi and will probably dial that up soon. Check out the reviews on tirerack, I know it is not gospel because whenever that many people are involved there are bound to be a lot who have no idea what they are doing, but people have put a lot of miles on these tires. There are not a lot who have bad things to say about them.

[pranu]

So I got my Toyo T1-Rs last Thursday. Was down in Richmond for Saturday when the decently heavy rains hit us - drove up to Centreville, in the rain - and felt quite comfortable with the tires - there was a little bit of water accumulation here and there along the way - but I never felt the car slide out from under me. Did give me a bit of confidence.

I am guessing that things will only get better after I am done with about 1000+ odd miles on the new tires. Am at about 650 right now.

Already yesterday I decided to try and have some fun and pushed the car a little bit on the slight curvy part of Compton road - enjoyed it!

Thanks all for your advice again!