Tyre Recommendation Thread

[E46-Munster]

Where are you getting the Sport Maxx at that price?

Have a set of 4 already that need replacing and they're coming in at €160 a corner.

Very good tyre for grip and road noise. Not so much for length of time they'll last though!

[JohnH]

Holy thread resurrection!!

I need new tyres on the e30 before it comes out of slumber.

The size is, of course, 205/55/15 so what’s available is somewhat limited.

Right now I’m between Continental PremiumContact 2 or Uniroyal Rainsport 3s.

Normally Contis are my go to choice for tyres but the PremiumContact 2s are an older design at this stage. Also the RS3s get great reviews apart from wear, which isn’t really an issue given the low mileage the e30 does.

Does anyone have experience of either, specifically on an e30? Or is there something else I should consider?

[Big H]

Yeah - as you said the Conti's are fairly old technology at this stage.

I suppose a lot would depend on the type of driving you do, and do you want something leaning towards sporty or comfort ?

I've RS3's on the wife's VW CC and they are fantastic in the dry and equally so in the wet (as you'd expect). I've yet to come across a tyre that is as confidence inspiring in the wet TBH (even with plenty of standing water). Helps of course that the asymetrical tread design looks the business too....

[JohnH]

Yeah - as you said the Conti's are fairly old technology at this stage.

I suppose a lot would depend on the type of driving you do, and do you want something leaning towards sporty or comfort ?

I've RS3's on the wife's VW CC and they are fantastic in the dry and equally so in the wet (as you'd expect). I've yet to come across a tyre that is as confidence inspiring in the wet TBH (even with plenty of standing water). Helps of course that the asymetrical tread design looks the business too....

Thanks, it’ll be brought into daily use during the summer with the odd bit of weekend pootling around.

I’m not looking for a track tyre but the car will be used enthusiastically, particularly when I’m running late so I don’t want it to be wallowy or too soft. The one thing that really bugs me in a tyre is when it’s damp out and tyres slip when you’re pulling away from a junction.

[dergside]

I have RS's on the e60 and would concur with Big H's comments on them in the wet. However, one of the ways of achieving this is to make them fairly soft and squishy on the sidewalls, even with 50 profile on the e530i they do mean it isn't the sharpest steerer. I can only imagine that they might feel a bit loose on the iS. I had some positive experience with Vredstein Sporttrac's in a close size on an e36, but that was a few years ago. No recent experience.

[JohnH]

I have RS's on the e60 and would concur with Big H's comments on them in the wet. However, one of the ways of achieving this is to make them fairly soft and squishy on the sidewalls, even with 50 profile on the e530i they do mean it isn't the sharpest steerer. I can only imagine that they might feel a bit loose on the iS. I had some positive experience with Vredstein Sporttrac's in a close size on an e36, but that was a few years ago. No recent experience.

Thanks Dergside, exactly the insight I’m looking for but unfortunately it brings me back to zero. I had Verestein Sessantas on the e46 years ago and hated them because they slipped in the damp so I ruled out Vreds since. I must look into Sporttracs now though.

[RossYB]

I'm running Hankook Ventus Prime 3 (195/45R16) and find them brilliant.... Was going to go Uniroyal but apparently they wore out very early compared to others.

[JohnH]

Interestingly the Bild 2018 15” tyre test puts the Hankook Ventus Prime 3 top of the pile.

It is 1st in dry braking & handling and 3rd in wet braking & handling. It’s only 15th in the aquaplaning test but this is likely to be less relevant as the e30 won’t be out in the pouring rain.

By contrast the RS3 is 19th in dry braking, 17th in dry handling, 17th in wet handling, 2nd in wet braking and 1st in Aquaplaning.

Given it’s so bad for handling and not a huge amount better for wet braking I think we have a new contender.
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article...-Tyre-Test.htm

[Curran]

Ive Hankook Ventus S1 Evo2's on the E39 and a great tyre so far...just another thumbs up for Hankook

[dergside]

Side comment re. RS's. A lot of review, etc. of these tyres mention the wear rate as being high.

The 530 had these tyres on when I bought it, fronts weren't new but didn't have a huge amount of wear and the rears could have been, maybe, half worn. I added 10k to the rears before I replaced them. I'd guess they'd covered 18-20k in total.

I can't even remember what I changed them for, Goodyear possibly. They gripped well but were shot within 15k miles.

The front RS's were replaced after I'd added 24k miles, plus whatever from before me. Full set of RS's added again and 12k miles in I doubt that either front or rear is more than half worn at this stage. Nothing shabby about that.