New Tires

[Intermezzo]

Hello,

Does anyone know where I can get new tires for my '06 M35 Sport at a good price? The cheapest I could find was at Just Tires at a price of just over $1,200 for a set of four.

This is probably a dumb question, but do I have to stick with 245/40's or is a little leeway possible? Say, 235/50?

[GJEMD]

I have a set of KHUMO's and they are fantastic for temperate climate.Excellent handling, quiet, and wear. I paid $140/tire installed. Can't be beat as long as you don't face Winter driving.

[newkiebrown]

Hello,

I just got new tires for my '06 M45 Sport and it was defintely a hard decision for me. My main criteria was a tire that can has great dry and wet traction and I did not need all-season tires as I would never drive my car in the snow. Thats what my wifes SUV is for And most of all a tire that looked really nice. I think that sidewall and tread can make a huge difference in how the cars stands...

After much research I ended up with Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s 245/40/19ZR XL - I ended up with a good deal through Tirerack.com and having them shipped to my mechanic who gave me a killer deal on mounting and balancing.

I got the Eagle F1's is because of the specs and great reviews I've been hearing. This is what I know compared to the OEM Potenza RE050's the car came with:

- The Traction rating is a the same if not better (A to AA)- The Dry AND wet traction ratings are both superior to the RE050's and most importantly, for me, the tread wear is better (lasts longer).. the rating is 140 compared to 240. Thats a 10k mi difference, depending on how you drive and up-keep... The RE050's have a stiffer sidewall than the Eagle F1's do (You should've seen my mechanic try to muscle the tire off the wheel! ). This will technically give you better feel and response. For me, I haven't really driven my car too hard, being that I've only had it for 3 weeks now, but I dont feel much of a difference. So far the response feels exactly the same to me.

I've also heard that the RE050's end up generating lots of road noise... I felt and heard the noise, got a balance and rotation and the noise was STILL there... I just had to change my tires. There was no way I was gonna drive or show off my new M45 to my friends with that aweful sound.

As far as sizing goes, a genereal rule of thumb would be "plus 1, minus 1" so if you went up in width, go down in height. I would stick with the stock size so you don't run in to possible Speedometer issues, which would have a minimal impact though.

I fully recommend the Eagle F1's and I'm sure tons of people agree.

Good luck on your decision.

[szh]

Welcome to NICO!

Yes, the Goodyear tire you mention is excellent - it is what I use right now too and I like them a lot.

Please look at the stickies at the top of this forum - I have a list of possible tires that make sense for you all to consider!

One other point I would make though: Don't compare the 140 wear rating from one manufacturer to the 240 from another! These wear ratings do not compare across vendors - only within the same vendor tires - since the test methods are not as standardized as we would like them to be, unfortunately.

Z

[newkiebrown]

Welcome to NICO!

Yes, the Goodyear tire you mention is excellent - it is what I use right now too and I like them a lot.

Please look at the stickies at the top of this forum - I have a list of possible tires that make sense for you all to consider!

One other point I would make though: Don't compare the 140 wear rating from one manufacturer to the 240 from another! These wear ratings do not compare across vendors - only within the same vendor tires - since the test methods are not as standardized as we would like them to be, unfortunately.

Z

Great point on treadwear rating!

It doesn't seem right to me that a "technically" (technically to what standards?) better tire (according to specs) have a higher treadwear rating??? One would think that a tire with better traction and better performance under dry AND wet, wouldn't last as long.

How long do you think the F1's will last me? I drive pretty harmlessly... nothing excessive - just the occasional push. I'm also good about maintenance and rotations. I figure 20-25k?

D.O.T should get involved and standardize so I can make a more confident decision next time I get tires.

Anyhow, good tire - just dont take your car in the snow, unless you want to practice drifting

[szh]

I am on my second set of Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's. First set lasted about just about 20k miles as I recall, and this one is about at 21k miles right now.

Note that I change tires at about 3/42" to 4/32" of tread depth - if you want to go to the legal limit of 2/32", you might get a few more thousand miles out of it, and I am doing about 60% highway driving.

Yes, you are accurate in your estimates. I think that people should see somewhere between 15k to 25k miles from these tires, depending on your driving conditions and driving style! If you are careful, then the higher end, if you burn-out a lot, then the lower end.

Z

[szh]

Anyhow, good tire - just dont take your car in the snow, unless you want to practice drifting

Very true!

But, these tires are outstanding in wet weather (non-freezing!)

Z