michelin or pirelli tyres...

[love30]

Hi Guys, I need to replace all four tyres on my new 325i...was debating between michelins or pirellis...what do you guys think???

Jay

[ajm-e30]

pirellis are quite softish but reasonably priced but the michy is a much better quality tyre, i personally would use bridgestones as they give very good grip and r hardwearing.hth adam

[orangecurry]

neither

could we be told your wheel size, and preferred tyre width?

Toyo T1R is highly rated and cheaper than either of the above, but I have never actually bought any

I prefer Goodyear.

[Demlotcrew]

I would say

Michelins
Goodyear
Toyo T1R

In that order for a road car.

Andrew

[benjy]

I have toyo's all round on my iS and i wouldnt waste my money on them again! Great in the dry, bloody lethal in the wet.......I mean you really dont have to try at all and it will spin both wheels in 1st, an i aint got an lsd! then keep it spinnin, up hill in 2nd an 3rd, as my mate Dave saw the other day
I am hopin that i am alone in these experiences..............What's your 2p worth?

[ivqii]

I have just had 4 Pirelli P6000's fitted as they were at a VERY good price-I am happy so far with ride and grip on the 15" BBS xspokes

But over many years of motoring in all types of cars I have come to prefer Goodyears - but thats for ordinary road use albeit of the not hanging about kind

[Bob_S]

in my experience I would say mitchelins anyday over pirelli's.
I've not use goodyears personally but have only heard good things.

[SCOTT325SE]

I have just had 4 Pirelli P6000's fitted as they were at a VERY good price-I am happy so far with ride and grip on the 15" BBS xspokes

Thats interesting, because I'm finding the 2x Pirelli P6000 on the front of my 325 to be utter wank! Understeer is a word I'd use, allong with "utterly sh1t!"

My prefferred tyre for the fronts are Goodyear Eagle F1..... but they dont come cheap! My favourite drift/dont care tyre for the back.... Champiro GT Radials (dont laugh) However, if you want a good tyre and arent going to skin the life out of it by drifting it places, i would go for Eagle F1's all round.

[billgatese30]

I have just had 4 Pirelli P6000's fitted as they were at a VERY good price-I am happy so far with ride and grip on the 15" BBS xspokes

Thats interesting, because I'm finding the 2x Pirelli P6000 on the front of my 325 to be utter wank! Understeer is a word I'd use, allong with "utterly sh1t!"

My prefferred tyre for the fronts are Goodyear Eagle F1..... but they dont come cheap! My favourite drift/dont care tyre for the back.... Champiro GT Radials (dont laugh) However, if you want a good tyre and arent going to skin the life out of it by drifting it places, i would go for Eagle F1's all round.

but you struggle to get them for 15" xspokes nowadays

i went for dunlop sp9000 instead.......great tyre

[SCOTT325SE]

I can still get hold of Eagle F1's buddy. I have so many sources its unreal!

[ajm-e30]

toyo's r utter dogs piss, we dont sell them at work cos theyre that crap!!

[Demlotcrew]

Toyo are good, just a little funny when hot, consistency would be good.

Andrew

[Bob_S]

ajm-e30, I dont suppose you sell nankangs do you?

toyo's are fine, only prob I found was that the sidewalls need to be a bit stiffer

[ajm-e30]

no but can get them, if your after a good budget try a barum,probably the best budget iv used, there made by continental which speaks for itself, or firestone which is a bridgestone, pm me if u need more details mate

[Bob_S]

my view on barum/continental? utter garbage mate! worse than champiro's!

I like firestones much better tyre but would rather be buying goodyear, toyo or mitchelins

[gazza]

not everyones cup of tea i use avon zv3 205/55/15 and honestly cannot fault them in all weathers i buy mine from www.camskill.co.uk and if you buy 2 they deliver for free

[orangecurry]

I have toyo's all round on my iS and i wouldnt waste my money on them again! Great in the dry, bloody lethal in the wet.......I mean you really dont have to try at all and it will spin both wheels in 1st, an i aint got an lsd! then keep it spinnin, up hill in 2nd an 3rd, as my mate Dave saw the other day
I am hopin that i am alone in these experiences..............What's your 2p worth?

are these T1-R or the older T1-S? A friend has the T1-S on his Lotus, and says they are shite/lethal especially in the wet.

I'm sure several people on this forum rate the T1-R very highly... where are they now?

[eltel]

my 325 is running 40mm lower with m3 bushes etc so handles extremely well....i did have 4 goodyear eagle f1's on my 15" bbs and the car could not be pushed too hard into a bend wet or dry....i now have avon on the rear and toyo on the front both the good sporty brand.

the car drove out of the workshop a totally diff car on these sh?tty pieces of rubber...wet welsh roads need goodyear eagle f1's ...end of story. they will def be my first purchase of 2007!!!

[318i1989]

I've had my car around a year now (318i with 14" bbs) and the car had unknown brand tires on it (Roadrunner and Monza) really can't remember. Anyway, the tread was very high on them so i kept them on the car for months.

They were always reasonable in the dry although the steering always felt extremely light for some reason. However in the wet it was a different story, and everytime i went out it felt like i was driving across sheet ice, and recently i lost control on a wet corner and smashed my front panel
Straight after that I bought some Pirelli P6000 tires and I can honestly say it feels like i'm driving a different car. Everything aboutit is better, the dry weather handling is great, the steering has feedback, the car feels so much better round the corners, and i swear it corners better with Pirellis in the wet than it did in the dry with the roadrunner tires.

I can't fault them!

[handpaper]

---I'm sure several people on this forum rate the T1-R very highly... where are they now?---
Playing GT4 with the boys since you ask
T1-Rs....Absolutely crap when brand new, they need a good bit of scrubbing in. After that, though the dry grip is excellent (as long as you don't let them get too hot - see here). Wet grip is also very good as long as they're not stone cold.
Soft sidewalls are deliberate, the idea is to give good grip on cars with more primitive suspension, which is why they're so good for e30s

[old_skool]

Michelins
Goodyear
Toyo T1R

I agree. I've had all these brands on many different cars from an XKR coupe that had 20" michelins to my (cough) Impreza which had Toyo's. Also had Michelins on other stuff like my E46 M3. I just find they grip, wear and handle well and aren't really that much dearer than any of the others. I also get a bit more peace of mind on a dearer tyre Sad I know.

[DORAS]

Michelins every time, I have a set of 17" alpinas with Yokahamas on for summer and a set of 15" bbs with Mitchelins on for the winter.

[SCOTT325SE]

I also get a bit more peace of mind on a dearer tyre Sad I know.

Not sad at all man! The thing is... if you scrimp or cut corners on things, you are forever worrying when its gonna bit you on the arse! With tyres, biting you on the arse consists normally of parking your car backwars into a hedge, wall or central reservation. The r&d goes into all tyres, but larger companies like goodyear/pirelli/mitchelin/bridgestone etc have the money to do that little bit extra r&d that may just save you from running out of talent when it matters the most! My driving style alters with the different tyres i have had on my cars. Eagle F1's on the front mean madness and a heavy right foot generally, but the Champiro GT radials I had on my first E30 meant that I GENERALLY behaved myself.


The most important thing to remember over anything else is your cars limits and YOUR limits. Stay within these parameters and you SHOULDNT go wrong.




Incidentally, when i went riding earlier I managed to run out of talent for the steed i was riding - had about 25psi too much pressure in my tyres for the terrain I was on..... needless to say that i didnt stay on the bike too long!

[gareth]

i run toyo T1-R's and have had them on several 205 gti's and rate them well. uniroyals i've had in the past have also been good (never had them from new)

my wifes corrado has some lethal champion or something tyres on the front and to my horror is actually started wheelspinning when it came on cam in 3rd earlier and it was only just slightly damp!!!!!! that said, i've noticed the roads around me have been VERY slippery of late.

[old_skool]

wheelspinning when it came on cam in 3rd

Blimey!

[gareth]

not fun!!! add a funny blend of torque steer understeer and i remember how much i hate FWD!!!!

[toughguych]

Goodyear F1's.
You will not be diserpointed.
But the real difference comes when you swap out an open diff for an lsd ( 3.9 of course! )
My touring is so much better for the lsd but when I put the F1's on I noticed a marked improvement in the wet.

[KDS]

I've had Pirelli PZero Neros mounted for about a year and am very pleased. Smooth and quiet but not too soft, sharp handling and offering lots of traction in miserable wet Vancouver weather. I wouldn't recommend driving them in the snow, though. Having the tire pressures set right makes all the difference to handling, but takes a bit of fiddling around to get the balance right.

I'd buy them again without a second thought.

[Morat]

I had Pzeros on my Fiat Coupe Turbo. They were the OEM tyre and worked a charm until half worn when they started to become more slippery. Pretty good in the wet too. Unfortunately the MOST I managed to get out of a front pair was 20k miles and at 80-100 quid a corner the costs were pretty silly. (these were 205/50/16s)

[Greeny]

I worked in the wheel and tyre industry for 10 years and Michelin's are a far better tyre than the Pirrelli's in my opinion, but tyres are a very personel preference. Michelins will be quite expensive.

[love30]

thanks guys, alot of good helpful info...still don't know what to get...Pirellis are looking more likely....

[lenny-d]

well jay i've run michelins pilot sports, pirelli p-zeros and bridgestone so3s all have good and bad points pirelli had the best grip but only lasted about 4000 miles. The bridgestones i think are better cause the are grippy but at the same time they're to grippy so u can chuck her in2 the corners and hang the tail out. Got about 7000 outta me last set on the back