2002 BMW M3: Down With A Bum Leg

I'd vote for Potenza RE-01R's. I have them on my 3-series and while they may not be quite the tire the AD07's are, they're close and much more comfortable.

My vote is for a set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires. After all, they're on cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Cadillac CTS-V, and more. :o)

I was going to suggest the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec, but don't see them on the Tire Rack for the M3's sizes. They seem to be the latest rage among autocrossers. I haven't heard how they fare at HPDEs/open track days.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Direzza+Sport+Z1+Star+Spec

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTireResults.jsp?RunFlat=All&rearWidth=255%2F&rearDiameter=18&rearRatio=40&frontWidth=225%2F&frontDiameter=18&frontRatio=45&frontSortCode=53700&rearSortCode=54150&compareList=&compare=true&goWhere=%252Ftires%252FCompareTireResults.jsp&newCompare=true&autoMake=BMW&autoModel=M3+Coupe&autoYear=2002&autoModClar=&vehicleSearch=true&minLoad=S&minSpeedRating=V&speed_rating=V&speed_rating=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=%28Y%29&startIndex=0&sortValue=1&filterType=all&resultsNumberSelected=Y&displayResults=20

toddl2, Bridgestone Potenza RE-01Rs aren't available in the M3's OEM size (18-inch). I've used RE-01Rs and love how consistent they are once they're up to temp on the track. They're not as sticky as the Advan AD07s, but quite close. I'm guessing they wear better and are quieter, too. :o)

I would suggest Michelin Pilot Sport PS2:

http://tinyurl.com/9k3fu3

subytrojan, good catch there. The RE-01R's are WAY quieter than the AD07's, which make them a perfect dd/autox/HPDE tire. Not sure on the wear issue. Too bad the RE-11 isn't out yet.

RE-01R not available? http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Sizes.jsp?make=Bridgestone&model=Potenza+RE-01R

225/40-18 and 255/35-18 both in stock (those are the stock widths for the 18s).

For summers, I can only speak to what I've had on my M3 since purchasing last April... the ContiSportContact 3s (which I run on the ZCP 19" wheels in 245-35f/275-30r).

The CSC3s held up very well at a track day; never felt loose or like they were hunting. Granted, I'm a total n00b at the track and have never really laid into them either, but they never felt anything less than stellar to me, and after 10k miles, there's still tons of tread. When it gets cold out, they obviously harden up a fair bit (though not dangerously so), but their wet weather performance is beyond reproach; not a single issue in many rainy days here.

That said, consensus at m3forum.net is that the PS/2 are the hotness, but they are also astoundingly pricey.

tenfifteen - Widths, yes. Aspect ratios, no.

D'oh... my bad; was just coming back here to follow up. I was looking at stock 19s, suby. Stock 18 is 225/45, 255/40. They've got the former, not the latter.

/sorry!

+100 for PS2s. I've tried a wide variety of tires on my cars over the years, and PS2s are the clear winners. They have it all - dry handling, wet handling, comfort, lower noise than many others. The only areas where they need some improvement are price and a tendency to tramline, which are both probably unavoidable without decreasing their overall goodness.

PS2s all the way.

i gotta agree about the Michelin ps2's

Another vote for the Michelin PS2's. Just put them on my '02 Z06, and very happy with them so far. About 5-10% better dry grip than the GoodYear Eagle F1 Supercars that the Z06 came with, and MUCH better wet traction. I was hoping for a little better cold weather straight line traction (my car is really hard to hook up below 60F, and it'll break the rear tires loose on a quick shift from 2nd to 3rd), but not much improvement there.

The PS2's are much more communicative too - they'll squeal a little near their limits to give you a little warning. The Eagle F1's were completely silent - they never ever squealed, even when they were sliding, although they were very forgiving and catchable.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Potenza+RE760+Sport&index=11&vehicleSearch=true&frontTire=245WR8RE760&rearTire=54WR8RE760&place=11&minSpeedRating=V&speed_rating=V&speed_rating=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minLoad=S

Potenza RE760 Sport

cx7lover, ultra high performance summer tires are generally less sticky than max/extreme performance summer tires.

If one wants the best of what Bridgestone has to offer, the RE-01R and RE050A (Pole Position) are my picks.

I'm with the Dunlop tires lately too, thinking they don't get enough credit and are still a top performer...

The Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec which is an enthusiast and track tire

http://www.dunloptires.com/catalog/direzzaSportZ1StarSpec.html

The picture on this page even has a Phoenix Yellow E46 M3!

Tom

im a loyal falken azenis rt615 user... great performance tire and its a bargain!

while the PS2s are great... they are $$$.

im with huyracing, get the falken rt615s from discount tire. they are super sticky and great for auto-xing.

If I suffer a closed head injury and decide to keep the Mazdaspeed 3 I'm going with the Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec for my track tire. Some of my friends say that it performs almost like an R compound tire on the track yet it's still decent in the rain.

Why not test a "budget" set of tires and go for the Kumho Ecsta SPT? Kumhos are a popular aftermarket choice for those who don't want to, or simply can't, spend $1500-$2000 for a set of Michelins or Bridgestones. This would be a good opportunity to test a set and report how they compare to the premium tires you have been running.

They are also rated 1st in Tire Rack's testing. Not a bad endorsement there.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Ecsta+SPT&index=6&vehicleSearch=true&frontTire=24YR9KU31XL&rearTire=535YR9KU31XL&place=6&minSpeedRating=V&speed_rating=V&speed_rating=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_rating=Y&speed_rating=(Y)&minLoad=S

+1 for budget tires. See if price really matters in max performance summer tires. Try some Sumitomo HTR Z IIIs. They appear to last a long time.

The Kumhos were rated 1st by the Tire Rack in the UHP Summer tire class. As mentioned before, UHP isn't as sticky as Extreme/Max Performance Summer tires.

How about something from Nitto Tire?
The BMW's one of your near-race vehicles, so why not shoe it with tires that fit the role? Like Notto's NT555R, or (a slight compromise) the INVO?

oops...I meant Nitto NT555R or INVO.

"The Kumhos were rated 1st by the Tire Rack in the UHP Summer tire class. As mentioned before, UHP isn't as sticky as Extreme/Max Performance Summer tires."

That's the tire I run on my Club Sport when it hits the track, but that puppy has considerably less mass and HP than an E46 M3. Still, you simply can't beat Kumhos for the best bang for the buck.

+3 on the Falken Azenis. Fantastic tires, especially for the price.

If you want supercheap tires, I'd recommend the Fuzion ZRi. I get tons of flack for recommending these, but they provide solid daily driver handling (albeit slightly groove-prone) and handle surprisingly well at the track.

I can't bring myself to drop an entire paycheck on tires, so I can't comment on PS2s or Eagle F1s.

I'm with lvranger, get some Sumitomo HTR Z IIIs. They just beat out the Yokohama Advan Sport, Conti ContiSportContact 3, and Bridgestone Potenza RE050A in a TireRack test ...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/TireTestServlet?tireMake=Sumitomo&tireModel=HTR+Z+III&tirePageLocQty=

I'm planning to get the Sumis myself in the next few weeks as my rear PS1s are toast after 8k miles. At that rate, I'd be sending $1500 to Michelin every year to keep my wheel sheathed in Pilot Sportiness ... correction: that would be $800 this year, $1500 the next, and repeat, since the fronts last twice as long as the rears.

Please don't laugh: Try the Fuzion ZR-I (made by Bridgestone). At less than $100 per tire (retail, less at tire rack) they replaced Bridgestone Pole Postition S03's on my E46 Sport-Package Wagon. I am not lying, exaggerating, or anything when I say that this tire is every bit as good or better in every regard than those S03's and the original Potenzas. It would be a nice to see you try a "bargain" tire on this machine and let us all know what you think, rather than spending 2k on what everyone already knows will be good...

Go for a relatively new tire to give us readers some impressions of them. While Michelin PS2's are great, they have been out a while and we won't learn anything new about them. My votes for tires to try:
Goodyear F1 Assym's
Sumitomo HTR Z-III's (I have these on my M3 and they feel pretty solid so far)
Dunlop Z1's
Nitto Invo

As for tire sizes, there are a few alternative sizes that will fit on your OEM rims:
Front: 245/40-18
Rear: 265/35-18, 275/35-18

With the economy the way it is, how about something cheap?

Edmunds can test whether it's worth paying twice as much.

I say try the cheaper tires(kumho) and post a comparison for us to read about.

cx7lover, ultra high performance summer tires are generally less sticky than max/extreme performance summer tires.

Yeah so.. why must you have the best tires on a fleet car? Those are way more inexpensive than the Yoko's.

cx7lover, why handicap the car by putting on tires that aren't up to the performance capabilities of the car?

I'm with m_thrizzle on this... I'm also a fan of ps2's on my cayman (and the ps1's on my bmw zhp previously). We all know ps2's are excellent (and expensive). They are perhaps a bit more temperature sensitive than other summer/perf tires I've driven on, other than that, they are close to perfect. I'm very curious how this car would be on sumitomo htrz III's or the goodyear eagle f1 asymmetric's. Both got high test scores on tirerack, but real world reviews are more mixed.

Bridgestones have a square profile and stiff sidewalls, giving good feedback, but a bit rough for the Northeast roads. Due to ride and tramlining, I've stopped considering them.

The ADVAN Neova isn't a top performing tire yet it's still on the M3 so what is your point?

cx7lover, what is YOUR point? I think I've read you saying 'what's your point?' 5 times in recent posts.

Slap some UHP tires on your CX7 and tell us how they are already.

cx7lover, what is YOUR point? I think I've read you saying 'what's your point?' 5 times in recent posts.

Slap some UHP tires on your CX7 and tell us how they are already.

MY point is that you don't need MAX performance summer tires for this thing, and too late I already have UHP's on my CX-7. The ADVAN is NOTTTTTT a top performing tire!

Based on whose definition of "top-performing?" The Advan AD07 does alright in their surveys; gives up a little wet-weather ability, but does even or better in the other performance categories. As for "need," the M3 doesn't "need" anything but all-seasons. If they want to enjoy the car's handling capabilities and price/treadwear aren't concerns, they should get the stickiest tire they can afford.

Let me add one more tire to consider for the M3: the brand new Kumho XS.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Ecsta+XS

My recommendation is to either go with the PS2s or a budget tire....don't spend the money on any other expensive, non PS2 tire....

Have ONE staff member drive the car for maybe 100 miles beforehand, and 300-400 miles afterwards. Or 100 miles beforehand, another staff member drive 300-500 miles within 2-3 days, and then have the staff member that drove beforehand drive it again for another 100-200 miles.

The point is to get an accurate picture of how the new tires transform the car (as ANY new tire always changes it substantially). And new tires break-in for several hundred miles, so a person should have a very fresh perspective of the old tires and then drive it again after the brand-new tires break-in.

I think the M3 is a truly terrific car for a comparison of a max performance summer tire (the Advans, now worn out) and what a new tire like the PS2 would do to the car. With a car like an M3 (vs. a base-model Camry), you get so much raw feedback that GOOD tires will show you how much harshness you can eliminate while still providing outstanding driving characteristics.

And lets face it, whether they are MAX performance or UHP, tires are ALWAYS the limiting factor....short of r-compounds that will actually allow the car to reach it's components limits.

Joe

P.s. While I'm obviously pro PS2, I also think it would be great to see the comparison in driving characteristics between worn out top-of-the-line Advans vs. brand-new budget performance tires.

On a slightly seperate note, my 06 Civic SI is on it's 3rd set of tires, Falken Ziex 912. A "new" version of the extremely popular 512's, and was supposed to fix and improve upon many of it's weaknesses.

At 15k miles on the new tires, I'm sick of them. After 10,000 miles, they got loud. At 12,000 miles, they got really loud. Around the same point, treadwear started increasing and ride comfort decreased....wet traction went out the window.

But when they were brand new, they were a pretty solid all-around tire. Shame I can't take it for more than another 5-10k miles.

Joe

Just got some Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Specs for my S2000. If they make it in the M3 sizes, I'd go with it. Better wear - as good Dry and better wet traction compared to the RE-01Rs and a lot cheaper...

I would also recommend the Falken RT615. Great performing tire for a great price. I haven't used them myself personally, since they don't come in my wheel size, but two other M3 drivers I know love them, along with an NSX driver.