Matching tyre availability

[Herminator]

Is it normal after the christmas holidays for there to be a lack of tyres? Or is it always a pain for the M sizes?

I can't seem to find anywhere that stocks standard Z4M sizes in the same brand for both front and rear. Unless it's massively expensive ones.... that aren't necessarily the latest and greatest ones.
Falken 452's are available in a couple of places, but I don't see many of you guys using them on M's.

I was leaning towards Vredsteins but can't find them in stock anywhere. Camskill say no idea when they'll be back in stock.

It seems bumping up the rear sizes might help. I was thinking 265/40/18 wouldn't hurt. Maybe 275/40/18?

ATS Euromaster have 70% off 4 michelins, but I can't see PSS in the right size for the rear. It's only in store, but if their price is the same as online and then -30%, it looks like around £700 fitted for PS2's or PSS (if you can get the latter in the right sizes)

[WLH]

I run 265/40-18 on the rear and 235/45-18 on the front and I really like that combination...

[Angus McCoatup]

I had to change the tyres on my car last summer and it was a problem then too.

Someone did say to me that summer tyre production is scaled back during the winter, thus affecting availability (this might be why the Vredesteins are in short-supply at the moment). But I think the main problem is that even at the best of times, it seems a very limited range of tyres are made in OEM sizes for both the front and rear of the M.

It becomes a bigger problem if, like me, you wanted to go for one of the newer ranges of tyre. Reviews of The Continental ContiSportContact 5p, Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric 2 and Michelin PSS were very encouraging, but they didn't make them in OEM M sizes for both axles.

In the end I went for Michelin PSS all round and think they are a big improvement on the original Continentals. I went for OE size on the front and 265/40/18 on the rear. This was the closest I could get to the diameter of the OE size - it's only about 8mm or 1.2% bigger.

I paid just over £900 for all four, including fitting and balancing etc. If you can get them for £700 (or even less if the 70% off offer is as good as it sounds) I'd bite their hands off.

[mmm-five]

For £700 the PSS are a no brainer. You won't get them for that price even with the Costco discounts for buying 4.

Almost as good as Cups in the dry, better than the PS2 in the wet.

Of course you'll have to get the 265/40 option for the rear - unless they've released another size since I got mine in September.

[Herminator]

oops, meant 30% off, silly me, shouldn't be up that late and posting here

I'll have a check to see if I can find the PSS for the rear, at around that price they do seem like good value.

[ga41]

For £700 the PSS are a no brainer. You won't get them for that price even with the Costco discounts for buying 4.

Almost as good as Cups in the dry, better than the PS2 in the wet.

Of course you'll have to get the 265/40 option for the rear - unless they've released another size since I got mine in September.

What ^he said! 700 quid is nothing for such a great allrounder. Not everyone needs the ultimate tire but if you want great performance and are planning to use them properly you can't go wrong with them.

[Darren M]

That's because they've all stocked up on winter tyres this year due to increased demand expectign another long cold winter

I still like the Conti M3's and don't mind continually fitting these but also hoping the Conti 5P's become available in the std Z4 M sizes in the future. The Z4 M's have been thoroughly tested on the Conti OEM's so is still not a bad choice IMO and should be readily available.

[flimper]

How does the M ride on 265/40s? Any noticeable difference?

[dubsesd]

stock sizes on stock wheels imo....and falken 452's are horrible tires. i would recommend hankook v12's if you want affordable good tires.

[WLH]

How does the M ride on 265/40s? Any noticeable difference?

The ride is as good or better than the stock tires. The other advantage is that the speedometer error of about 2 or 3 miles per hour with the stock size tires is corrected to within 1 MPH according to my GPS by using 265/40's.

[TO//M]

Consider up sizing to 235's and 265's just for the sake of availability. The other benefit is that the up sizing gives you a margin of error with regards to kerb rash.

[mmm-five]

How does the M ride on 265/40s? Any noticeable difference?

The ride is as good or better than the stock tires. The other advantage is that the speedometer error of about 2 or 3 miles per hour with the stock size tires is corrected to within 1 MPH according to my GPS by using 265/40's.

Have to agree.

Speedo accuracy is improved, so that sitting on cruise control for a couple of minutes at an indicated 100mph on the clock (in Germany) had the GPS reading a constant 98mph.

The Pilot SuperSports I've got are also performing far better than I'd expected for a 'max performance' tyre in the colder, wetter weather. First couple of miles you'd be silly to turn the traction control off, but once they've warmed up they really perform.

Just haven't had enough snow to find out how much worse they'd be in that with & without the snow-socks on.

[flimper]

I run 265/40-18 on the rear and 235/45-18 on the front and I really like that combination...

This combination will cost a fair bit more if you're buying 4 tyres?

[pvr]

Agreed with that. For me, it was way cheaper to buy two (standard) rear tyres as the front still had 5 mm on them.

[WLH]

I run 265/40-18 on the rear and 235/45-18 on the front and I really like that combination...

This combination will cost a fair bit more if you're buying 4 tyres?

Yes it will cost about $140 more at list price for Continental ExtremeContact DW's which is what I'm using. However, my local tire dealer will discount that down to where my actual cost will be maybe $75 more.