Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #1

    Looking for a smoother ride (Wheel size and tire options)

    Hi,

    I run the 18'' style 135 staggered setup with original suspension.
    Stock as can be. I never track that car. I have an E36 M3 for track duty.

    This is my granny car for the summer so I'm looking at softening the ride just a tad.
    Here in Quebec the roads are pretty rough and the stock setup on older Envigor tires is harsh.

    After reviewing this forum as well as other and watching the Tire Rack test videos I narrowed it down to 5 tires in either 17'' or 18''.
    I have no problem going down to 17'' wheels to gain a little comfort and compliance.

    Looking for opinions in relation to ride quality:
    1. Pirelli P-Zero All Seasons Plus (17'' or 18'')
    2. DWS 06 (17'' or 18'')
    3. DW (17'' or 18'')
    4. Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position in 17''
    5. PSS in 17''


    I can't get myself to set the PSS aside completely as I know it is the best all around tire. Maybe on 17'' wheels it would yield a better ride quality... or not.
    Presently leaning towards the first two in 17'' but maybe that is a little to soft ? Might be a more interesting compromise on 18'' wheels...

    Criteria in decreasing importance are:
    -Ride quality, get rid of some of the ZHP harshness
    -Wet traction
    -Low Noise across the life of the tire

    Thank you very much for sharing.
    I'm hoping to catch a break next week with all the black Friday deals coming up.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Alexandria, VA
    Posts
    2,805

    Looking for a smoother ride (Wheel size and tire options)

    Myself and BMWCURVES are very satisfied with our 17in Apex ARC-8 wheels and Michelin Pilot Super Sports. Car is a lot quicker with the lighter wheels and bumps aren't nearly as strenuous. Would recommend to a friend aka Frankygoes

    Current:
    1988 BMW 325is
    1996 Toyota Land Cruiser FZJ80 x3 Locked - Restoration/Project Thread on ih8mud.com
    Sold:
    "Scarlett" the 2005 BMW 330i ZHP 6MT - Project/Maintenance Thread
    2011 BMW M3 E92 6MT - Info/Maintenance Thread

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Branford, CT
    Posts
    16,055
    You can noticeably improve road noise and wet traction by changing your tire, but the comfort isn't going to be that big of a difference. It is the nature of the sport suspension. The only way to change that is to change the suspension...

    The 17" wheels and tires combo is ever so slightly cushier. If you think the stock suspension is too harsh, then this isn't going to do much for you honestly.
    BP
    2005 330i ZHP / 6MT
    Imolarot / Naturbraun
    2003 330iT / 6MT
    Orientblau / Naturbraun




    It's not the car you drive, it's how you drive it.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    The Windy City
    Posts
    9,155
    PSS are like warm butter on toast


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Call me Seth
    CURRENT: 2016 Long Beach Blue BMW /// M2
    RETIRED: ‘15 F22 M235i | '08 E90 M3 DCT "GoinHAM3" | '04 E46 M3 6MT "WEGOHAM"
    '04 330i ZHP | '11 E82 135i | '08 E90 328xi | 07 E91 328xi SportWagon

    Quote Originally Posted by danewilson77 View Post
    If I wore panties, I'd be dropping them right now.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    VA/DC
    Posts
    14,445
    Quote Originally Posted by UdubBadger View Post
    PSS are like warm butter on toast


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Lol. But they don't like the cold. I got a DSC light the other morning pulling out of my street---it was 28F.

    And they are being replaced as Someone pointed out the other day (BP?).

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Chicago area
    Posts
    1,920
    Quote Originally Posted by ELCID86 View Post
    Lol. But they don't like the cold. I got a DSC light the other morning pulling out of my street---it was 28F.
    I wouldn't expect any summer tire to work well at that temperature.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    22841
    Posts
    9,921
    Dw are great in the wet and have a softer sidewall. Would recommend those.

    His - 2004 Imola Red / Alcantara 330i | 6MT | ZHP |

    Her's - 2005 Black Sapphire Metallic / Black Leather 330i | 6MT | ZHP |

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Kitchener, ON
    Posts
    6,036
    i personally wouldn't recommend the DW or DWS, too squirrely for me.

    i have michelin PS AS3's on my 17" Style 68s, and they feel much more compliant than my 245/35/18 PSS... the stock-sized PSS are somewhere in the middle of those.

    if you have stock dampers, i would replace those as well. quality dampers will make a big difference too - koni FSD would probably be your best choice.

    oh - and welcome from ontario! where in quebec are you? i'm 3.5hrs west of montreal.
    peter

    2004 330i ZHP
    2005 330iT ZHP
    2010 328iT M Sport

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    10,244
    As Daniel said, 17" will provide some improved ride quality given the larger sidewall, although the sidewall stiffness is highly variable on the tire itself. Downsizing the wheel size and making the unsprung weight does have some added performance benefit though (see pic of interesting article below). Unlike what slater said, I quite like the Continental ExtremeContact DW tires, specifically for their wet weather capability and decent traction when the temperatures drop to the 40s and high 30s. If you dip below that, pretty much all summer tires will be hard as a rock and about as grippy as a damp piece of paper. He may have had a different experience but they've been very comfortable, quiet, and well performing tires for me in the Pacific Northwest.


  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Chicago area
    Posts
    1,920
    TIRERACK.com - Revolutionizing Tire Buying
    I would think maybe DWs on 17s would do the trick. While the difference isn't major, there is a bit of extra "damping" in a higher sidewall. I'm not sure if that would be too soft for you.

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