Hello Famiglia,
I am looking for your input on the best tires available for a BMW ZHP. I live in Texas where winters are mild and snow is not an issue. The car is a DD on a daily commute of @50 miles r/t. Thank you in advance for your advice.
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Hello Famiglia,
I am looking for your input on the best tires available for a BMW ZHP. I live in Texas where winters are mild and snow is not an issue. The car is a DD on a daily commute of @50 miles r/t. Thank you in advance for your advice.
I run Hankook Ventus V12 and we have roughly the same commute. They have enough grip for daily and some spirited driving, last a while and are budget friendly.
-Damian SoCal
2003 ZHP 6MT Jet Black, black cube, CDV-ectomy, ESS TS2, UUC LWFW & Stage 1 clutch, MFactory LSD 3.38, Alcantara pillars, clutch stop
Looks like you're probably best going with some good summers. This is a thread that will be debated till death - everyone has their own preference on tires.
Best advice is go to tire rack, choose some Ultra High or Max Performance summer tires, decide on your budget and then use the survey's to compare your 2-3 top choices with each other.
Most will say Conti DW, Hankook V12s or Bridgestone S-04's will give you best "bang for your buck" in the max category.
Pilot Super Sports are best performers but may be more pricey. Worth it if you do auto-x or track days though.
I just bought a set of Sumitomo HTR Z III for my summers today. I had a set for the last 3 years and chose to stick with the same brand because it is wallet friendly and have enough grip for me to have some fun. They seem to have decent ratings on Tirerack:
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...odel=HTR+Z+III
I've got continental dws06 on my style 135s and my BBS CH wheels and love them.
Howdy, AZ. Where in TX ? Austin here. I have the Conti DW. Good tires, but they are discontinued. My next set will be a Michelin.
I've had great luck with Michelins on cars from small cars to big SUV's--in terms of performance AND reliability. In fact, I'm currently running Defenders on a Buick (don't laugh), Premier A/S's on my automatic 330xi, Pilot Super Sports on my ZHP, and LTX M/S2's on a Dodge Durango. The manual 330xi I just bought came with new Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2's and, while I don't have anything against the performance, I just had to replace one due to a tire bulge in the sidewall which, I read, is not all that uncomon. I have NEVER had a problem of any kind with Michelins.
The PSS's feel wonderful to me, get terrific reviews, seem emblematic of the ZHP, and are even discounted by Tire Rack ($10) and Michelin ($70) as we write. You decide...
They're on closeout now. $85 from TireRack in 245/40R17 size. Would be a good cheap option.Quote:
Originally Posted by fredo
I'll throw in my 2 cents since I tried pretty much all the popular options in stock zhp sizes.
Been through the Bridgestone s04, continental dw, continental dws(all season tire) and hankook ventus evo 2. Also just ordered the new continental extreme contact sport to replace the worn out Bridgestone s04.
Never spent the extra money on the michelin pilot super sport so I have no experience with those. But keep in mind the pilot super sport is going to be phased out and replace with michelin pilot sport 4s.
Also the continental dw is being phased out right now so that is why they are pretty cheap on tirerack.
Bridgestone s04 provide alot of grip in the dry, great steering response. Downside is they are on the firm side over road imperfections and when they are close to the wear indicators they start to show tramlinimg. All the reviews for them state they are close to the michelin pilot super sport at a cheaper cost.
Continental dw provide amazing grip in the rain and are very quite. But the steering response is mushy from the soft sidewall. Overall grip is good in the dry.
Hankook Ventus v12 evo 2 provide amazing steering response. Overall grip in the dry is good but not great and in the wet they are a bit of a letdown. Cost wise they are probably the cheapest tire out there in their category.
My recommendation based on my experience would be the Bridgestone s04 but if you want to spend less the Hankook Ventus v12 Evo 2.
However all the stuff I read about the new continental extreme contact sport promises them to be on par with the michelin pilot super sport. I would go with them before ordering the michelin imo.
Hope that helps.
New model is same tire with better compound and new name but same tread styleQuote:
Originally Posted by fredo
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Fredo, I am in Houston although I've lived all over this great state. In the market for a ZHP, any model is good. I started with a 06 Vert in LA that turned out to be a lemon after the PPI. Now I'm negotiating on a coupe and should know something in the next day or two.
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DW are so cheap right now with the $70 mail back rebate. Almost makes me want to buy them even though I don't need them lol
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Will 17s fit?
What would they fit on?
The stock 135 style wheels are staggered 18s.
I also drive a 2007 GLI 2.0 6MT with 17's. Sounds like a good deal
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Found the DWs on TireRack but only rear. The 225/40-18 are not available any more I guess.
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I recent bought the Barum Bravuris 3HM from Discount Tires. Cheapest tires I could find in the staggered OEM sizes and have been pleasantly surprised with the grip and noise levels.
Thanks dpark
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Thanks for all your valuable advice.
I bought the set from TireRack and had the new tires delivered yesterday. Now scheduling an appointment at local tire shop to mount and balance them. While there I also want to align the car as the car drifts to the right with the current (balding on the inside of the tire)... Is there anything specific to remember when taking the car in for an alignment? Does it have to be at the dealership or can the Tire Shop do it well?
Back in 2005 I owned an e46 325 with the sports package. The dealership aligned it once and I remember them loading something onto the back seat... I seem to remember the tech saying something about the need to add weight on the back seat..? Any idea about this? Or will it be ok to take it say Firestone or NTB?
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Congrats on the new tires !
I believe Firestone or NTB will be ok for the alignment. Just make sure they use the "sports with size 18 wheels" settings (they may not have available the "performance" settings in their systems). Some places put weight on the trunk or back seats to simulate a full passenger load. It's also recommended you fill up the gas tank.
In Firestone you may consider their lifetime alignment, specially if you plan to keep the car for a long term. That's what I did with my first BMW, e36.
Now I have the alignment done at my Indy, you don't need the dealer for it. Its a little pricey, $189, but they (indy) do an excellent job. Post your before/after specs here, and we can advise if the numbers look right. GL.
Thanks! I dropped it off this morning at Firestone and will pick it up during lunch time. I did purchase the lifetime alignment on sale for $155 (usually $200ish). We also discussed adding weight in the back seats during the alignment. Will see how they fared and go from there on other service the car will need down the road. Still searching for an Indy shop down here preferably closer to home.
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Just got a call: they suggest rear brakes as they are ready for a change and the rear shocks which are starting to go. $450 brakes and about the same for the shocks... thoughts?
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PassQuote:
Originally Posted by AZBP2
+1
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I wish the firestone here did alignments on our cars. That's a great price.Quote:
Originally Posted by AZBP2
I read the rear struts are really easy to replace. I found online (rockauto.com) the OEM Sachs rears for $54 each (PN 556882). I remember you are not a DIY guy (I'm the same way) so I would buy them online and find an Indy that lets you take your own parts.
As for the brakes, ask for a 2nd opinion. My local tire shop made the same comment when they repaired a tire on the X3. But the iDrive says I still have 15,000 miles before they are due for replacement.
Did they do a good alignment ?
Rear shocks are pretty easy. One bolt on the bottom and two up top. I'd recommend putting in the Rogue RSM.
Edit: go Koni yellow.
Would be curious to know everyone's experience with firestone, Im a bit weary of trusting them with my car but $150 is what my dealer charges for one alignment.
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A friend of mine has been using Firestone for the last 3 years with no issues. You may have to give them the alignment settings the first time as they may not have the Zhp settings.Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWM3186
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Here are my alignment settings from the dealer. I browsed some other threads and saw that some other people had more negative camber on the rear than I do, what's the deal with that? Did they align it to the non sport settings?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...be5ac5dbdd.jpg
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These don't seem like the sport settings. I'm guessing the target is the spec they were aiming for. I'm not sure why the left an right target for camber would be different? NASCAR?
IIRC, the sport settings specify -1.8 to 2.3 for the rear. Your right rear is at ~-1.42 degrees and right left is at ~-1.45 degrees (converting from DMS).
edit: It looks like the standard suspension specifies 1.5 degrees for the rear, so they got the wrong setup. I'm still wondering about the difference in the target values.
Here is what Bentley says, definitely looks like they used the standard suspension settings, nice to know that maybe I can get better handling by just having it aligned properly...Quote:
Originally Posted by holyc0w
Is camber different on the left since that's where I sit? Something to do with weight distribution? I don't know anything about alignments.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...eb06142c09.jpg
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That makes sense. I'm guessing the difference would be to account for the weight.Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWM3186
Dumb question: how can I attach a photo in here [emoji15]
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I'd like to share the Firestone alignment results form yesterday. I'd also like to share part of the conversation I had with the techs regarding the 4-Wheel Total Alignment...
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On my tapatalk app, I can click the little up arrow on quick message and attach a photo.Quote:
Originally Posted by AZBP2
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On IOS it's the "circle +" on the left.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...952f4071fd.jpg
Here is what we ended up with at Firestone, yesterday... I asked about the reason for the red numbers... why couldn't they align the wheels to recommended settings. I was told that the tech discovered that the lower control arms bushings are deteriorated and for that reason, the alignment could not be fine tuned...pinpointed.
I was also told that the tech worked on the alignment for a long time (according to the store manager). I was promised that once the lower control arms are replaced, and better yet, the rear shocks replaced, the alignment will work.
I already paid for the alignment for life and they said that if they couldn't sling it AFTER replacing the control arms, they will reimburse me the $150.
I'm new to this and ask for your input based on your experience and expertise.
Thanks
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AFAIK, they could still adjust to spec with blown shocks. The issue is probably one of the bushings/control arms. Also, it looks like they also used the standard/non-sport suspension specs for the alignment.
Is the car driving better now ?
Years ago, I had a Buick Century. I bought the lifetime alignment for it in Firestone. At some point, they told me the car needed suspension work (they showed me the front tires had slight play while car was on lift) and if they aligned it before repairs, the alignment would be out of specs real quick. I believe they were able to align it anyways.