Yeah I might have gotten a "early" version of the tire? Picked em up from America's tire last year and they had the tires same day shipped, so I have no idea how long they were sitting before that..
They are holding up beautifully on my dad's M5, but that car is babied. Only driven "hard" when getting on the freeway. Whereas in my wagon I really push it HARD in the corners.
Got a set of conti DWS and they have been incredible. They have been great in all conditions. Out of every all season, they are easily the best I've driven in the snow. I had a cheap pair of all seasons in my mini with an LSD that was terrible in the snow, got stuck multiple times: I also had a set of potenza all seasons that were pretty good. But these DWS tires are easily the best in the snow. Now in a rwd zhp, I haven't gotten stuck once in these and I've been trying to. The car will slip but nothing too bad. It makes the driving more fun. They sure as hell aren't blizzaks, but they do much better in the snow than your average all season. I can't imagine wanting any other tire yet.
Compiled your inputs here. I only had time to use tirerack, so if the tire wasn't on there I left the info out (wanted to do as direct of a comparison in price as well). If you have the info, feel free to comment in the thread and I'll add it in with citation.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6c...it?usp=sharing
Not sure if the sort macros work in google apps..... but if you download, enable editing, then enable content/macros they should. Hyperlinks of tires lead to tirerack.com with STAGGERED setup.
Short summary of my findings with info I have:
Most ZHPmafia recommended: Conti DWS
Highest rated on tirerack: Michelin PSS
Cheapest: Kumho Ecsta 4X (if you buy staggered)
Most sticky/Most wear: Bridgestone S-04 pole position and Hankook V12 (via UTQG)
Least Grippy/Longest lasting: Conti DWS (via UTQG)
Lightest in weight: Conti DWS
I've had Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s on the 325Ci before and it was my first car so it was "normal" to me.
But after having to shop for tires for the ZHP, I realized the difference between them and what I chose to get, the Kumho Ecstas.
Between the two, the PS2s had much better grip and felt slightly more comfortable...but at the price of the Kumhos, I would be willing to give up that extra grip to have that extra cash. It IS for DD'ing anyways - my shop guy recommended Hankook Ventus V12s since he said Kumhos are terrible from experience, but again, at their price, I am willing to have them for DD'ing.
Don't know if it's because of the tires but I have been tramlining for a while though.
I don't understand all the consternation here, and I've been plenty guilty of it myself in the past. We're all driving cars that are worth somewhere in the teens of thousands of dollars (pick your own value) and we kill ourselves debating tire selection when the difference between the best (Michelin) and others is only a couple hundred dollars, or about 2-3% of the value of our cars. We all have our reasons for making our individual tire selections, take care of your ride and buy the best that you can afford given your circumstances while realizing anything less than the best likely comes with some compromises.
Bruce
21 GMC Sierra - mine
16 X5 M-Sport - wife
11 M3 - 1st son
04 Tundra - 2nd son
17 X1 M-Sport - daughter
Former (mo/yr sold):
15 335xi M-Sport (8/18)
11 335is (8/17)
11 X5 AW/blk (11/15)
04 330xi blk/gray (7/15)
06 ZHP SGM/blk (6/15)
08 335xi blue/blk (4/15)
04 ZHPci MB/blk (2/14)
04 ZHPcic IR/Alc (10/13)
01 540iT anthra/blk (7/13)
04 ZHPci TIAG/blk (9/12)
03 540i M-Sport (9/12)
01 325ci (3/12)
02 325iT 5MT (10/11)
05 ZHPci (7/11)
03 330cic (2/11)
00 323ci (10/10)
^Not that simple, imo, which is why I think that there's so much consternation.
The question has always been (and remains) is the premium you pay for the best reflected in the difference in performance AND do you stand to benefit from said performance given your driving style.
If you put 20,000 miles a year on your ride, the hundreds of dollars of difference turns into thousands over the course of a few years.
You hit it on the head, though-- figure out the increased benefit vs what you can afford or are willing to pay.
-Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
ZHP Pre-Ride Briefing
2005 ZHP, Alcantara, Silver Cube, Nav, Sharked, BMW Perf Intake, BMW Perf CF Strut Brace, CF Valve/Fuel Rail Covers,
Shadowline Grills, CF Splitters, Fog Light Inserts, Euro-mirrors, CDV Delete, Beisan vanos, GAS DISA, BP Coded
MODs: Can we move this to the TIRES section ??![]()
Anyone try the General GMax AS03 ? This is a UHP AS tire with good reviews, and I am also trying to decide for the next set:
Gmax, DWS (current), or A/S 3?
I like the DWS but it does flat spot a LOT.
DWS has lost its throne for Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 (IDK if it comes in OEM ZHP staggered sizes) in the UHP AS category at TR, and is now 2nd place;
AS/3 No. 6; Gmax is No. 7
What I am really after is the huge price difference between the GMax and the As/3 (or DWS) - consdiering the reviews, it seems like with the Gmax one gets about 80% performance of the other 2 for about 60% of their price...
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Last edited by Washburn; 01-05-2014 at 12:43 PM.
2005 AW ZHP Coupe. CW, Alcantara, Leather st. wheel, HK, Xenons, Step, Dinan chip & air box, USASpec, Sprint Booster
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Done
Call Me Dane l 2/2004 330i ZHP l 18x8 ET45 BBS CK's wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport AS3+ @ 245-40-18 l KW V1 Coilovers in front l KW V1 springs w/ Bilstein B8 dampeners in rear l BMW Performance Rotors l UUC StrutBarbarian l Racing Dynamics Rear Strut Bar l Jim Conforti Shark Injector l Light Birch Interior Trim l Bimmian Celly Mount l M3 Trunk Mat l l e90 Performance E-Brake & Shift Knob l M3 Tri-Stitched Boots l AL Headlight Retrofit with ZKW Lenses l CobyWheel Wrap w/M3 Stitching l LCM sw 4.5 triple blink and rear fogs l Maple Interior Trim