BMW M5 tires

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Volvohead

The only thing keeping that car back in the winter months is ground clearance or an inexperienced driver.

For me, it would also be exposure to salt. If it was my baby and I wanted it to remain in pristine condition for as long as possible, I'd keep it in a garage and use a beater instead.


Bingo.

Yeah, I realized we were typing at the same time.

While driving an M5 during winter is certainly doable, I'd avoid it if I could, just like you. First of all, it won't be all that fun, and second of all, you'd be at a much higher risk of getting it wrecked, not necessarily by yourself but by other drivers who may happen to spin out of control and crash into you. I'd be heart broken if that happened. It'd be much easier to swallow if the same thing happened while you were driving the Expedition.

We are on the same page

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Volvohead

The only thing keeping that car back in the winter months is ground clearance or an inexperienced driver.

For me, it would also be exposure to salt. If it was my baby and I wanted it to remain in pristine condition for as long as possible, I'd keep it in a garage and use a beater instead.


Bingo.


I believe you used the word "useless" (not salt) as "too kind" to describe its winter driving demeanor. This car is very drivable in winter weather.

If you want to museum it half the year because it might get dirty, that's your call, and a very different reason. But don't blame the car's winter roadability.

Life's too short. This isn't Elvis' Caddy or a Ford-GT. It's an eleven year old mass production BMW. Go enjoy it year-round. Or your relatives or the next owner will.

BTW, every summer compound tire is unsafe below 40 degrees F, even on clean dry pavement. So your driving season up there is that much shorter unless you run a summer/winter swap out or A/S treads.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Volvohead
BTW, every summer compound tire is unsafe below 40 degrees F, even on clean dry pavement.

I think you're exaggerating a bit. I've owned a number of summer UHP/MP tires, and while I agree that they're not as grippy as the temps drop, I wouldn't call them "unsafe" by any stretch of imagination. As a matter of fact, on a clean dry pavement at 40 or even 35F, I'd prefer to ride on a set of summers than on a set of winters. But again, that's just my personal experience.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Volvohead

The only thing keeping that car back in the winter months is ground clearance or an inexperienced driver.

For me, it would also be exposure to salt. If it was my baby and I wanted it to remain in pristine condition for as long as possible, I'd keep it in a garage and use a beater instead.


Bingo.


I believe you used the word "useless" (not salt) as "too kind" to describe its winter driving demeanor. This car is very drivable in winter weather.

If you want to museum it half the year because it might get dirty, that's your call, and a very different reason. But don't blame the car's winter roadability.

Life's too short. This isn't Elvis' Caddy or a Ford-GT. It's an eleven year old mass production BMW. Go enjoy it year-round. Or your relatives or the next owner will.

BTW, every summer compound tire is unsafe below 40 degrees F, even on clean dry pavement. So your driving season up there is that much shorter unless you run a summer/winter swap out or A/S treads.


It would be useless with the 275 18 Pilots that are currently on it.... In the snow.

With a set of dedicated (narrower) snows, I imagine it would be OK.

There were 20,482 E39 M5's produced from 1999-2003.

In comparison, the Corvette (which is equally as rarely winter driven) had production numbers of 140,133 units over the same time frame.

There were more Corvettes produced over any given year between 1998 and 2008 than there were E39 M5's produced over the chassis' entire life-cycle.

So while it may not be 4,013 number rare like the Ford GT, it assuredly is much rarer than many other cars it is compared to.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Life's too short. This isn't Elvis' Caddy or a Ford-GT. It's an eleven year old mass production BMW. Go enjoy it year-round. Or your relatives or the next owner will.


^^^THIS is my take/attitude on the whole rare 'exotic' "garage queen/toy" thing, but to each their own.

Case in point; IF I could ever own a ZR1 C6, I WOULD daily drive it, year 'round (even modded up to 900 rwhp!!

).

CCW/Speedline/Forgeline/OZ, etc. will make you ANY wheel diameter/width, in ANY offset/bolt pattern you wish, all you have to do is come up with the coin.

The problem would be finding a REAL winter tire to use on them, even in a -3 sizing.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Chinese/Korean tires? No thanks.

Don't play if you can't pay.


Typical ignorant comment. Good one!

Winner of last Car and Driver summer tire test! The uninformed make bad tire decisions!

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Chinese/Korean tires? No thanks.

Don't play if you can't pay.


Precisely. I've had good luck with Yokohama in the past, but also with Michelin. However this is a completely different car than what I've used them on.


Sorry, but the Hankook Ventus V12 is uniformly praised by BMW owners! Won some prestigious tests and super quiet with unreal grip.

You gonna take tire recommendations from an econobox owner? Good luck finding the best tire. It's your car.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Chinese/Korean tires? No thanks.

Don't play if you can't pay.


Precisely. I've had good luck with Yokohama in the past, but also with Michelin. However this is a completely different car than what I've used them on.


Sorry, but the Hankook Ventus V12 is uniformly praised by BMW owners! Won some prestigious tests and super quiet with unreal grip.

You gonna take tire recommendations from an econobox owner? Good luck finding the best tire. It's your car.


I was agreeing with the sentiment that somebody shouldn't be afraid to get off their wallet to buy good tires.

I'll likely just get the Michelin tires that were discussed earlier. I've had good luck with Michelin on my vehicles.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Sorry, but the Hankook Ventus V12 is uniformly praised by BMW owners! Won some prestigious tests and super quiet with unreal grip.

Tire tests only test one size in one state of wear on one car. As for the reviews, I would simply say that I do not trust most people to have the knowledge to make a qualified review -- not to mention that those reviews are very easily faked.

My friends and I have had several cheap tires that win comparos and got unending streams of positive reviews. They all quickly became mediocre (at best) after some miles and years. The "overpriced/overrated" tires from Michelin and Bridgestone usually felt better, and usually kept performing down to the cords.

Look at the OE tires on any high end or cost-no-object car. Most are Michelin; most of the rest are accounted for by Bridgestone, Continental, and Yokohama. Hankook and its peers (Toyo, Falken, etc.) are nowhere to be seen in those strata. That doesn't happen for no reason.

 

[cp3]

I like Hankooks, they have served me well (not that my requirements are anywhere near what an M5 needs) and I'd probably be willing to try a set of V12s on an M5, if I were fortunate enough to have one. At worst you're out 1/2 to a 1/3 the price of the Michelins and maybe you find out they do work well. On the other hand I don't remember reading too many complaints about the OE tires and you would think newer generations (PS2, PS3, SS) would just be better.

And call it what you want (garage queen/toy), I wouldn't be driving it in the winter either! I'm pretty sure it would do fine in the snow, I've seen them out around here, not close enough to tell if they were snows but they were the factory rims. I still wouldn't do it. It would be a dream car for me and I would want to keep it as long as I could. Guess Id rather have a garage queen than a trailer queen.

And someone mentioned a -3 fitment? 1-that would be just terrible

2-good luck fitting a 15" wheel over those brakes!

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Sorry, but the Hankook Ventus V12 is uniformly praised by BMW owners! Won some prestigious tests and super quiet with unreal grip.

Tire tests only test one size in one state of wear on one car. As for the reviews, I would simply say that I do not trust most people to have the knowledge to make a qualified review -- not to mention that those reviews are very easily faked.

My friends and I have had several cheap tires that win comparos and got unending streams of positive reviews. They all quickly became mediocre (at best) after some miles and years. The "overpriced/overrated" tires from Michelin and Bridgestone usually felt better, and usually kept performing down to the cords.

Look at the OE tires on any high end or cost-no-object car. Most are Michelin; most of the rest are accounted for by Bridgestone, Continental, and Yokohama. Hankook and its peers (Toyo, Falken, etc.) are nowhere to be seen in those strata. That doesn't happen for no reason.


Agreed. I am an almost exclusive Michelin buyer here. But it's not just about performance and quality to Mfgrs. They have MANY other parameters they test for to decide on a tire.

Many mfgrs would never even consider a small niche company for their tires due to concerns about them being able to supply enough!

The tire I recommended is a Car and Driver test winner against the mighty PS2 (http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comp...omparison_tests), and is praised by BMW owners on forums all over the net. Seems the OP owns a BMW. Hence the recommendation.

The fact that they are inexpensive is just a bonus. As a lap record holder at Homestead Raceway in my old Vette equipped with PS2's I am NOT bad mouthing Michelin here. Just pointing out that they may be resting on their laurels when others are moving ahead when it comes to ultra high performance summer only tires.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
The tire I recommended is a Car and Driver test winner against the mighty PS2 (http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comp...omparison_tests), and is praised by BMW owners on forums all over the net. Seems the OP owns a BMW. Hence the recommendation.

Again, I don't see that that review and those testimonials hold much weight. I would need to see a lot more before seriously considering that tire as an alternative to a PS2.


Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
The fact that they are inexpensive is just a bonus. As a lap record holder at Homestead Raceway in my old Vette equipped with PS2's I am NOT bad mouthing Michelin here. Just pointing out that they may be resting on their laurels when others are moving ahead when it comes to ultra high performance summer only tires.

Sounds like a fair point, but given that Michelin has released decidedly better models to supersede the PS2, I don't see the stagnation you seem to be implying.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: cp3
And someone mentioned a -3 fitment? 1-that would be just terrible

2-good luck fitting a 15" wheel over those brakes!


I was referring to a ZR1 Corvette C6 (and it's stock 19x10 front, and 20x12 rear wheels) with that comment, NOT the M5's setup!

But yes, even just a -1 'winter' setup probably would not clear that ride's MASSIVE carbon/carbon stoppers!!

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: cp3
And someone mentioned a -3 fitment? 1-that would be just terrible

2-good luck fitting a 15" wheel over those brakes!


I was referring to a ZR1 Corvette C6 (and it's stock 19x10 front, and 20x12 rear wheels) with that comment, NOT the M5's setup!

But yes, even just a -1 'winter' setup probably would not clear that ride's MASSIVE carbon/carbon stoppers!!

Am I to infer that you feel that the M5 has large brakes? LOL

 

[d00df00d]

I think by "that ride" he meant the Corvette ZR1. The E39 M5 definitely does not have carbon brakes.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
The fact that they are inexpensive is just a bonus. As a lap record holder at Homestead Raceway in my old Vette equipped with PS2's I am NOT bad mouthing Michelin here. Just pointing out that they may be resting on their laurels when others are moving ahead when it comes to ultra high performance summer only tires.


I don't think Michelin is resting on its laurels. The new Pilot Super Sport is the new king-of-the-hill of premium summer tires. From what I've read, they pretty much have defined their own category with this tire.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
I think by "that ride" he meant the Corvette ZR1. The E39 M5 definitely does not have carbon brakes.

True, hence my confusion!

Big brakes and tiny tires don't mix.

 

[cp3]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: cp3
And someone mentioned a -3 fitment? 1-that would be just terrible

2-good luck fitting a 15" wheel over those brakes!


I was referring to a ZR1 Corvette C6 (and it's stock 19x10 front, and 20x12 rear wheels) with that comment, NOT the M5's setup!

But yes, even just a -1 'winter' setup probably would not clear that ride's MASSIVE carbon/carbon stoppers!!

Ahh...gotchya

 

[OVERKILL]

Well, the car I ended up buying has TOYO Proxies on it, not the Pilot Sports (that was on the other one I test drove).

I think I'll probably still go for the Michelin's as a replacement however when the time comes.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
I think by "that ride" he meant the Corvette ZR1. The E39 M5 definitely does not have carbon brakes.

Yes, of course. But I thought that OVERKILL was just messing with me/us!