Michelin Sport or Continental Sport?

[brucelee34]

Hi there. First of all I'd like to say what a great board this is. After only a week of joining I have already fixed parasitic draw from the battery, the famous spinning key in the ignition and the "airbag light always on" problem. Thank you to all who contribute.

My question today is what tyres would suit my E36 M3 Evolution Saloon. They are all in need of changing and the car is absolutely stock. I am looking at Michelin Pilot Sports although Continental Sports are also available. I am going to be purchasing tonight so some advice and hopefully some critical advice of the above mentioned tyres would be welcome.

Thank you all.

[brucelee34]

Wow.. no replies.. I guess you were all stumped as to what tyres were better ?? .. seriously though.. I went for Michelin Pilot Sports on the front and have Continentals on the rear... Still handles terribly in the wet though..

[Yuen]

Just curious, why are those 2 your only choices? I've heard Continentals are terrible in the wet, they're hard, and noisy. Not to mention expensive.

Michelins... expensive, but not sure about their performance. Both of them seem to be OEM tires.

If you get Goodyear tyres over in the UK, go for Goodyear Eagle F1. Or you could go for Dunlop Direzza. I think Advans are good as well... they are new but seem to have gotten a good review. I think these will be cheaper or equal to the price of Continentals and Michelins.

[4ZPN]

I have the Continental Contact Sport 2 and they are pretty good in the wet, a little too soft, quiet, and not that expensive. Not sure what you heard about these tires Yuen, but that has not been my experience. I think that Car and Driver did a review of a bunch of similar tires and the Continentals ranked pretty high, even though the reviewers didn't like the feel of the tire. I'm going to have to agree with the reviewers, the tires feels a little soft and vague, but they are by no means a bad tire.

[brucelee34]

Just curious, why are those 2 your only choices? I've heard Continentals are terrible in the wet, they're hard, and noisy. Not to mention expensive.

Michelins... expensive, but not sure about their performance. Both of them seem to be OEM tires.

If you get Goodyear tyres over in the UK, go for Goodyear Eagle F1. Or you could go for Dunlop Direzza. I think Advans are good as well... they are new but seem to have gotten a good review. I think these will be cheaper or equal to the price of Continentals and Michelins.


Fair comment. I have been reading owners views and no one seemdd to point away from Michelin Pilots or Continental Sports. Goodyear Eagle f1's were available and I have run them on various other cars (non BMW) in the past.

My rears need changing soon and if someone knows the best 245/40/17 tyre for my car then please do comment.

The car is diabolical in the wet. You can;t put your foot down as the rears spin and slide even whilst in the 5000-6000 rpm range... I can only say that the car as standard has no ability in the wet and would like the tyre choice and pressures for me to try and therefore prove otherwise...

In the dry I guess this car will stick to the road.

Maybe it is a bad choice to buy your first M3 evo during the rainy season !!

[mose121]

The conti's suck compared to the Mich, doesn't matter what model it is.

[Irish1]

It's a real bad idea to mix tires, especially on cars with responsive chassis dynamics like your M3. The Michelin Pilot Sports (hopefully PS-2s) are an excellent tire, expensive and worth it. Get a set of four identical tires then come and talk about bad wet-weather handling. The PS-2s handled well in the wet on two high performance cars I owned. It would be helpful to get an excellent 4 wheel alignment done as well, so you're not confusing bad alignment/chassis set-up with tire behavior. I've not heard positive statements about Continental tires when talking with other Porsche or BMW drivers at track events: most prefer the Michelins or the new Yoko Neovas(sp?) for street use. I NEVER understood why people buy expensive, responsive cars and then think about putting inappropriate (or mixed) tires on them. Save $200.00 and have a great car working at much less than its potential?? :rolleyes

[M3M3M3]

I have gone through PS 2's Conti's and Pirelli's. A short answer would be that the conti's are not as good as the ps2's in the wet, and the pirelli's always seemed to be noisy and pick up the road vibration.

[SleepRM3]

Most people on this board would recommend the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 over the Continental Sport Contact 2. The Sport Contact 2s are scheduled to be replaced with the Sport Contact 3s (the common sizes have already been replaced). If you have access to Bridgestone RE050A Pole Positions (in 245/40-17), I've read these are outstanding wet-handling tires compared with other premium brand performance tires...

[WytLytnyn]

The conti's suck compared to the Mich, doesn't matter what model it is.


+1 PS2 is the best tire I ever used on a high performance car. They wear very well. I've gotten about 17K miles out of 2 sets. I got 11K out of a set of Pirelli PZeroes.

[CorbanTek]

I find I get no traction at all with my PS2's in the wet. With that being said I get amaznig traction in the dry. I've just stopped driving my car in the rain, so I solved that problem. I wish Falken Azenis would make a tire that fits my rears on my e36 M3.

[WytLytnyn]

No traction in the wet? You've got to be joking. PS2's grip as hard in the wet as the old PS1 did when it was dry...

[Kevlar]

Michelin Pilot Sport 2 is the tire you should choose ... I'll never buy Continental ever again.

[M3@Apex]

Michelin Pilot Sport 2 is the tire you should choose ... I'll never buy Continental ever again.
Concurred. I've done many launches on my Michelin PS2 and I drive pretty hard through corners during the summer.

They wear pretty well.

[BrilliantA3]

i have to say that the 18" contisport2's on my a3 are the best tires i have ever owned. they're a little pricey, but usually less than comparable michelins. good wet and dry traction. or, at least, as good as you can get with 300 ft-lbs of torque and front wheel drive :(

i would definitely recommend them and plan to buy another set myself when the time comes (except they are contisport3's now).

[T56 Impala]

For wet and dry I vote for the Goodyear F1's hands down. Both the Conties and Mich and noisy in comparison and the Mich suddenly just disappear. One hour they are not even close to the wear bar the next hour they are showing threads. Worst tires I have ever run. I wish Bridgestone still made the RE 730's. Those were awsome tires! A little on the noisy side but boy did they stick, wet or dry!

I don't know much about Pirelli's. Never liked how the looked or the feel of the sidewall, unmounted. If there is any chance you will encounter snow, slush or ice, the F1's are not for you. They are dangerous in that stuff. You think your tires are slick now, just try F1's in slush or snow. Very bad. I'd say KDW's maybe. Or, just go back to stock if you liked them. I will not buy Mich or Conties myself. Choice is yours.

[pelos]

I also vote for the michelin sport PS2. they are great in the rain as well as dry.

[328iSANJ]

Hi there. First of all I'd like to say what a great board this is. After only a week of joining I have already fixed parasitic draw from the battery, the famous spinning key in the ignition and the "airbag light always on" problem. Thank you to all who contribute.

My question today is what tyres would suit my E36 M3 Evolution Saloon. They are all in need of changing and the car is absolutely stock. I am looking at Michelin Pilot Sports although Continental Sports are also available. I am going to be purchasing tonight so some advice and hopefully some critical advice of the above mentioned tyres would be welcome.

Thank you all.


I have 245/40/17 Michelin Pilot Sport rears and the same in 225/45/17 guise on the front. I have M contours which I presume is the same set up as your stock M3 sedan. I have to say they are the best tyre I've used. I had Conti Sports previously and they just didn't perform like the Michelins. I no longer experience tramlining and they're excellent in the wet. Also great at high speeds. I normally drive 110-120 MPH on UK motorways and the car just feels planted with the Michelins. They cost slightly more but it's money well spent.
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