Some n00b questions about sport tires

[mistercindy]

I'm looking at a good deal on a 2007 335i Coupe: Premium, Sport, manual, etc... The only thing that bothers me are the sport tires. I'd like to know exactly what the deal is with sport tires and, keep in mind I don't know squat. And yes, I've done a search.

- Are sport tires the "ride flat" tires?
- What are "ride flat" tires, anyway?
- How often to sport tires need replacing? I have no desire to be buying a set of tires annually.
- What does "low profile" mean?
- Are there long mileage "sport" tires that will fit?
- How expensive is it to replace sport tires?
- Are the "regular" tires on the Coupe "ride flat" tires?
- Are the "regular" tires on the Coupe normal (40,000+ miles tires)?

Anything else you can think of would be nice.

[mryakan]

All new BMWs now come with "runflats". Those tires can sustain the weight of the car (and its load) at 50mph for about 150miles (less for full loads) even when fully deflated.
The sports package usually comes with V rated (on lower models) or W/Y/Z rated high performance tires, which of course are runflats too. The soft compound on high performance tires means they will wear faster, 15-20K miles max is to be expected, they may last longer or much shorter depending on how you drive. The Pontenzas that come on the e9x have a 140 tread rating so they are not the longest lasting tires out there and that has nothing to do with their runflat capabilities (even the non-runflats have the same tread rating). You can educate yourself on all this here: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tiretech.jsp
and also research available tires for your car so you know what to expect when they need to be replaced.

Low profile tires simply mean the sidewall of the tire is very short (the rubber between the wheel and the ground). This means there is less rubber to absorb shocks, which means tires and wheels are more prone to damage and also you will feel more of the road imperfections since there is less rubber absorbing that. You can always change your wheels/tires to get 17 higher profile tires, but then don't go with the sports package to begin with and you get those by default and save money.

The tires on the sports package 335 are 18" staggered low profile ultra performance runflats. Staggered means different size front to back (wider in the back). This means you won't be able to rotate except maybe left to right on the same axle, which won't give you much extra mileage on the tires but some say may reduce noise experience after 10-15k miles or so.
To be honest, I doubt anyone can get 40k miles from tires on their BMW. The alignment settings (negative camber), rear wheel drive and aggressive nature which BMWs tend to be driven mean that rarely ever anyone has tires lasting 40k miles. I'd say 25k is the best to expect with your "sports" tires, but I won't plan for more than 20k. All seasons will last longer probably but won't handle as well.

I always say it is the nature of the beast, the "you pay to play" mantra. If you get a high performance car, you should expect that tires will have a shorter than usual life. That is the price of the pleasure you get from these machines :D.

Hope that helps and welcome to the BMW world.

[aftp302]

- How expensive is it to replace sport tires?


Mryakan already gave you a lot of good information and answered most of your questions.

For this question, if by "sport" you mean the 18" that come with the Sport Package on the E90/E92 then you are looking at ~$305 per tire to replace each front tire and ~$375 per tire to replace each rear tire. These are based on my recent experience pricing them locally (including mounting, balancing, etc), and NOT what BMW charges which is much more. My BMW center quoted me $425 per tire for my front tires.

[mryakan]

Mryakan already gave you a lot of good information and answered most of your questions.

For this question, if by "sport" you mean the 18" that come with the Sport Package on the E90/E92 then you are looking at ~$305 per tire to replace each front tire and ~$375 per tire to replace each rear tire. These are based on my recent experience pricing them locally (including mounting, balancing, etc), and NOT what BMW charges which is much more. My BMW center quoted me $425 per tire for my front tires.
I got the whole set mounted and balanced for $1330 (1270+60 mount/balance).

[mistercindy]

Thank you very much for the answers.

So, I'm assuming the regular 17" tires on the coupes (both 328i and 335i) are more normal (ie., last longer and aren't as sticky). Correct?

[aftp302]

I got the whole set mounted and balanced for $1330 (1270+60 mount/balance).

That's pretty close to the price I quoted above. The total for 4 from my local shop would added up to $1360. I didn't need the rears right now, so it was just $610.

[mryakan]

That's pretty close to the price I quoted above. The total for 4 from my local shop would added up to $1360. I didn't need the rears right now, so it was just $610.
Yup you are correct that is close. I am just giving him an idea if he didn't find a local shop as good as your. In my case, this was before shipping to Canada. I ordered them with the wheels from the US and this pricing was based on tirerack pricing including shipping to the wheel supplier in Cali. No way can I match that price here even with the extra international shipping charges and customs duties and federal/provincial taxes that I had to pay.