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Thread: Which would you do?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
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    1999 BMW Z3 M Roadster

    Which would you do?

    On a 99 M Roadster with 55k miles, if you could afford to do only one of these for the upcoming summer, which would you do? New Michelin Super Sport tires or Koni Sport shocks. The current tires are Hankook Evo 1, 8 years old with 16k miles. Shocks I believe to be original. Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
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    tempe, az
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    1998 Z3M, 2006 330i
    Both. Definitely both. If you do any spirited driving (why else own an M?) then both are safety issues. .......................................... I replaced mediocre tires with Contisports and the diff was incredible. Then I put Konis on it and the diff was incredible. If you absolutely have to choose: tires; really good tires.
    Last edited by zellamay; 02-17-2019 at 01:46 PM. Reason: added "if you absolutely have to choose.."

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
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    orange county California
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    2001 BMW z3 3.0
    One of them doesnt sound optional


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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
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    Key west
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    Z3
    The average life expectancy of a tire is 5 years but if they’re not dry rotted and hold air well got a little bit of meat left on em I’d go with a suspension upgrade first. Those shocks are about 20 years old and a fresh set will make the driving experience much better all around

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
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    Cincinnati, OH
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    02 Mroady,2007 Z4 coupe
    The tires are probably the biggest safety hazard especially if the car has lived outside.
    The shocks are about shot also but will get you by for now.
    Both need to be done and the difference as stated previously will be very noticeable.
    I have the Koni yellow shocks on my car and I love them. When I took off the rear shocks on my car they had about the same mileage as yours and I could compress them by hand easily. The fronts were in better shape but not by much.
    You can test your tires by doing a burnout and if don’t hear anything then you know the tires gone. When I got my Mini the car had only 14k miles on it but the tires were 9 years old. I did a little burnout and all it did was spin and the only thing on the roads was a bit of dust. Very dangerous tires especially in the rain.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
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    1998 M Roadster
    If the Hankooks are done, then tires without question. If the Hankooks still have a season or two left, then use them up before tossing them. Shocks and struts are either good or bad--they either dampen the spring rate or they do not. If they are bad, replace them; if they are good, don't. If you are limited by funds availability to doing either the one or the other, and neither actually needs to be done, perhaps you should put the $ into savings for next year.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    Texas
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    '02 Z3, '09 Mini
    Stock shocks on these cars (even when new) are not great for handling, and yours are almost surely worn out. The Konis will probably make a huge difference in how the car handles. Your tires have probably hardened (rubber continues to cure over time) so that they don't have as much grip, and might be a safety issue (rule of thumb is about 4 years). They are surely firming up the ride, since they don't give like softer newer tires.

    Last year I replaced my Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star tires that had 8 years on them. Still had plenty of tread, no visible dry rotting, great steering feel, and still GREAT grip (man I loved those tires, they even looked cool-- should have driven the car more). But I wanted to be safe so replaced them. The new tires (Continental Extreme Contact Sport) are much softer. I had my adjustable shocks at the softest setting with the Dunlops, and still had a somewhat stiff ride, but with the Continentals I've adjusted to about halfway. So I'm figuring the Dunlops were pretty hardened.

    If it were me... For a better driving experience, I would say shocks first and then tires as soon as possible. BUT if I planned to do any high-speed driving, or extended highway driving I would replace the tires first. I think the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is now available in Z3 sizes so that's what I'd get if I were looking for tires today (and money was available).... The Contis are kind of mushy feeling, but cheap at least. Tires can ruin the handling even with good expensive shocks, so choose carefully. I can only say avoid Kumho Ecsta PA31, I put those on my Mini and will regret it until I get rid of them.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    8 years is too old for tires

    Tires are THE most important thing on a car, I dont care what anyone says. You can have the most complex and advanced suspension setup in the world, but you cant use it with bad tires. And 8 years is at the point where even if they look ok, they arent good

    Tires first

    I run Riken ZR's on my e36s, they are good for what they are (cheap) and Indy 500's on my s54 coupe. Indy 500's are great tires I personally wouldnt go more expensive than those. Everyone Ive had try em loves em...
    Last edited by BimmerBreaker; 02-16-2019 at 10:52 AM.

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  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
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    Herndon, VA
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    99 z3 2.8L
    Tires, definitely tires first. Mine were low miles when I got the car, but the valve stems and tires were cracking and dried out. even garage-kept tires are suspect after 8 years.
    Last edited by sijray21; 02-16-2019 at 06:33 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
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    Northeast
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    2001 M Roadster
    +1 for tires.
    Did you actually check production year of the tire? Or is it 8 years of ownership? They could be even older. 8 years old, depending on climate, is like driving on plastic tires. When I got my M Roadster, tires looked almost new, but had 10 years since manufactured. I would loose my front end at almost every spirited turn without any brakes. Care was only driving in straight lines and any twisted road felt like I am driving on pebble. It sucked getting rid of my Michelin’s because they looked new, but they had to go.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
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    Spring Green, WI
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    01 2.5i, 98 1.9 DASC & M
    Check with Hankook on the life of their tires. I always believed that 6 years was the maximum life for radials, but was surprised to learn the Michelin recommends a 10 year life with routine inspections after 6. Hankook should have a recommendation of their own. If the tires are overdue for replacement due to age, that would be a priority.

    That said, if you can't replace worn suspension components and tires, I'd drive very, very gingerly until I could. Worn shocks can cause tires to wear unevenly, resulting in premature wear, so doing one without addressing the other may be money wasted.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
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    Birch Bay, WA
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    [QUOTE=BimmerBreaker;30205564]8 years is too old for tires

    Tires are THE most important thing on a car, I dont care what anyone says. You can have the most complex and advanced suspension setup in the world, but you cant use it with bad tires. And 8 years is at the point where even if they look ok, they arent good

    Tires first

    I run Riken ZR's on my e36s, they are good for what they are (cheap) and Indy 500's on my s54 coupe. Indy 500's are great tires I personally wouldnt go more expensive than those. Everyone Ive had try em loves em...[/QUOTE

    Thanks for the recommendation for the Indy 500 tires. Had a set installed and balanced yesterday at a Firestone dealer, out the door for $500 plus a $40 mail in rebate. So far I like them way better then my old Hankooks. Happy driving.

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