[yusufd1]

I need to change tyres and I currently have 20" 245/40/20. The dealership says that I have to use bmw approved tyres and based on my VIN number they confirmed that the choice is Continental EcoContact 6Q, Michelin E Primacy or Pirelli P Zero (cost is about the same). The car currently has the Continental above and I'm not happy with them as they only lasted 24000km and are very noisy.

Would appreciate any views on the other two based on any experience other owners may have had. Want to try and optimize for mileage and noise levels. It's the S Drive 18i.

Thank you in advance.

[FZI89]

Originally Posted by yusufd1

I need to change tyres and I currently have 20" 245/40/20. The dealership says that I have to use bmw approved tyres and based on my VIN number they confirmed that the choice is Continental EcoContact 6Q, Michelin E Primacy or Pirelli P Zero (cost is about the same). The car currently has the Continental above and I'm not happy with them as they only lasted 24000km and are very noisy.

Would appreciate any views on the other two based on any experience other owners may have had. Want to try and optimize for mileage and noise levels. It's the S Drive 18i.

Thank you in advance.

The Pirelli’s are amazing. I have them on my winter wheels.

[yusufd1]

Thanks. Was leaning towards the Pirelli.

[John27]

Generally speaking Continentals (which I have on my X1) have a softer compound and grip the road well. The trade off is that they tend to wear quicker than other brands. I had Pirellis (Scorpions) on my previous VW Tiguan and these were really good for longevity purposes and held the road well. I must say the X1 with Continentals has even better road holding but I am not sure how much is down to the tyres and how much is due to XDrive v the VW Haldex system.

The Continentals I currently have are quieter that the Pirelli Scorpions I had on the VW. Now that may in part be due to better sound proofing etc on the X1 but from others who have posted on the VW forums who have switched from Continentals to Pirellis, assuming the Pirelli Zero's perform like the Pirelli Scorpions, I wouldn't expect much in the way of noise reduction, possibly the reverse but you should get better mileage out of them with similar road holding.

I'd be very interested in your views of the Zeros given I expect to be in the same position in about 12 months.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by yusufd1

I need to change tyres and I currently have 20" 245/40/20. The dealership says that I have to use bmw approved tyres and based on my VIN number they confirmed that the choice is Continental EcoContact 6Q, Michelin E Primacy or Pirelli P Zero (cost is about the same). The car currently has the Continental above and I'm not happy with them as they only lasted 24000km and are very noisy.

Would appreciate any views on the other two based on any experience other owners may have had. Want to try and optimize for mileage and noise levels. It's the S Drive 18i.

Thank you in advance.

Are you leasing? If not, you can use whatever tires you want--go to an independent tire store and get whatever you want. If so, there are raging debates as to whether the lease "requires" BMW "approved" tires (USA lease language has very vague language, like "similar quality" or something like that). OR--put on whatever you want, and save the OEM tires and swap them back onto the car when you end your lease.

[yusufd1]

Originally Posted by tex2670

Are you leasing? If not, you can use whatever tires you want—go to an independent tire store and get whatever you want. If so, there are raging debates as to whether the lease "requires" BMW "approved" tires (USA lease language has very vague language, like "similar quality" or something like that). OR—put on whatever you want, and save the OEM tires and swap them back onto the car when you end your lease.

Not leasing. I thought of your suggestion but the price differential between any of the good brands here in South Africa is not that much. Also when I called the dealer the guy seemed very knowledgeable and mentioned that if you ever have a drive-train / suspension problem then BMW SA will conduct an investigation to uncover whether the non approved tyres could have contributed to the issue and then could possible renege on the maintenance plan. As I have 4 years of maintenance plan left, this extra hassle ain't worth it.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by yusufd1

Not leasing. I thought of your suggestion but the price differential between any of the good brands here in South Africa is not that much. Also when I called the dealer the guy seemed very knowledgeable and mentioned that if you ever have a drive-train / suspension problem then BMW SA will conduct an investigation to uncover whether the non approved tyres could have contributed to the issue and then could possible renege on the maintenance plan. As I have 4 years of maintenance plan left, this extra hassle ain't worth it.

the guy is full of sh!t and is just trying to get your $$

[Fish Fingers]

Check the warranty in your country.

See if it states BMW rated tyres to be used to maintain warranty.

On my cars, I generally prefer Michelin.
They usually cost a bit more here, but are highly rated in general.

[John27]

BMW say that only tyres with a star on the sidewall should be used on the car as these meet the individual requirements of the vehicle. There are plenty of posts on different BMW forums where members have fitted tyres of the same size without the star and have had no problems at all.

So I agree with others, the car will run quite happily on non BMW recommended tyres, the issue is are you obligated to fit them because of your lease/finance agreement or even to maintain your warranty?

[richiro]

If the p zero are performance tires, I can tell you that they will not be as quiet as you would hope for.

They give a lot of feedback from the road both in pavement type and noise. You will hear a low drum tone when driving on local roads, highway not as bad. These aren’t necessarily intended to be meant for the quiet ride that most prefer. Not sure what road conditions in South Africa are like but if they aren’t paved I might consider an all season for a softer compound.

Also lifewear on p zeros tend to be short from what most people say.

[richiro]

Originally Posted by John27

BMW say that only tyres with a star on the sidewall should be used on the car as these meet the individual requirements of the vehicle. There are plenty of posts on different BMW forums where members have fitted tyres of the same size without the star and have had no problems at all.

So I agree with others, the car will run quite happily on non BMW recommended tyres, the issue is are you obligated to fit them because of your lease/finance agreement or even to maintain your warranty?

I personally have non star marked Pirellis on now and have been to dealer multiple times, the master tech even complimented on the set up.

So I don’t really think there’s a way they can prove that the non star marked tires are the cause for a warranty related malfunction, unless you go way off spec on tire sizes.

[John27]

Originally Posted by richiro

I personally have non star marked Pirellis on now and have been to dealer multiple times, the master tech even complimented on the set up.

So I don’t really think there’s a way they can prove that the non star marked tires are the cause for a warranty related malfunction, unless you go way off spec on tire sizes.

I think you are right. However, in the UK, dealers have been known to turn down warranty claims for silly things like this. Any excuse to get out of paying. I guess its all down to what the owner wants, what are the risks, and the price differential.