User tyre reviews for tyres on the E46 3 Series:
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| Falken FK451 (5) | 80% | 78% | 78% | 80% | 92% | 86% | 96% | 84% | 90,010 |
| Falken FK452 (26) | 82% | 79% | 73% | 72% | 80% | 78% | 82% | 78% | 349,860 |
| Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 (35) | 83% | 79% | 70% | 68% | 59% | 65% | 64% | 70% | 537,556 |
| Goodyear Excellence (8) | 79% | 76% | 64% | 65% | 60% | 81% | 61% | 69% | 180,500 |
| Dunlop SP Sport 9000 (11) | 76% | 73% | 70% | 64% | 60% | 69% | 62% | 68% | 199,000 |
| Toyo T1R (24) | 77% | 71% | 70% | 70% | 57% | 68% | 60% | 68% | 251,162 |
| Continental Sport Contact 2 (16) | 78% | 68% | 71% | 68% | 54% | 68% | 58% | 66% | 229,208 |
| Michelin Pilot Primacy (6) | 72% | 65% | 60% | 52% | 92% | 68% | 53% | 66% | 98,012 |
| Yokohama S Drive (3) | 73% | 50% | 67% | 63% | 40% | 60% | 37% | 56% | 8,800 |
Writing about the Goodyear Excellence given 86% (205-55-16-V)
Driving on a combination of roads for 0 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 0 spirited miles
I switched to Goodyear Excellence tyres after Continental Sport Contact 2's and found a surprisingly big difference. The main thing is that the ride is completely quiet with the car gliding along effortlessly at all speeds. I had some doubts about the change as the Continentals were original equipment and I do have more of a "Sport" driving style, but the grip in bends is equal or better, and emergency stops are super short (hardly activating the ABS). At the limit the slide is predictable and grippy rather than the Conti's lose it altogether and grab. I needed to get used to the rubbery feeling but that's OK since the performance is there. In comparison the Sport Contact 2's felt like slippery blocks of wood.
Writing about the Michelin Pilot Primacy given 83% (--16-W)
Driving on mostly country roads for 1000 average miles
Driving on mostly country roads for 1000 average miles
Probably the best tyres I've ever had. I had these on my BMW on a spare set of 16" alloys.
Grip & handling & braking was great with these on.
I would have kept them on but the 16" alloys were too small & I wanted my 18"s on again.
Grip & handling & braking was great with these on.
I would have kept them on but the 16" alloys were too small & I wanted my 18"s on again.
Writing about the Falken FK452 given 83% (---)
Driving on a combination of roads for 0 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 0 spirited miles
for the price an excellent tyre. Much much better then the OEM Bridgestone RE040 that came with my BMW. These are a good all year round tyre, they are amost just as good in the wet as in the dry and with our weather in the UK i think thats good peace of mind to have!
Writing about the Falken FK452 given 80% (225-45-17-W)
Driving on a combination of roads for 54000 average miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 54000 average miles
We replaced the existing Continental Sport Contact 2 tyres with Falken FK452.
We've now driven over 1000 miles on the new tyres, so they are well bedded in.
The tyres are considerably quieter than the Continental tyres, although ride comfort is about the same. Harsh/rough at low speed on the poorly maintained Sussex town and country roads. OK at faster speeds.
There is a strong tendency for the tyres to tramline, e.g. follow indentations in country road surfaces rather than ride over) especially at lower road speeds, so we tend to meander down the road...
I sometimes have to grip the wheel firmly to make the car go where I want.
The tyres do not provide significant useful protection for the standard BMW rims on the car. Although they have some rim protection it is lower level than the edge of the rims and too close in the the rim edge to be effective. The same could be said of the Continentals they replaced however.
That being said, I remain convinced that the tyres offer very good value for money at around half the price of the Continentals and Goodyear-Dunlop and Michelin tyres we considered when making the purchase. I remain unconvinced that the higher priced tyres would be significantly better in performance.
As a footnote, I purchased the tyres online and had them delivered to my home. However the local tyre fitters charged almost £100 to fit them and conduct tracking adjustment. So there was no overall saving for the extra hassle involved.
We've now driven over 1000 miles on the new tyres, so they are well bedded in.
The tyres are considerably quieter than the Continental tyres, although ride comfort is about the same. Harsh/rough at low speed on the poorly maintained Sussex town and country roads. OK at faster speeds.
There is a strong tendency for the tyres to tramline, e.g. follow indentations in country road surfaces rather than ride over) especially at lower road speeds, so we tend to meander down the road...
I sometimes have to grip the wheel firmly to make the car go where I want.
The tyres do not provide significant useful protection for the standard BMW rims on the car. Although they have some rim protection it is lower level than the edge of the rims and too close in the the rim edge to be effective. The same could be said of the Continentals they replaced however.
That being said, I remain convinced that the tyres offer very good value for money at around half the price of the Continentals and Goodyear-Dunlop and Michelin tyres we considered when making the purchase. I remain unconvinced that the higher priced tyres would be significantly better in performance.
As a footnote, I purchased the tyres online and had them delivered to my home. However the local tyre fitters charged almost £100 to fit them and conduct tracking adjustment. So there was no overall saving for the extra hassle involved.
Writing about the Falken FK452 given 75% (225-45-17-W)
Driving on a combination of roads for 54000 average miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 54000 average miles
I replaced the existing Continental Sport Contact 2 tyres on this car soon after purchase due to uneven tyre wear. The tracking issue causing the excess wear was solved during installation of the new tyres.
I chose Falken FK452 tyes based on price and the reviews on this site. Basically it was a value for money proposition. I didnt want to spend heaps on 4 new tyres having just purchased the car.
One thing to note: I purchased the tyres on line and had them delivered to my home. I then had to pay almost £100 to get them fitted and have tracking adjusted. Not much if anything saved for all the hassle.
They have now done over 1000 miles, so are well bedded in. I'm generally happy with the performance.
They are considerably quieter than the Continentals that were on it.
I have noticed a tendency for the steering to tramline (follow depressions in the road surface instead of riding over), whether that is the car or the tyres I cannot say.
The tyres do not offer very much protection for the rims from hitting curbs & etc - while they do have some rim protection, on the standard BMW rims on this car it is useless as the protection is too near the edge of the rim, and not sufficiently proud of the edge of the rims.
Despite these small issues, I think the tyres offer excellent value for the money and I'm not convinced higher priced tyres will be noticably better.
I chose Falken FK452 tyes based on price and the reviews on this site. Basically it was a value for money proposition. I didnt want to spend heaps on 4 new tyres having just purchased the car.
One thing to note: I purchased the tyres on line and had them delivered to my home. I then had to pay almost £100 to get them fitted and have tracking adjusted. Not much if anything saved for all the hassle.
They have now done over 1000 miles, so are well bedded in. I'm generally happy with the performance.
They are considerably quieter than the Continentals that were on it.
I have noticed a tendency for the steering to tramline (follow depressions in the road surface instead of riding over), whether that is the car or the tyres I cannot say.
The tyres do not offer very much protection for the rims from hitting curbs & etc - while they do have some rim protection, on the standard BMW rims on this car it is useless as the protection is too near the edge of the rim, and not sufficiently proud of the edge of the rims.
Despite these small issues, I think the tyres offer excellent value for the money and I'm not convinced higher priced tyres will be noticably better.
Writing about the Falken FK452 given 74% (255-35-18-W)
Driving on a combination of roads for 40000 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 40000 spirited miles
Just about to buy my third set of FK452. That in itself is an indication of my satisfaction. Over 40,000 very mixed miles, both one-up and with the whole family aboard, these tyres have always performed excellently. I have found that the dry grip limit reduces significantly once the tyres are down to around 3mm. However,they always retain a very progressive breakaway in wet or dry: it's just a little earlier in the wet...
Snow is another thing though. I may be expecting too much, but traction in snow is very poor indeed, even with all the electronic assistance provided by BMW.
I don't think you'll find a better tyre for anything near the price. I've just ordered a pair for the rear of my car, replacing the 17,000 mile old pair for 96UKP each inc delivery. Wonderful!
Snow is another thing though. I may be expecting too much, but traction in snow is very poor indeed, even with all the electronic assistance provided by BMW.
I don't think you'll find a better tyre for anything near the price. I've just ordered a pair for the rear of my car, replacing the 17,000 mile old pair for 96UKP each inc delivery. Wonderful!
Writing about the Dunlop SP Sport 9000 given 71% (255-45-18-W)
Driving on mostly country roads for 1000 average miles
Driving on mostly country roads for 1000 average miles
A fairly decent tyre. Not the best but not that far from it. Grip was good & you could feel the car gradually start to slide out. Wear seemed quite good too.
Not the quietest. Ok in the wet
Not the quietest. Ok in the wet
Writing about the Falken FK452 given 57% (245-40-17-W)
Driving on a combination of roads for 650 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 650 spirited miles
I think this tyre is designed for average driving and Japanese car. I used ContiSport Contact, it gives positive road feedback, giving you full confidence in cutting lanes and corners. I regret to put on the FK452, my sport edition becomes unsporty. Unable to achieve the manoveurs. Wonder the reliability of those reviews.
Lucky I was able to find a Lexus IS250 buyer from ebay Singapore. He was using Potenza RE050, unhappy with the road noise as it is wearing out. FK452 will definitely suit Lexus, comfort and average grip. FK452 is good in wet conditions only. Dry grip is horrible, need to push extra to achieve pick-up
I am going back to CSC2/3. Though more expensive but worth the penny.
Lucky I was able to find a Lexus IS250 buyer from ebay Singapore. He was using Potenza RE050, unhappy with the road noise as it is wearing out. FK452 will definitely suit Lexus, comfort and average grip. FK452 is good in wet conditions only. Dry grip is horrible, need to push extra to achieve pick-up
I am going back to CSC2/3. Though more expensive but worth the penny.
Writing about the Continental Sport Contact 2 given 56% (205-55-16-V)
Driving on a combination of roads for 108 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 108 spirited miles
SportContact 2's replaced the original SportContacts and gave a lot less dry grip. The original tyres could easily handle fast curves staying stable and predictable but the SP 2's couldn't hold the same speed and would often break away activating the stability control. This is a bad sports tyre, at least on 16" rims. I have recently switched to Goodyear Excellence's which have no problem beating the SP 2's on grip, progressiveness and comfort.
Writing about the Yokohama S Drive given 51% (---)
Driving on a combination of roads for 3600 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 3600 spirited miles
I replaced the Falken 452 with the much hyped Yokohama S-drives. This turn out to be a big mistake I ever made on this car! Although the S-drive feel comfortable and fairly quiet, it simply cannot match the Falken in terms of wet grip power and agility. In fact, the S-drive (supposedly based on nanotechnology )has strong tendencies to collect small stones onto the rubber compound! Just park and see what I mean. So many small bits stuck into the rubber for some reason. Perhaps the S-drive researchers did not anticipate their customers using it any normal roads!?
Writing about the Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 given 49% (225-45-17-V)
Driving on a combination of roads for 50000 average miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 50000 average miles
Impressive grip, but the absolutely abysmal wear rate (they lasted less than 8k miles) means I won't be going there again.
Writing about the Toyo T1R given 44% (255-40-18-V)
Driving on a combination of roads for 2000 spirited miles
Driving on a combination of roads for 2000 spirited miles
After my Michelin Sports wore out on the rear, I decided to try the Toyos because of the price & good reviews. When I first drove the car from the tire shop the back end was so squirly and soft I thought they forgot to put air in! Checked the pressures and they were correct so I drove to my favorite local twisty road and my M3 felt like a Buick! Very soft sidewalls compared to the Michelins...which I am putting back on tomorrow.
Writing about the Falken FK452 given 37% (255-35-18-W)
Driving on mostly motorways for 3000 spirited miles
Driving on mostly motorways for 3000 spirited miles
Having read the reviews on this site, the FK452 seemed too good to be true. Unfortunately, I was proved right. I honestly believe the reviews posted have been done so by the manufacturer!They might seem like value for money, but make sure you build in the cost of your excess and loss of no claims! I've decided to quit while I'm ahead and go back to the PS2 before I have to claim, or worse. If you are driving RWD, don't touch them. The old adage, 'you get what you pay for' is proven. Still very suspicious of the reviews.
Driving on mostly motorways for 55000 average miles