[Wreckt]

Honestly, it doesn't seem that bad.

[rich8566]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

Isnt more "enthusiastic" alignment = more wear on tires and vice versa ? OEM alignment specs being the balance between the 2

Absolutely!!

[rich8566]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

37-38 all around. At 33psi, the front MPSS tires feel like they roll over too much and the front feels a bit loose. With the higher psi, the front feels quite a bit better too me through the wheel, the tires feel happier, and back seems to be more eager to rotate when I want it to. I could be making all this up in the head, but I notice an improvement plus the shoulders on my tires (7000 miles) is still in great shape.

I had 235/40R18 MPSS on my 2012 WRX and running 37-38psi all around was the sweet spot. Running 34psi or less made the sidewalls roll over too much and 37-38psi kept the tires cool enough when running the car hard. I'm seeing the same with the M235.

I do wonder if the recommended front PSI is to create a bit more understeer, which I think it does. It also makes for a softer ride compliance in the front (blah!).

That is correct - the OEM setup (both tire pressures and the staggered setup) produces understeer. On the track my front tires are +2 over the rear tires. For track duty I use a square setup with Hancook RS3's.

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

5) Most Porsches wear out tires at a more rapid pace then the M235, but the wear is flipped around. Most mid/rear engine Porsches will go through a set of rear tires about every 10,000-15,000 miles. Wide tires and a very aggressive performance factory alignment largely account for this. Porsche SUVs completely destroy both front and rear tires at a rapid pace. Be prepared.

I'll second this - coming from 5 previous Porsches (914, 911 Targa, 944S2 Cabriolet, 968 Coupe, and 986 Boxster), I can certify that they literally eat tires, mostly due to aggressive camber and other alignment settings and the low-treadwear-rated tires recommended for these cars. When I switched to BMW, I had two E46 sedans, an E92 Coupe, and my present F30 sedan, and except for the F30, they all were hard on rear tires, usually wearing out two sets before the fronts required replacement as well. This also held true for my wife's previous 128i convertible.

I would suggest that the OP try BMW of Houston North, a dealership that I had very good luck with, as well as BMW of the Woodlands (both are owned by the same company). I also started using Continental Extreme Contact DW non-runflat tires on my newer BMWs after the OEM runflats wore out. Their treadwear rating is significantly higher than the Michelins even though they are summer tires, although I'm sure they're not as sticky as the Michelins. They cost less to replace as well.

And while we're on the subject of "switching brands", my Porsche ownership/dealership experience was nowhere near as good as it continues to be with BMW. I'll never own another Porsche again is the best I can say about that.

[Shatzbot10]

Wow! Coincidence here! I’m retired, bought new right off the boat (Stuttgart) 288i exactly 3 years ago (now at 17.6k miles). I observed slight, but noticeable, wear (non-run flats...fronts) on outter tread. Called Service BMW.
Guess what he said, “Alignment problem”. At $300 (including tax) almost the price of one tire. I believe I’ll wait a year more.

Btw: One year from date of purchase (and 7000 miles) the same Service explained the “need” for alignment.

[Shatzbot10]

Sorry about My confusion here. My post was to address “Wrecked” original 9/13 question re tire wear.