[optimistic_kid]

Hi everyone,

I run a 2016 CPO 228 xdrive coupe with 18 inch M sport rims and OEM P7 Cinturato run flats (225/40). Most of my miles are highway hops between Philly-Jersey City, with some city driving and honestly all the roads (highway and city) in the region are just awful

Despite an abundance of caution I've blown out multiple tires/ended up with sidewall bubbles. I'm sick of this and would love some advice on alternatives. I'm considering ditching the RFTs altogether if it would mean being able to soak the numerous potholes here much better and not needing a new tire every few thousand miles or so.

I don't run a staggered setup, and this is my daily driver (no track days) and I prefer All Seasons. It seems like the popular contenders are: Conti DWS06, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ (and maybe the Pirelli P Zero AS+?). And maybe AAA/tire patching kit in the boot along with that for emergencies considering BMW kindly gives no room for a spare...

Could someone help me figure out the best options given my usage and the road conditions out here?

Thanks!

[Rollo`]

DWS06 fairly soft sidewall, smooth ride, least dry performance oriented but better winter traction than most performance all seasons. Not bad dry performance, just noticeably worse than the michelin.

Michelin AS/3+ handles like a summer tire, excellent dry performance and wet traction, I have had minimal experience on snow as it hasn't snowed when I've had them fitted the last couple of years. I would like to try a different tire but these are so good I keep putting them on my cars.

No experience with the Pirelli's you mentioned.

I would advise getting them from somewhere like Discount Tire because highway miles seem to wear them out prematurely, even when rotating. Discount Tire will automatically credit you for the mileage warranty when you purchase your next set. Just bought a set of AS/3+ 245/40 r19 for my G37 for $450 all in because the previous set only lasted 25k miles.

[optimistic_kid]

Super useful feedback thanks! How do those Michelins handle sketchy roads/potholes? Anything improving ride quality over my current RFT Cinturatos is the baseline for the moment (fwiw - those seem to handle well in the dry but lane changing in the wet at speed can get a bit twitchy at times)

Originally Posted by Rollo`

DWS06 fairly soft sidewall, smooth ride, least dry performance oriented but better winter traction than most performance all seasons. Not bad dry performance, just noticeably worse than the michelin.

Michelin AS/3+ handles like a summer tire, excellent dry performance and wet traction, I have had minimal experience on snow as it hasn't snowed when I've had them fitted the last couple of years. I would like to try a different tire but these are so good I keep putting them on my cars.

No experience with the Pirelli's you mentioned.

I would advise getting them from somewhere like Discount Tire because highway miles seem to wear them out prematurely, even when rotating. Discount Tire will automatically credit you for the mileage warranty when you purchase your next set. Just bought a set of AS/3+ 245/40 r19 for my G37 for $450 all in because the previous set only lasted 25k miles.

[Rollo`]

Changing from the P7 runflats to the AS/3 totally changed the character of the car's handling. You are driving an xdrive without adaptive suspension so your base suspension may be a bit softer, which might mitigate the change I experienced, however, I can't imagine it would not make a big difference going from a tire with a 6 inch wide contact patch to one with an 8 inch wide one.

Much better wet traction--I could feel the car start to skate in wet corners at medium speeds where the AS/3 is completely solid.

I live in rural Kentucky and our roads are awesome so I don't have any experience with potholes but I believe the AS/3 is recommended by lots of folks who drive in the northeast as well. That being said, if ride quality is a major concern you may want to try the DWS06 as they are universally well reviewed and my experience was that they rode more smoothly and absorbed sharp impacts better than the AS/3, which feels more like a summer tire to me.

[Maynard]

Best bet is to find 17" wheels that will fit your brakes - Tire Rack is very good for knowing what fits, but a local tire place may be better if they offer a road hazard plan (TR has one, but it is cumbersome if you are replacing a lot). You can run 17x8 square with 225's. This gives a larger sidewall, which is what will matter with potholes. Square setup means you can replace just one at a time, and rotate; difference in handling between this and a 245 is placebo until you get on track, and not much even then. Putting the 225's on the wider rim is a better fit for them, and will give you somewhat crisper turn in that will mitigate the effects of the larger sidewall.

[MarcoZandrini]

Personally, I wouldn't put Pirelli tires on a lawn mower.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by MarcoZandrini

Personally, I wouldn't put Pirelli tires on a lawn mower.

Depends on which class of tyre from which manufacturer, all manufacturers have good and bad tyres. The worst tyres I have ever run on a street car are Michelin MXM tyres from 15 years ago - short life (luckily) low grip and noisy. The best tyres I have ever run on a track car are Pirelli DM slicks, much better than the Hoosiers I have at the moment, but difficult to get in North America.

Pirelli is certainly not lacking in technology capabilities, being the current F1 supplier and leading supplier to both Mclaren and Ferrari.

[optimistic_kid]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I ended up going with the 18 Michelins and I'll report back how those affect the ride. Unfortunately turns out that the crater pothole has caused some big suspension damage (was on the I95 doing...well highway speeds). So incredibly upsetting as there was no way to avoid that.

Never getting RFTs again (as long as I'm living in this part of the country atleast).

[SpiritedDriver498]

Could I ask for an update on how the tires turned out?

I'm in this same situation--looking for replacements for the garbage P7s at 225/40/R18