Summer / Winter / All Season

[murmur]

I know this has prolly been asked all over,,

I am looking at picking up an X5 in the next couple of weeks, have found one but based on the description, it’s going to need new tires.. it’s got OEM 20 inch staggered wheels with RFT,, Hence I need to find either,

Dedicated Summer plus
Dedicated Winter or
All seasons

We live in Indiana and get some snow not a whole lot though..

I am trying to find out if I go the dedicated winter route, do I downsize to 19s,, that would mean that I have to get a complete wheel and tire set as in 20 Summers and 19 Winters...any thoughts , ideas , experiences, recommendations would be much appreciated. I have had Pirellis and Michellin on our other cars but never had an X5 before,, been reading that folks have good experiences with Contis all seasons ?? Thanks !

[andrewmr]

Ok, this one hits close to home.

There is nothing better than dedicated summer and dedicated winter tires. They offer that extra performance that may or may not be important to you.

On the S8 I run summers until the temps get below 40 degrees and then the winters go on. They stay on until the temps get above 40. It's not just about the snow, cold affects the performance as well.

The Porsche and Ferrari are always on summers as they don't get driven in the cold.

The X5 is different. It came with 21 inch wheels with dedicated summer tires. When it was time to replace the tires I decided to go with 20 inch tire/wheels to increase the selection of tires available. As I didn't need ultimate performance, I looked at the option of going with an all season tire instead of two sets (summer/winter) of wheels/tires.

I looked at the Continental DWS-06's but as it turns out there weren't any rears available and nobody knew when they would be available, so I ended up going with Michelin Pilot Sport (N spec) and couldn't be happier.

If they don't provide the snow performance I need then I will find a set of 19's, or 20's (in a square setup) and go with a dedicated winter tire/setup. But I suspect the current setup will be all I need.

[bagekko]

Depends on if you want to maintain RF. The options if you want a RF tire stink and yet Non-RF options can be limited depending on the size.

BMW's are more and more getting unique sizes and they keep increasing the rim size. The X7 22's wheels are even worse for options.

Anything though is better than the 1 and only 1 tire choice for the 20's on my i3.

[murmur]

Originally Posted by bagekko

Depends on if you want to maintain RF. The options if you want a RF tire stink and yet Non-RF options can be limited depending on the size.

BMW's are more and more getting unique sizes and they keep increasing the rim size. The X7 22's wheels are even worse for options.

Anything though is better than the 1 and only 1 tire choice for the 20's on my i3.

Indeed,, just spoke with tire rack, looks like the only option in the OEM size is Conti DSW6,, and that is also non-runflat. The rest of the options are all dedicated summer and dedicated winter also very limited choices

[EdgyE36]

Subjective topics and hits close to home here too. Just purchased 2016 CPO with brand new Pirelli perfomance RFs. That's great, but fall and winter coming. It's my wife's car, so she won't be pushing the car to 9/10s or anything like that.

So we're getting the Continental DWS 06s soon. I've had before and good tire. They will do fine year round. Will probably sell the brand new Pirellis and should get decent price for them. All that said, this is Virginia not Indiana.

BTW - I initially thought the same re availability, but keep scrolling down. TR does sell the Pilot Sport AS NSpec 275/315 mentioned by Andrewmr - but those are not the same tire as the category leading Pilot Sport AS +3.

[murmur]

Originally Posted by EdgyE36

Subjective topics and hits close to home here too. Just purchased 2016 CPO with brand new Pirelli perfomance RFs. That's great, but fall and winter coming. It's my wife's car, so she won't be pushing the car to 9/10s or anything like that.

So we're getting the Continental DWS 06s soon. I've had before and good tire. They will do fine year round. Will probably sell the brand new Pirellis and should get decent price for them. All that said, this is Virginia not Indiana.

BTW - I initially thought the same re availability, but keep scrolling down. TR does sell the Pilot Sport AS NSpec 275/315 mentioned by @Andrewmr - but those are not the same tire as the category leading Pilot Sport AS +3.

Looks like I'm gonna I have to go the same route as in continentals. The Michelin is 3+ is not available in the 315 size. From my conversation with Discount Tire, the continental had better rating and warranty and apparently it comes with some Kind of road hazard, towing program as well..

[EdgyE36]

Think you'll like them. FYI all tires from TR come with free road hazard protection, and it's gotten me a new tire twice.

[djrabbi]

I have three sets...

Winter
Summer
All Seasons (to cover any of the top two sets in case of a blow out)

[Keithwand]

Just ditched the RFs for Conti DWS.
Much nicer ride. So quiet.
This year the S Drive will spend the winter in Michigan.
Nope not worried. Many years of rear drive experience with no abs, non radial tires etc.

[1norseman]

I'm one of the "idiots" who refuses to understand that modern all seasons are still the same junk they were 10yrs ago...
More idiots like me...

These days, for 3 seasons of the year I run high performance Michelin A/S on the X5.
Winter time I switch to dedicated Michelin snow tires.

Works great for me, and I don't have to worry about when the right time is to switch from summer to winter tires.
No worries if I wake up one morning and it is below 40°, which is where summer tires starts getting hard and loose grip, and can be outright dangerous.

So this is my recommendation for the X5. (Now if this was a Z4 or M car, I would recommend "summer only" tires for summer time spirited driving...)

[EdgyE36]

Excellent info in that link, thanks. Nice to have facts for what is usually a subjective debate:

While it might seem counterintuitive to specify all-season tires on a mid-engine sports car, the goal for these tires is 1.00 g of lateral grip, which is higher than what the C6 Corvette could manage on summer tires.

[murmur]

I believe for me it comes down to Contis vs. Michelin AS3 N Spec (N0).

I am reading a lot of good stuff on the Michelins. So if I understand correct, the AS3 is pretty much "Meh" in the wet/light snow conditions. The AS3 + is supposed to be much better on Wet/ light snow but is not available in the 315 size. The AS3 N Spec is supposed to be either in between AS3 --AS3+ zone or is the same is AS3+ but branded N Spec for Porsche approval.

[Road Carnage]

I’m with Andrew on this, dedicated summers and winters. I’m running 21” MPSS for the summer, and I switch back to my factory 19” with Blizzacks for the winter. But I will say we have some of the worst roads in the nation here in Bucks County. The pot holes get so bad here by about mid-February I like having the extra sidewall for protection.

[1norseman]

Originally Posted by murmur

I believe for me it comes down to Contis vs. Michelin AS3 N Spec (N0).

I am reading a lot of good stuff on the Michelins. So if I understand correct, the AS3 is pretty much "Meh" in the wet/light snow conditions. The AS3 + is supposed to be much better on Wet/ light snow but is not available in the 315 size. The AS3 N Spec is supposed to be either in between AS3 --AS3+ zone or is the same is AS3+ but branded N Spec for Porsche approval.

This is why I prefer true winter tires for the snow and sleet, but use the N specs during spring summer and fall. I have pushed them hard this summer, and I'm impressed with how great they grip.
Nonetheless, I still don't believe A/S tires are good for true winter use, and I have no plans to test how well or not well they work in snow.
So I'm going back to my dedicated 19" winter tires once there is risk of snow.

[Breezer88]

Originally Posted by Road Carnage

I’m with Andrew on this, dedicated summers and winters. I’m running 21” MPSS for the summer, and I switch back to my factory 19” with Blizzacks for the winter. But I will say we have some of the worst roads in the nation here in Bucks County. The pot holes get so bad here by about mid-February I like having the extra sidewall for protection.

I'm running the 21's with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx for Summer and have dedicated 19's with Blizzacks for winter too, however looking to swap out Blizzacks with NOKIAN HAKKAPELIITTA R3 as the last 2 winter seasons not too impressed with the Blizzacks.

[Road Carnage]

Originally Posted by Breezer88

I'm running the 21's with Dunlop SP Sport Maxx for Summer and have dedicated 19's with Blizzacks for winter too, however looking to swap out Blizzacks with NOKIAN HAKKAPELIITTA R3 as the last 2 winter seasons not too impressed with the Blizzacks.

You get winter in California?

[The Libertine]

Living in Massachusetts, I utilize all seasons all year long.

[GeorgeR]

Is there a consensus on the best Summer Performance tire, regardless of whether it is Run Flat or not, just considering performance?

My wife’s 2016 X6 xDrive35i is still on original Pirelli P Zero 275/40 R20 front 315/35 R20 rear Run Flats with a bit under 27,000 miles on them. 4-year warranty/Service expires February 17th, 2020, not that that impacts tires but another thing to think about. She doesn’t drive it much anymore now that she is retired.

We live in the Seattle Tacoma area and snow is rarely an issue and when it is, my wife is not going to drive, I will be driving her and it will be in our 2000 Land Cruiser, not the X6. My rear drive 2009 335i E92 with run flats never touches snow either. My wife isn’t going to drive hard but I enjoy pushing it the few times I drive it. I even added MPPK with that in mind. I use MPPK the few times I drive the X6 but my wife never has.

I have been OK with summer performance tires, mostly because we drive the Land Cruiser when the weather is really bad anyway. Wear isn’t a top concern either since we won’t be putting a lot of miles on it. We do get a bit of rain in Seattle though and that can be a plus for All Season tires. Still, no way my wife is changing a flat and I’m not sure she would want to wait around for AAA.

[deiselpwr]

Same boat. Here in Vancouver we get mild winter. Wet most of the time and the odd ice in the morning I need to change out the Summer P Zero and either go with an all season ( Michelin) at $2100 cdn. Or keep the P zero for a few seasons and get some winters. ( $2400 Replica wheels 20” with Kumho winters). I’d prob get two more seasons on my P zero. But. With winters I will have a louder ride for 4 months , go all season. It’s a balanced ride all year. Thoughts.

[EdgyE36]

Is there a consensus on the best Summer Performance tire, regardless of whether it is Run Flat or not, just considering performance?

I think that consensus would be the Michelin Pilot Sport 4s. But the price reflects it.

[GeorgeR]

Originally Posted by EdgyE36

I think that consensus would be the Michelin Pilot Sport 4s. But the price reflects it.

Does not seem to be available in my rear tire size?

275/40 R20 - 315/35 R20

Thanks

[deiselpwr]

Ok. So Michelin AS 3 plus? Can we get them for our 20” wheels?
AS3 NO ( Porsche). Are they as good or better than the 3plus.
Was going to get the Conti but for $100 a tire more. Michelin seems the best way to go