[carconvert]

So I switched from Pirelli all-season runflats to Michelin Xice3 (not runflats). Yikes... what a difference! Pirellis planted the car firmly on the road at high speeds with little to no road feedback through the steering wheel. With these Michelin winter tires I can feel almost everything on the road through the steering wheel -- and at high speeds it feels like I'm driving on a water bed (bouncy ride). I expected some change but this feels downright weird. Anyone else notice this with their non-run flat winter tire setup.

[Rick955]

Originally Posted by carconvert

So I switched from Pirelli all-season runflats to Michelin Xice3 (not runflats). Yikes... what a difference! Pirellis planted the car firmly on the road at high speeds with little to no road feedback through the steering wheel. With these Michelin winter tires I can feel almost everything on the road through the steering wheel -- and at high speeds it feels like I'm driving on a water bed (bouncy ride). I expected some change but this feels downright weird. Anyone else notice this with their non-run flat winter tire setup.

Have not put mine on yet, but you got non-performance winter tires... (ice/snow)... so I suspect your change in ride is expected. I got "performance winter tires"... probably not as good as yours on Ice/Snow, but I wanted excellent performance for non-snow conditions which we have most of the time, but still have tires made for low temps and winter conditions which is why I went this route... and I have the xDrive too. Pirelli Sottozero II's. These are non RF too so I'll be curious to see the difference from the 19" summer performance Bridgestone's.

[carconvert]

yeah Rick you're probably right... I live in a snow belt so I opted for ice/snow superiority over the performance winters. Guess I got spoiled by my all seasons... Let me know how yours feel after the switch.

[shivaswrath]

Originally Posted by Rick955

Have not put mine on yet, but you got non-performance winter tires... (ice/snow)... so I suspect your change in ride is expected. I got "performance winter tires"... probably not as good as yours on Ice/Snow, but I wanted excellent performance for non-snow conditions which we have most of the time, but still have tires made for low temps and winter conditions which is why I went this route... and I have the xDrive too. Pirelli Sottozero II's. These are non RF too so I'll be curious to see the difference from the 19" summer performance Bridgestone's.

Where did you get them/going to get them installed in CT?
I was looking at Townfair Tire, and they only have Bridgestone's in stock for winter tires.

[Rick955]

Originally Posted by shivaswrath

Where did you get them/going to get them installed in CT?
I was looking at Townfair Tire, and they only have Bridgestone's in stock for winter tires.

I got the entire set, tires and wheels because I have the 19's and summer RF's. Tirerack did it all... $1750 total, with tax, TPM and BMW caps, mounted and hunter balanced. I can switch them on and off myself... simple. Their warehouse is right in Windsor so you can just pick them up and save shipping. This is an 18" setup, 225/45R-18's on all four, non RF. (They also have a RF version if you want the RF's)

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ozero+Serie+II

[martinf79]

I put on Bridgestone Blizzack LM-60 Winter Performance (19s x 255 Rear x 225 Front). Notice absolutely NO difference in road feel/handling. Sooo pleaased w/ them.

Full specs:

http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=765582

[Mako]

Originally Posted by martinf79

I put on Bridgestone Blizzack LM-60 Winter Performance (19s x 255 Rear x 225 Front). Notice absolutely NO difference in road feel/handling. Sooo pleaased w/ them.

Interesting, I got the same tires, 18" though, 225/45
And the ride is more harsh than my runflat summer performance tires, I know winter tires will be a bit more choppy but figured since they weren't run flats it would be about equal, I was wrong. Maybe if you are going from 19" summers to 19" winters it feels the same, but 18" summers to 18" snow doesn't.

I wouldn't call it "bouncy" though, I can just feel the road more, like if it was put into sport suspension mode (which my xdrive doesn't have)

[bobblehead]

what tire pressure on the x-ice ? Over-inflated ?

[carconvert]

Originally Posted by bobblehead

what tire pressure on the x-ice ? Over-inflated ?

35psi all around

[bobblehead]

try lower the tire pressure by 2 and run for a few days and see how it feels.

For me, I go by 'trial & error' and deviate from BMW's recommended psi by 2 - 3 psi.

[carconvert]

Originally Posted by bobblehead

try lower the tire pressure by 2 and run for a few days and see how it feels.

For me, I go by 'trial & error' and deviate from BMW's recommended psi by 2 - 3 psi.

Okay thanks for that! I'll give it a try -- are you running same all around or higher in the rear of the car which is what some have also recommended?

[bobblehead]

For me, the recommended BMW # are too high, I felt the rear is very bouncy. Once I lowered by 3 psi, the ride becomes more acceptable. As a result, I run same psi for front & rear.

Everyone will have a different acceptable ride quality. What works for me do not mean it works for you. Just my 2 cents.

[remmib]

I've got Michelin X-Ice XI2 in 225/45/17 on my e90, and it's completely different tire compard to my summer tires.

[mobius80]

You guys are using non run-flat tires? What happens if you get a flat?

[martinf79]

Originally Posted by mobius80

You guys are using non run-flat tires? What happens if you get a flat?

Compressor in the trunk. Costco = $20. If not ... SOS button for BMW assist.

[Rick955]

Originally Posted by martinf79

Compressor in the trunk. Costco = $20. If not ... SOS button for BMW assist.

EXACTLY! lol OK, the winters are now on! Pirelli Sottozero II's on Elbrus 108's. I actually really like them on the car... the anthracite gives it a darker look. Ride is excellent. No bounce, slightly noisier than the summer tires, handling is as good as others said.

[ocso1606]

That looks great. miss my summers already!

[Rswansen]

[quote=Rick955;12952367]EXACTLY! lol OK, the winters are now on! Pirelli Sottozero II's on Elbrus 108's. I actually really like them on the car... the anthracite gives it a darker look. :

They look great. What is the wheel finish? Machined, or straight anthracite? They look almost silver in some of your pics.

[wdlv]

Originally Posted by carconvert

With these Michelin winter tires I can feel almost everything on the road through the steering wheel -- and at high speeds it feels like I'm driving on a water bed (bouncy ride). I expected some change but this feels downright weird. Anyone else notice this with their non-run flat winter tire setup.

I am running Pirelli Sottozero Serie II performance winter tire non-RFT and the ride is a actually quite good, almost the same feel as my performance summer tires.

I think what the tire adds in noise it gives back in feel since it is not a run-flat tire. The grip and feel is really good although, we haven't had any proper snow but in the wet weather it's been great.

My guess as others have already mentioned is to mess with the air pressure, hopefully it gets the ride feel where you'd like it to be.

[pkim1079]

Originally Posted by carconvert

yeah Rick you're probably right... I live in a snow belt so I opted for ice/snow superiority over the performance winters. Guess I got spoiled by my all seasons... Let me know how yours feel after the switch.

Spoiled by all seasons?!

[rexus300]

I feel more road feel and vibration on the highway with Michelin Pilot Alpin Pa4 on my Lexus and the Bridgestone LM-60 on my Audi since winter tire have aggressive tire patterns with open grooves they will send more road feedback regardless of tire pressure, load rating,etc. Even if they are perfectly road force balance, the summers or all season are smooth as glass for me on all the roads. The winters feel choppy on some bad highways and smooth on new highways with some road vibes felt from the texture of the road as vibe in the seats. Its all about being aware of this. They will never been smooth as regular tires.