BMW needs new tires

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am
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Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2007 9:55 am

BMW needs new tires

Post by am »

I have an 07 3 series which needs new tires. Does anyone know where to get a good deal on the run flat tires? Do you think the dealership has competitive pricing for these usually? Thanks.
260chrisb
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by 260chrisb »

Go to the Tire Rack web site.
stan1
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by stan1 »

I got mine at Tire Rack. Shipped to a tire shop 1 mile from my house for install. Would definitely do same next time.

I changed from summer to all weather tires for improved ride comfort and longer tread life.

You may be able to get something on sale if you have the time to look around local tire stores and wait for a sale.
Warning: I am about 80% satisficer (accepting of good enough) and 20% maximizer
BlckJck
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by BlckJck »

The dealership will be super expensive.

Costco has great price on tires. 2nd best would be tirerack, but then you need to find an installer.
playtothebeat
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Location: southern california

Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by playtothebeat »

I got my bmw tires through America's Tires. Great service and price. About half the cost of the dealership's quote
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TX_TURTLE
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Location: Texas

Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by TX_TURTLE »

am wrote:I have an 07 3 series which needs new tires. Does anyone know where to get a good deal on the run flat tires? Do you think the dealership has competitive pricing for these usually? Thanks.
Avoid the dealer like the plague :). Try Costco, Discount Tire or similar places.
yowzer9
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by yowzer9 »

I used tire rack and the results were good.

I believe many BMW dealers will price match.
astrohip
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Location: Houston TX

Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by astrohip »

I use Discount Tire. They can order what I want, which is always something odd, since I use run-flats and like a wide, sticky, quiet, yet handles in all-weather tire ( :wink: ). I find they are very close in price to Tire Rack, and without the finding an installer hassle. They also have a great replacement policy, if you should have a problem before too many miles.

I've used the dealer, they are expensive. Sometimes they will negotiate, but I've never seen them match. If they get close enough, I'll use them.
"Happiness is not about doing, it’s about being." - R Branson
cestan
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by cestan »

just put new tires on a bmw. got rid of the run flats and bought conventional eagle Goodyear. ride improvement tremendous. put two cans of leak seal in trunk with portable inflation machine and plug kit. all bought on amazon. Never realized how harsh the ride was with run flat tires. used tirerack.com drop shipped to tire store within two days.
jmorgans
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by jmorgans »

Just find what you want online and walk into your local tire store with the ad. They will usually come down significantly and much easier than shipping tires.
wfrobinette
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by wfrobinette »

am wrote:I have an 07 3 series which needs new tires. Does anyone know where to get a good deal on the run flat tires? Do you think the dealership has competitive pricing for these usually? Thanks.
I always look online and get a quote then ask the local guy to match price. They almost always oblige.
ubermax
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by ubermax »

stan1 wrote:I got mine at Tire Rack. Shipped to a tire shop 1 mile from my house for install. Would definitely do same next time.

I changed from summer to all weather tires for improved ride comfort and longer tread life.

You may be able to get something on sale if you have the time to look around local tire stores and wait for a sale.
+1 for Tire Rack , we have an X3 and a Volvo and are fortunate in having a Tire Rack warehouse/distribution center near us - our local mechanic put us on to them - we pick the particular tires on their website & then pick them up & have our local guy mount & balance them , saves the shipping charge - would never get tires from the dealership again , very happy with Tire Rack !!!
strafe
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by strafe »

Discount Tire (and I'm sure many other stores) will match Tire Rack's shipped prices.

As for tires, I highly recommend the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. Best tire I've ever owned.
JDot
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by JDot »

Last time- I went to Sears. I think Sears does a good job on tires and they typically have really nice equipment for alignment. (they also will check your alignment for free btw and give you a print out)

Anyways- last time I went to Sears and said, "Look, I want to support my local businesses, including Sears. But I found these (X) tires on Tirerack for (Y) dollars. I realize I'll have to get them installed somewhere if I did that. What's the best you can do me if I order from you y'all?"

In this instance, the guy behind the counter said, "we actually get our tires from tirerack, I can give them to you for that price"

I don't know if this gentleman was correct, but I ended up buying from Sears for a really good price.
bigred77
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by bigred77 »

cestan wrote:just put new tires on a bmw. got rid of the run flats and bought conventional eagle Goodyear. ride improvement tremendous. put two cans of leak seal in trunk with portable inflation machine and plug kit. all bought on amazon. Never realized how harsh the ride was with run flat tires. used tirerack.com drop shipped to tire store within two days.
+1

Got rid of the stupid run-flats. Still debating on if I want to use up all of my trunk space with baby spare or trust I could plug the tire myself in the event of a flat. I have noticed a much improved ride.
The Wizard
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by The Wizard »

BMW owners should start a new FAD, by bolting a full size spare tire to the rear bumper ala Jeep Wrangler and the fake Lincoln Continental hump of years gone by...
Attempted new signature...
Luke Duke
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by Luke Duke »

If I have a choice, I will never buy another tire from anyone other than Discount Tire.
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Bengineer
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by Bengineer »

strafe wrote:Discount Tire (and I'm sure many other stores) will match Tire Rack's shipped prices.

As for tires, I highly recommend the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3. Best tire I've ever owned.
I like that Michelin and the brand in general. Spendy but good. Continental would be my second choice. I've never liked Goodyear. Anecdotal experience vs consumer research of course.

Definitely not the dealer. I'm not so much of a fan of the chains. I don't like being told my rims are out of round and getting home to find them just fine with a dial caliper. I recommend finding a good local independent. They'll be pretty competitive on price once you factor in shipping from TR or similar, new stems, sensor reset, mounting, balancing & discard. I'm sure you've got nice rims & trim. You don't want to get home to find someone used a BF screwdriver to remove your cover trim & buggered up the rim with the tire machine. You'll likely need to retorque the lugs to spec, though, as it seems everyone uses impact wrenches. I like talking to the guy that's going to do the work / the owner of the shop, vs "service writers" or some such.

I'd research alternatives to run-flat if it were my car for performance and ride as well as $$$. Plugging a screw hole in the tread isn't too hard, though the pressure's on when it's the middle of the night in nowhereville. AAA would seem a reasonable alternative. My car is spare-less & came with the sealant and compressor. I've yet to need it.
Green Nut
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by Green Nut »

I'm not sure if every Costco is the same, but my local one has no means to do an alignment. I always do an alignment with new tires.
stan1
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by stan1 »

Green Nut wrote:I'm not sure if every Costco is the same, but my local one has no means to do an alignment. I always do an alignment with new tires.
My local Costco was not able to get the tires I wanted.
Warning: I am about 80% satisficer (accepting of good enough) and 20% maximizer
stupidkid
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by stupidkid »

As others have suggested, definitely switch out the runflats. Cheaper and better performance on regular tires. I go to the performance tire shop next door and they get me a better deal all-in (mounted/balanced) than buying from Tire Rack and paying for install. Plus, they are happy to oblige for small services throughout the year, e.g. fixing flats, rotations, etc.

Depending on your locale, I'd also recommend separate winter tires/rims. I have a 135i, RWD and lots of power, and with my winter tires I can drive pretty much all year depending on snow depth.
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Crimsontide
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by Crimsontide »

The Wizard wrote:BMW owners should start a new FAD, by bolting a full size spare tire to the rear bumper ala Jeep Wrangler and the fake Lincoln Continental hump of years gone by...
Ain't it the truth, who the heck drives a car without a spare??? Run flat or not, I've got to have a spare on board...
FireSekr
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by FireSekr »

bigred77 wrote:
cestan wrote:just put new tires on a bmw. got rid of the run flats and bought conventional eagle Goodyear. ride improvement tremendous. put two cans of leak seal in trunk with portable inflation machine and plug kit. all bought on amazon. Never realized how harsh the ride was with run flat tires. used tirerack.com drop shipped to tire store within two days.
+1

Got rid of the stupid run-flats. Still debating on if I want to use up all of my trunk space with baby spare or trust I could plug the tire myself in the event of a flat. I have noticed a much improved ride.

+2

I've got a 2011 3 series. Had the Continental all season run flats that came with the car and replaced them with Michelin Pilot Super Sport non run-flat summer tires. Could not believe how much more comfortable the ride is and how quiet it is compared to the run flats. The steering feel, handling, and traction (especially in the wet) is massively better as well. I've got a compressor and can of flat fix in the trunk and triple A in case I get a flat, should be sufficient.

Also, non rft are much cheaper. The Michelin Pilot Super Sport is probably the best summer tire you can get...goes for $140/tire on tirerack. Think there is still a $70 rebate from michelin as well. If you want all seasons, the Pilot Sport AS/3 is getting phenomenal reviews, although most people say its still useless in the snow so I do a separate summer and winter setup
anil686
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by anil686 »

I like my Pirellis - I got them at Sam's club and have been happy with them - my dealer price matches but it was going to take 3-4 weeks to get the Pirellis from them....
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ElJay
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Re: BMW needs new tires

Post by ElJay »

I put some new ContiProContacts on my E90 last December and found the dealer was competitively priced with the local tire shops (both the tires and all the other crap that has to happen.) I figured the dealer had the bonus of dealing regularly with RFTs and would be less likely to scatch up my rims. They did fine.

I didn't really consider going without RFTs. A spare would make the trunk nearly unusable and the risk of being totally dependent on a tow for a flat didn't sit well with me. I have the pump and goo kit... I still realize RFTs could leave me stranded in some instances, but RFTs are something I decided I had to accept if I was going to own a modern sport sedan. I would prefer conventional tires and a donut spare, but the push for every little bit of weight savings is killing the spare.

I do love these tires... First OEM tires I have ever repurchased. Quiet from mile zero to the end (which for me is about 30k miles, because I go too fast around every corner.)
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