[PsychDoc]

I've been poking around to see what other options may be available when I need a new set (245/45-19) and I see several seemingly wonderful options on Tire Rack's ratings of Grand Touring A/S tires..

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve....jsp?type=GTAS

Many of these tires seem to be clearly superior to the Conti's in myriad areas for equal or less money than the star rated Conti's.

Is there any reason to limit my options to only the 2-3 BMW star rated options?

[dsgs]

Tyre Reviews did a video on this a while back.

[MiGs550e]

Star indicates BMW has performed some form of testing and or matching the specs they are looking for optimal performance and supply chain requirements. Its recommend that you choose these types of tires, however it is not required.

[PsychDoc]

Any consensus on what the best star rated A/S tires are in size 245/45-19?

[RichardInCA]

I think the question here is “best” for what? Handling in the dry? Wet weather grip? Noise/comfort? Tire lifespan? My guess is that the answer will change depending upon which of these things is most important.

[PsychDoc]

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

I think the question here is “best” for what? Handling in the dry? Wet weather grip? Noise/comfort? Tire lifespan? My guess is that the answer will change depending upon which of these things is most important.

Hate to dodge the question, because it is a fair one, but I'd say I'd rate each of those about equally except for tread life being not terribly important.

[dsgs]

It really bothers me that there isn't a more objective way to decide which tires are worth buying. There are some objective tests (like the Tyre Reviews videos and some of the TireRack testing) that try, but there are just so many tires on the market and so many variations in use-case that it's probably impossible.

Ultimately, I think most of the major brands and tire models will be just fine. Some brands have "satisfaction guarantees" of one sort or another and let you return or swap them after a short time if you change your mind. You can also compare tread-life warranties.

As for actual, but utterly anecdotal, advice, if tread life isn't that important you may want to expand your search to include the UHP All-Season category and consider Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 and Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4. Neither has the star, I think. I'm not sure that will matter much unless you push your car pretty hard.

Sorry for the rant, and I hope some of that helps!

[grumpysysad]

Originally Posted by dsgs

As for actual, but utterly anecdotal, advice, if tread life isn't that important you may want to expand your search to include the UHP All-Season category and consider Pirelli P Zero AS Plus 3 and Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4. Neither has the star, I think. I'm not sure that will matter much unless you push your car pretty hard.

I have a 540x, replaced my summer Continental staggered tires for staggered Michelin PS AS 4.

They don't have the star, but are the same spec as the summer tires. Just had to configure them manually on iDrive. From what I could see on the options available on the car configuration the Winter/AS are not close to specifications, so for the car it's still summer tires. I'm using the same PSI since they are the same dimensions/specs.

Ride is smooth and less noise than the summer Continental.

[Scrapula]

My efficiency is lower this winter than last. I drove on the Pirelli PZERO all season star rated last year. Now, I’m using Nokian which have embedded crystals to enhance grip. I definitely have more grip now at the sacrifice of efficiency, but that’s my preference.

[AlteBMW]

Originally Posted by Scrapula

My efficiency is lower this winter than last. I drove on the Pirelli PZERO all season star rated last year. Now, I’m using Nokian which have embedded crystals to enhance grip. I definitely have more grip now at the sacrifice of efficiency, but that’s my preference.

My winter tires for our 760ix (mine) and 530ix (my wife’s) is . . . an X3. What worries me more than my grip is the grip of the many bozos on the road who don’t have a clue of how to drive when things get slippery. My other winter driving strategy is to go to Florida (where there are bozos who don’t know how to drive at all). 😊