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[Um3r]

I needed to replace tires on my e92 and decided to ditch the Bridgestone Potenza run-flats for Michelin Sport Cup A/S 3+.
First option was Tire Rack which was more expensive plus i’d need to find an installer (which I’ve had terrible luck with in the past), so I thought about buying/installing them at Costco. Currently Costco has a $70 instant rebate on Michelin tires for this month plus they provide warranty, fix flats, free wheel balancing plus and have Michelin certified techs.
So yesterday I was a Costco and the tech said that since I am swapping RFTs which is the OE on my car I need to bring/have a spare wheel at the time of install otherwise they won’t provide/honor the warranty!

So I wanted to get a general idea about how members go about this transition. Couple of questions I had:

• Once you change RFTs do you keep a spare wheel in the back?
• If yes, do you buy a donut tire plus tools (what kind)?
• If not a donut tire do you keep the front tire or the rear incase you have a staggered setup like I do? ( I have a spare tire and could get a rim maybe?)

Right now I wast thinking that maybe I should borrow a spare and have them put the tires on and maybe buy a donut later on. Plus is the transition worth it?

Any other tips/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[the dope steez]

Weird, I've had tires mounted at Costco and they could care less... Is it an option to try another location? I've had vastly different levels of service from different locations in my city. I have roadside assistance so if I get a flat I just get a tow to the nearest shop. Not as easy as a spare but then you need to take up trunk space with a donut and a jack. No thanks.
To answer your last question, yes the transition is worth it. Use the money and tread life you save to buy AAA or whatever its called in America and enjoy the increased performance and better ride quality.

[floydarogers]

Use a front (it's smaller and takes less trunk ******* as a spare; get a wheel.

People use all or none. I do have a 12v pump, have used it to re-inflate a RFT to get to a repair shop. Costco is ok with me because I have two sets - winter and summer - so I have a spare. I don't carry one, however.

[AtlasM]

I have staggered wheels, and I don't keep a spare in the car. There's no good place to put it. I have roadside assistance coverage through my insurance if anything goes wrong with a tire. I also have summer & winter sets of wheels & tires so I can use one as a spare in a pinch but I keep whatever set isn't on the car in my garage. That's not an ideal solution of course but the reality is that tire problems aren't that frequent and the RFTs suck enough that having the ability to drive on a flat for a while really is not worth the tradeoffs, at least not to me and all the other people on here who junk them.

As for your choice of tire, the Pilot Sport A/S 3 is kinda mediocre in the snow so if you're choosing it based on snow driving ability I might look for something else. Other options that are sporty all-seasons with actually decent snow traction are the BFGoodrich G-Force Comp 2 A/S and General G-Max AS-03. The BFG may be a little tough to find in the stock 255/35-18 rear size at the moment, it's back ordered on Tire Rack. Another option is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 which is solid in the snow and comfy, but its handling performance is definitely on the softer side.

[Um3r]

Originally Posted by the dope steez

Weird, I've had tires mounted at Costco and they could care less... Is it an option to try another location? I've had vastly different levels of service from different locations in my city. I have roadside assistance so if I get a flat I just get a tow to the nearest shop. Not as easy as a spare but then you need to take up trunk space with a donut and a jack. No thanks.
To answer your last question, yes the transition is worth it. Use the money and tread life you save to buy AAA or whatever its called in America and enjoy the increased performance and better ride quality.

I tried 2 locations near me and both said the same thing.
I intend on renewing AAA so that should take care of the towing.

Originally Posted by AtlasM

I have staggered wheels, and I don't keep a spare in the car. There's no good place to put it. I have roadside assistance coverage through my insurance if anything goes wrong with a tire. I also have summer & winter sets of wheels & tires so I can use one as a spare in a pinch but I keep whatever set isn't on the car in my garage. That's not an ideal solution of course but the reality is that tire problems aren't that frequent and the RFTs suck enough that having the ability to drive on a flat for a while really is not worth the tradeoffs, at least not to me and all the other people on here who junk them.

As for your choice of tire, the Pilot Sport A/S 3 is kinda mediocre in the snow so if you're choosing it based on snow driving ability I might look for something else. Other options that are sporty all-seasons with actually decent snow traction are the BFGoodrich G-Force Comp 2 A/S and General G-Max AS-03. The BFG may be a little tough to find in the stock 255/35-18 rear size at the moment, it's back ordered on Tire Rack. Another option is the Continental ExtremeContact DWS06 which is solid in the snow and comfy, but its handling performance is definitely on the softer side.

I am not going to be driving a lot in the snow and was thinking between the Pilots and Contis but chose the pilots due to better dry performance and everyone on the forums seems to recommend them.

Originally Posted by floydarogers

Use a front (it's smaller and takes less trunk ******* as a spare; get a wheel.

People use all or none. I do have a 12v pump, have used it to re-inflate a RFT to get to a repair shop. Costco is ok with me because I have two sets - winter and summer - so I have a spare. I don't carry one, however.

So would this be a good idea:

Buy an additional rim. Mount one of the front RFTs on it. Throw it in the back and get Costco to mount the tires with warranty. Take the spare wheel out renew AAA and call it a day.
I wonder what would happen if someday I need to get towed to Costco and they go like you have no spare wheel so sorry no warranty anymore.

[John 070]

If they said that I'd bring a snow tire. But I woulda even thought they would not mount non runflats. Yes, we are taking my wife's SUV to Costco for Premier LTXs. I compared and they are cheaper than the online place that we usually get stuff from. Not initially, but when you consider Costco is basically 5% off right now with Chase Freedom, another 2% with executive membership, and no shipping, no tax because we'll install in a tax free state. It wound up $60 cheaper than online, plus lifetime service. Not sure online might be 2 yrs. road hazard, again, not positive.

with all of the above said and done, I would not trust them with my 335i. I don't want the jack points crushed. I paid $30/corner for an indie to dismount the RFT, install new TPMS, and install Pilot Super Sports. Costco is going to get $18 anyway per wheel, the extra $12 is worth it imho. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, Costco does not sell Pilot Super Sports.

[bin01123]

I'm planning to go with Continental DWS06 on my E90. The tires are supposed to be decent in the snow and I live in Atlanta where there is a state of emergency for 2 inches of snow. Its my wife's car and there isn't any spirited driving done on the car so hopeful the car doesn't handle worse when we get these

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by John 070

...
Plus, if I'm not mistaken, Costco does not sell Pilot Super Sports.

They do. Special order via costco.com. Kind of funny considering this thread, as the go-flat PSS comes up when you do a tire search for sport package 2010 ...

[John 070]

Originally Posted by floydarogers

They do. Special order via costco.com. Kind of funny considering this thread, as the go-flat PSS comes up when you do a tire search for sport package 2010 ...

I tried 3 yrs. ago, maybe times have changed mine is an '07, '10 shouldn't make a difference...I don't trust them and feel ok with paying $30 each wheel to do tpms replacement as well. Not one scratch on the rims from the indie, and they even washed the rims and car, Costco wouldn't do that lol but for my wife's Premier LTX (SUV) Costco is just fine.

[Um3r]

Originally Posted by John 070

I tried 3 yrs. ago, maybe times have changed mine is an '07, '10 shouldn't make a difference...I don't trust them and feel ok with paying $30 each wheel to do tpms replacement as well. Not one scratch on the rims from the indie, and they even washed the rims and car, Costco wouldn't do that lol but for my wife's Premier LTX (SUV) Costco is just fine.

The last time I had an indy shop replace my tires they ended up scratching all 4 wheels and I had to put an insurance claim with their insurance.
I mentioned my concerns to the tech who said that they do it properly/professionally so lets see. I would assume that they do a good job since they boast as having Michelin trained people and what not plus the warranty and service is a nice thing to have since there are Costco's around everywhere.

I take my car to the dealership for everything else because its still under CPO warranty but they charge an arm and a leg for tires. Once had a sidewall bubble in one of the rears and they wanted close to $400 for one replacement

Here's what I got and what it cost:

[AtlasM]

This all sounds a lot of hassle, I would first really confirm that Costco requires a spare, and second if they do then find other places to get tires where you don't have to go thru this hassle. Do you have Discount Tire or America's Tire near you? They're the same company and I almost always get my tires at Discount Tire. They're solid.

[John 070]

I'd rather they didn't handle my 335i. Again, I'd be concerned with the jack points getting crushed, or the rims being damaged. You can only expect so much from someone working at Costco (think about it when you're buying a pizza to go or a hot dog with drink). Would you have your 911 tires installed there? We are getting Premier LTX there for my wife's car. And I expect them to use a lug-centric adapter on the balancing machine. If they don't, we'd have to come back anyway due to the shaking.

I'd rather pay a little more for the 335i and have tires mounted/balanced by an indie. $30 vs. $19, not the end of the world.

also interesting is on the post Costco only charged $14 for mount/balance, that is CHEEP. Ours said $19, maybe the TPMS wasn't serviced.