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[u5er]

I'm planning on getting 18" wheels to use during summer as I just put LM-25 on the stock 17s on my E90. I have yet to decide on the wheels yet, but I'm trying to get an idea of what kind of tires I should put on the 18s.

Generally speaking, will the all season tires give me noticeably better wet traction compared to summer tires? Is there any other reason why one is better than the other for non-snow seasons? Or is it entirely a personal preference thing for this type of situation?

[KkSc]

well..for summer uses..i will say summer tires~!

[Deda]

summer!

[Vudoo4u2]

I hate to state the obvious

[Gary@TireRack]

Originally Posted by u5er

I'm planning on getting 18" wheels to use during summer as I just put LM-25 on the stock 17s on my E90. I have yet to decide on the wheels yet, but I'm trying to get an idea of what kind of tires I should put on the 18s.

Generally speaking, will the all season tires give me noticeably better wet traction compared to summer tires? Is there any other reason why one is better than the other for non-snow seasons? Or is it entirely a personal preference thing for this type of situation?

Most of the better summer performance tires will have better wet traction than the better all season tires. The main reasons to use all-season tires in summer would be for smoother, quieter ride, and longer wear.

Tires
http://www.tirerack.com/a.jsp?a=AH8&...ires/index.jsp

[u5er]

Originally Posted by Gary@TireRack

Most of the better summer performance tires will have better wet traction than the better all season tires. The main reasons to use all-season tires in summer would be for smoother, quieter ride, and longer wear.

I was under the impression that summer tires provide better handling and dry traction, but not so hot in the rain. On the other hand, I won't be driving the car hard most of the time, and after a week on the RE050A, smoother and quieter ride sounds really good. Decisions decisions.

Right now, I'm looking at either GY F1 Asym. or Yoko Advan S.4. Both seem to get good review and are within my price range (around $200 per). Are there any other ones you guys would recommend? Also, would it make a difference on which tires to choose if I get staggered wheels?

[mmm def]

a good summer tire can be amazing in the rain..S03's were phenomenal. Since you have a dedicated winter, got for a dedicated summer. Enjoy!

[Gary@TireRack]

Summer tires having sub-par wet traction is a common misconception. It is only cold temps and snow where they fall short in grip compared to all season tires.

[GregL]

I went with the Goodyear Eagle F1 All-Season so that I could get away with running them later into the cold season and swap earlier in the spring with my winter set. When I did my research with the charts on the Tire Rack, it seems they they hold their own reasonably well against the Ultra High Performance summer tires, but are nowhere near as good as the Max Performance tires, so all in all it seemed like a good choice for what I expect them to do.

[AudiA4]

Originally Posted by GregL

I went with the Goodyear Eagle F1 All-Season so that I could get away with running them later into the cold season and swap earlier in the spring with my winter set. When I did my research with the charts on the Tire Rack, it seems they they hold their own reasonably well against the Ultra High Performance summer tires, but are nowhere near as good as the Max Performance tires, so all in all it seemed like a good choice for what I expect them to do.

What is your impression of the Goodyear Eagle F1 tires? And I guess I'm stating the obvious, but I guess you abandoned the run-flats (which I'm thinking of doing)? What did you pay?

[GregL]

Originally Posted by AudiA4

What is your impression of the Goodyear Eagle F1 tires? And I guess I'm stating the obvious, but I guess you abandoned the run-flats (which I'm thinking of doing)? What did you pay?

I'm very happy with them. I find that regardless of the road being wet or dry, if I take a corner too fast they break traction very progressively and as such are easy to bring back under control. The massive rim protector is also a bonus, saved me from scuffing the lip on my 19" Beyerns at least twice now. They're not the quietest for an all-season though, but compared to a runflat or a winter tire they're still an improvement.

I bought them from the Tire Rack in March '08 for US$172 a piece. I compared to a number of local shops both independent and franchised chains and they were asking about CAD$450 a piece so it was a no brainer for me.

Edit: I abandoned my oem wheels completely. Despite the thinner sidewall, I find overall ride quality on 19" non-RFT to be similar to 17" RFT. So if your intention is to just swap the tires for the same size while keeping the rims then I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[u5er]

Thanks GregL, I'll look into those as well. Unusually indecisive on which tires to get. Maybe it's because I'm coming from a SUV where there really isn't a whole lot of choices.

[AudiA4]

Originally Posted by GregL

I'm very happy with them. I find that regardless of the road being wet or dry, if I take a corner too fast they break traction very progressively and as such are easy to bring back under control. The massive rim protector is also a bonus, saved me from scuffing the lip on my 19" Beyerns at least twice now. They're not the quietest for an all-season though, but compared to a runflat or a winter tire they're still an improvement.

I bought them from the Tire Rack in March '08 for US$172 a piece. I compared to a number of local shops both independent and franchised chains and they were asking about CAD$450 a piece so it was a no brainer for me.

Edit: I abandoned my oem wheels completely. Despite the thinner sidewall, I find overall ride quality on 19" non-RFT to be similar to 17" RFT. So if your intention is to just swap the tires for the same size while keeping the rims then I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Awesome...thanks for the great feedback. They've had great reviews, with the only real concern road noise, but that was compared to similar tires from Michelin, etc (seems like there are only four All-season choices in the original size) - so if they're as quiet or comparable to the OEM run-flats, then I'm not concerned!

I've gone ahead and had the shop order them for me. It might have been a little cheaper to order separately from the Tire Rack, but I'm getting the whole set mounted, balanced and aligned for $1,040. The independent shop has a good reputation and I thought it would be worth a little extra premium to have them handle all the work.

My only (slight) concern of course is not having a spare tire, but I've had much more problems with weather (snow/ice) concerns with the summer tires than I've ever had with a flat.

[kyleb350]

Summer tires for Summer perhaps?

just jokin. Summer tires are still good for wet conditions as well. Their traction is temperature based (as probably stated previously).

[remmib]

I like to roll on summertires in the summer (and spring and fall), and winter tires in the winter.