[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by StanDiego

How does one know? I've never encountered a reference document or cheat sheet that specifies this info.

It doesn't make logical sense that Michelin would make a unique (for example) 255/35/19 star tire for each individual BMW model using that size.

I know there are cases where Michelin does in fact make a specific tire for a specific manufacturer and model but would be surprised to find it to be true that every BMW model with star tires has its own unique tire. Imagine the logistics of having to stock so many different tires.

Even for the BMW star Pilot SS carried by tirerack.com, it's exactly the same tire listed for both my Z4 and a 2020 BMW M4 [...]

Great question …

Yes, they are developed for specific cars and the handling dynamics is very much built around it

A simple clue is those tires never came on the car as far as I am aware

G29 Z4 came with Continental’s ⭐️

And also Pilot SuperSports ⭐️

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by ///M TOWN

Great question …

Yes, they are developed for specific cars and the handling dynamics is very much built around it

A simple clue is those tires never came on the car as far as I am aware

G29 Z4 came with Continental’s ⭐️

And also Pilot SuperSports ⭐️

Maybe I’ll put some cup2’s on next time bwahahahahha. Wait; is that even possible?

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

Maybe I’ll put some cup2’s on next time bwahahahahha. Wait; is that even possible?

Yes but you better PPF the sides and behind the rear tires because everything in the world sticks to them

And subsequently, they heave absolutely everything they pick up at your car

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by ///M TOWN

Yes but you better PPF the sides and behind the rear tires because everything in the world sticks to them

And subsequently, they heave absolutely everything they pick up at your car

Check and check
Got PPF everywhere except the back and trunk and 4” above the rear wheel wells.
Looking forward to that

[stlcdr]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

Check and check
Got PPF everywhere except the back and trunk and 4” above the rear wheel wells.
Looking forward to that

Mud Flaps! 'Nuff said!

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by stlcdr

Mud Flaps! 'Nuff said!

With my spacers I’ll need them!

[StanDiego]

Originally Posted by ///M TOWN

Great question …

Yes, they are developed for specific cars and the handling dynamics is very much built around it

Not to dispute but I'd love to see evidence more reliable than hearsay.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by StanDiego

Not to dispute but I'd love to see evidence more reliable than hearsay.

https://www.michelin.com/en/press-re...collaboration/

Excerpt: "Engineers from the two companies work in close collaboration to produce tailor-developed tires for road and circuit use which feature the star symbol on their sidewalls that confirms they are designed for BMW."

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

https://www.michelin.com/en/press-re...collaboration/

Excerpt: "Engineers from the two companies work in close collaboration to produce tailor-developed tires for road and circuit use which feature the star symbol on their sidewalls that confirms they are designed for BMW."

💥

[StanDiego]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

https://www.michelin.com/en/press-re...collaboration/

Excerpt: "Engineers from the two companies work in close collaboration to produce tailor-developed tires for road and circuit use which feature the star symbol on their sidewalls that confirms they are designed for BMW."

Okay, now we're getting somewhere.

So... does BMW use those two tires exclusively for the M3 and M4? I suspect not. The article states "has covered numerous models, including the current M2, M3, M4, M5, M8, X3 M, X4 M, X5 M and X6 M."

For example, the 275/35/19 Pilot 4S is original equipment on multiple BMW model variants including some M3s and M4s. I suspect the same BMW star tire is used on every one of those variants.

To the point, though BMW may have designed a star tire for a specific model, they likely use that same star tire for subsequent models that are spec'd with the same tire size and performance rating. It would seem more likely that BMW tunes each model using a 275/35/19 Max Performance Summer (MPS) tire to that same star tire rather than using a different and unique star tire variant for each model.

According to articles I've read, the 4S is a successor to the SS but I don't believe it was yet available when the G29 first went into testing, thus the use of the SS. If the 4S was available at testing, would BMW have used it instead? My guess is yes. Would they have tuned the G29's suspension differently for the 4s than the SS? We can only speculate.
Did I dive a little too deep into this? Probably.

When Michelin releases a successor to the 4S, I suspect BMW will design a star variant of it for its next M car and then will use it on all subsequent M models until Michelin releases a new successor.

In any case, when I need new tires, I'd probably go with the 4S if I was in the market for MPS tires though I'd love to see a direct comparison review of the SS and 4S on a G29.

However, it is far more likely I'll go with an UHP All Season tire such as the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus or Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 (for treadwear and cold weather performance) so my questions were really only for curiosity's sake.

I appreciate all of the responses, good conversation.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by StanDiego

Okay, now we're getting somewhere.

So... does BMW use those two tires exclusively for the M3 and M4? I suspect not. The article states "has covered numerous models, including the current M2, M3, M4, M5, M8, X3 M, X4 M, X5 M and X6 M."

For example, the 275/35/19 Pilot 4S is original equipment on multiple BMW model variants including some M3s and M4s. I suspect the same BMW star tire is used on every one of those variants.

To the point, it would seem more likely that BMW tunes each model using a 275/35/19 Max Performance Summer (MPS) tire to that same star tire rather than using a different and unique star tire variant for each model.

According to articles I've read, the 4S is a successor to the SS but I don't believe it was yet available when the G29 first went into testing, thus the use of the SS. If the 4S was available at testing, would BMW have used it instead? My guess is yes. Would they have tuned the G29's suspension differently for the 4s than the SS? We can only speculate.
Did I dive a little too deep into this? Probably.

In any case, when I need new tires, I'd probably go with the 4S if I was in the market for MPS tires though I'd love to see a direct comparison review of the SS and 4S on a G29.

However, it is far more likely I'll go with an UHP All Season tire such as the Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 Plus or Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 (for treadwear and cold weather performance) so my questions were really only for curiosity's sake.

I appreciate all of the responses, good conversation.

The article was an old one (2021), but this is 35+ years of history of tailoring the tires to the various M cars.

About half (more?) of G8x come with Pirellis. My Z came with Continentals. So the answer to your question is no. And to flip it around and answer the core question, my personal opinion is no, the star is a gimmick and this is a marketing partnership with the “star” equating to “yes, we make that size tire for M.” The compound and tread design etc must be standard across the range of sizes.

The SS tire is a different use case than the PS4S in my experience. The latter is better in wet. The former is outstanding in dry conditions - and at a disadvantage in wet.

But the SS has been around for a long time, so I’m not sure anymore. Heck, I got PSS on my E93 ten years ago!

I’m not sure any of this distinction matters if you’re doing normal driving unless you drive in the rain or at the track.

I had Pirellis on my G80cx. Fine tires. I couldn’t feel anything in that car, so who knows what the tires were doing at the limit. AWD overcame any deficiencies.

Pirellis also on my dads 993 (back in 1995!) were gone in 6k miles. Same with my E550 coupe.

The e46 really shined with Michelins, as did the e93. Really grippy tires with good durability.

I would vote PS4S or continentals sport contact if applicable. I am happy with mine.

[alvitdk]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

Precisely. The Z4M40 with ACS springs is an absolute blast. New is $80k loaded with springs and PPF and ceramic. The comparable 718 is the GTS4.0, and I can’t find one or when I did look at it the price was $110k. No thanks

So, got the quote for the installation and am not sure about my trusted independent dealer, might have to look for another garage. They charged me 900.- for springs installed on my Porsche 981 but want to charge 1,800.- for the Z4. Apparently, it is much more complicated....not sure I want to hand over 2k including tax plus the cost of springs... seems a bit high. What did they charge you if I may ask?

[StanDiego]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

About half (more?) of G8x come with Pirellis. My Z came with Continentals. So the answer to your question is no.

The SS tire is a different use case than the PS4S in my experience. The latter is better in wet. The former is outstanding in dry conditions - and at a disadvantage in wet.

I’m not sure any of this distinction matters if you’re doing normal driving unless you drive in the rain or at the track.

Answer to which question, the exclusivity? Let me clarify. I didn't mean to suggest only one tire manufacturer/model for a given car model. I'm aware BMW has used both Continentals and Michelins on the G29. To rephrase that question: does BMW use those two tires exclusively for the M3 and M4 or do they use that same star tire on other new models with the same tire spec requirements (UHP, load range, speed rating, etc.). For example, if they released a new M model with the same tire spec requirements, I believe they would use that same star tire already used on other M models rather than designing a new one.

PSS vs PS4S? Opinions seem to vary but most I've seen prefer PS4S over PSS for both wet and dry. The following video is a decent comparison of the star vs non-star PS4S:

https://youtu.be/COA630Juf_U?si=Tx2BVufAzWqHYnIS

Does the distinction matter? I agree, certainly not with my type of driving.

[StanDiego]

Originally Posted by alvitdk

So, got the quote for the installation and am not sure about my trusted independent dealer, might have to look for another garage. They charged me 900.- for springs installed on my Porsche 981 but want to charge 1,800.- for the Z4. Apparently, it is much more complicated....not sure I want to hand over 2k including tax plus the cost of springs... seems a bit high. What did they charge you if I may ask?

Ouch! That does seem a bit stiff. It would have been a good question to ask your indy, why so much more for the Z4 than the 981.

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by StanDiego

Answer to which question, the exclusivity? Let me clarify. I didn't mean to suggest only one tire manufacturer/model for a given car model. I'm aware BMW has used both Continentals and Michelins on the G29. To rephrase that question: does BMW use those two tires exclusively for the M3 and M4 or do they use that same star tire on other new models with the same tire spec requirements (UHP, load range, speed rating, etc.). For example, if they released a new M model with the same tire spec requirements, I believe they would use that same star tire already used on other M models rather than designing a new one.

PSS vs PS4S? Opinions seem to vary but most I've seen prefer PS4S over PSS for both wet and dry. The following video is a decent comparison of the star vs non-star PS4S:

https://youtu.be/COA630Juf_U?si=Tx2BVufAzWqHYnIS

Does the distinction matter? I agree, certainly not with my type of driving.

The compound on the 4S ⭐️ is Superior to the standard issue 4S
The sidewall itself is stiffer…
That matters to me

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by alvitdk

So, got the quote for the installation and am not sure about my trusted independent dealer, might have to look for another garage. They charged me 900.- for springs installed on my Porsche 981 but want to charge 1,800.- for the Z4. Apparently, it is much more complicated....not sure I want to hand over 2k including tax plus the cost of springs... seems a bit high. What did they charge you if I may ask?

$750 for install
plus alignment which is always required (and they showed me the toe and camber after the springs installed, definitely needed)
Total cost $1200

Butler tire initially said it would be 6 man hours or $1600 plus alignment, and I walked. They called me 20 min later and said after discussion with their team they can do it for $750.

I quoted the ACS sales rep who told me the typical cost for install. That’s how I knew the initial quote was wrong.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by alvitdk

... want to charge 1,800.- for the Z4 ...

Maybe ask for an itemized version. They must charge $X per hour, and think it takes Y hours. Make sure it makes sense. That sounds like the cost of spending 2 days to do something that they'll probably actually have done in a few hours.

[Argo]

Originally Posted by ///M TOWN

The compound on the 4S ⭐️ is Superior to the standard issue 4S

The sidewall itself is stiffer…
That matters to me

I'm a little wary of blanket statements like that. The compound might be different, which makes the tire different. I'd be extremely skeptical a company like Michelin would reserve their "best" summer tire for OEM applications though.

[alvitdk]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

Maybe ask for an itemized version. They must charge $X per hour, and think it takes Y hours. Make sure it makes sense. That sounds like the cost of spending 2 days to do something that they'll probably actually have done in a few hours.

Was told it's all time and much more complex and time-intensive than on the Porsche. Will be looking for an alternative shortly

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by alvitdk

Was told it's all time and much more complex and time-intensive than on the Porsche. Will be looking for an alternative shortly

That’s crazy

[Bimmerfun82]

Made a quick video about these springs. 70+ mph in curves is a real thing with this investment. Car is still super comfortable. Sorry I’m not a professional with these videos, and can’t figure out why YT diminishes the 4K quality of the video. One day I’ll figure it out with 3rd party software.

https://youtu.be/DchEG6Yum8s?si=4vvLGr4kH5X_uUYY

[///M TOWN]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

Made a quick video about these springs. 70+ mph in curves is a real thing with this investment. Car is still super comfortable. Sorry I’m not a professional with these videos, and can’t figure out why YT diminishes the 4K quality of the video. One day I’ll figure it out with 3rd party software.

https://youtu.be/DchEG6Yum8s?si=4vvLGr4kH5X_uUYY

Super nice of you to share…

Did you do anything unusual with the alignment specs?