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      07-15-2019, 02:06 PM   #12
M3 Adjuster
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Drives: 1M, X1 M Sport, E46 325ic
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Dallas, Tx

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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnNick72 View Post

Ride

Mine came with the Continental Tires vs PS4s. At first, I was disappointed b/c the PS4s are an amazing tire. That said, on the X3M these Sport Contact 6 tires have a good amount of sidewall, are quiet, compliant and sticky.

Makes me wonder if BMW intentionally switched to the Conti’s to soften out the ride? I have no info to base that on, but I can’t understand all the “harsh ride” reviews, especially Top Gear’s nasty review about how unbearable the ride is.



Cheers,

John

I am not sure why this is not widely known. This has been common knowledge since the E36 M3 came with Dunlop vs Yokohama back in the 1990s when BMW used Dunlop and Yokohoma as their primary tire brands.

BMW specs for TWO tire manufacturers so that they can still sell cars if a production error occurs. Imagine if Michelin had an issue that prevented them from shipping tires for say.. a 90 day period.... perhaps a facility has to be shut down temporarily.. .. BMW would have a hard time delivering vehicles wouldn't they? They would have to scramble at the last second to find a company that can design and/or produce a tire for them in the volume they need !

Another reason for ordering from two manufacturers? Competition among tire manufacturers keeps the price down. If BMW only buys tires from a single vendor.. then that vendor has little reason to discount their item...

If I recall correctly... the E30 M3 came with either Pirelli P7 tires or Uniroyal Rallye tires. I am sure you can guess which tire buyers wanted back in 1989...

thanks for the writeup... as my area did not get an ///M town tour or UDE this year... we got the " LESS FILLING" version here in Dallas, and there was not a single M car present at the event... They had an X3M40, M340i, and Z4m40 and a few other vehicles but not much at all.. I had previously driven the X3 M30.... so I did not wait in line for the X3M40. I will have to stop be a dealer and test drive the X3M. I am hoping that it has a little lower ride height... closer to that of my E84 X1 than the standard X3.

Last edited by M3 Adjuster; 07-15-2019 at 02:36 PM..
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