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[Das_Stig]

So woke up this cold winter morning to go to the gym to find low tire pressure warning lit up for passenger front tire, figured it was the cold so went on, decided to check it at the gym to find a good sized bubble..

At sears now getting rid of the run flats for some Michelin pilot sports all seasons coz winter.. Plan was to switch rims and tires in the spring, doh.

[gunsekun]

at least.. you won't get stuck on a 5 degree hills.

[Sweattdogg]

Getting snows tomorrow myself. The all seasons and torque of my engine are not friends with the snow and ice.

[phipark]

I'd suggest just getting winter tires now, then get a new set of summers in the spring. All seasons performance tires are worthless in the winter, especially on your car.

[John 070]

WTF is going on? My wife's cousin's husband took his E92 335i to the dealer, to get snow tires. He comes back so I take a look--they sold him Conti EC DWS. It's like anybody will sell anything to anyone, for a buck. No more giving you the correct product or nothing at all. Suddenly BMWs drive in the winter on all season tires. Not in Germany they don't. von O bis O Actually, cheeseaters in Germany do get away with all-seasons because they have the M+S designation without the three peaks.

[Das_Stig]

Originally Posted by phipark

I'd suggest just getting winter tires now, then get a new set of summers in the spring. All seasons performance tires are worthless in the winter, especially on your car.

gonna see if this xi had any purpose towards it, know its good for acceleration on the snow and it doesnt do much for braking, my other 3 summers still have great tread, so may just get one more front and put them on a new set of rims

[bdbahh]

Is it common to get a low pressure warning when the weather is colder?

[Das_Stig]

Originally Posted by bdbahh

Is it common to get a low pressure warning when the weather is colder?

i guess its probably within acceptable limits to not set off alarms but it could happen i don't doubt, i've had it show low when i start but go away when the tires got warm. the whole solid, water, gas intermolecular physics lesson

[bdbahh]

Originally Posted by Das_Stig

i guess its probably within acceptable limits to not set off alarms but it could happen i don't doubt, i've had it show low when i start but go away when the tires got warm. physics yo!

Yeah that's why I asked. It finally dipped down into the 40's here and I got a "Front Right Tire Low" warning. I looked at it and tested the pressure. It was only down like a pound. The next day it didn't give me the warning.

[Das_Stig]

Originally Posted by bdbahh

Yeah that's why I asked. It finally dipped down into the 40's here and I got a "Front Right Tire Low" warning. I looked at it and tested the pressure. It was only down like a pound. The next day it didn't give me the warning.

ya temp goes up as soon as you start brking and accelerating, no worries as long as it goes away

[manutdas11]

[PTinVT]

+1 on dedicated winter and summer tires (no all-seasons)

-1 on letting Sears touch your car

[Das_Stig]

Originally Posted by PTinVT

+1 on dedicated winter and summer tires (no all-seasons)

-1 on letting Sears touch your car

funny thing it was a negative experience, they lost a lug...

[laser]

Originally Posted by bdbahh

Is it common to get a low pressure warning when the weather is colder?

Yes ... happens every year .... tires may all need to be checked and add 2 - 4 lbs each!

They gradually lose air over time so probably won't need to let air out next summer but it pays to check every month or so.

[RoundelM3]

Conti EC DWS = Dry, Wet, Snow, or all-season tires, as good as any all-season. If you go to a dealer for tires, you'll pay too much and get what they have in stock. I personally use Discount Tire for both of my cars, and haven't ever had a problem. Of course, where I live, we don't have any such thing as "winter tires". Or much of a "winter", for that matter.

[rorkor]

Originally Posted by roundel335

Conti EC DWS = Dry, Wet, Snow, or all-season tires, as good as any all-season. If you go to a dealer for tires, you'll pay too much and get what they have in stock. I personally use Discount Tire for both of my cars, and haven't ever had a problem. Of course, where I live, we don't have any such thing as "winter tires". Or much of a "winter", for that matter.

+1 for Discount Tires (I go to their partner chain, America's Tire)

Same here, all seasons are my winter tire as snow is rare, just water and some ice on occasion. I put the Nitto Motivo on my car last month for the winter time. More contact patch than Conti EC DWS'S, better UTQG, asymmetrical but not directional so you can rotate and cheaper to boot! I like Nitto, use them on the track car and after a few thousand miles, been really happy.

[Das_Stig]

ya i actually checked discount tire first, but sears was cheaper this time by a decent amount and on top of that they had a 40 dollar discount on top for online sale

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by rorkor

+1 for Discount Tires (I go to their partner chain, America's Tire)

Same here, all seasons are my winter tire as snow is rare, just water and some ice on occasion. I put the Nitto Motivo on my car last month for the winter time. More contact patch than Conti EC DWS'S, better UTQG, asymmetrical but not directional so you can rotate and cheaper to boot! I like Nitto, use them on the track car and after a few thousand miles, been really happy.

What's the UTQG rating on the all-season Nittos? I have Conti DW on both my cars, and as I recall, they're rated at 340, which is way better than the typical 220-280 of other performance summer tires. I was skeptical about how you could have both grip and longer wear on the same performance tire, but their assymetrical tread compound apparently works quite well. I have also had great luck with GoodYear Eagle F1 Assymetrics, but the Contis ride a little better.

Regarding Sears, they actually carry good tire brands, and their installers are on par with the big tire chains. Plus - remember that Sears has some of the best tools you can buy - Craftsman - with a lifetime guarantee. Now, I probably wouldn't go there for any type of repair work, but for a flat tire or new tires, I would give them a shot. I just happen to have an excellent Discount Tire place closer to me than Sears.

[Kolyan2k]

Cant really compare UTQG with 2 different brands. Its only somewhat accurate within a brand. So pretty much Nittos at 280 might be the same as Contis at 340

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

Cant really compare UTQG with 2 different brands. Its only somewhat accurate within a brand. So pretty much Nittos at 280 might be the same as Contis at 340

UTQG = Uniform Tire Quality Guide - it was created just for the purpose we're discussing. It would make no sense to even have it if what you say was accurate. Where did you hear/read that it's only valid within the same brand?

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by roundel335

UTQG = Uniform Tire Quality Guide - it was created just for the purpose we're discussing. It would make no sense to even have it if what you say was accurate. Where did you hear/read that it's only valid within the same brand?

I heard/read it long time ago, but you can read it at tirerack.

Treadwear Grades

UTQG Treadwear Grades are based on actual road use in which the test tire is run in a vehicle convoy along with standardized Course Monitoring Tires. The vehicle repeatedly runs a prescribed 400-mile test loop in West Texas for a total of 7,200 miles. The vehicle can have its alignment set, air pressure checked and tires rotated every 800 miles. The test tire's and the Monitoring Tire's wear are measured during and at the conclusion of the test. The tire manufacturers then assign a Treadwear Grade based on the observed wear rates. The Course Monitoring Tire is assigned a grade and the test tire receives a grade indicating its relative treadwear. A grade of 100 would indicate that the tire tread would last as long as the test tire, 200 would indicate the tread would last twice as long, 300 would indicate three times as long, etc.

The problem with UTQG Treadwear Grades is that they are open to some interpretation on the part of the tire manufacturer because they are assigned after the tire has only experienced a little treadwear as it runs the 7,200 miles. This means that the tire manufacturers need to extrapolate their raw wear data when they are assigning Treadwear Grades, and that their grades can to some extent reflect how conservative or optimistic their marketing department is. Typically, comparing the Treadwear Grades of tire lines within a single brand is somewhat helpful, while attempting to compare the grades between different brands is not as helpful.

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

I heard/read it long time ago, but you can read it at tirerack.

Treadwear Grades

UTQG Treadwear Grades are based on actual road use in which the test tire is run in a vehicle convoy along with standardized Course Monitoring Tires. The vehicle repeatedly runs a prescribed 400-mile test loop in West Texas for a total of 7,200 miles. The vehicle can have its alignment set, air pressure checked and tires rotated every 800 miles. The test tire's and the Monitoring Tire's wear are measured during and at the conclusion of the test. The tire manufacturers then assign a Treadwear Grade based on the observed wear rates. The Course Monitoring Tire is assigned a grade and the test tire receives a grade indicating its relative treadwear. A grade of 100 would indicate that the tire tread would last as long as the test tire, 200 would indicate the tread would last twice as long, 300 would indicate three times as long, etc.

The problem with UTQG Treadwear Grades is that they are open to some interpretation on the part of the tire manufacturer because they are assigned after the tire has only experienced a little treadwear as it runs the 7,200 miles. This means that the tire manufacturers need to extrapolate their raw wear data when they are assigning Treadwear Grades, and that their grades can to some extent reflect how conservative or optimistic their marketing department is. Typically, comparing the Treadwear Grades of tire lines within a single brand is somewhat helpful, while attempting to compare the grades between different brands is not as helpful.

OK - good information; however it doesn't say it's inaccurate, it just says it's "not quite as helpful". From what I've experienced, a 280 rating on Eagle F1s is about the same as 280 on Bridgestone RE750s, both of which wore out quicker than the Contis. Worst case I've ever seen is Yokohamas (their best tire at the time) which was rated at 240 or thereabouts, that lasted 8500 miles (rears) in normal driving. I've gone 13-14K miles on Eagle F1s rated at 280.

In any event, the Contis with their somewhat softer sidewalls ride a lot better and still handle great. I did go up 1 size on the E92, with 235 front/265 rear, and they're about half-worn at 7500 miles on the rear. With Sport suspension and its aggressive negative camber, this is the best wear I've seen thus far. All in all, though, I think it just comes down to economics and personal preference. The Contis were less expensive than some others, and as previously mentioned, they're a great combo of ride and handling for me.