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[m@rco]

Coming from Europe now back in the states, still getting used to potholes... Had a puncture last week in a rear tire. All four tires need replacement although I planned to do that next spring after mounting winter setup first. Now considering to change to non-runflats as follows:

225/50/R17 Continental ExtremeContact DWS06
(in stead of 225/45/R17 Michelin Primacy HP runflat)
255/45/R17 Continental ExtremeContact DWS06
(in stead of 255/40/R17 Continental SportContact 2SSR runflat)

My winter setup is already 4x 225/50/R17 on Michelin runflat Snow Tires.

I have a slight preference for Michelins but they don't have the Pilot Sport 4 available for both front and rear. I'm not a big fan of four-season tires because they are not the best in summer and not the best in winter... I'm ready for a more comfortable ride, will the Continentals help? I'm mostly worried about Conti being noisier and having less resistance to wear.

Any views?

[m@rco]

Update... I have the tires mounted now albeit only three of them because the dealer made a mistake with the order. So I need to go back anyway.

Now that I see the tires mounted I'm worried that with a packed up car, a bump in the road could trigger the tire touching the wheel well. In other words, would the (rear) tire height be too high for the clearance in the wheel well?

I calculated that the wheel diameter increased from 629mm to 661.3mm, that is an increase of 32mm or 1 1/4 inch. I never worried about that before with my winter setup (and never had issues but that is with a 225mm wide rear tire so less chance of touching with compressed spring/suspension than with the 255mm wide summer setup).

Any views? I know that most questions on this forum are about increasing tire width. But as I stated in the topic, I'm ready for a comfortable, silent, (and fuel economic) ride.

I arranged to get the factory setup with the same Continental ExtremeContacts DSW06 three days from now. Better be safe than sorry.

Lastly, I have to admit: the ride has become much more silent! The non-runflats are way more comfortable and the rolling noise has reduced significantly. Let's hope that that stay for the entire life of the tire: the Michelins Primacy HP started to get very noisy about halfway its lifetime...

[Canadiesel]

Why did you go with an oversized tire?

I run 225/45/r17 & 255/40/r17 non-runflats with great results. I see no benefit in going to a plus sized tire. Just changing to a standard tire in a proper size will make a world of difference without affecting clearances/speedometer

[m@rco]

I was thinking that the extra 5% tire height would increase the comfort even more but you may well be very tight: changing to non-runflats will make a major difference. The difference of the speedometer is not an issue. In fact, I noticed that with my winter setup the speedometer reads exactly right (compared to sat navigation).

I noticed that the Contis are a bit softer and less stiff, slightly slower steering response but nothing to worry about. 99% of the time it is a bout comfort and that’s what I achieved.

[Vivek.]

I run 5% taller tires and I really like it. Speedo is closer to the true speed and I think it looks better too. No rubbing issues unless you have a 335is with the extra rad in the front driver's fender liner

[nsjames]

my last winters were a 25/50 and they do indeed make the speedometer accurate and not 3 mph fast.

I have run 245/40s without rubbing. 32ish offset 18x8 wheels.
even with the wagon loaded beyond capacity.

just make sure they tuck into the wheel well and don't hit the fender and it will be fine.

[tcphoto]

Look at the placard in the front door jamb and go up one size. I went from Michelin RunFlats to PS4S in 235/40/18 and 265/35/18 and am happy with the performance and esthetics.

[type-dRew]

you just had to go to a non run flat, poorly sized tires doing very little compared to the difference non run flats make