Given
76%
while driving a
BMW E36 328i Sport
(235/40 R17 W) on
a combination of roads
for 6,000
spirited miles
Bought two of these for the rear after the previous rubber made me seriously uneasy in the wet. Read the reviews and nothing seemed to come close. Was a little bit sceptical about the reviews, thought they might be exaggerated, but decided to give them a go.
This really is a great tire, hampered only by it's lack of durability. Wet and dry grip is unparalleled. Communicates nicely when it's about to let go, though to be honest, you need to really push them to get them sliding... more than what would be considered responsible and mature. Regardless of the weather, they inspire confidence.
The only thing that would stop me from buying them again (which I promised myself I would after the first month of driving) is the rate at which they wear. Obviously these tires wear quicker than a hard compound tire, and the soft compound is a trade-off for the grip levels. But I still would say the wear is just too extreme. I've covered 6000 miles, and I'll be lucky to get another 1000 out of them. It was all going well till I went on a bit of a road trip through Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro in summer. With temperatures between 30 and 40degC, the rubber was getting ridiculously soft, to the extent that you could feel it disintegrating when you ran a finger across the tread. I could almost picture the chucks flying off as I drove along the coast.
To conclude, if money's not an issue, buy these, I've not experience anything better. Yes, they are expensive compared to some others, and I wasn't impressed by the wear rate, but you just can't beat that level of grip on a normal (non slick or semi-slick) tire. As for whether I'd buy them again... well, I'll need to have a word with the bank manager ;)