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Mobility kit is a good idea. P3ST isn't available in 225/45 17, at least I've not seen it anywhere.

PS3 again is not available in India anymore. PP2s which you will find are old stock, but still good tyres. They are pretty silent and grippy at the same time.

If you do not really push the car you will be ok with touring tyres, but if you do drive enthusiastically even sometimes you will definitely miss the performance oriented tyres.

I would avoid the Pirelli P7 since they are IMO more comfort oriented and have soft sidewalls which could lead to bulges. The Pirelli P Zero is a better option in that sense.

Though I see Apollo making the Aspire in your size too, which may be worth a try considering the price. Their new tyres are supposed to be good.

finally, took the plunge and went the tubeless way.

enough with the RFTs and the bone jarring rides.

michelin 3 st all round. super ride comfort and QUIET!.

very happy. will update as i ride on them for longer

The RFTs on the new 3 series (F30) are far better and also the F30 suspension has been tuned for RFTs so the improvement in ride quality in the F30 3 series is huge over the E90. Though tubeless are far better in most parameters as compared to the RFTs, the gap is surely narrowing. RFTs are also far costlier though.

You should have a mobility kit (air compressor+sealant) for the tubeless though. The original BMW is costly, but other reputed brands are also available for probably half the price.

I have got a space saver kit from BMW. Hope it serves the purpose. But with the change in the noise and ride quality am ready to risk the occasional flat on the roadside

It should serve the purpose, but it takes up a huge amount of space in the boot. I have a bad back and am certainly in no position to really change or do anything to my tires if I get a puncture. I just try and find/pay a friendly lounging about fellow to help me out.

So in a way RFTs would really be good for me. I wish the tire fellows would bring in the new RFT tech for their normal tires at reasonable rates in India.

Hello friend

Congrats for still owning the best drivers car on Indian roads. I had the 2010 e90 for 4 yrs drove for 70000 km before trading in for an E class. Well I did switch over from runflats to PS3 at around 30k km and felt the same as you do today. But honestly You have downgraded.:Frustrati There is no doubt that PS3 are comfortable but what you loose is handling. Try taking the turn of the Katipara junction with the new set of shoes. With runflats on I maintained a 80km/hr on that turn. Oh yes if you do not push the car to its limits then you have made a wise choice. Miss the e90......

Very true. I don't push the often. The 3 St are carpet like , though the on the edge handling is lacking a bit. But this car is a joy to drive and I love the look of the car better than the current version. Just a personal choice.

What you are talking about is Pilot Sport 3 which are out and out performance tyres, what he has installed is Primacy 3 ST which are more comfort based tyres.

While switching from runflat to the PS3s (Which I have done too btw), the turn in is less sharp owing to the softer sidewalls of the tubeless, which causes a tiny bit of more body roll. That may make you believe the handling has gone down, whereas actually the outright grip is better than with the runflats.

While switching from runflat to the PS3s (Which I have done too btw), the turn in is less sharp owing to the softer sidewalls of the tubeless, which causes a tiny bit of more body roll. That may make you believe the handling has gone down, whereas actually the outright grip is better than with the runflats.[/quote]

agree:

I also felt a marginal loss in steering feel too.
Neverthless the grip during wet was immense, but overall good set of shoes.

I plan to go in for a new set for my W212. Presently running on stock rubber Michelin PP2. Any recommendations? Iam more performance oriented.
Thanks in advance
Miss my E90:)

Hi guys,

A quick update. 4.5 years and 57000km. BSI ending in another 3000km or 6 months.

I had switched my OE rfts on the 320d around the 25000 km mark with primacy 3st and was very happy with the silent and smooth ride. It was a huge improvement for cruising and i would still rate it as a very very good tyre for comfort. But what it lacks is the sporty feel, grip and cornering ability. I felt it was a sensible compromise.

Come 2016 december and my car is 4.5 yrs and 57000 km and the tyres were holding decently. I think they still had about 4-5k km in them. Holidays were approaching and we had a couple of trips planned. One of the tyres already had 2 punctures about 10k km back and was good. I was contemplating on a new set of tyres before the holidays. Yesterday I had a low tyre pressure warning and this was from the same tyre. Got all 4 inspected. Another tyre was showing a bit of wear. So, i deceided to replace all 4 tyres.

I was keen on the michelins as all our cars are on michelins. I wanted to upgrade to the PS3 rather than the 3ST. I could not find new tyres in the PS3, all were atleast 3 yrs old. Me being finnicky, skipped them and started looking for other options (yoko advan, contis)

I was not too keen on the yokos and wanted to try out conti contact sport. unfortunately, the new contact sport 5 is not available in 225/45 R17 and i was not too keen on the comfort oriented tyres from conti. The tyre guy is a authorised conti dealer and he insisted that conti contact sport 5 was available in the 225/45 R17 and has been launched less than a fortnight ago and he had it in stock. This guy is well known to me for almost 10 yrs and i trusted him.

So the CSC 5 it was. 4616 manufactured tyres. Costed me around 11500/tyre.

I have driven about 150 km on the new tyres and these are my initial observations when compared to the Michelin 3ST. I really don’t remember the ride from the runflats and will refrain from any comparisons to them.

1. Tyre and road noise is definitely more than the michellins.
2. The steering feel is much much better and the turn in is better.
3. On the same roads which I have been driving for >20 yrs, the grip levels seems to have gone up.

I guess its too early to comment on the highway and high speed behavior. Taking it easy and waiting for the tyres to run in.

On an another note, I have been thinking about a mild midlife make over for the beemer. Things on the cards:

1. Black ORVMS. Had vinyl from 3M, peeled off in a week and the 3M have offered to try another type or a matte vinyl.
2. Looking for the shadow line trim as most people are skeptical of the vinyl work on the chrome trims. Lost here. Suggestions welcome.
3. Debadge the rear. Done
4. Apparently, the performance upgrade pack is no longer available for the e90, or that’s what the local BMW dealer claims. So, I have been talking to the Petes guys. Stage 1 upgrade to 210bhp and 430Nm. They have a Christmas offer going on for about Rs. 14500 /-
5. Have ordered white angel eye LEDs and they are being shipped as I write, but have to wait till they actually arrive, get them fitted and they work!


Has anybody done a remap from Petes? I am keen on a remap and Petes are good with the VAG cars. I just want to know if they are a safe bet? The next option would be to try TOT.

Happy motoring

Another mod I did on my E90 was to change the old gear shifter knob. The new one is similar to the what comes in the latest BMWs.
You can get it from :
[url="https://bimmian.com/Accessories-for-BMW/Styling/Interior/Updated-Look-Automatic-Shift-Knob/?utm_campaign=bimmian-christmas_sale_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_source=gi ft_guide"]

Don't you feel that the replacement one is a tad distorted?

E90 is a lovely machine with a heavy, well made feel to it. That original shifter looked awesome Vs. the 'somehow similar' one to the latest BMW. I added the picture of the new shifter for comparison.

Or is it just the angle from which you have clicked your picture that is making the replacement shifter look out of place?

The newer gear shifter knob is nice. But I just want to keep the old one as I personally like it for its plain looks.

Did a 900 km trip this week. The Conti sport contact 5 tyres are good. High speed manners are very good and the car remains rock solid at highway speeds. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, the grip in the corners is good. Braking seems to have improved. No loss of comfort when compared to the 3 st tyres.

Hello Differential.

How is your Beamer doing? Did you face any problems related to maintenance post completion of BSI? Did you complete intended mods which you were planning?
I read your thread but could not find any interior pics or exterior pics post modification. Please do post them when it's possible for you.

Can this be done on any Bimmer as a plug and play effort? One known person was considering the new BMW X1 - however, the 'new' old style gearbox that it comes with was such an eyesore do him that it became the deal breaker..