[karan561]

Gone Staggered;

Front : 225, Rear 245









Rear 3/4 stance;



Side stance remains almost unchanged




Michelin Super Sports;

These are the current best tires in the Michelin stable (Road tire);

OE Fitted on cars like : Ferrari 599 GTO, BMW M5 etc

Speed Rating : Y (>300 km/hr)

Other options considered;

1) Michelin Pilot Sport 3;

No stock in my size

2) Yokohama Advan Sport

No stock anywhere

Also considered as these were in stock;

3) Dunlop Direzzas - Were more than a year old (Manufacturing)

4) Potenza RE 050

^ The above two available were 245/40s (square setup) - Was available for 21.5k/ Tire

Note : OE Good Year Runflats were costing aprox 25k/Tire

Eyeing the Michelin Pilot "Super Sports";

Ever since id seen these tires on an M5 i have had a soft corner for them.

I got a quote in India for the SuperSports of Rs 1,75,000/-

^ That was way to steep IMO.

So i did a quick research on the same on TIRE RACK.com & found out they were costing aprox < 1000$

Which made me wonder why not ship them in from the US

[karan561]

Importing tires from TIRERACK.COM (USA);



I mailed tire rack and i asked them for a quote for a quote.

I got an quick response from them within a couple of hours that the tires were available with them in STOCK & with shipping to India would cost 1431 U$.

Promised delivery time 3-4 business days

Which was aprox Rs 75,000 for a set (staggered)

I thought of going ahead with the quote from tirerack.com & ordered them online where i had got an quote of Aprox INR 75,000(U$ 1431)

I would like to thank t-bhp member fre2bpowerless who is a regular customer & keeps ordering stuff from tire rack, which gave me confidence for an online purchase.

The import duty & clearance charges had to be paid on delivery (which i was expecting it to be aprox (6k/tire)

Payment;

I did the payment through credit card during mid week (Wednesday night IIRC) & that day itself i was informed the tires were shipped through
FedEx priority & i had received the docket number to keep a track.

Delivery;

3 business days i.e. on a Monday afternoon i had received the tires at my door step.



^ now that was bloody impressive.

Packaging - Surprisingly the tires came in naked, just strapped together. I was expecting some corrugated box packaging

Duty;

The duty with octroi which was to be paid was amounting to aprox INR 30,000

The split up of the duty is as follows;

BCD (10%) + CVD (12%) + CESS (0%) + EDU. CESS (3%) + SAD (4%) + OTHER (0%) = TOTAL DUTY RATE (28.85%)

Octroi : 6k (For the set of 4)

Service Charge (by FedEx) = Rs 800

So all in all the net landed cost for the " staggered setup " was aprox Rs 1.05 Lakhs (for the set)

But before going for the plunge i had asked our own local mod houses for a quote too for the Michelin Supersports, no names here but still;

1) Tuning house down south famous for doing supercars;

Gave me a quote of Rs 1,75,000 for a set (that too for a square 225/45)

& had advised me not to call the tires from tirerack.com as it will get stuck in customs & they said they can import because they have Motorsport license.

2) Famous car modification co. up North;

Gave me a quote of Rs 42,000 per tire of 225/45 setup

He too warned me of the same that not to import the tires as they may get stuck.

3) Another famous aftermarket parts supplier from South Mumbai

Quoted me Rs 41,500 per tire for 225/45 setup

He too said not to import tires as there is a ban on importing tires(but somehow he can get it through the customs)

I dont have any thing against the premium what these guys had offered or the kind of profits they make, thats none of my business.

But the fact that they "scare" you not to import tires " as they may get stuck in the customs " or say " ban on import of tires " etc is not justified.

As far as i know there is no ban on tires in odd sizes thats for sure & i also think there is no ban on tires otherwise too. Only ban is on "used" tires or import of tires in " wholesale "

[karan561]

Fitting: SUPER TYRES, Mulund (W);



The Staggered Look (Difference in size clearly scene);



The tires took time to get on the RIMS. The compound was "unusually soft" (as noted by the worker) & was a task for the people @ Super tires to get used to.



However after the 1st tire was in they kinda mastered the art.

+ the 245s(for the rear) snapped on in a fairly shorter time.





Fitting cost with balancing : Rs 800

[karan561]

Key observations post Fitment & after 500 kms of running in;

1) Ride quality;

These Michelins are super soft & the way the car rides on smooth roads is of a different level altogether, also on the rough patches (not that i have tried going at high speed over the rough roads but still) the ride quality has increased to a great extent.

2) Increased traction;

The stock RFTs in the 225 setup were struggling for traction off the line and somehow i felt betrayed when i got Good Year as OE when globally Conti Sport Contact 5 & Potenza s001 were offered as OE too.
The supersports are doing the job really well. Thanks to the staggered setup the rear 245s are coping well with the launches & pedal to the metal action in the first couple of gears. Have a strange feeling that my sprint to the 100 has become better by a margin.
Mind you the car still wheel spins in Sport+ mode (on concrete roads) but on tarmac it is crisp nonetheless.

3) Handling;

The car feels very confidence inspiring now.

Recently did the Aamby valley route when i was going for the valley run event & the amount of speeds one can carry into the corner is truly mad.
The Michelins now offer more driver confidence in especially those diminishing corners be it on the Aamby route or the F-A-S-T ghaats of the Mum-Pune E-Hwy

Also another point here about the car not the tires is that sometimes it is so engaging to drive that one doesn’t even have time to look at the speed on the HUD display.

I can now really throw the PSS-shod F30 into the corner and it would stick and rotate with minimal push. On the other hand, the OE Goodyears felt unstable, like it was bouncing or hopping, which was unsettling during hard braking.

So in short the PSS do what you expect a high performance tire to do i.e. keep the car steady and controlled, letting you properly set up for your turn-in.

4) Bounciness / flat rear end;

I had reported in my review of the F30 that the rear isn’t as flat/planted as desired. This was even noticed in the ‘official review’ of team-bhp.
However now, thanks to Wider, stickier rubber at the back this has reduced to a certain extent.

5) Better Braking;

Yes, noticeable improvement in the braking.
Somehow i feel post fitment of the PSS, the Michelins allow harder brake pedal pressure before the ABS to kick in.

6) Stance Correction;

The wider track offered by the rear 245 setup looks much more better & much deserved for the large 18"ers

Was wanting to go for the 255's at rear but would have needed 8.5J rim width so couldnt have gone wider than the 245s.

However the car is now standing with a more commanding stance.


7) Weight Reduction/Lighter Tires;

The OE stock Good Year 225/45 R18 weighed 27 lbs/tire
Squared setup set weight ( 27 x 4 ) = 108 lbs

In comparison the Super Sports (new setup);
Front – 225/45 weigh 22 lbs/tire , Rear 245/40 weigh 24 lbs/Tire
Staggered set Setup weight (22x2+ 24x2) = 92 lbs

Total weight reduction = 16 lbs (7.25 Kg)

This reduction of unsprung weight has definitely helped handling

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by karan561

3 business days i.e. on a Monday afternoon i had received the tires at my door step.

Wow!! I'm completely amazed.

Things seemed to go off smoothly. It's great to know internationally shipping tyres is possible without hassles.

Here's a related thread : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...ed-online.html

---

For your car - how much would it cost to switch to the adjustable suspension that the F30 328i gets on international markets?

cya
R

[hyaksha]

Nice to know that shipping from tirerack actually works! Did you have to deal with customs folks at all or did Fedex take care of all that for you?

I actually find that the 225s in the rear of my 328i lend a bit to the driving experience, the rear feels slightly on edge but in a good way. I actually think its a bit more fun that way.

[Maverick5490]

@ Karan thats any eye opener when it comes to ordering tyres online! Congratulations and enjoy your ride. Have you kept a space saver tire or and puncture kit? As the tubeless setup wil stall you in case of a flat.

[nitrous]

Congratulations, Karan!
Just the thread title got me drooling. I can imagine how good a beemer could be with Michelin Pilots.

But, there's one fly in the ointment.
Why did you go for a staggered setup?
If my assumption that the stock tyres were of the same size in the front as well as the rear, then, the beemer's suspension and chassis wasn't tuned for a staggered setup and with the super extra grip at the rear, this will make the car understeery and spoil the dynamics and the fun handling of the car.

[mobike008]

Very impressive Karan. The car looks smashing after the install

By using your good judgement you saved a cool INR 75,000 the least from ordering online. Most of the american retailers are excellent in customer support and our indian online retailers need to learn a lot from them.

Btw, tyre dealers giving false claims is to be rubbished out as they can dupe an unsuspecting customer but, not an informed one

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Wow!! I'm completely amazed.
Things seemed to go off smoothly. It's great to know internationally shipping tyres is possible without hassles.

Yes, indeed it was a surprisingly smooth import.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

For your car - how much would it cost to switch to the adjustable suspension that the F30 328i gets on international markets?

cya
R

Adaptive M Suspension is an optional U$ 1000 extra, not sure weather it can be retro fitted into my F30.

Originally Posted by hyaksha

Nice to know that shipping from tirerack actually works! Did you have to deal with customs folks at all or did Fedex take care of all that for you?

I did not have to deal with any custom folks, i just had to wait patiently tracking my shipment & had to pay the custom duty amount when i got the delivery

Originally Posted by Maverick5490

@ Karan thats any eye opener when it comes to ordering tyres online! Congratulations and enjoy your ride. Have you kept and space saver or and puncture kit? As the tubeless setup wil stall you in case of a flat.

Hi Maverick,

Thanks man, it indeed is a different car altogether now.

Right now i have a puncture repair kit, looking at the possibility of a space saver or an aftermarket 18" rim with the same PCD

Originally Posted by nitrous

Congratulations, Karan!
Just the thread title got me drooling. I can imagine how good a beemer could be with Michelin Pilots.

But, there's one fly in the ointment.
Why did you go for a staggered setup?
If my assumption that the stock tyres were of the same size in the front as well as the rear, then, the beemer's suspension and chassis wasn't tuned for a staggered setup and with the super extra grip at the rear, this will make the car understeery and spoil the dynamics and the fun handling of the car.

The M sport versions globally are offered with a staggered setup.

Regarding the FUN factor, to be frank the car is still drift friendly in the SPORT & very much naughty in the SPORT+ i.e. with the DTC off

Originally Posted by mobike008

Very impressive Karan. The car looks smashing after the install

By using your good judgement you saved a cool INR 75,000 the least from ordering online. Most of the american retailers are excellent in customer support and our indian online retailers need to learn a lot from them.

Btw, tyre dealers giving false claims is to be rubbished out as they can dupe an unsuspecting customer but, not an informed one

Thanks !!!

I was left helpless as there were no options available in India, so which made me import the tires.

And yes the customer support @ tirerack.com was extremely helpful & courteous, this certainly makes a big difference.

[karan561]

Problems faced in the STOCK RFT setup;

Sidewall bubble @ 2500 km;



^ This was the Front Right tire.

Dont know how this happened even after careful driving & regular tire pressure checks. Couple of times my friends drove the car too but it is difficult to blame any one, sheer bad luck this.

So the hunt for the stock 225/45 R18 started, which wasnt available at any tire dealer in Mumbai as it was an odd size.

I was getting it at Infinity Chembur workshop for Aprox Rs 24,000/-

It was also available with Saifee @ Rs 20k (surprised with the price difference) which later on after investigating through got to know that Saifee was trying to sell me a used tire & hence it was at almost 20% less price. Extremely disappointed with this approach from such an reputed supplier made me stick to the original choice of buying from Infinity Chembur & finally bought the tire from there for aprox Rs 24,200/-

Got it changed/fit from Super tires, Mulund (Rs 200, including balancing)

Puncture @ 3500 km;

A month later or so i got an puncture in my Rear Right tire;



where in my tire was literally stabbed with this;



& the tire was beyond repair;



If the bubble was bad luck this was worse.

The above incidents triggered of the need to switch from the RFTs to Tubeless

[ecclipse78]

Hi Karan,

Nice ride and thanks for the sharing the update on the tyre change.

Did FedEx ask you for an IEC no. (Import-Export Code) when the tyres were at customs in India ?

If they did'nt, I really need to follow your method for my next tire change.

Thanks !

[Turbanator]

I thought of going ahead with the quote from tirerack.com & ordered them online where i had got an quote of Aprox INR 75,000(U$ 1431)

I did tried them today, the quote they gave shipping for 2 Tires for my X6 was over 500 USD ( Tire cost is also about same ! ) And they don't ship on DHL or other account numbers of customers which is probably not fair as we have better rates with DHL . Anyways rates of there Tires are amongst cheapest .

[karan561]

Originally Posted by ecclipse78

Hi Karan,
Did FedEx ask you for an IEC no. (Import-Export Code) when the tyres were at customs in India ?

Nope, FedEx did not ask me for any IEC code no.

It was simple, i just gave them my address & the rest was taken care by FedEx

Originally Posted by Turbanator

I did tried them today, the quote they gave shipping for 2 Tires for my X6 was over 500 USD ( Tire cost is also about same ! ) And they don't ship on DHL or other account numbers of customers which is probably not fair as we have better rates with DHL . Anyways rates of there Tires are amongst cheapest .

Hey Turbanator,

DHL or TNT would have cheaper quotes. I too had tried to get TNT do the job.

But if i nominate the courier co. than that courier co. will be responsible for the custom clearance & not TireRack, where as FedEx being nominated by TireRack held complete responsibility of clearing the tires for a door delivery which made me stick to FedEx.

I too suggest you to stick to the TireRack nominated logistic service

[Turbanator]

But if i nominate the courier co. than that courier co. will be responsible for the custom clearance & not TireRack

I don't think that Tirerack are responsible for Custom in any case as this is job of FedEx or TNT / DHL and all of them deliver at door . Due to our business with DHL , we have preferential rates but Tirerack is not agreeing to ship on DHL using my DHL account number .