Contisport M3 tyres

[ss134]

I have the Conti's on and i run 35 PSI all round - i was initially disappointed when i took delivery of the car with the Conti's - i was hoping for the PS2's but after 1800 miles i am more than happy with these tyres and will be replacing them like for like when the time comes - interesting you should say the PS2's make the steering feel lighter - something this car does not need IMO, the light and vague steering at low speeds (under 40 mph) is my only complaint with this car at the moment.

[KadeSdad]

How much are you guys paying for the Conti's?

[Zero7]

Originally Posted by KadeSdad

How much are you guys paying for the Conti's?

Camskill = £828.54 + delivery
Kwick Fit online = £902.40 + some fitting and disposal costs.

[Ant Man]

Originally Posted by ss134

I have the Conti's on and i run 35 PSI all round - i was initially disappointed when i took delivery of the car with the Conti's - i was hoping for the PS2's but after 1800 miles i am more than happy with these tyres and will be replacing them like for like when the time comes - interesting you should say the PS2's make the steering feel lighter - something this car does not need IMO, the light and vague steering at low speeds (under 40 mph) is my only complaint with this car at the moment.

In MDM mode, the steering is never light but in 'normal' mode I agree your comments re light steering and lack of steering feel around straight ahead position. I'm running PS2 btw.

As previously posted, all the tyre reviews I have read and forum posts say the PS2 gives more steering feel then CSC3 and has better initial turn in. This is the only real flaw with CSC3 as most other areas it scores well or very well.

It would be great if Zero7 can confirm the cold pressures he's running?

As with any testing, the more the rest of known criteria we keep the same, such as tyre sizes, cold pressures etc. The more accurate our comparison will be. I do appreciate quite hard in real world scenario.
Wouldn't it be great if BMW lent a car and assisted our analysis

[ss134]

Originally Posted by Ant Man

In MDM mode, the steering is never light but in 'normal' mode I agree your comments re light steering and lack of steering feel around straight ahead position. I'm running PS2 btw.

As previously posted, all the tyre reviews I have read and forum posts say the PS2 gives more steering feel then CSC3 and has better initial turn in. This is the only real flaw with CSC3 as most other areas it scores well or very well.

It would be great if Zero7 can confirm the cold pressures he's running?

As with any testing, the more the rest of known criteria we keep the same, such as tyre sizes, cold pressures etc. The more accurate our comparison will be. I do appreciate quite hard in real world scenario.
Wouldn't it be great if BMW lent a car and assisted our analysis

I find the steering light at low speeds in any mode including MDM however i do like very heavy steering so i suppose every drivers perception of 'light steering' is subjective. I only find the steering light at very low speeds though - above 35 or 40 it feels nice and tight.

35 PSI all round is BMW's recommended pressures for driving with upto 4 people, i have used these pressures on every road surface and in all types of driving and weather conditions (except snow!) including V Max on the autobahn and have found the car to be very planted and predictable - i don't feel the need to change them TBH i like the set up as it is.

I find the Conti's to have decent steering feel and i like that planted feeling they give when pressing on - one of the posts in this thread mentioned the Ps2 seem to skip and feel jittery in comparison to the Conti's - i would have to test them to say whether i agree or not but if this is the case then i will definately not be changing to Ps2 when the time comes.

[JOHNBMWM5]

I have two sets of wheels 18" and 19" I run both front and rear pressures 36 PSI on both sets no issues.

[AM3]

Price from Knights BMW in Staffs - conti contact sport 3

Fronts - 245; 35; 19 - £228.12
Rears - 265; 35; 19 - £276.12

but I will look for price match

I am quite happy with the conti's and slightly raised pressures

[Zero7]

OK, not feeling the PS2's so went back to my tyre dealer today with a view to changing to Conti's and selling these on, now done about 800 miles.

The manager is a really nice bloke and all the lads are car enthusiasts and know their tyres, they were pretty surprised I wanted to go back to conti's and have never had any complaints about the PS2's.

I have explained they feel a little jittery and the steering is certainly lighter than before at low speeds.

I could have sworn the sidewall was much stiffer on the PS2's, however I felt a fresh set of both and the Conti's seemed to have a slightly firmer sidewall so this blew my theory out of the window.

My Conti's were well scrubbed in and the PS2's are still fairly new but bedded in enough by now, so rather than change the tyres they have offered me a free 4 wheel lazer alignment in case something is out.

If after the alignment I still don't get on then I'll be going back to Conti's, a couple of points to be clear on.

1. I don't know what pressure the Conti's were running as they were on the car and I did not check before I took them off.

2. I can feel the pot holes and tiny road ripples more with the PS2's, which I guess can be translated in more feel.

3. I am running 32 front and 34 rear, have tried 30 front and 32 rear made no difference (I will check the cold pressure if I can, but I don't expect it to vary by more than 1-2 PSI).

4. The Conti's gave the car a more flexible feel whereas the PS2's make it feel a little edgy but with a faster turn in. Less weight with the PS2, when under 40mph...

I'll let you know if the alignment makes any difference.

[Zero7]

Last thing, I'm putting the differences down to the PS2's having a harder compound...

[Ant Man]

Thanks zero

32 / 34 is the minimum pressure for 2 people - cold pressure. Actually I think that the actual bar to psi is nearer to 33 / 35. If you are able to test back-to-back with two different tyres the pressure has to be the same to compare equally.

For me lighter steering below 40mph is fine. I really care about the feel when in the 40-100mph range for b road blasts.

Putting aside the ripples and pot holes for a moment. With which tyre can you feel the tyre working more, ie like being squashed into the tarmac whilst cornering? Which tyre gives you have a better understanding of available grip?

CSC3 usually wear better than the PS2 so I've always assumed PS2 was the softer tyre but maybe Conti is just better in that area

I might be interested in those PS2 from your fitter too

[alpina527]

Zero7: Can you confirm that you have the correct 98Y BMW M3 PS2s fitted and not the 94Y N2 Porsche PS2s.

This might account for some of your issues

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by alpina527

Zero7: Can you confirm that you have the correct 98Y BMW M3 PS2s fitted and not the 94Y N2 Porsche PS2s.

This might account for some of your issues

Yes this must be the case, many tyre dealers do not even know M3's need special tyres, theother thing is Try 36 PSI all round COLD, you will feel the difference.

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by Zero7

Last thing, I'm putting the differences down to the PS2's having a harder compound...

Soory I think they fitted the wrong PS2's to your car. PSI wrong as well. Some of the guys in states run 38PSI front 40PSI rears.

[Zero7]

93Y on the front and 98Y on the rears.. I will try a high Pressure tomorrow, although the correct bar equates to 32 front and 34 rear (or 33 and 35, I'll go for this)... So tomorrow, 3 wheel alignment and increase pressure.

They just don't give me the feel of the Conti's which really disappoints me, they feel as if the rubber is a lot harder and I tried a b-road that i know really well today on MDM mode and it felt a lot harder, which just baffles me..

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by Zero7

93Y on the front and 98Y on the rears.. I will try a high Pressure tomorrow, although the correct bar equates to 32 front and 34 rear (or 33 and 35, I'll go for this)... So tomorrow, 3 wheel alignment and increase pressure.

They just don't give me the feel of the Conti's which really disappoints me, they feel as if the rubber is a lot harder and I tried a b-road that i know really well today on MDM mode and it felt a lot harder, which just baffles me..

UP The Pressures too 36 PSI as I said .

[Zero7]

Originally Posted by johnbmw6

UP The Pressures too 36 PSI as I said .

OK, will try but that is over the recommended amount is it not..?

[gr8000]

Has anyone tried CSC5Ps? Allegedly they are more precise than CSC3s, less rubbery / soft too.

I will install them tomorrow, will run them in and thereafter report back.

PS. Price is quite steep too...

[Zero7]

Originally Posted by gr8000

Has anyone tried CSC5Ps? Allegedly they are more precise than CSC3s, less rubbery / soft too.

I will install them tomorrow, will run them in and thereafter report back.

PS. Price is quite steep too...

They don't do them in the E92 M3 fitment.

[gr8000]

Originally Posted by Zero7

They don't do them in the E92 M3 fitment.

Tomorrow I will have the stock dimensions fitted i.e. 245/35/19 and 265/35/19. What do you mean, can you please clarify?

[Zero7]

Originally Posted by gr8000

Tomorrow I will have the stock dimensions fitted i.e. 245/35/19 and 265/35/19. What do you mean, can you please clarify?

My understanding is that these are only out for the Mercedes not BMW M3..

The 'Y' rated tyres are for the M3 - This is off Black Circles:

245/35 R19 Y (93)
Tyre Use:
Car Tyre
Variant:
Mercedes

[gr8000]

Originally Posted by Zero7

My understanding is that these are only out for the Mercedes not BMW M3..

The 'Y' rated tyres are for the M3 - This is off Black Circles:

245/35 R19 Y (93)
Tyre Use:
Car Tyre
Variant:
Mercedes

I assume (but will physically check tomorrow) that the tyres I will get are 93Y for the fronts and 98Y for the rears - that's what I've been told over the phone.

Now, if these tyres are specifically designed for and tested on M3s I don't know and don't suspect so, but if the specs are exactly as per the OEM M3 specs I dont see an issue... or am I missing something here?

[Zero7]

Originally Posted by gr8000

I assume (but will physically check tomorrow) that the tyres I will get are 93Y for the fronts and 98Y for the rears - that's what I've been told over the phone.

Now, if these tyres are specifically designed for and tested on M3s I don't know and don't suspect so, but if the specs are exactly as per the OEM M3 specs I dont see an issue... or am I missing something here?

You are missing something, the sport contact 5 in our OEM size fitment is a ZR tyre and not a Y tyre, ZR are the Merc fitment ones from my understanding, if you look at black circles web site it shows it as being a Merc fitment.

although on the official continental web site the video shows an M3 which is funny.

I spoke to my tyre dealer about these and he also confirmed Merc fitment not BMW.

I will phone BMW tomorrow and also see if they have approved the conti5