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      08-20-2020, 09:31 AM   #1
Alan l.
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My experience between Michelin PS4S and Pirelli Pzero Tires

My X5M Competition unfortunately came with Pirelli Pzero instead of the Michelin PS4S. I put about 1800 miles on the Pzero's in a wide variety of road conditions so I have a pretty good feel for them. I only have about 80 miles on the Michelins so I will update this thread after I drive on them more. I have a road trip coming up so it will be perfect to test them out...

My initial thoughts right after installing them is that the my X5MC feels a little smoother overall. On smooth pavement they seem to glide just a tad smoother than the Pzeros. They seem a slightly quieter too.

Bumps are slightly less sharp with the Michelins. Its not a drastic difference making the X5MC feel like a Lexus now. If I had to rate the Pzero's from a scale of 1-10 with 10 being extremely harsh they would be a 8 and the Michelins would be a 6.5-7. The difference isn't as much as I'd hoped for but there is a difference. The Michelin's just takes the edge off those sharp impacts (highway expansion joints, broken pavement, cobble stone roads etc...) and rounds it out slightly where less of it transmits into the cabin of the car. You still feel it but just onset of the bump isn't just "bam" with the Pzeros and more gradual with the Michelin's.

Can't comment too much about handling yet since most of my driving has been in slow speed stop in go traffic but so far both feel about the same from what i could tell. I will know more after my road trip next week where i should put closer to 1K miles on the Michelins. The one thing i didn't like about the Pzeros was that on the highway if you are going around a slight turn and you encounter bumps the car feels like its skipping over them rather than absorbing them. They almost remind me of how super stiff Run Flat tires feels like in my previous cars. I'll pay close attention to this on my upcoming trip which will be a lot of highway driving.

So was it worth $2400 for me to swap from the Pzero's to the Michelins?

For me they were. Ride comfort is slightly better and they are quieter. Not night and day difference that I was hoping for but in think overall the Michelins are a better tire especially in the wet which in turn makes it safer for the family. If you have a choice when buying your X5M between the two tires I would certainly say go for the Michelin's.

One thing to note is that the Michelins seem to have a slight rounder sidewall compared to the Pzeros where it almost looks a little stretched in the rear. The look up front is about the same between the two tires with just different writing on the sidewall. Its a toss up as to which I prefer in terms of looks.

Its too premature for a full review of the PS4S with my limited driving on them but i wanted to post my initial thoughts first since its fresh. Maybe the tires will feel different after they break in and I'll post an update when I'm back from my road trip.

Alan
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Last edited by Alan l.; 08-20-2020 at 09:40 AM..
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      08-20-2020, 09:50 AM   #2
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Super helpful as always - many thanks for the detailed review and comments.
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      08-20-2020, 11:05 AM   #3
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I had a 2017 x6m that came with P zeros and when I switched to Michelins it was a huge difference. With the Pirellis the car just didnt track straight, it was wandering all over the road if the road surface had any type of bumps.

My new 2021 also came with the dreaded Pirellis. I will swap them out for Michelins.
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      08-20-2020, 12:09 PM   #4
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Thanks a bunch for your review. Keep us posted on your review after you return from your road trip.
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      08-29-2020, 03:17 PM   #5
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I had by default P Zero's on my last daily which was a 2016 RWD M5. After about 8k miles, rear tires would begin to slip and spin in rain and then eventually spin on dry surfaces. I replaced with Pilot Sports. Was a world of difference. Ride was slightly smoother, but the grip was better and traction lasted much longer than 8000 miles. I didn't know BMW was still placing P Zero's on their builds. Everything I read is showing Michelins. Plus the PS4's sold in the US are made in South Carolina. Don't know if there is a difference with the French made PS4's. But that's a plus in my book.
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      08-31-2020, 10:15 AM   #6
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My 2021 just arrived at the dealership and it was a great relief to see from the photos my CA sent me that it has the Michelins! Thanks again to Alan for the info and review.
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      08-31-2020, 06:42 PM   #7
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Just came back from family road trip putting just about 1K miles on the Michelin’s. Everything in my original post still stands. Ride comfort hasn’t change with more miles. Still better than the pzero’s for sure. One thing that is a major improvement is highway feel and stability. They feel like my previous BMWs equipped with Michelin PSS tires which is a great thing. No unusual characteristics like the pzeros where they have that Run Flat tire feel. Turning while going over bumps on the highway feels way more planted now. It doesn’t skip over bumps like the Pzeros did. The Michelin’s also doesn’t seem to follow the grooves on the pavement so the car is just more stable when the road isn’t perfect.

Alan
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      08-31-2020, 10:09 PM   #8
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I had P Zeros on my F90 M5 for about 5 months and the amount of rock chips I have on my fenders/front door will seriously horrify you. I had A/S Michelins on for 3 months before the P Zeros (as I got the car in December) and legit didn't have 1 rock chip probably from those.

I'm running A/S year round now instead of having a beat to shit to car. BMW can deal with it on the lease turn-in.
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      08-31-2020, 10:18 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mjr24 View Post
I had P Zeros on my F90 M5 for about 5 months and the amount of rock chips I have on my fenders/front door will seriously horrify you. I had A/S Michelins on for 3 months before the P Zeros (as I got the car in December) and legit didn't have 1 rock chip probably from those.

I'm running A/S year round now instead of having a beat to shit to car. BMW can deal with it on the lease turn-in.
I noticed this too. It was so bad with the Pirellis with only 800 miles I had a handful of chips on the front doors I fabricated some flaps to protect them. The flaps work but I also noticed that the michelins do not pick up as much sand/pepples like the Pirellis do.

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      08-31-2020, 10:28 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan l. View Post
I noticed this too. It was so bad with the Pirellis with only 800 miles I had a handful of chips on the front doors I fabricated some flaps to protect them. The flaps work but I also noticed that the michelins do not pick up as much sand/pepples like the Pirellis do.

Alan
Oh, it was night and day for me....which is cool if you live in Cali where roads are perfect but not reasonable if you live elsewhere. Had I known (and I should have, many have complained about the rocks being kicked by up the Pirellis), I would have never put them on. It's a lease so it's not really a big deal.....but I keep my cars mint. First time I've ever experienced this on any car.
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      09-02-2020, 12:24 PM   #11
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Alan, you mentioned you fabricated wheel flaps to help with rock chips on your front doors. Possible for me to get a pair? I live in Colorado and drive on lots of dirt roads up here. My email is casey31@me.com if you can help me out. Thank you.
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      09-02-2020, 12:41 PM   #12
Alan l.
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^^ I am going to redo mine with some improvements and once i do, i'll share the process. Its nothing more than picking up some universal Rally Armor flaps online and trimming them with a scissors. They weigh close to nothing so 3m double sided tape is enough to hold them to the stock fender flares without drilling any holes.

You can sorta see them in this pic. I'm typically the last person on the planet to put mud flaps on my cars but after having 3 X5's and seeing how badly the front doors/rear arches gets hammered with super low mileage i had to do something about it. Even PPF would mark up over time with the amount of rocks that gets picked up by these wide tires. I've gotten use to them that i don't even notice it anymore. As of now i don't think the rears need anything since anything it kicks up usually ends up flying out behind the car.
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      09-02-2020, 01:00 PM   #13
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^^ Great photo!
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      09-03-2020, 03:35 PM   #14
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Hi. And dealer confirmed that there is no way to choose tires. Its just random. (They buy set of tires depended on price from mich, pirr and continental and its just about who actually give better price in that time). Conti seems pretty rare - never seen them. Michellins seems most often.
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