BMW 328i hold an honorable place among the powerful family cars. It’s not really supposed to be used for racing or other extreme purposes, but rather just comfortable traveling at a leisurely pace. There aren’t a lot of BMW cars like that, although this approach to driving does have its merits.
To bolster it, you’ll have to find a nice set of comfortable and obedient tires. It’s not exceedingly hard, but the main problem here is that there are just too many good candidates. To speed the process of picking tires for you, we compiled a small list of decent BMW 328i treads.
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CS5 Ultra Touring is a mild choice if you don’t like overpaying but also refuse to compromise on quality. ‘Ultra’ in the name doesn’t mean that it’s fit for speedy driving – it just means that it’s extremely good as a touring variant.
The most prominent advantages are the handling and steering response. They are impeccable. Regarding the grip, it’s pretty decent, especially in the wet. A lot of provisions have been made to render this tire efficient in rainy weather. Moreover, it’s going to last for a long time – the warranty promises 115,000 km of mileage.
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DriveGuard’s first prerogative is safe driving. That’s why they really invested into making this tire proficient in rainy weather. As a result, wet traction is amongst the best in the category. The dry grip doesn’t lag much behind, although the snow behavior is pretty poor. Don’t take these out in harsh winters.
Steering, control and near noiselessness are key advantages here. The steering and the general handling are superb – the tires feel very light and obedient. The cherry on top is how smoothly and silently the tires move – perfect for 328i.
The warranty says these tires ill last for about 100,000 km before expiring.
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As you can judge by the name, this tire’s main shtick is the lack of noise. Bridgestone worked hard to achieve this level of silence, which, sadly, sacrificed other qualities slightly.
For instance, the control is good enough, but it pales in comparison to what other products have to offer. Considering that it’s a premium-tier tire, you’ll want more. At the very least, the traction is grand – no complaints about wet or dry at all. Nevertheless, this streak of mediocrity is richly repaid with durability – you get at least 130,000 km.
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Premier AS is never a bad choice if you can afford it. It’s especially advised if you miss having impeccable grip on all terrains save packed ice. And Premiers do provide impeccable traction – especially on dry surfaces. The control and contact with the road on clear days are peak performance.
In terms of comfort, they are pretty good. Because they are bordering high-performance tires, you could expect a bit more noise and shaking. These fears are true, although just a little bit. The experience is still pretty comfy. Sadly, these tires deteriorate much faster than counterparts – only bringing 100,000 km to the table.
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YK740 is one of those ‘Swiss-knife’ tires that perform extremely well in clear, rainy and snowy weather without any major drawbacks. It doesn’t just apply to contact with the road, but also to handling and steering. In wet, the siping and grooving remove the hydroplaning element completely.
In cold, these tires are as flexible as in dry. It means you can drive with them non-stop without worrying too much about changing them for snow spares. It’s not going to be a very long ride, comparatively. These only last about 100,000 km – a small number compared to the other touring variants.
But don’t worry – at least, these ones are reasonably comfy and quiet.
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Primacy is much closer to the ultra-performance category than most previous candidates. It has exceptional grip properties both on dry and wet ground, while also offering decent snowy handling and traction. Handling in general is great, although not without flaws. The stability could use some improving.
It also reflects on the riding quality – the driving isn’t as smooth as it could’ve been, but it’s just nitpicking. What really needs working on is the treadwear. The warranty only promises about 50,000 km. While the real lifespan is definitely much longer, it can’t be much longer if even Michelin aren’t so certain about it.
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Gradually, we’ve entered the realm of UHP tires. They are known for moderate comfort, extreme summer grip and faster treadwear. Except, this one is a bit more lasting and it doesn’t just provide traction in summer, but also in winter – and some very good traction at that.
The handling is supremely obedient, and they basically traded outstanding traction in warm weather for great traction in warm and cold. This came at a cost, however – the tire is rather noisy. Not as noisy as mud tires, but you’ll notice. If that’s the sacrifice you’re willing to take, then you’ll find this tire a decent bargain.
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Pilot Sport 4s is an improvement over other Pilots from Michelin. Most are glass cannons – flawless grip in exchange for short lifespan. These ones are a bit more balanced in this sense. They have flawless control, exceptional grip and not as abysmally short lifespan. Now they’ll last for 50,000 km and not 30,000.
In addition to the absolutely unprecedented level of control, superb grip and cornering abilities, you get comfort and a good dose of quietness. Driving is not particularly noiseless, but the level has been reduced to an appropriate minimum.
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BFG g-Force Comp-2 are extremely good summer tires. You won’t get quietness or comfort from them, but if you want perfect grip wherever you go – these ones are better than almost any.
They are also especially proficient at getting you around corners and generally getting you where you want to be with as little effort as possible. Not to mention, they are pretty good against water on the road. In general, if you feel like racing today – wear Comp-2
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Now you know a thing or two about specifically summer tires and all-season tires, but let’s discuss one must-have winter product if you intend to drive on ice or in thick snow soon. Blizzak is almost without competition when it comes to winter handling and grip, and it’s definitely the best ice tire that fits 328i.
It’s not particularly quiet, but that’s not really what you’re looking for in a winter-oriented tread. You look for stability, safety and constant contact with the ground. Blizzak can provide all of that.
