BMW 323i 1997 Tires

On this page you will find the best real world tire reviews from owners of the BMW 323i 1997.

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Tire Reviewed Dry Grip Wet Grip Feedback Handling Wear Comfort
Vredestein Quatrac 5 (37) 82% 79% 80% 82% 82% 85%
Michelin Primacy 3 (191) 85% 79% 76% 77% 69% 80%
Nitto Invo (19) 79% 67% 73% 75% 65% 67%
Taurus Winter 601 (7) 61% 49% 47% 56% 66% 66%
Achilles 2233 (20) 77% 47% 63% 64% 71% 65%

BMW 323i 1997 Tire Review Highlights

Writing about the Taurus Winter 601 given 67% (195-65-15-)
Driving on a combination of roads for 5000 average miles
This tires came with car as winter setup (seller was mehanic and he just replaced it so DOT was fresh when car was bought). I was very sceptical but on wet you can't go sideways with this tire, that's how much grip it has. :) Dry grip is ok but you don't have any feeling on steering wheel with them, also you can drive with confidence, especially RWD cars. Also never had problem with grip in snow (bare in mind that it's on RWD car). Negative side is noise, the faster you drive the noiser they get, so I wouldn't recommend them if you are mainly on motorways. Also, the wear is very high, so after two seasons they have about 5 mm tread depth (less than 10 000 km). If you mainly drive in city and country roads this is ideal. For the price, and everything else considering, I would recommend them, just depends what are you expecting from them (they are not premium and they are not perfect...).
tire reviewed on 2024-02-23 01:49:08
Writing about the Michelin Primacy 3 given 83% (205-55-16-)
Driving on mostly town for 400 spirited miles
Went out to purchase Pilot Sport 4s to replace the extremely worn out PS3s on the wheels I purchased, but since the shop haven't got the size I needed - the salesman immediately threw the Primacy 3 ST at me, advertised the tires as one of the quietest and most comfortable around. I'm not too bothered with either, I have loud pipes and pretty stiff springs. I needed grip (hence my desire for the PS4) since my car had proven to be a loose cannon.

The main problem I had with the previous Achilles 2233 and Dunlop SP01 on the car is that they're fine on dry roads, but murderous once the going turns damp, with the Achilles being a step ahead - nearly killing me by sending the car sliding to another car once. The old rear tires occasionally produces an unmistakable squealing noise even on slightly damp roads, even with the lightest throttle, and the fronts were dangerously prone to aquaplaning - happens quite often and when it happens, they do lose all grip which is fairly frightening. The Michelins eliminated ALL of these issues. The rears only squealed once in the wet, and that's when I deliberately gave too much throttle to test it. The fronts are less prone to aquaplaning - though not entirely impossible, but it happened once, and when it does, it doesn't entirely lose grip and rectifies itself almost immediately. Cornered quite quickly in various degree of wetness with these a few times, a dangerous act, but proven the Primacy retains grip very well in bad weather.

I haven't tested them at the absolute peak, but so far, the old E36 handles and feels far better than it ever did with the my previous tires. Not a huge surprise compared to the cheaper Achilles, but with the equally premium priced Dunlop? Steering feels immediately lighter and more direct. Dry grip is phenomenal, wet grip feels great too. And it made the car more comfortable, the old tires makes the suspension feels shakey. I also didn't think I would notice tire noise due to my exhaust, but apparently, the cabin is actually noticeably quieter, particularly at higher speed.

Cannot provide any information on wear yet, as they're relatively fresh off the racks now, but considering the car's rear heavy tendencies combined with my idiotic driving, I'm pretty sure the rears would go out a year or two from now.

Read a lot of bad reviews on these (mostly installed on new, higher-end vehicles instead of a 20 years old clunker like mine) which didn't help to my early skepticisms about the tires. Would I buy them again? Yes - Unless they finally have the 16 inch Pilot Sports I was looking for. But otherwise, glad I have tried these because it did make me realise how comfortable and stable the sub-200 HP E36 could be. Something I haven't truly felt since I bought the thing.
tire reviewed on 2018-02-28 10:21:48
Writing about the Achilles 2233 given 76% (215-45-17-)
Driving on mostly town for 0 spirited miles
I used to ran 17" 2233s on all fours (ideal front width, slightly stretched rears), before the fronts were replaced with worn 16" Dunlop SP01s after a pothole accident. I can only say good things about its behaviour in the dry. Pretty comfortable even on rough roads, possibly quiet (I have loud pipes and wind coming through the window, so I can't truly tell), excellent grip - all in a very affordable package. They also seem to last very long; I fitted them in August 2016. Two years and some 7000 miles of daily spirited driving later, they still have hairs on them.

However, in the wet, oh dear... My car only has a modest 245 Nm of torque, and even with the lightest throttle, on a slightly wet road, I can feel the rears losing grip accompanied with an unmistakable screeching noise. As for the fronts, they seem to be quite prone to hydroplaning, making handling on the wet rather unpredictable. These were relatively new, mostly city driven tires, mind you.

Although, overall I'm very pleased with em. I blew a couple rear tires and replaced them with another pair of 2233s.
tire reviewed on 2018-02-06 21:37:10
Writing about the Vredestein Quatrac 5 given 71% (205-55-16-V)
Driving on a combination of roads for 1000 average miles
These tires give a lovely comfortable quiet drive. Felt a bit soft after initial fitting but improved after a number of miles. In mild conditions the car feels as though the back wants to break away, but it doesn't. In the cold conditions of this January the tires felt firmer and handled better. I don't think these tires are for the boy racers though. Have yet to try them in summer conditions as have only completed 1000 miles in them so also cannot comment on wear rate.To sum up, these tires are fine if you are a sensible driver and they give a very comfortable quiet ride
tire reviewed on 2015-02-10 04:48:11
Writing about the Nitto Invo given 97% (225-40-18-)
Driving on mostly town for 2000 spirited miles
Had on a BMW. Made the car feel like it was on rails. Recommended!
tire reviewed on 2013-12-17 14:32:27
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