Been driving on these since I bought the car in 2017 (started with 225/45ZR17, then switched to 205/55ZR16 on stock wheels as 225/50 was too expensive). Mostly driven quicker than general traffic (not quite spirited though), with occasional hard driving when conditions permit (although the South African potholes tend to make that hard). I can't really comment much on their wet grip as I'm not the type to do something stupid in the rain, but apart from when I had unstable toe at the back it's never disappointed in the wet. In the dry, they're excellent. They don't break loose unless I'm very deliberate, and even then the car is very easy to control.
That being said, they do wear very quickly. I'm looking at 20-25k km on a set with rotation. So if you're looking for durable tires, you'd best look elsewhere. But if like me you don't drive that much, then they give excellent grip for the money. And I can't say much about noise, as this is after all an inherently noisy car. I can definitely recommend them.
Best Tires for the BMW Z3
BMW Z3 drivers have left 21 tire reviews on Tire Reviews, covering 207,500 miles of real world driving. Every tire they rated is ranked below, so you can see what actually works on this car. The numbers include 2 Z3 variants, listed further down.
- 21owner reviews
- 207,500 milescovered on them
- 19different tires rated
- 70%average tire score
The best rated tires that fit the BMW Z3
The rankings above can only speak for tires a BMW Z3 driver has already reviewed. These are the highest rated tires we hold that are actually manufactured in the sizes these drivers run - 225/45 R17, 225/50 R16 and 205/55 R16 - whether or not anyone here has fitted them yet. They are ranked on the TR Score, which is built from independent test results and every owner review of that tire.
Summer tires
No BMW Z3 driver has reviewed a tire in the Summer category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 is our highest rated, at 9.7 out of 10.
| # | Tire | TR Score | Made in | BMW Z3 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6
|
9.7 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Continental PremiumContact 7
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 4 |
Falken ZIEX ZE320
|
9.4 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 5 |
Michelin Pilot Sport 5
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17, 225/50 R16 | Be the first → |
| 6 |
Pirelli Cinturato C3
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tires →
All Season tires
No BMW Z3 driver has reviewed a tire in the All Season category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 is our highest rated, at 9.6 out of 10.
| # | Tire | TR Score | Made in | BMW Z3 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3
|
9.6 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Continental AllSeasonContact 2
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Michelin CrossClimate 3
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 4 |
BFGoodrich Advantage All Season
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 5 |
Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4
|
9.4 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 6 |
Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen 3
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best All Season Tires → Test winner: Goodyear Vector All Season 4
All Weather tires
No BMW Z3 driver has reviewed a tire in the All Weather category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Vredestein Quatrac is our highest rated, at 9.5 out of 10.
| # | Tire | TR Score | Made in | BMW Z3 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Vredestein Quatrac
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV
|
8.3 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Vredestein Quatrac Pro+
|
8.1 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best All Weather Tires →
Winter tires
No BMW Z3 driver has reviewed a tire in the Winter category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 is our highest rated, at 9.5 out of 10.
| # | Tire | TR Score | Made in | BMW Z3 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Michelin Alpin 7
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 4 |
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 5 |
Goodyear UltraGrip 9+
|
9.4 | 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 6 |
Nokian Snowproof 3P
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Winter Tires → Test winner: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
Fitment comes from each tire's manufactured size list, and the sizes are the ones drivers reported when they reviewed. Check the size, load index and speed rating on your own doorplate before buying - a size a previous owner ran is not always the size your car left the factory on.
Every tire reviewed on the BMW Z3
The complete record, including discontinued tires and tires with too few reviews to rank, ordered by the amount of evidence. A further 17 tires have a single review each; they count toward the totals but are not listed.
| Tire | Season | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 | All Season | 77% | 2 | 55,000 miles |
| Uniroyal RainSport 3 Replaced by Uniroyal RainSport 5 | Summer | 63% | 2 | 2,800 miles |
Tire sizes BMW Z3 drivers run
The sizes fitted in the reviews on this page. Each one links to the top rated tires in that size, across every car.
BMW Z3 variants, reviewed separately
These trims and body styles have pages of their own. Their reviews are already counted in the rankings above.
What BMW Z3 drivers say
The most recent owner reviews from this car, in their own words.
I swear by these tires having used for very aggressive driving on street and rough tarmac, has saved my life from kangaroos on more than one occasion at over 100kmh with rapid response, very good tire for someone looking to get into spirited driving or tracking, it trains you well to receive feedback and get handling ability on-top of being great in the wet once you to temperature. Be aware of cold wet surfaces before warning tires up as they are very slippy . Other than that I love these adj the price is very good considering it performs up with some of the more expensive tires. Also it has had tonnes of skids and lasted alot longer than any of my economy tyrs
I bought these tires because they were really inexpensive and I had a spare set of wheels. I use them for daily driving, but also on track. They aren't the fastest tire, but they do behave predictably when pushed hard. They have good (loud) audible feedback, which is useful in a track tire. Having slightly less grip on a track tire is actually more fun for me and also less physically taxing (my car has stock belts and seat). So even though I have faster tires, I think these are more fun. I would buy them again if I found them for the same low price.
I bought these tires as old stock manufactured 4-5 years ago. Available from Maxxis direct for just $59.95 per tire. That's less than half the price of most 200TW tires. Are they any good? Despite being 4-5 years old, they compare favorably to 200TW tires of that era. I have lap times in equivalent cars that show the performance is about the same as an NT05, RE11A, RT615K, etc. No, they aren't nearly as fast as the new autocross-focused tires. However, they are a good budget 200TW endurance tire.
On track, I like a loud tire for audible feedback. These are sort of quiet even when pushed hard. That's the only downside. I haven't tried them in the rain.
Greetings from Canada. Having gone from 2 sets of Michelin Pilot Sport (excellent summer tire), to 1 set of Bridgestone Potenza (not a bad tire at all), to a new set of BFGoodrich g-Grip AS2, I must say I was shocked at the immediate difference in softness when cornering hard. I was so used to driving on rails and all of a sudden the car went "mushy" on turns. Also much noisier at their limit than the other two brands and overall feel soft . Which makes for a very comfortable and quiet ride especially when I put the roof down . Good grip on rainy roads but I wouldn't push the car in the rain. However I installed the new tires in March (couldn't wait to get my convertible out), and there was still snow on the ground and ICE on some spots in my parking lot. Now these tires were FANTASTIC even on icy surfaces! I could't move an inch with the other tires but these ones had grip and lots of it. VERY impressed! If you need a real All Season tire, for me this is it. ( I don't drive my BMW in the later part of the Canadian winters, I use Nokia Hakka9 Studded on my Range Rover and have been very happy). Cheers!
The best tires I ever had after using alot of other brands.
The design is beautiful to start.. Making about 30.000km and still alot to use.
The dry and wet are awesome no issues, cornering is good.
Confort they are very good but not the best at it, they more sporty!
The noise I would say also OK, in noise you can find better ones.
Definitely will buy them again! I recommend
After putting up with tramlining for years with the continentals that were fitted when I bought the car I read on a website that the avon zv range may help. What a difference these tires have made. It is like driving a different car so relaxing to drive now and goes were you point it and not following every irregularity on the road surface. I have had my bmw z3 nine years now and I wish I had found out a bit sooner.
These tires are a joke! Especially their name "Sport"...
Probably the worst tires I have ever tested. Borderline dangerous.
Yes the rubber is grippy but they cannot keep a straight line to save their lives!
Even worst is their behavior to sudden turns. You will have a better driving experience on donuts.
That's how bad they are. The car has a floating feeling that is nearly uncontrollable after 120km/h.
If you push them hard at low speeds but very sharp road turns they will scream and you also have
a feeling that they are bending.
My previous tires were Bridgestone Adrenalin and the difference is abysmal.
In the wet they are grippy but they have the same behavior in terms of stability.
I have replaced half the bushes in my car, some with polyurethane, installed brand new sport
suspension and the difference I was able to make was minimal. I have just received new rims,
I am buying again Bridgestones and these tires are going to the junk yard were they belong.
If you are looking for some performance tires STAY AWAY from these.
Really, they are dangerous for any kind of sport driving.
Probably the worst tires I have ever tested. Borderline dangerous.
Yes the rubber is grippy but they cannot keep a straight line to save their lives!
Even worst is their behavior to sudden turns. You will have a better driving experience on donuts.
That's how bad they are. The car has a floating feeling that is nearly uncontrollable after 120km/h.
If you push them hard at low speeds but very sharp road turns they will scream and you also have
a feeling that they are bending.
My previous tires were Bridgestone Adrenalin and the difference is abysmal.
In the wet they are grippy but they have the same behavior in terms of stability.
I have replaced half the bushes in my car, some with polyurethane, installed brand new sport
suspension and the difference I was able to make was minimal. I have just received new rims,
I am buying again Bridgestones and these tires are going to the junk yard were they belong.
If you are looking for some performance tires STAY AWAY from these.
Really, they are dangerous for any kind of sport driving.
Dry grip is quite startling but sudden break away is a problem. My car is light and powerful but in the wet the tire still performs well. Wear is OK(ish) approx 12k of mixed cruising and hard driving. These have performed better for grip than the Perelli P6000 that were fitted before but obviously wear rates are higher. The side walls are softer on the Contis too which took a little getting used too.
After first 1000kms another of the tires created really big vertical shape anomality , which makes horrible vibration. Now these tires are totally undrivable in normal motorway speeds not mentioning real high speeds.
Utterly devastating road noise at all speeds but will make your ears bleed at high speeds.
Dry grip is comparable to normal tires, Wet grip is poorest I have ever witnessed, and I mean slightly damp roads. It does not have to be standing water, it does not have to be raining, if asfalt is black, suicide season is immediately on! Will break loose sudden and freaky in any speed low or high when turning car whetter in roundabout or exit ramp.
It can be fun when playing with the car but it is unwanted and seriously dangerous when it happens unwanted in midcorner without provoking. When turning harder it will snap grip off when locking differential starts to limit and will brake traction on any gear when cornering and pressing throttle.
Drive a BMW Z3?
Review your tires and help the next owner choose. It takes about five minutes, and every review on this page came from a driver who took them.
Where this data comes from
Every rating on this page was submitted by a driver through the review form on this site, naming the car, the tire, the size and the distance covered. Reviews are checked by hand before publication, and the page rebuilds automatically as new ones arrive.
About the TR Score
The Tire Reviews Score rates each tire out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, so you can check a car-specific ranking against the wider evidence.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tire Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tires independently since 2007.