Great handling in the dry and last very long even with sporty driving. Grip in the wet is not perfect but not terrible, very linear and predictable.
Best Tires for the BMW 3
BMW 3 drivers have left 104 tire reviews on Tire Reviews, covering 857,131 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 1 3 variants, listed further down.
- 104owner reviews
- 857,131 milescovered on them
- 88different tires rated
- 74%average tire score
The quick answer
| Season | Owners' pick | Owner rating | Our category test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Run Flat 4.6 | 77% from 3 reviews | Best Summer Tires |
| Winter | Nokian WR D4 8.5 Current version: Nokian Snowproof 2 | 78% from 3 reviews | Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 Best Winter Tires |
Highest weighted owner score from BMW 3 drivers. Full rankings and the evidence behind them below.
The best rated tires for the BMW 3
Rated only by drivers of this car. Each tire needs at least 3 reviews from the BMW 3 to be ranked; the order weights a tire's score by how many reviews back it, so one glowing review cannot top a table.
Summer tires
The highest rated tire in the Summer category for the BMW 3 is the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Run Flat - 77% from 3 owner reviews across 34,990 miles.
| # | Tire | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed | TR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Run Flat
|
77% | 3 | 34,990 miles | 4.6 |
| 2 |
Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3
Replaced by Hankook Ventus Evo
|
75% | 4 | 37,100 miles | 8.9 |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tires →
Winter tires
The highest rated tire in the Winter category for the BMW 3 is the Nokian WR D4 - 78% from 3 owner reviews across 10,700 miles. The current tire in that line is now the Nokian Snowproof 2.
| # | Tire | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed | TR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Nokian WR D4
Replaced by Nokian Snowproof 2
|
78% | 3 | 10,700 miles | 8.5 |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Winter Tires → Test winner: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
TR Score is the tire's overall Tire Reviews rating out of 10, built from independent test results and every owner review of that tire - not just the reviews from this car. The owner rating column is this car only.
The best rated tires that fit the BMW 3
The rankings above can only speak for tires a BMW 3 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 R17, 205/55 R16 and 225/40 R18 - 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
Our highest rated tire in the Summer category, in this car's sizes, is the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, at 9.7 out of 10.
| # | Tire | TR Score | Made in | BMW 3 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6
|
9.7 | 225/45 R17, 225/50 R17, 225/40 R18 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Continental SportContact 7
|
9.7 | 225/40 R18 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Continental PremiumContact 7
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 4 |
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 5 |
Falken ZIEX ZE320
|
9.4 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 6 |
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S
|
9.4 | 225/45 R17, 225/50 R17, 225/40 R18 | 1 |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tires →
Winter tires
Our highest rated tire in the Winter category, in this car's sizes, is the Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4, at 9.6 out of 10.
| # | Tire | TR Score | Made in | BMW 3 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4
|
9.6 | 225/40 R18 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Michelin Alpin 7
|
9.5 | 225/45 R17, 225/50 R17, 205/55 R16 | Be the first → |
| 4 |
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
|
9.5 | 225/50 R17, 225/40 R18 | Be the first → |
| 5 |
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
|
9.4 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 6 |
Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3
|
9.4 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Winter Tires → Test winner: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
All Season tires
No BMW 3 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 3 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3
|
9.6 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sport
|
9.6 | 225/40 R18 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Continental AllSeasonContact 2
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 4 |
Michelin CrossClimate 3
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 5 |
BFGoodrich Advantage All Season
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 6 |
Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen 3
|
9.4 | All your sizes | 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 3 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 3 reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Vredestein Quatrac
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 2 |
Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV
|
8.3 | 225/45 R17, 225/50 R17 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
Vredestein Quatrac Pro+
|
8.1 | 225/45 R17, 225/50 R17, 225/40 R18 | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best All Weather Tires →
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.
How long do tires last on the BMW 3?
Across 16 end of life reviews from BMW 3 drivers, a typical set of tires was worn out after 14,000 miles. Half of all worn-out sets lasted between 7,000 miles and 20,000 miles.
Distances are self-reported by drivers whose review marked the set as worn out; figures are medians, so a single unusual report cannot move them.
Every tire reviewed on the BMW 3
The complete record, including discontinued tires and tires with too few reviews to rank, ordered by the amount of evidence. A further 76 tires have a single review each; they count toward the totals but are not listed.
| Tire | Season | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3 Replaced by Hankook Ventus Evo | Summer | 75% | 4 | 37,100 miles |
| Nokian WR D4 Replaced by Nokian Snowproof 2 | Winter | 78% | 3 | 10,700 miles |
| Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Run Flat | Summer | 77% | 3 | 34,990 miles |
| Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 Replaced by Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 | Summer | 100% | 2 | 9,000 miles |
| Michelin Alpin 6 | Winter | 93% | 2 | 2,100 miles |
| BFGoodrich gGrip Replaced by BFGoodrich Advantage | Summer | 84% | 2 | 17,000 miles |
| Continental Sport Contact 5 Replaced by Continental SportContact 7 | Summer | 83% | 2 | 31,000 miles |
| Bridgestone Potenza S001 Replaced by Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo | Summer | 78% | 2 | 30,000 miles |
| Pirelli CINTURATO P7 Replaced by Pirelli Cinturato C3 | Summer | 76% | 2 | 23,000 miles |
| Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Replaced by Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo | Summer | 66% | 2 | 29,000 miles |
| Kumho WinterCraft WP71 | Winter | 41% | 2 | 10,500 miles |
| BCT S800 | Summer | 20% | 2 | 5,000 miles |
Tire sizes BMW 3 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 3 variants, reviewed separately
These trims and body styles have pages of their own. Their reviews are already counted in the rankings above.
What BMW 3 drivers say
The most recent owner reviews from this car, in their own words.
It was a big step up for me after switching from Bridgestone Turanza's to PS5. Normally my cars tire sizes are FR: 225/45/18 and RR: 255/40/18. To be able to run on Michelins, I had to buy 245/45/18 all round with 30% less cost than original size. And I have zero regrets. Comfort level went directly up to 5 series levels. Especially on the shitty roads of the city I'm living in...
The best 3 things I can say that PS5 is best,
1- Aquaplaining. It slices through the deep water perfectly. Making it look like easy to others.
2- Longevity. I drove 67000 km's and yet they can go 10K more.
3- Looks. It looks beautiful and mean at the same time. I still think it's the best looking side wall on the market.
It tends to understeer on the limit. So, if you're driving on the limit for most of the time, you might look for other options. However, if you look for comfort and longevity as well as sportiness, there's no other tire does better all of them.
The only thing I don't like is the price. It's expensive. So, after 67000 km's, now I'm switching to Pirelli PZero PZ5's with original sizes. I will update about that later.
Do not waste your money! I've driven with many many different tires over the last thirty years, and these are easily the worst! I would go so far as to say that they are actually unsafe and unfit for purpose. The handling both in wet and dry is absolutely atrocious. I honestly don't understand any of the reviews where it states the tires as being acceptable; obviously whoever has written those reviews has either never own a decent set of tires in their life, or they drive like Miss Daisy and don't know any better. These tires are noise, they do not handle well at all, and honestly they are unsafe and should not be fitted to your vehicle if you value safety. I used to use the Bridgestone Potena RFT's and for a runflat they were beautiful; unfortunately they are discontinued and have been replaced with these. the quality is nowhere near where it should be and for the premium they charge for these tires, they're must be having a laugh. I'm replacing these with the Goodyear Eagle F1's, a much better alternative for a similar price. Seriously, DO NOT waste your time or money on these.
This is my first set of Toyo Proxes, they have really impressed me so far i'm around 5000+ miles with them on the rear of my BMW 3 series. I have cheap Chinese Mazzini tires on the front that came with then car (Don't buy them!) they are awful, but highlight the difference between cheap budget tires and good mid range. The front end feels honestly bad while the Toyos on the rear feel super planted, it's a genuine noticeable difference. The Toyos are so good in wet and dry they always feel stable and have loads of grip. I ran them trough winter with no issues never lost traction. I drive lots of twisty B roads they are actually pretty fun to drive on given the comfort bias which is also really good. They soak up bumps and potholes really well and are very quiet. Im really blown away by how good they are i've always fitted premium brands (Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear) but the Toyos are actually my favorite so far. I Guess tread life might be the only differentiator but so far after 5000 miles they look as good as the day they were put on.
Hankook Ventus Prime 4, 235/40/r18 95w XL. I used these tires on my BMW F30 for approximately 45,000 km. I chose them because they prioritize comfort, low road noise, and good driving dynamics. The Hankooks never disappointed me. I don't want to compare them to my previous tires (Pirelli) because they were very worn and had accumulated many kilometers. From day one to 45,000 km, the Hankooks always felt good. Road grip, braking distance, comfort, and road noise were all positive. Water drainage was a little weak in heavy rain. Other than that, I didn't see any negative aspects. However, I didn't expect sporty performance from the tires. It was a tire I used daily, occasionally pushing it in corners. In that respect, it satisfied me. It wasn't an ultra-quiet tire in terms of road noise, but road noise never bothered me. When I wanted to drive dynamically, I didn't see any significant shortcomings. It's a very balanced tire. Even at 45,000 km, the tires looked like new. There was no abrasion or cracks. Even the treads were as soft as new, meaning they hadn't hardened. That aspect really impressed me. I used the same tires, in size 225/45 R19, on my Mercedes for a short time. I was very happy with those tires too. However, the tires I bought for my two cars and was satisfied with were made in Hungary. We bought Hankook Ventus Prime tires, also made in South Korea, for another friend. His tires developed abrasion and cracks after 30,000 km. We concluded that the quality of the South Korean-made tires might be lower. Now I've ordered the same tires for my BMW G20. The previous tires were runflat and very hard, so they needed replacing. I hope I'll be satisfied with these tires as well.
If you own a BMW and are tired of run-flat tires, and you want to switch to regular tires without losing steering feel and driving dynamics while gaining comfort, you can buy this tire with peace of mind. It’s neither as soft and comfort-oriented with loose steering like a touring tire, nor as stiff and sharp as a run-flat. This is the BMW OEM tire for 17-inch wheels.
The RE004 has become one of my favorite tires —this is the second car I’ve run it on (after the E39), and the fourth car I’ve fitted with a Potenza Adrenalin series tire. It suits the E30’s character really well. My car equipped with koni sport dampers and h&r sport and z3 rack swap. I need quite a good enthusiast road tire with no warm up need on my small 15” size rim. The first thing I notice is the improve balance. These tires keep the car feeling light and eager.
Compared to the older RE003, the sidewall isn’t quite as brick-stiff and as razor shard, yet it actually delivers a touch more outright dry grip. It’s still very much a stiff-carcass performance tire, so the steering stays direct and response is immediate. Mid-corner stability is strong, and it is very predictable it is at the limit—it slides progressively and never catches me out. On the E30, the RE004 also cleans up that last bit of understeer, especially versus the old Turanza AR-10 which always has a little bit understeer on turn in. With the Koni/H&R setup already tightening things up, the RE004 complements the car without making the ride punishing.
In the wet, it’s a step up from the RE003, but it’s not a rain specialist. Ride comfort is also a bit nicer than the RE003, which makes it easier to live with day-to-day.
Compared to the older RE003, the sidewall isn’t quite as brick-stiff and as razor shard, yet it actually delivers a touch more outright dry grip. It’s still very much a stiff-carcass performance tire, so the steering stays direct and response is immediate. Mid-corner stability is strong, and it is very predictable it is at the limit—it slides progressively and never catches me out. On the E30, the RE004 also cleans up that last bit of understeer, especially versus the old Turanza AR-10 which always has a little bit understeer on turn in. With the Koni/H&R setup already tightening things up, the RE004 complements the car without making the ride punishing.
In the wet, it’s a step up from the RE003, but it’s not a rain specialist. Ride comfort is also a bit nicer than the RE003, which makes it easier to live with day-to-day.
This is my second set of RE003s on my BMW E90 equipped with KW Street Comfort and brake upgrades—I’ve just moved to RE005s very recently. The RE003 has always struck me as a proper driver’s tire: the sidewall is noticeably stiff, which gives the car a more direct, responsive front end than the standard Michelin PS4. It’s also clearly grippier in the dry—more stable mid-corner, holds the line confidently, and the car stays nicely balanced without that typical understeer you get with softer PS4 tires. Turn-in feels sharp, and when it finally does let go, it’s progressive and easy to catch.
RE003 has a stiffer carcass than the top-of-the-line Michelin PS4S, the tire is even a little more responsive and more stable in the corner, albeit with a bit less outgrip. Compared to the older S001 on my car, however, the RE003 is a touch less razor-direct, but you get more dry grip in return.
The trade-off is comfort: that stiff carcass makes the ride feel slightly firmer than a lot of competitors. But it still rides reasonably well for my taste and has good grip and road texture feedback.
Wet performance is acceptable rather than impressive. It’s fine in normal rain, but it’s not in the same league as modern tires like the PS5, and it’s definitely more prone to hydroplaning. Wear is also just about OK for a performance tire—reasonable, but you’re clearly paying for grip.
Absolutely horrible tread wear. This tire claims 30000 mile tread wear warranty, but tires are bald after 9K miles and Epi Tire/Accelera refuses to honor their warranty. The 30K mile warranty is a total fraud, it is just there to draw buyer's in, they never honor it as also stated by other reviewers. No reason to buy cheap tires if have to replace it 3x more often.
I bought a used set of these tires already mounted on rims for my XDrive BMW Wagon. They already had about 2 seasons worth of wear on them but had plenty of life.
Snow and ice grip was unbelievable--driving up to Quebec from Massachusetts in a blizzard I was able to maintain speed and grip the entire time without so much as a wiggle on greasy, slushy, and snowy roads. Highway performance was fantastic, crossing lanes did not cause my car to dive to one side or the other while driving over the slush humps between lanes. These tires excel in the worst conditions and I felt a ton of confidence driving in the winter with these. Snow feels like it isn't even there, I cannot overstate how planted these tires are.
That's not to say there are no tradeoffs, however. These tires are LOUD. From about 10 mph on up there is an audible hum that got worse as the tires aged, not so loud as to be annoying but I had to turn my stereo up; my car was noticeably quieter when re-mounting my all seasons in the spring. The soft rubber in the compound leads to very vague steering, lots of sidewall flexing, and a very underwhelming handling in the dry. They also get softer in the warmer ends of the season which exacerbates these characteristics. The plush sidewalls do help make frost heaves much less violent so I see it as a plus in deep winter driving. They also never cold spotted on me.
Ultimately these are fantastic winter tires for extreme conditions. I replaced mine after 3 more seasons of use because they were beginning to dry rot (2019 mfd) and I was beginning to notice uneven wearing across the tread which I cannot fault the tires for necessarily. Living in New England as of late we don't get much in the way of blizzards and often get mid season rain/ice, and these tires felt like more extreme winters than I needed. I opted to purchase a set of Vredestein Wintrac Pros (no +) to replace them because I no longer drive in the worst of conditions. If I lived in a snowier climate or was obligated to travel no matter the weather I wouldn't hesitate to buy these again. These are some exceptional winter tires, but know that they are all about utility.
As I bought mine used I am generous with the wear rating.
Snow and ice grip was unbelievable--driving up to Quebec from Massachusetts in a blizzard I was able to maintain speed and grip the entire time without so much as a wiggle on greasy, slushy, and snowy roads. Highway performance was fantastic, crossing lanes did not cause my car to dive to one side or the other while driving over the slush humps between lanes. These tires excel in the worst conditions and I felt a ton of confidence driving in the winter with these. Snow feels like it isn't even there, I cannot overstate how planted these tires are.
That's not to say there are no tradeoffs, however. These tires are LOUD. From about 10 mph on up there is an audible hum that got worse as the tires aged, not so loud as to be annoying but I had to turn my stereo up; my car was noticeably quieter when re-mounting my all seasons in the spring. The soft rubber in the compound leads to very vague steering, lots of sidewall flexing, and a very underwhelming handling in the dry. They also get softer in the warmer ends of the season which exacerbates these characteristics. The plush sidewalls do help make frost heaves much less violent so I see it as a plus in deep winter driving. They also never cold spotted on me.
Ultimately these are fantastic winter tires for extreme conditions. I replaced mine after 3 more seasons of use because they were beginning to dry rot (2019 mfd) and I was beginning to notice uneven wearing across the tread which I cannot fault the tires for necessarily. Living in New England as of late we don't get much in the way of blizzards and often get mid season rain/ice, and these tires felt like more extreme winters than I needed. I opted to purchase a set of Vredestein Wintrac Pros (no +) to replace them because I no longer drive in the worst of conditions. If I lived in a snowier climate or was obligated to travel no matter the weather I wouldn't hesitate to buy these again. These are some exceptional winter tires, but know that they are all about utility.
As I bought mine used I am generous with the wear rating.
Drive a BMW 3?
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.