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Best Tires for the BMW E39 M5

BMW E39 M5 drivers have left 17 tire reviews on Tire Reviews, covering 168,355 miles of real world driving. Every tire they rated is ranked below, so you can see what actually works on this car.

  • 17owner reviews
  • 168,355 milescovered on them
  • 13different tires rated
  • 76%average tire score
Most fitted size - 6 reviews 275/35 R18 To scale, mm
Ø 650 275 96 18" 96 All 275/35 R18 data →

The quick answer

The quick answer - BMW E39 M5
Season Owners' pick Owner rating Our category test
Summer Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta 9.2 Current version: Vredestein Ultrac Pro 88% from 5 reviews Best Summer Tires

Highest weighted owner score from BMW E39 M5 drivers. Full rankings and the evidence behind them below.

The best rated tires for the BMW E39 M5

Rated only by drivers of this car. Each tire needs at least 3 reviews from the BMW E39 M5 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 E39 M5 is the Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta - 88% from 5 owner reviews across 43,000 miles. The current tire in that line is now the Vredestein Ultrac Pro.

Summer tires ranked by BMW E39 M5 owner rating
# Tire Owner rating Reviews Distance reviewed TR Score
1 Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta Replaced by Vredestein Ultrac Pro 88% 5 43,000 miles 9.2

Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tires →

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 E39 M5

The rankings above can only speak for tires a BMW E39 M5 driver has already reviewed. These are the highest rated tires we hold that are actually manufactured in the sizes these drivers run - 275/35 R18 and 225/45 R17 - 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.

Highest rated Summer tires made in BMW E39 M5 sizes
# Tire TR Score Made in BMW E39 M5 reviews
1 Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 9.7 225/45 R17 Be the first →
2 Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo 9.5 All your sizes Be the first →
3 Continental PremiumContact 7 9.5 225/45 R17 Be the first →
4 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S 9.4 All your sizes Be the first →
5 Michelin Pilot Sport 5 9.4 All your sizes Be the first →
6 Hankook Ventus Evo 9.4 All your sizes Be the first →

Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tires →

All Season tires

No BMW E39 M5 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.

Highest rated All Season tires made in BMW E39 M5 sizes
# Tire TR Score Made in BMW E39 M5 reviews
1 Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 9.6 225/45 R17 Be the first →
2 Continental AllSeasonContact 2 9.5 225/45 R17 Be the first →
3 Michelin CrossClimate 3 9.5 225/45 R17 Be the first →
4 BFGoodrich Advantage All Season 9.5 225/45 R17 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 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 E39 M5 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.

Highest rated All Weather tires made in BMW E39 M5 sizes
# Tire TR Score Made in BMW E39 M5 reviews
1 Vredestein Quatrac 9.5 225/45 R17 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 E39 M5 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.

Highest rated Winter tires made in BMW E39 M5 sizes
# Tire TR Score Made in BMW E39 M5 reviews
1 Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 9.5 225/45 R17 Be the first →
2 Michelin Alpin 7 9.5 225/45 R17 Be the first →
3 Bridgestone Blizzak 6 9.4 225/45 R17 Be the first →
4 Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 9.4 225/45 R17 Be the first →
5 Nokian Snowproof 3P 9.4 225/45 R17 Be the first →
6 Kumho WinterCraft WP52+ 9.3 225/45 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 E39 M5

The complete record, including discontinued tires and tires with too few reviews to rank, ordered by the amount of evidence. A further 12 tires have a single review each; they count toward the totals but are not listed.

All tires reviewed by BMW E39 M5 drivers
Tire Season Owner rating Reviews Distance reviewed
Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta Replaced by Vredestein Ultrac Pro Summer 88% 5 43,000 miles

Tire sizes BMW E39 M5 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.

What BMW E39 M5 drivers say

The most recent owner reviews from this car, in their own words.

60%
Dunlop SportMaxx RT 2 275-35-19- BMW E39 M5 1,000 miles February 27, 2023
Replaced my rear michelin pilot tires for these dunlop maxx rt2. They have alot softer sidewalls compared to the michelin. Car felt "wobbly" in the rear when cornering and doing quick overtakes at higher speeds. Otherwise a good tire but i would not buy again.
90%
Bridgestone Potenza Sport 275-35-18- BMW E39 M5 3,000 miles August 23, 2021
I run original E39 M5 wheels with oe size 245/40 R18 front and 275/35 R18 rear. Bridgestone Potenza Sport on both axles. I can't praise these tires enough. The grip is insane! I can floor it in 1st, and there is no wheelspin at all! Even on wet roads! With other tires, the car has been kind of a burnout machine, but the Potenza Sports tames it. They run pretty wide for a 275, so the outside of the rear tires touch the fender ever so slightly on full suspension compression. I haven't dared testing the cornering limit of the tires on public roads, but I have tried cornering on the limit of my own bravery, and the tires just grip. Wet roads is no problem either. The tires offer confident handling and gives good feedback. Very stable at all speeds, but on very worn (thanks to people with studded winter tires) asphalt there can be a hint of tramlining. Not as much as expected, considering the sharp shoulders of the tires, and doesn't feel scary. Comfort is ok. Not great, not bad. A lot of external noise, but the car is pretty quiet inside, except on old rough asphalt. Sadly they have already started ozone cracking slightly. That's disappointing for a tire in this price range. It's not because of washing chemicals or sun, as the ozone cracks is even apparent on the inside. The tires also get pretty brown, and the only thing I've found that makes them black again is Carpro Perl (water based tire shine, mixed 1:1 with water). The ozone cracks started appearing before I used any tire shine. Either way, I'm blown away with the performance of these tires. Wear is also very acceptable, with the rears down to 4,8mm on the inside, and 5,5mm on the outside (measured 6,3mm on the inner groove when they were new). The fronts are at around 5,5mm. Pretty good for a heavy and relatively powerful car on grippy sport tires over 3000 enthusiastic miles. I'm pretty sure I will buy another set of the same tires when they wear out.
74%
Nexen N Fera SUR4 275-35-18-W BMW E39 M5 August 31, 2019
Perfect tire for track days.
Not the best on wet condition but they defeat well on an heavy car like mine (e39m5).

The wear is good, they are predictable and responsive. They can compare to hankook rs4.

They are noisy and not suitable for daily driving. (I use it to go from the track to the house.. 4 hour drive and it's enough)
69%
Michelin Pilot Sport 4 275-35-18-W BMW E39 M5 1,000 miles July 21, 2017
I had Michelin PSS all round but they stopped making them in 275/35/18 for the rear.
The only option wanting to stay Michelin and close to PSS was to get the PS4,sadly they are everything to comfort,refinement ,grip that the PSS are to handling,feedback,precision.
They have totally taken the playfulness out of my cars handling,and it just feels numb and vague.

Michelin stated the PS4 was very close to the PSS but it's nowhere near as a performance tire.

93%
Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta 225-45-17- BMW E39 M5 7,000 miles June 11, 2013
Great tires,
Anyone who drives an M5 knows how fast it can chew up tires without even driving it hard. They are such heavy cars that they just seem to wear tires out at a frightening rate, the vredesteins have lasted longest out of any tires i have tried, they out lasted the continentals, the mitchelin ps2 but to name a few.The nankangs i tried once only last 8 weeks and the materials was coming through the rubber. All i buy now is vredestein ultrac as these lasted me seven months (at the rears), a new peresonal best :). Sticking to the subject mater they are quiet on the road and good in all weather and all seasons.
71%
Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta 225-45-17- BMW E39 M5 10,000 miles October 17, 2012
i have been buying Ultrac Sessantas for 3 or 4 yers. I run an M5 and the out perform the Original Michelin Pilots in most respects. In the wet they are astonishingly good. Difficult to break traction. In the dry , good, although slightly soft on the limit.
The only major Drawback is wear rate. hard pushed in normal driving to get more than 12K out of the rears.
36%
Dunlop SP Sport Maxx 225-45-17- BMW E39 M5 150 miles July 3, 2012
Fitted to an E39 M5 and completely ruined the cars handling. Rear of the car felt completely unstable. DSC light activated on undulating dry roads while maintaining a constant speed. Very unstable under braking and on corner entry. Changed pressures up and down which made no difference.

Stuck with them for 150 miles and had enough. Made a complaint to the supplier. They happily agreed to replace them with Continentals.
99%
Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta 275-35-18-W BMW E39 M5 17,000 miles July 11, 2011
I first purchased these about 4 years ago on my RX8 after reading some good reviews on the owners website and I was astonished at how good they we're, completely transformed the car. Since then I have always purchased these tires. I now own a BMW M5 e39 and have fitted these tires all round and again I noticed an amazing transformation.

I am a big car fan and have experimented with many different tires over the years and I can honestly say these are BY FAR the best tires money can buy regardless of price.

I recommend these to anyone who asks which tire to buy and have always brilliant reports back.

Just remember they cover the tire in a protective coating so the first couple of hundred miles are very slippery..
78%
Continental WinterContact TS 830 P 235-45-17-V BMW E39 M5 2,000 miles December 5, 2010
Staggeringly good, all things considered. While you cannot take liberties, these tires allowed a 400hp rear drive car to get about on all roads and conditions during the recent snowy spell. In the cold and heavy rain too, they have far better bite than the summer tires (PS2s on 18" rims). In the dry, up around 5-7 deg C, I still prefer the PS2, and the 830Ps feel quite floaty in comparison, but when the temperature drops to nearer zero deg C, regardless of whether it is dry or wet, or snowy and icy, the 830Ps win big-time. I have no other winter tire experience to compare them with, but I have no complaints at all about the TS830P.
83%
Toyo R888 275-40-18-W BMW E39 M5 5 miles October 22, 2010
Well what can I say these tires are truly astonishing! Bought two for the rear used off of eBay and loved them, so when the time came I got them all round. (did cost over ?1k, but hey!) They're fantastic on the road, heat up pretty quick and they have transformed the car into a cross between a big cruiser and a hot hatch! It really is unbelievable what these tires can and will do.
You must warm them progressively to get the best life span out of them, skidding or spinning the wheels when they're cold really takes a lot of tread off! I have done 5,000 hard miles on these beauties including a Cadwell park track day and I still have about 3mm of tread left.
As others have said in the rain these are still very usable even on a big car like the M5. Very progressive and controllable if you know what you're doing.
I will definitely buy these again, no question.

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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.

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