Posted by daanesh on May 20, 1999 at 11:52:54:
In Reply to: Pirelli P7000 vs.Michelin MXX3... which would you buy? posted by Joe M. on May 18, 1999 at 18:40:04:
are you considering the P7000 or the P7000 supersport?
the later on is not even close to the MXX3 b/c it's got an all-season compound.
the P7000 is popular with b/c it seems to wrok well on cars with +1 wheels and tires and stock suspension setups (i.e. it rides decently, breaks away gently, etc.)
the MXX is certainly the better tire for someone who drives hard. i have a set on my 95 M3, and (without any rotations b/c BMW recommends against it) the rears lasted about 22K miles, the fronts 33K.
the MXX3 is being replaced by the pilot sport, but some who have tried these yearn for the MXX3; it seems michelin was losing alot of people to the Bridgeston Pole Position and lots of buyers want a fancy tread pattern. the P7000 did pretty poorly in Automobile Magazine's most recent tire test, the MXX3 still ran with the new King of grip, the G-Force KD by B.F. Goodrich (17" sizes and up.)
i'm going with another set of MXX3s while i can still get 'em, and if i were you i'd do the same.
another thing: what was your original tire size? from memory i think it was 205/50R15. the 205/45R16s are only .8% larger while the 215/45R16s are 2.4% larger. if you're going to autocross, the less increase the better (for the sake of gearing.) if the fender gap bothers you, i'd say put up with it until you get your suspension done.
good luck,
daanesh