Try out the Continental Extreme DWS. Great all around tire with decent life. I have them on my e90 and they are great.

Deep pocket? Michelin for sure. You never get wrong with then. Fantastic grip, very quiet, rain proof... perfect!

But if you need a good deal, Toyo Proxes could be a great choice too IMO.

Just had a fresh set of Michelin Latitude Tour HP's bolted on. Disappointed that Pirelli no longer makes the Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico in rear size 285/45-19 - had two sets and was really happy with their performance, and price compared to the Michelins! $1300 at a local shop with Hunter RoadForce GSP9700 balancing - certainly could have saved some $$$ by going with Kumho or Hankook, but I'm a tire snob and refuse to put Korean rubber on my X.

I like the look of the sidewall on the Michelin better, but the Pirelli had a truly badass tread pattern that I'll miss. Of course it's too early to make any definite comparison, but the ride and noise are noticably improved as they would be with any new tire. Took it to a slightly damp highway right after they were mounted, and they were smooth and silent at 100mph straight away :thumbup:

My father has these on his X, I also find the ride superb smooth and silent as you mentioned :) Its also great in snow. When he got the X back in 06 he didnt like the turranza I believe that came with it, so he changed to these. That pair honestly, lasted 90km! We are on the 2nd set now. :thumbup:

Thanks for the update and pictures. Let us know what you think of the Latitudes as you put more miles on them!!

Wow, lots of weird, incorrect generalizations in this thread. "Michelin is junk". That doesn't even make sense. Each model of a tire is totally different then any other model, even by the same manufacturer. It's not like Brand A uses a certain type of rubber and Brand B uses another type, so one sucks and the other is great. They all make very different tires for very different purposes, and most of the time each tire is good at it's intended job, or else the company wouldn't be producing it. Most of the time it's the buyers fault for not buying a tire spec'd out to meet their needs.

Example: Kumho AST vs ASX. The name is similar enough that most people probably get them mixed up. But they are not the same tire by any means, and have very different characteristics.

You need to look at the tread wear rating of a tire, as well as traction and temp ratings. While these numbers are gathered during a standard test drive, they are a decent indication of how long the tire will last and perform in different conditions. You can also read reviews on sites like tirerack.com, and look at the survey's. Since so many people rate tires on that site, I've found it to be fairly accurate.

I've tried at least 25 different tire brands/models in the past 5 years or so on various cars, from cheap street tires to full out race slicks. I chose tires based what I needed them for, and I've yet to be disappointed.

I bought Nexens. Very reasonably priced, more quiet and smooth than the Bridgestones, and a very nice tread pattern.
I had these tires on mercedes coupe also, very very happy with their all around performance.

Got 60K from my first set of 255/55 R18 Michelin Energy MXV4. Have 45K on the second set already with plenty of tread left. Mostly flat highway driving in GA. Very satisfied customer...

I just recently got the Kumho Solus kr21 for my x5 w/sport package 19's. I previously had the Pirelli Scorpion Zero Assimetrico (which I wanted to buy again) but apparently the tires have been discontinued. I was looking at the Michelin Lattitude's as well but from reading reviews I didn't see them as being far superior to the Kumho's... plus I didn't seem them being about $400 better too. The Kumho's did have respectable reviews as per tirerack. I instantly noticed that the Kumho's are much quieter than when I bought the Pirelli's new. But the real test is coming this weekend with my road trip to Pennsylvania with the Kumho's.

I can't understand why some US BMW owners refuse to install Hankook tires on their vehicles, Hankook is the #1 selling tire in Germany (yeah, that Germany, the one with the Autobahn, has sections with NO speed limits). The Hankook Ventus ASs in the 255-50-19/285-45-19 sizes are all season AND carry a W (168mph) speed rating (high speed driving combined with summer heat will turn most all-season rubber compounds into grease). Many informed owners install higher speed rated rubber due to the fact that once a tire pick up a puncture (roofing nail, etc.) the tire drops a MINIMUM of one speed rating. Hankooks are also lighter, reduced unsprung weight = increased driving dynamics.