JRH406

I am going to replace the rear tyres on my E46 M3 with Michelin Pilot 4S. As you can see from the two images the tyres for BMW are not only approx. £20 more expensive but also are lower ratings on both Fuel Efficiency & Wet Grip. I've contacted Michelin & they naturally say I should go for the BMW tested / approved tyres but I would appreciate feedback on which I should get. Many thanks JRH406

I have just bought a 2005 Z4 and I very quickly encountered an issue with the steering where it loses it's fluidity and makes the wheel more difficult to move. I encountered this whilst driving with the hood down and the climate control on hot. I went on the internet to see whether this was a common occurance and actually found lots of threads titled "Z4 sticky steering" on various different sites. People having experienced the same problem, but surprisingly no references on this site. From reading the threads I know in the US that there has been an acceptance with BMW dealers that there is an issue. Evidently it is because the ECU, which is attached to the steering column, is too sensitive to heat, unfortunately this sits just behind the heater vent to the right of your steering wheel. The only remedy is to change the Steering Column for a later model. I phoned my local BMW dealer in Bournemouth and they had never come across this before ? Does anyone know of any UK precedence on this please ? Love the car by the way but this is dertacting from the experience and I feel downright dangerous. Many thanks