Best Tires For BMW M4 - Complete Guide

Table of Contents

‍What Kind of Tires Does the BMW M4 Use?

BMW M4s come with several kinds of tires from the factory. Over the last few years, owners have noticed that most new M4s come with Michelin or Continental tires. Tires like the Michelin PSS and the Continental ContiSportContact 5 are particularly popular.

The best kinds of tires for the BMW M4 are summer performance tires, as they have the best overall grip and handling for a car of this type. All-season performance tires are popular in many regions with heavy rainfall and occasional snow, as summer tires can't handle cold and wet conditions.

Serious drivers usually opt for ultra-performance tires. The most extreme examples are barely street-legal, utilizing slick tread with the minimum tread voids required by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

BMW M4 Tire Size

The BMW M4 has used a variety of stock tire and wheel sizes over the years. Generally, the M4 uses wider tires than comparable cars, as these provide better traction for its high-performing characteristics. The tires on the M4 are wider than the standard 4 and 5 series of certain generations, even though they both use 18-inch, 19-inch, and 20-inch wheels.

The 2021 BMW M4 uses different tires on the front and rear. The base model generally uses P275/40R18 on the front and P285/35R19 on the rear. The competition M4 uses P375/35R19 on the front and P285/30R20 on the rear.

Decoding BMW M4 Tire Sizes

Decoding your BMW's tire size is fairly simple once you understand how the code works. Let's use the P285/30R20 on the competition M4 as an example. The first part of the code, P285, indicates that the width of the tire is 285 millimeters.

The next number, 30, is the aspect ratio—it means that the sidewall height is 30% of the width. The letter "R" stands for Radial, which means the tread is supported by a steel band. Finally, the number 20 indicates the wheel size—20 inches.

With that in mind, we can see that the base-model BMW M4 uses 18 and 19-inch wheels, whereas the competition model uses 19 and 20-inch wheels. These are relatively beefy tires for a car of this size, as they need exceptional stability and traction for the amount of power these cars produce.

How to Find the Tire Size

Every BMW comes with a decal in the driver's side door area that denotes the factory tire and wheel size, along with the tire pressure in PSI and other units. This sticker can help you find the right tires, assuming you're still running factory wheels.

Best Performance Tires for BMW M4s

Drivers get the most out of their BMW M4 when it's equipped with proper high-performance tires. Here are five of the best racing and high-performance tires for your BMW M4 and how they'll improve your driving experience.

1. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2

The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 is arguably the best competition tire for late-model BMW M4s. It's 100% street legal and DOT-approved, and it offers some of the best handling characteristics of any tire on the market. From a distance, it looks like a drag slick. But up close, you can see that it's really an ultra-performance street tire. Plus, it's also a run-flat tire.

The Pilot Sport Cup 2 is designed for making the most of dry pavement. It has remarkable stability, excellent grip, and an enormous amount of tread contact with the pavement. This helps you corner with confidence and increases acceleration by retaining traction under heavy loads.

Tires like this can also reduce stopping distances and increase the precision of your steering. In addition to excellent road handling, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires minimize road noise and increase comfort. This is the perfect balance for an M4, which is both a performance car and a luxury vehicle.

Michelin achieves these ends thanks to their polyester casings and Variable Control Contact Patch 3.0 technology, which helps the tire mold to the road under varying speed and pressure conditions. Additionally, Michelin's Track Longevity 2.0 prevents damage during repeated track runs.

You can purchase a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires from Discount Tire for between $292 and $578 each, depending on size and speed rating.

Best Uses:

Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires are the best high-performance tire for dry pavement and serious high-speed driving.

2. Michelin Pilot Sport AS3 Plus A/S

Not everyone with an M4 lives in the ideal climate for go-fast driving. And Michelin's got you covered, too—the Pilot Sport AS3 Plus is a top-quality, high-performance all-season tire that's perfect for luxury cars like the BMW M4. This tire is one of the most highly-rated all-season tires for performance cars, and it comes with a 30,000 to 45,000-mile warranty.

The Pilot Sport 3+ is an evolution of the Pilot Sport 3, which was extensively popular with BMWs and other precision sports cars. The new iteration of this A/S tire includes Michelin's Variable Control ContactPatch 3.0, which helps the tire adjust its road contact based on different speed and driving conditions.

This is the perfect tire to use in northern climates where the weather is unpredictable. In addition to its wide stance and good road contact, this tire features aggressive sipes for snow and deep tread channels to shed water on rainy days.

You can purchase a set of Michelin Pilot Sport AS3 Plus tires from Discount Tire for between $298 and $339 apiece.

Best Uses:

The Pilot Sport AS3 Plus all-season tire for high-performance vehicles like the BMW M4.

3. Toyo Proxes R888R

Here's another super performance competition tire that's a great choice for the BMW M4. The Toyo Proxes R888R is available in all the sizes you'll need for your BMW M4, and it's one of the highest-rated street and track tires on the market today.

At a glance, it's hard to imagine how you could make a better track tire for a high-performance sports car. But it's not just a track tire—the Proxes R888R is fully DOT-approved for on-road use. It has just enough void to shed water and operate safely and plenty of slick road contact rubber for excellent acceleration and cornering.

These tires are engineered with Toyo R-Compound, which is a secret rubber compound designed to grip confidently. It's the same compound used in racing tires, which is why these Toyos perform so well on the road and the track. Additionally, R-compound helps balance tire heat for extended life and maximum performance.

You can buy a set of Toyo Proxes R888R tires from Discount Tire for $362 each.

Best Uses:

The Toyo Proxes R888R is a true performance tire and a great alternative to the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 for warm-weather use.

4. Michelin Pilot Super Sport

The Michelin Pilot Super Sport is a common factory tire on the M4 and also a favorite of drivers who like the off-the-lot feel. There's a good reason why so many new BMWs come with Pilot Super Sport tires—it's because they're high-quality, long-lasting, and offer a great balance between comfort and performance and 12% better handling.

Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, or Michelin PSS tires, are true summer tires with performance attributes. They utilize an asymmetrical tread pattern, which research shows improve drivability and performance. They also have deep circumferential grooves for shedding rainwater, making them safer on rainy days.

This tire works well on the track, but it's designed for use on the road. In other words, it's not a racing tire with a few grooves cut into it to satisfy the DOT. It's a street tire with great handling and the ability to hit the track once in a while. It's designed for even tread wear, and it comes with Michelin's 30,000-mile warranty.

Prices vary widely between sizes and ratings. You can get a set of Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires from Discount Tire for $198 to $575 each.

Best Uses:

The Michelin Pilot Super Sport is the perfect performance tire for daily driving, thanks to its safe handling and long tread life. Also, a good factory replacement tire.

5. Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

But what about BMW M4 drivers who live in northern climates? Long winters can be a bummer, but you don't have to put away your favorite performance car between November and March. The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is the premier winter tire for high-performance cars and a great choice for the M4.

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 tires are non-studded winter tires made with a special rubber compound that stays pliable in cold weather. Additionally, the tread is designed to move easily along packed snow and bite down hard when the road turns slushy.

As a true winter tire, the Blizzak receives an extreme-use 3-Mountain-Peak-Snowflake symbol. The tires use aggressive sipes, which promote traction on snow and slush and reduce your chances of getting stuck or sliding around.

If you live in a cold climate, proper winter tires are absolutely essential if you want to operate a performance car like the M4 safely. It can make winter driving more pleasant and allow you to drive with confidence year-round. And because they're studless, you don't have to swap out your tires when warmer weather rolls around.

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 tires are surprisingly affordable, and you can order a set from Discount Tire for between $95 and $233 each.

Best Uses:

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 tires are the best winter tire for the BMW M4 and a great choice if you need to drive in the snow.

About The Author

Charles Redding

I've spent many years selling cars, working with auto detailers, mechanics, dealership service teams, quoting and researching car insurance, modding my own cars, and much more.