Tires

In general, I'm a fan of the Continental ExtremeContact summer tire, can't go wrong for summer type. But most importantly, how are you going to use/drive the 328, and where/rain(?) and year-around, etc. Since my GTB usually sits in the garage and goes to occasional Cars and Coffee, I'm a big fan of the Pirelli P7 Collezione

I would not worry (or think about) replacing the spare tire, whether or not you use it for this purpose. If I have a road flat, then I'm calling a flatbed trailer. I'm a big fan of "spare never down" cars, so if possible, I would see if you or the shop can just "jack-stand it" for a few days... my .02

 

You can check the date code on the spare tire to see how old it really is. I once had an old (25+ years with visible sidewall cracks) tire explode while leaning against the wall in my garage. Blew out one sidewall.

But if your spare is not crazy old AND doesn't have large visible cracks in the sidewalls then I would be comfortable parking the car on it for a awhile.

 

Do not worry about the spare. I assume its full size? If so if you migh travel in the var get a new one on there at some point. A few years ago I had to drive our TR 400 miles home on the spare a few years ago.

Continental has been making some great tires. I kind of like the one at the top of the list myself.

 

Pirelli P ZEROs , Conti Extreme Contact, Michelin Pilot. For the price vs performance, the Contis cant be beat.

Big G

 

I’ve had the Conti’s on my 86 328 for the last two years. Has been a good combination of ride and performance.

 

I finally upgraded my tires a year ago to Continental Extreme Contact Sport, pretty similar to what you are considering. I'm very impressed with them! Previously I had dangerously old TRX14' tires so this was a huge improvement and I've been very happy with them.

 

What kossevv said.

I just bought a set of these a few months back. They are fantastic on the 328. Continental is one the best tire brands out there.

https://www.discounttiredirect.com/buy-tires/continental-extreme-contact-sport/p/33442/rearProduct/33448

 

The tub in the front holds a full size front. Many 328s had them. I prefer the mini. Gives you a little space to put stuff and I drove home 400 miles in the TR on one up to 100 MPH.

 

Almost certainly its the original tire as replacements have been unobtainable for ever - every now and then there are rumors of a run (most recently Continental on behalf of Audi as I recall) but no-one seems to actually bite the bullet and replace the mini-tire

 

Why an allseason tire? Do you want to drive on snow?

Maybe better buying a summer tire!

Ciao

 

Unless you are adamant that you want a period-correct looking tire, any current tire
that will fit is a better quality tire than what was mounted in the 80's. Last year I had the local Firestone shop install a set of Indy 500 Firehawks. They do everything they need to do on an '89 328. There may be better tires but they are overkill for what an '80s 3x8 is capable of!

 

If you are worried about a flat, get one of those plug in air pumps and carry a plug kit with you.


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I replaced the original spare tire on my 87 328, since I didn't want to depend on a 35 year old tire should the need arise. This was a very good fit:

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=sContact&partnum=27MR8SCON

I kept the original tire -- appears to have never ever been used -- in case some eccentric collector wants it someday.

 

All season tires are more about temp range than driving in the snow. Summer tires are a softer compound offering more grip but harden below 45F and grip trails off. All season offer less grip but over a broader temp range. Depending on climate where you live and how hard you drive the car summer tires maybe just fine.


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Unless you want some specific tire because it's the same brand/tread pattern/whatever as the original, pretty much any modern tire of the correct size is superior in every way to what came on the car from the factory 30+ years ago.

 

This is the definitive answer: +1

Ciao

 

Pirelli Cinturato P7 works great and looks good. Would never go for an all seasons.

 

The previous owner of my 328 put new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ on the car in 2020. I've only put 600 miles on the car since taking ownership last November, but the tires have been a great pairing in my limited experience. They are classified as an ultra-high-performance all-season tire. They have stood up to whatever sporty driving I have tried but are also very compliant and do well for easy cruising. I probably spend the bulk of my drives in the 45-65mph range in 4th-5th gear on country roads, and the tires are smooth and quiet. No gripes at all.

I have Pilot Super Sport tires on both of my modern sports cars, which are dedicated summer tires. I have serious doubts the 328 could exploit a hard core tire like that, in fact it might actually make things worse by exposing other deficiencies in the aged chassis design and condition.

 

In the last 40+ years I have had 2 flats. Both had long slices in side wall. One was 400 miles from home in a car whose replacement tire would have been several days away.

I'll keep my spare thanks.

 

Better tires stop faster, their most important quality.

The AS3 is a good tire but it has much harder, longer lasting rubber compound over the standard Pilot. We never wear tires out on these cars because they do not get driven enough in the 5 or 6 years we should be keeping the tires. For that reason only if given choices I usually go for the lowest tread wear rating/highest traction rating available assuming it is a reasonable price in that group.

 

If you keep a spare in the trunk, remember to check the tire pressure on a regular basis. Replacing a flat tire with another flat tire isn't going to help much