When you’re looking for a new set of tires for your BMW X3, it’s important to know what to look for. There are a lot of different options on the market, and it can be difficult to determine which ones are the best fit for your vehicle.
We found that overall the best tires for BMW X3 to be the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 SUV.
In this buyer’s guide, we will outline some of the best tires available for the BMW X3’s and provide you with information about what to consider when making your purchase.
Best tires for BMW X3
Before you are able to pick a new set of tires for our BMW X3, it is important to know what size you need. The X series has a variety of different models, and each one will require a different size tire.
There are a variety of different modes of X3’s. Knowing which tires will fit yours is very important to check.
All BMW X3’s will come as standard with tires in one of the following sizes. 225/60/18, 245/50/19 or 245/45/20 at the front and 275/40/20, 245/40/21, 275/35/21 at the rear.
The easiest way to check this is to check the tire size marking on your current tire sidewall. Alternatively, you can also find this information in your vehicle handbook or on the sticker on the inside of your driver door.
Now that you have determined the size that you need, read on to find out the best tire for BMW X3’s depending on your specific needs.
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 SUV (Best Tire Overall)
Pros
- Standard OEM tires for BMW X3
- Designed for SUV’s
- Strong wet performance
- Super sporty and responsive
Cons
- Expensive
- Not made in America
The Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 SUV has been designed and developed specifically for the world’s leading SUV’s. The S-Series offers excellent grip, handling and braking in all weather conditions.
The Hankook Ventus S-Series is available in a range of sizes to suit all popular SUV models, including the BMW X series. It is also one of the tires that BMW sells with all new BMW X3’s and recommends for those thinking of purchasing new tires.
The Hankook Ventus S-Series has a tread pattern that has been designed to offer excellent grip in all weather conditions, while also providing good drainage to help reduce the risk of aquaplaning.
The Hankook Ventus S-Series also features an asymmetric tread pattern that helps to reduce noise levels.
If you are looking for a tire that offers excellent all-round performance, then the Hankook Ventus S-Series is a great option for your BMW X3.
Pirelli P Zero (Best Performance Tire)
Pros
- High Performance Summer Tire
- Pirelli make amongst the best tires
- Exceptional grip in dry conditions
- Hard-wearing
Cons
- Expensive
- Poor wet performance
- Not designed for snow
The Pirelli P Zero is a summer tire that offers excellent levels of grip and traction in dry conditions. It provides amongst the highest levels of handling and braking performance available today.
The P Zero has a special tread compound which is designed to stay pliable at high temperatures, providing exceptional grip in warmer, dry climates and roads. The tread pattern is also designed to provide good levels of traction and grip in the wet.
The P Zero performed exceptionally well in our tests, with short braking distances and very good handling on dry roads. This is to be expected from one of the biggest names in tires, who also supply tires for Formula 1.
However their wet performance was weak and it has not been designed to perform in the snow, with low levels of traction and grip.
Another area where the P Zero didn’t perform so well was in comfort. The tires are designed to be hard-wearing and this does result in a firm ride. However, this is a small price to pay for the other benefits on offer.
Overall, the Pirelli P Zero is an excellent performance summer tire and would be a great high performance tire for your BMW.
Goodyear EfficientGrip 2 SUV (Best Tire for Economy)
Pros
- Designed for SUV
- Scored highly for fuel efficiency
- Comfortable ride and resistance to wear
- Appealing design
- Excellent aquaplaning resistance
Cons
- Not as strong performance as other tires
- Less responsiveness
The Goodyear EfficientGrip 2 SUV is a summer tire that has been designed to offer excellent levels of grip and traction in dry conditions. It also provides good handling and braking performance on wet roads.
The EfficientGrip SUV has a special tread compound which has been designed to reduce rolling resistance and return some of the best MPG for a tire currently available on the market. The tread pattern is also designed to provide good levels of traction and grip in the wet.
The EfficientGrip SUV performed well in our tests for an economical tire, with short braking distances and good handling on both dry and wet roads. It was also very impressive in the snow, with excellent levels of traction and grip.
One area where the EfficientGrip SUV fell short was in comfort and noise The tires are designed to be hard-wearing and this does result in a firm and louder ride. However, this is to be expected from a tire that returns this high a fuel economy. It means that overall it helps to pay for itself and reduce your running costs.
Overall, the Goodyear EfficientGrip SUV is an excellent all-round tire and would be a great choice for any owner looking to reduce their fuel consumption.
Continental ContiSportContact 5 (Best Wet Tire)
Pros
- Ultra high performance tire
- Exceptional high speed stability
- Low Noise
- Strong wet performance summer tire
Cons
- Expensive
- Not ideal for snow and ice
- Poor wear
The Continental ContiSportContact 5 is a tire that makes our list as one of the best tires for BMW X3’s. This all-season tire is designed with an asymmetric tread pattern that helps to provide excellent grip and handling.
The ContiSportContact also has a wide tread width which helps to improve stability and braking performance. Another great feature of this tire is the low noise levels that it produces, making for a more comfortable ride.
The Continental ContiSportContact 5 is also one of the OEM tires that come as standard on the BMW X3. If you’re looking for a performance tire that will also provide excellent grip and handling in wet conditions, then this is a great option.
Continental have designed the ContiSportContact 5 to offer high levels of steering precision and handling. The tires superior grip helps improve safety with shorter braking distances and is comfortable at high speeds.
They are also a more eco-friendly option than other performance tires offering reduced rolling resistance and an improved fuel consumption over its predecessor. However they still perform worse than other touring tires for fuel economy.
However, all this performance means that they don’t last as long as other tires due to their soft compound. However, when looking for a performance tire with high performance in the dry and wet, we think you should seriously consider these tires.
Hankook Winter i*cept evo 3 (Best Winter Tire)
Pros
- Highest rated winter tires
- Quiet and more comfortable than rivals
- Cheaper than rivals
Cons
- Not as durable as other tires
- Lack of size availablity
If you live in an area with severe winter conditions, then the Hankook Winter i*cept Evo 3 is the best tire for BMW X3’s
This recently released new ultra high performance winter tire offers excellent grip and handling on both snow and ice, while also providing a comfortable and quiet ride.
The Hankook Winter i*cept Evo 3 uses a special compound that remains flexible in low temperatures and prevents freezing in low temperatures, giving it excellent grip on both snow and ice. They also use a special tread pattern that is designed to give the tire extra biting edges for traction.
In our testing, the Hankook Winter i*cept evo 3 outperformed all of its rivals in both the snow and ice handling tests, as well as being one of the quietest tires on the market.
It also leans towards offering the experience of a high performance tire with improved handling and steering response over the competition.
Overall, the Hankook Winter i*cept Evo 3 is a fantastic winter tire that offers class leading performance in both dry and wet conditions, as well as being one of the highest performance winter tires on the market, making them ideal for BMW X3’s.
Falken Sincera SN250 A/S (Best All-Season Tire)
Pros
- Touring tire designed for SUV’s
- Comfortable and quiet ride
- Long lasting tread and durability
- More Afforable
Cons
- Less sporty performance
- Slightly less fuel efficiency
The Falken Sincera SN250 A/S is an all-season touring tire designed for large vehicles. It comes as the one of the most affordable tires on this list of best tires BMW X3’s.
These tires are designed for maximum ride comfort and to be quiet on the highway at higher speeds. It tops the list as the best performing tires in these categories.
It however compromises performance to achieve these results. While these may not be the best performing tires amongst the other tires in this list, it is still a good choice for a mid tier tire that will outperform similar tires at this price point.
This tire comes with a large contact patch thanks to its design and provides good braking performance, but at a cost to fuel efficiency.
The Falken Sincera SN250 A/S also ranked well for its long lasting tread life and durability.
We would recommend these tires for a more modest budget, and if you do not predict that you will come across challenging conditions such as snow and ice.
Michelin Defender LTX M/S (Best Tire for comfort)
Pros
- Very capable tires with little compromises
- Long lasting tread wear
- Very high limited warranty
- Designed for SUV’s and larger vehicles
Cons
- Some fuel economy lost
- Not the quietest tire on test
The Michelin Defender LTX M/S came out on top as the best tires for SUV’s including your BMW X3 because of its all round great performance with little compromise in any of our main areas of testing.
These are all-season tires designed specifically for SUV’s and this is indicated by the LTX indication on the tires. We would always recommend tires designed specifically for minivans and SUVs as these are sure to be suitable for your BMW X3.
These tires are quiet and comfortable on all road surfaces, and we were especially impressed with its ability on snow and ice. It has excellent grip and would also be our choice of tire if you are thinking of towing heavy loads.
All-season tires usually compromise on tread life to ensure that they have good grip on all surfaces and during all weathers. However we were very impressed by the tread life of these tires and they surpassed our expectations.
Michelin offer up to 115,000KM limited warranty on these tires which is class leading for this tire.
We did notice that with this tire you do lose a small amount of fuel economy. They also didn’t score the best for road noise, but these minor points do not detract from what is an otherwise fantastic tire.
Nexen Roadian All-Season Radial Tire (Best Tire for Longevity)
Pros
- Affordable
- Amazon choice for SUV tires
- Built in wear indicator
- All year round performance
Cons
- Less comfortable than rivals
- More noisy on all surfaces
If you are looking for an affordable and reliable tire which excels in longevity, the Roadian All-Season tire from Nexen combines year-round dependability and a tread for all surfaces.
The tire’s multi-sequence tread design is ideal for reduced noise and wear. Navigate the roads all year thanks to this tire’s ability to offer improved off-road performance.
This all-terrain radial tire has been designed with an advanced tread compound that provides long lasting tread life, ideal for those people looking for a hard wearing tire that can cover a large amount of distance and wear slowly.
Customers on Amazon give the Roadian tire 4.7 stars. Consumers like you note that the Nexen Roadian is unbeatable for the price. Moreover, even tire wear will keep you satisfied in your vehicle for longer. Choose the Nexen Roadian if you need the best of all worlds from a tire.
It has also been awarded the Amazon Choice in Light Truck and SUV All-Terrain and Mud-Terrain Tires, meaning if you plan to do any off-roading in your BMW X3, you can be confident that you have made the right purchase.
The tires also feature an in built tread wear indicator to help you maintain your tires and replace them before they get worn to dangerous levels.
If you are looking for an all-terrain tire that is also affordable and reliable, then the Nexen Roadian All-season from Nexen is the tire for you.
Continental TrueContact Tour (Best Touring tire)
Pros
- Very versatile tires
- Excellent all round performance
- Designed for smoothness
- High levels of durability
Cons
- Expensive
- Compromises performance to be good all round
- Not very economical
The Continental TrueContact Tour continues to be one of the best all round tires available on the market.
With an emphasis on smoothness and a quiet ride, these tires are perfect for people looking to do a lot of miles in their vehicles. They have been specifically designed for CUV’s and offers a 27% increase in tread life over its predecessor.
The Continental TrueContact Tour tires excel in wet conditions. This is due to their biting edge design to help grip the road in more challenging conditions. The cross patterns and symmetrical design also makes them very averse to hydroplaning, inspiring confidence in them and your vehicle in wet and slippery conditions.
Continental offers these tires with up to a 80,000KM limited mileage warranty, and when tested we found the tread life can comfortably last this amount under normal driving conditions. They also return one of the highest miles per gallon of all comparable tires in its class.
Continental have also designed their tires with an additional vibration and stress-absorbing internal layer, which helps to absorb road noise for a quiet ride. The price of these tires make them very good value and we would be very happy to have a set of these tires.
Doral SDL-Sport (Best Budget tire)
Pros
- Affordable
- Stable performance in dry and wet
- Designed for quietness and comfort
Cons
- Smaller Brand
- Bad in extreme weather conditions
Their most popular tires are the Doral SDL-Sport which has a unique tread pattern that is designed to provide good traction in both wet and dry conditions. Along with their unique all season compound, they are able to offer very reliable and dependable all season tires.
The Doral Tire brand has been around since 1985 and the company headquarters is based in Lansdale, Pennsylvania in the United States.
Doral is able to keep the noise of their Doral SDL-Sport tires down thanks to their computer optimised tread pattern, which helps to reduce vibrations and improve their overall ride and comfort.
Knowing that Doral tires are affiliated with Sumitomo tires should be enough for anyone to take them seriously when in the market for a budget all-season tire. They are offer with an impressive 45,000 mile warranty which makes them extremely good value for money thanks to their low starting price.
Overall Doral tires are a good choice for the average driver who is looking to buy tires that will be kind to their wallet. While they only offer a slim range of products, these products are all a decent quality and offer good value for money.
While they may market themselves as an American company, this will be disappointing news for American customers who are looking for tires that are made in the USA.
For customers looking for tires that are made in the USA, they will need to look elsewhere.
If you live in an area with extreme weather conditions, then Doral tires may not be the best choice for you. However, if you’re looking for an all-around good tire that won’t break the bank, then Doral is definitely worth considering.
Conclusion
When it comes to choosing the best tires for your BMW X3, there are a few things you need to take into account.
You need to decide what type of tire you need, whether it be all-season, all-terrain, or performance. You also need to decide what your budget is. Once you have those two things figured out, you can start looking at the different brands and models of tires that are available.
Some of the best brands of tires for BMW X3’s are Continental, Pirelli, and Michelin. All of these brands offer a wide variety of different tires that are designed to perform well in a variety of different conditions. When it comes to choosing the best tires for your BMW X3, it comes down to personal preference and what you need the tires to do.
If you live in an area with extreme weather conditions, then Continental or Michelin tires might be the best option for you. If you’re looking for an all-around good tire that won’t break the bank, then Doral is definitely worth considering.
No matter what you choose, just make sure that you get the right tires for your BMW X3 and your driving needs. With the right tires, your BMW X will be able to take on anything that you throw at it.
We hope this article was helpful in your search for your next tire purchase. If you have any questions then please leave a comment below or get in touch via email or through social media and we will read and respond to every comment, email or question. Thanks for reading!