Got back an hour ago from Rimini. Had a lovely dinner with my wife and also had a good go with the new tires I installed last week on my GP. Thought I'd share my experience with others, incase anyone else has been considering such a change.
New Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 XL- 205/40YR18 - 86Y (These cost me in Italy including installation, which took a little over an hour: 210 Euro each).
I changed the tires, as the Dunlop runflats that came with the car were way too stiff for me, as well as being very problematic on the many bad roads in Italy. I just felt from the first day I got my GP, that the tires were holding me back from truly enjoying the car. I was right.
Below you can find some images of the equipment used to perform the switch. Nothing other than rubber touched the wheels, and I left the shop without a scratch, and with 100% balanced tires. I was very pleased with the installation quality. I plan to revisit the place to purchase and install winter tires for my R94s I purchased.
Today I drove from Spoleto to Rimini and back, which overall was about 315 miles. Max speed I drove today was around 135 mph. Some of the roads were really bad, and some were in perfect condition. The difference between the tires in my opinion was easily noticeable. The car felt a lot smoother, and I let my self drive a lot faster on corners than I used to till now. The GP totally sticks to the road no matter what speed I drive it. It feels perfect. They are quieter and less bumpier. I was actually surprised on how much difference the tires could make, and my wife agreed: they were 100% worth the purchase.
I highly recommend such a change, and so far I am very pleased with the performance these new tires are providing me.
i'll second that, wait till they bed in a bit more, do another 500 miles and they will be like new tyres again i cant believe how much grip these tyres give you both wet and dry
There is no denying the performance benefits but I like the reassurance should I happen to get a puncture miles from home that I will be able to limp somewhere.
On my last Works S I changed the tyres to low profiles and one time, 100 miles from home on a stretch of Motorway that had no hard shoulder my puncture light came on. I had to pull off on the next slip road and spent 20/30 mins trying to figure out which tyre was the culprit. It's hard to tell on low profile tyres as there's very little side wall. Luckily I had a compressor so I pumped them all up, I reset the pressure sensor and went on my way. Luckily the light didn't come on again and I managed to get home, but it was in the back of my mind all the way. It made me see the other side of the coin.
Lorien
Thanks for the report. Please keep us posted as the tires break in and your thoughts. At the moment this is my first choice for replacement. Thanks Steve
I agree. which is why I am going to find some kind of solution. Alex suggested some "tyre foam and a pump" which I am looking into. if anyone has any ideas, please let me know. thanks
Are the MIchelins that much quieter than the runflats?
The 'investment" here in the US is $192 each plus shipping/mounting/balancing. That's about 102 GBP each plus/plus/plus. You paid the equivalent of $267 per tire.
For peace of mind, I recommend the Continental Comfort Kit. I have one in my MINIs that have non-runflats. They're available from the Tire Rack here in the US; and I'm sure they're in Europe as well. Here's the Tire Rack link. Tire Accessories - Continental Tire ContiComfortKit
If you'd like, I'll check and see if it fits in one of the 2 pockets in the rear under the storage area.
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and also had a good go with the new tires I installed last week on my GP. Thought I'd share my experience with others, incase anyone else has been considering such a change. 
i cant believe how much grip these tyres give you both wet and dry
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