Since I'm american, I guess I shouldn't be posting... Anyway, I run the kumho 712 ecstas on my a4, and I love them. They are just soft enough to grip well, but don't get thrashed too fast. THey are a great tire in the wet though! I know a guy that races BMW 3 series' and all he runs is this tire and really loves it. I like it cause it's so cheap too!! I got mine for $78/tire, and that's a steal for a performance tire!!!
Let us know what you end up getting.
-Brad
PS, and yes it does have a rim protector /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif