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Car Forum / BMW Cars / August 2007Run flat tires querry
Does anybody have experiences to share with runflat tires? We ordered a 328XI Sports wagon for the wife last week. Great car. I am jealous at all the standard stuff she gets compared to what was optional when I bought my 325xi 5 years ago (she even gets angel eyes, which you only could get on the 5 series back then). They all come standard with run flat tires (at least here in the US), which sounds great from what the dealer told us, but I have no experience with these. There is no spare tire, which offers quite some extra room in the cargo bay. I don't know anybody here either that has ever had a car with run flats. Not that we seem to have a choice, but I am still curious to hear about experiences from others with these. Thanks > Does anybody have experiences to share with runflat tires? We ordered > a 328XI Sports wagon for the wife last week. Great car. I am jealous [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Not that we seem to have a choice, but I am still curious to hear > about experiences from others with these. Every single report I've read says they don't perform as well as conventional tyres - especially for ride quality. And of course they cost more to replace. So a lose lose situation apart from saving some space - and of course initial cost to the car maker.  Signature*If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate * Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. Ive had runflats (EMT) on my vette for years. Handy a few times (caught a nail once) just kept driving to my tire place 15 miles away and it was repaired. I now have 06 325xi with them. again no spare needed, reality: her bmw has roadside assistance anyway, and how likely is or would you want her to change tire on the roadside. they are a good thing. SignatureRS 2006 FLSTNI 2002 1200C 1991 FLSTF "What shall we use to fill the empty spaces where we use to talk?" > Does anybody have experiences to share with runflat tires? We ordered > a 328XI Sports wagon for the wife last week. Great car. I am jealous [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Thanks > Does anybody have experiences to share with runflat tires? ... > ... They all come standard with [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Not that we seem to have a choice, but I am still curious to hear > about experiences from others with these. There has been a lot of discussion in the E60 and E90 forums on Roadfly: http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums. The main objections center around poor ride quality, short life (possibly due to early manufacturing problems), cost ($460 per tire in some cases!), and failures that leave you on the side of the road (which isn't their objective.) FloydR >> Does anybody have experiences to share with runflat tires? ... >> ... They all come standard with [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > >FloydR Thanks for all the feedback guys. Woow. I am now a bit hesitant about this whole deal. I love the fact that I have a full size spare in my 325xi, which until today I still haven't used. Why BMW didn't make run flats an option is beyond me. I might have opted for them, but after reading all the discussion about them I just might have opted for regular conti's. Now it seems I don't have a choice. But again, thanks for the links and the feedback. Her car will come with the Conti runflats, and the ride was awesome (at least during the short test drive she took with it). She didn't get the sports package, as she hates getting in and out of the bucket seats in my car (she's a petite). We'll just have to see how it goes. And if we don't like the run flats, I'll get her regular tires and a repair kit that we'll store in that "extra cargo space". She did get the premium package, which includes BMW assist. > Does anybody have experiences to share with runflat tires? We ordered > a 328XI Sports wagon for the wife last week. Great car. I am jealous [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Thanks Assuming you haven't ordered the Sport Package, your 328xi will come with all-season 16" Bridgestone EL42 or Continental SSR runflats. Some folks have reported excessive noise with the EL42s so you might try to specify the Continentals (also the Bridgestones are more expensive) for your car. See the Tire Rack link below for more info. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compare1.jsp?filterType=oe&width=205%2F&ratio=55&d iameter=16&autoYear=2007&diameter=16&sortCode=44950&minLoad=S&ratio=55&autoMake= BMW&autoModClar=Base+Model&minSpeedRating=H&width=205%2F&autoModel=328xi+Wagon&f ilterType=oe&vehicleSearch=true&startIndex=0&search=true&pagelen=20&pagenum=1&pa gemark=1&speed_rating=H&speed_rating=V&speed_rating=Z&speed_rating=W&speed_ratin g=Y&RunFlat=All Contrary to what the dealer may tell you, punctured run-flats may be patched like any other tire if they aren't otherwise damaged - just make sure you find a tire shop equipped to work on them, especially since having a tire replaced by a dealer will be very expensive. Also, they may be replaced (on the same wheels) with conventional tires - many of us who have done so carry a repair kit and 12v air compressor. The Z4 has had OEM run-flats since 2003 and while, IMHO, the performance Bridgestones handle great, the ride is a bit rough - and some owners have reported deteriorating handling after the tires are half worn. I've been lucky and haven't had any problems with my original Z4 run-flats or the non run-flat replacements I mounted after 30,000 miles of good service from the originals. Admittedly, this is a pretty controversial topic and some owners of older BMWs claim they won't buy a new 3 series because of the run-flats. Tom K.
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