[TouringPleb]

No advice on tyres but that's a lovely looking car. Nice one.

[NotGotABimmer23]

Originally Posted by ahmedb

First and foremost, your car looks fantastic. I am biased but I love the Melbourne red/gloss black combo.

I have an F31 335d which is Melbourne red, currently sat on 20" 361M alloys with Pirelli P Zero runflats. The ride quality really isn't too bad which surprised me (I'm on Eibach springs too).

You have replica wheels (the smaller spokes are quite curved whereas on OEM, they gradually get straighter as they get closer to the outer rim) so I would advise against runflats, purely because I think you are increasing your chances of getting cracked wheels. OEM wheels are made to higher quality and can withstand more load under stress without compromising the ability of the wheel to perform as expected. Those Accelera's, however, are awful. If you do change tyre brands, be sure to stick to the same tyre sizes as some x drive members have had problems with transmission issues when changing parameters.

Personally, I wouldn't have paid the £750 extra, you should have stuck with the 19's (which can sell for circa £1k if mint and you can buy reps for that price). I would happily have swapped you your 19's + £750 for my OEM 20" wheels. I'm going to be looking to part ex them for 19's soon as I may need to sell the car and they are mint. Pics for info

Agree with this, £750 + OEM alloys with im presuming high quality rfts for a set of replica alloys with terrible tyres is a very poor deal. Id be tempted to contact the place you got the car from.

[madlad2000]

Hey guys,

Just want to say thank you for everyone's input it has really helped me.

I was told today at work that even the M Sport, when with xDrive, doesn't have sport suspension, and that is why it is a much softer ride, especially for me coming from 3 previous BMW M Sport's so I have gotten so used to the firm ride that anhthing else feels abnormal to me.

Luckily, which I didn't know either, it appears the car has adaptive suspension, and as soon as switched to sport mode, everything tightens up and the car feels norma, and the 'give' on the steering wheel goes. So in essence there is nothing wrong with the car, it's just I have to get used to a normal soft suspension in Comfort. It's a shame you cant select the M Sport suspension set up but in comfort mode, giving a firmer rider but being more economical/normal speedwise. I guess it will just mean getting used to switching between the two modes more often when I need greater stability.

The guyat work said, because comfort mode has a soft suspension, even if you get RFs, you'll still have that soft suspension in comfort mode, just feeling pothole suspension crashes more when driving, and the possibility of damaged alloys.

So the problem isn't the car but is me just getting used to the dual setup. Given this, and what you guys have all said, it makes sense to get high quality non-RF's.. and perhaps sportier types of non-RFs will give a very slightly firmer rider in general anyway?

So I've cancelled the Pirelli RFs order just in time


I still want to swap to better quality tyres given that the Acceleras rank almost last in many tyre rankings, and the fact the car pulls very slightly to the left, means after adding the tyres, I can get them balanced and have laser alignment - which, if it doesn't fix the pull, I can get it investigated.

The original 19" alloys that were on the car, were glossy black and very nice, they looked nicer even, but having moved from a 19" alloy 420d, I didn't want to be getting more of the same, hence the step up in engine size, performance kit styling, and larger alloys. As enthusiasts here, here is my old 420d https://photos.app.goo.gl/V7WnCWoULV2FMzS59 I still prefer the styling of it over the 4 series covertibles.. which is why I also had the z4 https://photos.app.goo.gl/11nzVAX8Bv2NfnkJ9 However when at the showroom to pick an uprated 4 series .., - in the flesh, the 435d Convertible really stood out and despite the compromise in the more gracious non-convertible, it's allowed me to get ride of the z4 too, actually making me several grand quids up.

Apologies for waffling, if anyone is still reading, in light of all this, could anyone give any recommendations as to what20" non run flat tyres I should go for.. bearing in mind the tyre spec offers quite a limited choice for a set of [ 225/35/20 ] and [ 255/30/20 ]

I ordered the tyres from mytyres.co.uk - they just asked for the ref number of the order, no confirmation of name or address or anything, and said you'll get a refund in 24h. I hope it's true, as it was odd for them not to confirm my name or anything... one digit wrong on the order number and I would have been cancelling someone else's order. That said, the payment was made through paypal, so hopefully that may mean more peace of mind if mytyres.co.uk are dodgy?

[madlad2000]

Originally Posted by kylemacca01

Agree with this, £750 + OEM alloys with im presuming high quality rfts for a set of replica alloys with terrible tyres is a very poor deal. Id be tempted to contact the place you got the car from.

That's not good to hear. I drove down to Nottingham for the car. I went to look at a white 20" m sport performance 435d, but the red convertible really stood out, especially when I'd just come from a white 4 series M sport, and realised it would effectively be free and several grand up by consolidating.

It would be interesting to know what the price of almost 3 year old 4 19" glossy black OEM alloys, a few tiny minor scuffs, with OEM RFs with one needing changing soon, compared to 4 brand new replica 20"'s and brand new cheap non RF tyres (I think they're still about £80 each) - i'm guessing the assertion is the difference shoundnt have been 750 more?


In a few different forums people have said they've had no probs with 20" replicas (although I'm assuming they had non RFs), but again, the quality of replicas can vary massively i'd imagine.

[SkyJawa]

Nothing wrong with mytyres, used them loads, one of the ones around longest, you should be fine with refund.

[madlad2000]

Thankyou, great peace of mind. x

[NotGotABimmer23]

Originally Posted by danlad99

That's not good to hear. I drove down to Nottingham for the car. I went to look at a white 20" m sport performance 435d, but the red convertible really stood out, especially when I'd just come from a white 4 series M sport, and realised it would effectively be free and several grand up by consolidating.

It would be interesting to know what the price of almost 3 year old 4 19" glossy black OEM alloys, a few tiny minor scuffs, with OEM RFs with one needing changing soon, compared to 4 brand new replica 20"'s and brand new cheap non RF tyres (I think they're still about £80 each) - i'm guessing the assertion is the difference shoundnt have been 750 more?


In a few different forums people have said they've had no probs with 20" replicas (although I'm assuming they had non RFs), but again, the quality of replicas can vary massively i'd imagine.

Had they come with decent tyres then id say fine, but you still need to spend another £600+ for tyres and those tyres are worth nothing used. Was it a bmw dealer?

[madlad2000]

Originally Posted by kylemacca01

Had they come with decent tyres then id say fine, but you still need to spend another £600+ for tyres and those tyres are worth nothing used. Was it a bmw dealer?

I understand... I guess to simplfy it, what is the going rate for 4 new replica spec 20" alloys with cheap tyres, less used oem 19" alloys and used tyres with one due to fail mot.


I saw 4 OEM 20" equivs with the Pirelli RFs on ebay for over 4k. They all are. If i'd have sold the 3 year used OEM 19"s and tyres with one very worn for say 2k... would that be enough to buy 4 new top price non-RFs (approx. 1k) and 4 new replica 20" alloys.

[ahmedb]

Gloss black 19's would have been worth £550-£600. Chris at CM Wheels does specials for forum members, about £540 posted for good quality reps without tyres to give you an idea.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by danlad99

….Luckily, which I didn't know either, it appears the car has adaptive suspension, and as soon as switched to sport mode, everything tightens up and the car feels normal, and the 'give' on the steering wheel goes. So in essence there is nothing wrong with the car, it's just I have to get used to a normal soft suspension in Comfort. It's a shame you cant select the M Sport suspension set up but in comfort mode, giving a firmer rider but being more economical/normal speedwise. I guess it will just mean getting used to switching between the two modes more often when I need greater stability....

Good to read you have the adaptive suspension, as that gives you at least the option to run different suspension modes.

Re the "it's a shame... " comment, have you noted you have an option to check Chassis and/or Drivetrain? Just check 'Chassis', that only changes the suspension and steering to Sport mode, when you switch to Sport, leaving the gearbox and throttle in the Comfort maps.

[NotGotABimmer23]

Originally Posted by danlad99

I understand... I guess to simplfy it, what is the going rate for 4 new replica spec 20" alloys with cheap tyres, less used oem 19" alloys and used tyres with one due to fail mot.


I saw 4 OEM 20" equivs with the Pirelli RFs on ebay for over 4k. They all are. If i'd have sold the 3 year used OEM 19"s and tyres with one very worn for say 2k... would that be enough to buy 4 new top price non-RFs (approx. 1k) and 4 new replica 20" alloys.

Around £0 id say. The cheap tyres add nothing as you just swap them to good ones and cant really get anything for them.

[teaston]

Round here we call cheap nasty tyres like that “ditch finders”!

A nice car really deserves tyres from one of the big 6 manufacturers.

[madlad2000]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

Good to read you have the adaptive suspension, as that gives you at least the option to run different suspension modes.

Re the "it's a shame... " comment, have you noted you have an option to check Chassis and/or Drivetrain? Just check 'Chassis', that only changes the suspension and steering to Sport mode, when you switch to Sport, leaving the gearbox and throttle in the Comfort maps.

Wow that's great... Does that mean I can have the firm m sport suspension on all the time then? I was going to say, what do I do v when I want a quick swap to spot power? Although in fairness it's powerful anyway. But what you've said suggested basically means having m sport suspension in standard driving mode (comfort). Thank you for the info

[madlad2000]

Originally Posted by kylemacca01

Around £0 id say. The cheap tyres add nothing as you just swap them to good ones and cant really get anything for them.

That's fine then, no loss. I just wanted something new and 'better', big fat ass alloys lol. I understand many would prefer oem 19" alloys. But having had, that size on various bmws for ten years, I needed a step up. And given that everyone still insists on non run flats, then the fact they may not potentially be a strong to withstand potholes with run flats is a moot point (that's to the advice and f you guys) x

[madlad2000]

Originally Posted by teaston

Round here we call cheap nasty tyres like that “ditch finders”!

A nice car really deserves tyres from one of the big 6 manufacturers.

I think the car was sold at the price for the alloy size, with the expectation I'd be putting proper tyres on, so it seemed appropriate to but just the most basic on to get me home. Personally I feel it was a great price, 21k, for an in bmw warranty 435d xdrive convertible, with I'm guessing non oem performance pack features, 20" alloys, 5 years service pack and mot protect, and 40k miles.

It had two previous owners, 1 owner, and the second BMW financial services, presumably meaning the owner couldn't keep up the payments hence the low price.. I dunno. Sorry for sounding protective lol.

[NotGotABimmer23]

Originally Posted by danlad99

That's fine then, no loss. I just wanted something new and 'better', big fat ass alloys lol. I understand many would prefer oem 19" alloys. But having had, that size on various bmws for ten years, I needed a step up. And given that everyone still insists on non run flats, then the fact they may not potentially be a strong to withstand potholes with run flats is a moot point (that's to the advice and f you guys) x

I make that a £750 loss. Love the wheela btw, look fantastic, its just the tyres.

[Junebug85]

When I was looking for a car, I thought about going down the Autovogue route.

I noticed that a lot of their cars had 20" Wheels and Accelera Tyres on them.

[Lorcan]

Originally Posted by danlad99

Apologies for waffling, if anyone is still reading, in light of all this, could anyone give any recommendations as to what20" non run flat tyres I should go for.. bearing in mind the tyre spec offers quite a limited choice for a set of [ 225/35/20 ] and [ 255/30/20 ]

Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is the only tyre we recommend in that diameter for xDrive. 82118385 front and 82118304 rear.

[Smee]

Originally Posted by MashinBenzin

Ermmm, braking in the wet? That's where we need the grip most and that's where xDrive can't help you.

true but if your driving like a tool in the wet where you have a lot higher risk of binning your car then your just being an idiot. 90% of driving conditions will be fine on them tyres

[MashinBenzin]

Originally Posted by Smee

true but if your driving like a tool in the wet where you have a lot higher risk of binning your car then your just being an idiot. 90% of driving conditions will be fine on them tyres

You stated that xDrive gave him safety, so keep the tyres.

I would argue that decent tyres and their ability to brake, steer and hold the road in tricky conditions vastly outweigh any benefit that a driven front axle wearing ditchfinders brings. xDrive brings nothing to the party other than an ability to potentially arrive at the scene of the accident more quickly and wearing a larger sense of bravado

[madlad2000]

Hey guys

Just a big thanks and an update. I got the refund, they were great and professional. They just don't do the MPS4Ss. I managed to find somewhere that could fit same day and got the two front tyres changed to the MPS4Ss at the front, and having the backs done tomorrow.


Knowing that the softer drive is supposed to be their until I press sports, actually makes me love the car more, with no niggling feeling that something is wrong with the car.


The two front Michellins already actually give a firmer rider and more feedback on the steeerinf wheel, so hopefully with the back ones on too, their may be a very slight further improvement.

My only issue is that, both before and after changing the tyres, I tried to check the air levels, but I tried at 4 different garages and none of them worked, like it wouldn't make a seal as the valve is metal and in the way.

However, when I went to change the tyres, the guy, before even seeing the tyres said that's because they don't have enough power, and he used his and it worked straight away. But I was only selecting 2.8 bar (40psi), so I think his conclusion is false


My other half said it looks like its because the people who I bought it from have added some sort of metal casing around the valve and that's what is preventing the pump to clasp down enough to create a seal, and that when I get the tyres changed, to get them to remove them.


Has anyone experienced this, or feel what the other half is saying is correct? I vaguely remember seeing a square box built into the alloy when they were changing a tyre, but I cant remember if that's the same part as the metal valvle. He said it's to to with Run Flats (although my old cars never had them). The car appears to be able to tel the pressure in each tyre too on the iDrive, and I don't recall the 2014 BMW 420d doing that. So I'm hoping the metal protrusion isn't part of that system, otherwise i'll never be able to go to a local garage to fill air lol

Does anyone know what these are? And are they the cause of not being able to make the full connection at garages, and can they be removed?

photo a https://photos.app.goo.gl/CU7uv6djYjJk12zw5

Many thanks

[McBeemer]

Originally Posted by danlad99

Wow that's great... Does that mean I can have the firm m sport suspension on all the time then? I was going to say, what do I do v when I want a quick swap to spot power? Although in fairness it's powerful anyway. But what you've said suggested basically means having m sport suspension in standard driving mode (comfort). Thank you for the info

Do as Highland Pete says by checking chassis only, run it on sport mode all the time … then if you want sport setting for engine & gearbox, simply flick the gear lever to the left … best of both worlds