[fe7565]

When I bought my 2012 328i, I immediately replaced the factory run-flat tires with traditional tires. Mainly because of the road noise, but also because of the bumpy ride. That was 7 years ago. Now, I heard that ruin flats have improved considerably as far as quietness and softer on bumps.

What run flats would you recommend, or had luck with that are quiet and offer a comfortable ride?

[cfm56d7b]

All run flat tires generate more noise than go flat tires. As the tread wears off, run flat tires generate more noise. It's only a question of what's acceptable by your own standards.

Bridgestone Potenza S001 are harsher than other run flat tires. I suggest to exclude these from consideration.

I prefer run flat tires due to convenience. My car is on the second set of Pirelli P Zero summer performance tires in OEM size.

Please note that these tires will last about 25K miles.

[fe7565]

Thank you for your input. I use 225/50-17 PIRELLI CINTURATO P7 tires. They are really good in cornering, no hydroplane in rain (until about 30K-40K) quiet, and last very very long time 40K-50K. But I blew two of them because of the lousy potholes in my high-tax city where money does not go into fixing public roads. Both tires had a huge bubble in them in the side.

[BoxA]

Originally Posted by fe7565

That was 7 years ago. Now, I heard that ruin flats have improved considerably as far as quietness and softer on bumps.

One problem is that there's low demand so not a lot of new runflat models.

Some that I know of are not newer than 7 years, including the:
Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Run Flat (originally supplied)
Pirelli Cinturato P7 Rujn Flat (summer tire, not all season) - improvement in performance over the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Run Flat
a few Bridgestone and Continental models

[chowser51]

My ‘18 came with 18” Bridgestone Driveguards and they were a big improvement over whatever Bridgestones I had on my ‘09. I always switch to goflats anyway. But I will be putting Driveguards back on when I give my daughter the car next month for her 18th birthday

[AspektUSA]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

All run flat tires generate more noise than go flat tires. As the tread wears off, run flat tires generate more noise. It's only a question of what's acceptable by your own standards.

Bridgestone Potenza S001 are harsher than other run flat tires. I suggest to exclude these from consideration.

I prefer run flat tires due to convenience. My car is on the second set of Pirelli P Zero summer performance tires in OEM size.

Please note that these tires will last about 25K miles.

Is there actual evidence for this other than BMW lore?

The only difference in run-flats vs go flats is that run flats have thicker sidewalls.

Summer tires are usually loud, and 19" summer tires are going to be louder than 18" grand touring no matter their construction.

[fe7565]

Originally Posted by AspektUSA

Is there actual evidence for this other than BMW lore?

The only difference in run-flats vs go flats is that run flats have thicker sidewalls.

Summer tires are usually loud, and 19" summer tires are going to be louder than 18" grand touring no matter their construction.

There was a huge difference in noise and handling when I switched from the OEM Pirelli run-flats to Pirelli regulars. Run flats had a road noise on the highway and also every pavement joint was a bump and a thud. Cornering with the regular tires became much more responsive, as BMW should be.

[AspektUSA]

Originally Posted by fe7565

There was a huge difference in noise and handling when I switched from the OEM Pirelli run-flats to Pirelli regulars. Run flats had a road noise on the highway and also every pavement joint was a bump and a thud. Cornering with the regular tires became much more responsive, as BMW should be.

Quite the scientific achievement that switching from 2/32" worn tires to 9/32" new tires meant there was less perceived noise.

[fe7565]

Originally Posted by AspektUSA

Quite the scientific achievement that switching from 2/32" worn tires to 9/32" new tires meant there was less perceived noise.

Noted your misplaced sarcasm. I replaced the run-flats 2 months after I bought my car, they were practically new.

Now, why don't you tell us about your experience with run-flats since I am looking for one that is quiet and corners well. What do you recommend and how does is stack up based on your experience with run-flats vs go-flats?

By the way: I put 35,000 miles on the go-flats Pirellis (each set), but had two bubbles in them because of potholes. I figured run-flats would have fared better but seems like they are just as prone to that.

[AspektUSA]

Originally Posted by fe7565

Noted your misplaced sarcasm. I replaced the run-flats 2 months after I bought my car, they were practically new.

Now, why don't you tell us about your experience with run-flats since I am looking for one that is quiet and corners well. What do you recommend and how does is stack up based on your experience with run-flats vs go-flats?

By the way: I put 35,000 miles on the go-flats Pirellis (each set), but had two bubbles in them because of potholes. I figured run-flats would have fared better but seems like they are just as prone to that.

Unless you have a decibel meter, your analysis is entirely subjective and prone to confirmation bias in the sense that there was no other expected result than your new tires would be "better" in some way.

I've never noticed a particular difference in tire noise between 18-19" sets on my Mk7 GTi or 340i.

I've had Conti EC Sports, Conti EC DW, Michelin A/S 3+, Bridgestone S-04, S-001 run flats (came on the 340i when bought), and my winter set of Pirellis Sottozero 3 RFTs.

They're all about the same subjectively, with the all season Michelins probably being the loudest.

Tire noise is due more to tread pattern than sidewall thickness.

[fe7565]

Originally Posted by AspektUSA

Unless you have a decibel meter, your analysis is entirely subjective and prone to confirmation bias in the sense that there was no other expected result than your new tires would be "better" in some way.

I've never noticed a particular difference in tire noise between 18-19" sets on my Mk7 GTi or 340i.

I've had Conti EC Sports, Conti EC DW, Michelin A/S 3+, Bridgestone S-04, S-001 run flats (came on the 340i when bought), and my winter set of Pirellis Sottozero 3 RFTs.

They're all about the same subjectively, with the all season Michelins probably being the loudest.

Tire noise is due more to tread pattern than sidewall thickness.

Thanks for your input.

Let's leave it at this: your subjective hearing is different than my my subjective hearing when it comes to tires. This was back in 2013, and it was my first ever run-flat tires. As a matter of fact I wasn't even aware that these were run-flat tires until started to wonder why they are so loud and handled differently.

The replacement go-flat tires were the same brand and model as the OEM run-flat ones (Pirelli Cinturato All Season) and the difference was immediately noticeable. Handling also improved as I expected since I had an X3 prior to buying this 328i. Again, I could post various links by Edmunds, Bimmerfest, etc on noise and handling, but I am not here for a pissing contest.

I hoped (and heard) that run-flats got much better since. I came back to this thread because I am looking into going back to run flats after the two bubbles incidents in the regulars tires. Will check into the brands you listed that worked for you. Since you have 18-19 in tires, not sure how much of that translates into my 17 in tire size.

[CajunBMW]

Originally Posted by fe7565

Thanks for your input.

Let's leave it at this: your subjective hearing is different than my my subjective hearing when it comes to tires. This was back in 2013, and it was my first ever run-flat tires. As a matter of fact I wasn't even aware that these were run-flat tires until started to wonder why they are so loud and handled differently.

The replacement go-flat tires were the same brand and model as the OEM run-flat ones (Pirelli Cinturato All Season) and the difference was immediately noticeable. Handling also improved as I expected since I had an X3 prior to buying this 328i. Again, I could post various links by Edmunds, Bimmerfest, etc on noise and handling, but I am not here for a pissing contest.

I hoped (and heard) that run-flats got much better since. I came back to this thread because I am looking into going back to run flats after the two bubbles incidents in the regulars tires. Will check into the brands you listed that worked for you. Since you have 18-19 in tires, not sure how much of that translates into my 17 in tire size.

I had Conti oem rfts on my 340. I did two rounds of conti's. I recently switched to Michelin Pilot Sport 4 ZP rfts. It is a newer tire. I have about 1 K on them and have been very pleased with these tires. One trick I learned about rfts from my dealer is to increase air pressure just a bit. It seems like a better ride but for my second set of conti's I got double the distance out of them. So I went from a 32/35 psi to a 36 square. I have the 18" staggered set up on my 340. Hope that helps.

[quakerroatmeal]

Originally Posted by AspektUSA

Unless you have a decibel meter, your analysis is entirely subjective and prone to confirmation bias in the sense that there was no other expected result than your new tires would be "better" in some way.

I've never noticed a particular difference in tire noise between 18-19" sets on my Mk7 GTi or 340i.

I've had Conti EC Sports, Conti EC DW, Michelin A/S 3+, Bridgestone S-04, S-001 run flats (came on the 340i when bought), and my winter set of Pirellis Sottozero 3 RFTs.

They're all about the same subjectively, with the all season Michelins probably being the loudest.

Tire noise is due more to tread pattern than sidewall thickness.

I've always been curious at this as well. I always see people post RFT is noiser then regular tires but I have not found any testing or evidence that shows it.

[CajunBMW]

Originally Posted by quakerroatmeal

I've always been curious at this as well. I always see people post RFT is noiser then regular tires but I have not found any testing or evidence that shows it.

I have not done a formal test with a decibel meter so this is just my thoughts. I travel the same roads to New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, etc over and over for business, kids soccer tournaments, vacations etc. In doing so I have been in a variety of cars with run flats and normal tires. Some like trips to Dallas can be 3-4 times a month. Again I did not have a meter to measure sound, but on those roads that are good and quiet each vehicle to me seems quiet. When the roads have a rough surface or with certain paved textures they are loud with all the vehicles. Now of course this is subjective and simply my impression but if there are differences they seem subtle to me. The road surface seems to play the biggest role. Most of the vehicles I have been in are 5 years or newer and include a variety of luxury cars and suvs, as well as new vans.

Anyway, just my thoughts for what it is worth.

[fe7565]

Thank you fo the inputs. I also read that increasing the run-flats at least +2 but as high as 36/38 does make a huge difference in handling for sure, and noise for some. But was not aware about lasting measurably longer...although makes sense: less contact with surface means less wear. Of course, overinflating will wear out the top/middle fast.

So need to monitor wear for a while after finding the proper pressure.

One thing that helped me with even wear tremendously was paying for a good laser alignment after mounting new tires. I am usually cheap, but that one paid off in the past with two subsequent sets of tires by adding about 10K miles more to 30K miles of previous life on same part number.

[CajunBMW]

Originally Posted by fe7565

Thank you fo the inputs. I also read that increasing the run-flats at least +2 but as high as 36/38 does make a huge difference in handling for sure, and noise for some. But was not aware about lasting measurably longer...although makes sense: less contact with surface means less wear. Of course, overinflating will wear out the top/middle fast.

So need to monitor wear for a while after finding the proper pressure.

One thing that helped me with even wear tremendously was paying for a good laser alignment after mounting new tires. I am usually cheap, but that one paid off in the past with two subsequent sets of tires by adding about 10K miles more to 30K miles of previous life on same part number.

The rationale for better longevity is to find that sweet spot and not overinflate. I was told that with the stiffer sidewall, the rfts wear quickly on the edges. I only got about 14k miles or so with my first set. With 36 square I got 30k on all 4 tires. With the staggered set up I cannot really rotate. I had even wear across the board, as I monitored that issue. If anything my rear tires could have used 1/2 lb to 1 lb more. The differences in longevity was not due to a change in driving style or the nature of the roads i drove on.

[AspektUSA]

Originally Posted by CajunBMW

I had Conti oem rfts on my 340. I did two rounds of conti's. I recently switched to Michelin Pilot Sport 4 ZP rfts. It is a newer tire. I have about 1 K on them and have been very pleased with these tires. One trick I learned about rfts from my dealer is to increase air pressure just a bit. It seems like a better ride but for my second set of conti's I got double the distance out of them. So I went from a 32/35 psi to a 36 square. I have the 18" staggered set up on my 340. Hope that helps.

I do tend to run the "high speed" setting on air pressure per the manual, rather than the comfort setting on the door jamb.