[metallicpea]

It has been common place for at least 20 years for reputable places to patch tires with a round patch from the inside. They remove the tire from the wheel, scrub a circular area on the inside around the puncture to even the surface and expose fresh rubber, the apply something like rubber cement, wait for it to set and use a roller to press a round patch firmly on the adhesive. This is the best method for a small hole. If the hole is large, like a bolt instead of a screw, they might plug it first, then trim it down, smooth and patch it with the plug in. Most larger shops shops don't plug tires anymore, but in all my attempts they last the life of the tire on a daily driver.

[eugene89us]

This is my big conundrum:

I have replaced one RFT already within 2000 miles of purchasing a car when I got myself into a pothole. BMW dealer succeeded in scratching and putting a hole in the rim, as well as breaking the TPMS sensor, which resulted in them replacing the entire rim.

Then, around 8000 miles I end up finding a nail in my rear RFT. There is a lot of road construction going on in the area (thankfully eliminating those potholes, but introducing various road garbage), so I am not surprised. However, the tire loses around 2-3 PSI per week. I end up reinflating the tire from 30 PSI up to 34 PSI every weekend, otherwise at 13-14 day mark, I will get a TPMS warning. I am in a conundrum - first, I am mostly scared about a place screwing up another rim. BMW, of course, will not repair RFT, but a local chain agreed to do it, since it is basically brand new. I wonder if I should continue driving with a nail and reinflate every weekend or hope to repair it and pray that rim remains undamaged. I also had prior experiences where fixing a tire resulted in faster leak than before. My other option is to drive on it until OEM RFTs wear out and I can chunk them for a non-RFT option as everyone suggests here. The nail is in the groove of the tire, so by the time the nail meets the road, the tire will be worn to indicators ready to replace.

[bimmer456]

Tires should come with a warranty and may even come with road hazard insurance so you should be able to get it replaced for free at the dealership if it is new.

[chiefneil]

Originally Posted by eugene89us

I am mostly scared about a place screwing up another rim. BMW, of course, will not repair RFT, but a local chain agreed to do it, since it is basically brand new. I wonder if I should continue driving with a nail and reinflate every weekend or hope to repair it and pray that rim remains undamaged. I also had prior experiences where fixing a tire resulted in faster leak than before. My other option is to drive on it until OEM RFTs wear out and I can chunk them for a non-RFT option as everyone suggests here. The nail is in the groove of the tire, so by the time the nail meets the road, the tire will be worn to indicators ready to replace.

One way or another, eventually you’re going to need find a shop to replace your tires. Might as well do it now and get your tire patched rather than waiting a year until your tires need replacement. At least this way you can assess their work based on one wheel/tire vs all four. The leak will probably get worse over time too, so I don’t think your option of driving it until the tire wears out is realistic.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by eugene89us

I wonder if I should continue driving with a nail

A simple nail puncture is easily repaired with the type of repair tool I linked to. No need to remove the tire from the rim, for that matter no need to take the wheel off the car. Just jack it up, pull out the nail, plug the hole, inflate the tire. If you leave the nail in odds are it will eventually be ejected, causing the tire to deflate, and if you run on it for even a mile or two with no air you'll cause sidewall damage that requires a new tire. As for going to non-RFT, if you had non-RFT now it would make absolutely no difference.

[eugene89us]

My desire to switch to non-RFTs primarily lies in comfort and noise. The OEM RFTs are loud and you feel every bump in the road. Then the sidewall is unable to withstand same potholes that a non-RFT would. Plus more places would repair non-RFT tires compared to RFTs. All in all, I want to chunk these ASAP without feeling guilty that I am discarding a perfectly good tire. That's why the plan is to run them to the indicator before replacing them all. The only issue is that I drive 80% interstate and all of my past OEM tires held up to 60K miles.

As it comes to self-repair kit, isn't there a small chance I will create a bigger leak by trying to repair the tire? I know I will not damage the rim if I fix it myself, but I worry that I will make a bigger problem trying to do that. At least until the nail pops out, I have a decently usable tire that carries me almost 2 weeks without an issue. I can maybe get the kit and keep it in the car with the 12V compressor. When the nail pops out, I can do a quick fix on the road. Or is that likely unfeasible?

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by eugene89us

I wonder if I should continue driving with a nail and reinflate every weekend

You should not.

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by eugene89us

My desire to switch to non-RFTs primarily lies in comfort and noise. The OEM RFTs are loud and you feel every bump in the road. Then the sidewall is unable to withstand same potholes that a non-RFT would. Plus more places would repair non-RFT tires compared to RFTs. All in all, I want to chunk these ASAP without feeling guilty that I am discarding a perfectly good tire. That's why the plan is to run them to the indicator before replacing them all. The only issue is that I drive 80% interstate and all of my past OEM tires held up to 60K miles.

As it comes to self-repair kit, isn't there a small chance I will create a bigger leak by trying to repair the tire? I know I will not damage the rim if I fix it myself, but I worry that I will make a bigger problem trying to do that. At least until the nail pops out, I have a decently usable tire that carries me almost 2 weeks without an issue. I can maybe get the kit and keep it in the car with the 12V compressor. When the nail pops out, I can do a quick fix on the road. Or is that likely unfeasible?

You should remedy a known issue now and not wait for it to ruin the tire and be a constant hassle in the mean time.

[chiefneil]

Originally Posted by eugene89us

At least until the nail pops out, I have a decently usable tire that carries me almost 2 weeks without an issue. I can maybe get the kit and keep it in the car with the 12V compressor. When the nail pops out, I can do a quick fix on the road. Or is that likely unfeasible?

Muphy’s law says the nail will pop out while you’re on the way to the airport in heavy stop and go traffic at night during a torrential rainstorm to make a can’t-miss meeting with an important client.

[Billfitz]

And when that happens the OP will say 'Thank God I have RFT!'

If RFT were as bad as the Luddites make them out to be they wouldn't be standard BMW issue, probably as Munich recognizes that the average BMW owner today is more likely to be able to change water into wine than to be able to change a flat tire.

[FastF30]

Firestones!


30+years of beating the hell out of tires (including driving on tires with the steel cords coming out) and never needed a RF ... Slime kit $20 comes with slime and nice little pump... anything worse than needing to use that and I call roadside...

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

And when that happens the OP will say 'Thank God I have RFT!'

If RFT were as bad as the Luddites make them out to be they wouldn't be standard BMW issue, probably as Munich recognizes that the average BMW owner today is more likely to be able to change water into wine than to be able to change a flat tire.

It is true the average BMW owner today is unlikely to change a tire, but that does not make run flats good tires.

Non run flats are better in every other way, so if my chances of getting stranded with a flat are low, I will stick with the option that does everything else better and is cheaper. I'm not sure that makes me a luddite, but if it does, oh well, I am confident in my decision based on facts, experience and my own personal set of priorities. And as I have said so many times before, other priorities, other decisions. And I think most are not suggesting someone else should change their priorities, just consider the pros and cons. As many don't.

Plus, there are lots of complaints here about runflats - cost, longevity, harsh ride, failures. The natural response is to offer an alternative that improves on those shortcomings. I would not come on this forum and complain if I get stuck on the road with a blowout. I know the risk.

[Billfitz]

My Conti RFTs are no more harsh or noisy or worse performing than the Michelin MXM4 I had on my last car. If they were I'd have considered changing them right off, but I don't fix what's not broken. I'm not all that concerned about a flat, the last time I had one was at least 30 years ago. If I do get a puncture I've got in the car what I need to fix it on the spot. On trips away from home I carry an emergency spare as well, so it's not like I need RFT. Even so when the Conti need to be replaced I'll probably stick with RFT, as they meet my personal set of priorities, including not having to fix or change a tire if a flat occurs at the worst possible time, like when I'm on a bridge or in a tunnel, or I'm five minutes out from the golf course with my tee time in only fifteen.

[jsouth]

Here's my experience with run-flats and a nail:

About two years ago, I was on a family vacation, getting ready to leave on Sunday morning (in the rain no less). I get a TPMS warning, get out and sure enough the right front is very low, and I can see the nail in the tread.

I was in Kansas City, and had to be at work 8 hours away the next morning. There are very few tire shops open on Sunday morning. The ONLY one that I could get to look at it was an NTW store. After seeing that it was a RF tire, they refused to plug or patch it. Company policy, they told me.

They had no runflats in stock, so replacing one tire was not an option. My tires were somewhat worn, and needed replacing in the next 10,000 miles. So I bought a set of four normal tires (Continentals). I carry a plug kit and a pump with me. And no tire shop will refuse to patch a stinking hole because they aren't RFT.

[metallicpea]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

My Conti RFTs are no more harsh or noisy or worse performing than the Michelin MXM4 I had on my last car. If they were I'd have considered changing them right off, but I don't fix what's not broken. I'm not all that concerned about a flat, the last time I had one was at least 30 years ago. If I do get a puncture I've got in the car what I need to fix it on the spot. On trips away from home I carry an emergency spare as well, so it's not like I need RFT. Even so when the Conti need to be replaced I'll probably stick with RFT, as they meet my personal set of priorities, including not having to fix or change a tire if a flat occurs at the worst possible time, like when I'm on a bridge or in a tunnel, or I'm five minutes out from the golf course with my tee time in only fifteen.

This is a perfectly valid set of priorities for many drivers. RFTs have a a purpose that is valuable to many people even if it is singular it might be the most important factor for many people and close enough in the other catagories.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by jsouth

The ONLY one that I could get to look at it was an NTW store. After seeing that it was a RF tire, they refused to plug or patch it. Company policy, they told me.

NTW sucks. A few years back I wanted to put a pair of snows on one of my cars, front wheels only as it was FWD and I only drove it around town. NTW would only sell me four tires, also quoting 'Company Policy'. I told them no, they were not going to sell me four tires, they weren't going to sell me any, since my policy was to not deal with anyone trying to rip me off.

I bought a set of four normal tires (Continentals). I carry a plug kit and a pump with me.

If you'd had the plug kit and pump when you picked up that nail you could have fixed it yourself and been on your way.

The BMW is the first car I've had with RFT, and more important the first that didn't come with a spare tire. I did my research, found out the limitations of RFTs, found out that they can be repaired just like any tire, so I had a repair kit in hand before I took delivery of the car. It went in the storage compartment along with jack, pump and wrench the day I brought it home. Before I took my first out of town trip I got a temp spare, in case I got a sidewall puncture. My days as a Boy Scout were long ago, but I still adhere to the motto.

[B58 parts]

I switched to go flats and ride around with one of the stock wheels (+snow tire, same diameter) strapped in the trunk. The HF scissor jack for $35 and a little tool kit (2 wheel hangers, breaker bar, tq wrench, and 17mm) fit nicely in the hole underneath.

My golf bag and most day to day things still fit fine in the trunk. Maybe 5 or 10 days a year I have to remove it due to a friends golf bag / luggage, or a large item. On a long trip I will move it to the backseat. I'm not getting stuck half way, due to a stupid tire.

I do have the good AAA membership in case I roast the engine or something. There was a blog entry from a guy who got stuck on a weekend with runcraps, total cost of the ordeal was $2400 after rental cars / missed flights etc. I wish I could find the post...

[soundsonic]

Pics of the inside of the tire. The guy said it needs to be replaced eventually. Currently it’s plugged up.

I don’t know how the sidewalk cracked. The tire wasn’t flat at any point. The lowest it got was 25 psi.

It looks like it needs replacement. So that’s what I went with.

[metallicpea]

Yep, that tire is passed it.

[eugene89us]

Thanks to your posts, I changed my mind against driving with a nail and purchased a tire repair kit. This is one way I can assure that a lazy shop worker doesn't damage the rims at a place that agreed to plug an RFT, while I know that I will take my time to attempt to produce quality result versus a rushed shop worker. Just such a low quality labor force here in the South, it amazes me. I envy European workers, seems like a lot of people take pride in their work vs. here is America.

I researched a few tire repair kits, there a many reviews of Slime Kit that suggest that repairs are not permanent and the plug itself starts to leak after a few weeks. So I decided on Safety Seal kit - it has all positive reviews and is quality American-Made, and I support companies that employ people here in the USA and concentrate on making quality products. Should come in by Monday. Will post back with results. Wish me luck!

[Sea-Tac]

It could be something really minor, like a small nail which should be repairable, but BMW frowns of repairing RF's. Keep in mind also that if the tire has to be replaced you may end up having to replace both to maintain similar tire tread depths.

[soundsonic]

I got it replaced due to the damage. If the tire drops in PSI don’t drive on it for a long time until you fill it back up. The damage in the pics wasn’t from a complete flat it was from driving at 25 PSI for 60 mins.

The shop did a good job replacing the tire. Look for shops that work regularly with nice cars