[kern417]

Originally Posted by 3A53

Towards the end of the life of a runflat tire they become very hard and unpleasant. Put any new tire on, RFT or not, and it will feel like the best thing you ever did to your car.

Maybe that's why I had no complaints. I didn't even have 5000 miles on my car before i upgraded wheels and tires. But I expected them to be horrible on day 1 based on the feedback here, and they drove and performed just fine. I felt a bigger difference going from stock suspension to springs and then coilovers.

[yoon_209]

biggest complaint is that they got rid of the spare tire. why would get rid of the spare. if you have a flat at least you can change the wheel and be on your way.

but even if you have runflats you still need to take you car to the shop and its out of commission for who knows how long, first to set the appt and second to actually order the tire and wait for it, and if you have one car than you are outta luck. at least if you have a spare you can take the wheel to the shop and still use the car.

[Cpatel]

What do you guys with regular tires do when you get a flat in the middle of the road? The car doesn't come with a spare

Tow truck can be hard to call in the middle of nowhere.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by Cpatel

What do you guys with regular tires do when you get a flat in the middle of the road? The car doesn't come with a spare

Tow truck can be hard to call in the middle of nowhere.

I've never had a flat tire while on the road. Mostly I'd call AAA.
One time I was on a road trip, carried one of my summer tires (it was winter) for a spare. I do carry an inflater/pump; have had to inflate a tire in the parking garage once or twice after overnight air loss.

[oregondonor]

If you have not switched from a RFT to a normal tire you do not know what you are missing. Just the ride noise alone will make you switch. RFTs are the noisiest tires you will ever run.

[Styx]

Cause they suck. My car rides much better and quieter on 20's with NRFT than it did with 18" RFT's.

[DrGadget]

Originally Posted by Northernliving

I hate my run flats on my 430i. Worst riding, noisy tire I've every had.

I would like to get a space save spare. Any idea how to find out what space saver would fit?

I hate them for Noise; Harshness; and they are no help when more then 80 Kms from a town with a tyre centre plus they are overly expensive. They are no help if one blows right out. My next set will be Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.

I also carry these items:

* Space saver spare wheel.
* Jack; Torque wrench & Breaker bar kit.
* Wheel lug tool (reverselogic.us)

[DL335D]

Originally Posted by Styx

Cause they suck. My car rides much better and quieter on 20's with NRFT than it did with 18" RFT's.

This...My 30 profile 20" tires absorb potholes much better than my 45 profile 18" new RFTs. And the noise!

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by Cpatel

What do you guys with regular tires do when you get a flat in the middle of the road? The car doesn't come with a spare

Tow truck can be hard to call in the middle of nowhere.

I carry a small compressor and tire sealant and recently picked up a plug kit. Also have a few basic tools in my trunk, including a folding lug wrench. Haven't had a flat yet, but if I did, I wouldn't be stranded. Will probably add a scissor jack to the mix.

[jh_f30]

Originally Posted by 3A53

My biggest compliant is that they didn't even make room for a spare. I'd pay $500 for a spare kit if I had room for it and I'm sure everyone else would like extra storage space.

Can you imagine the vitriol they'd get if they included an EMPTY spot for a spare and charged EXTRA to actually put the spare tire in? As if luxury brands aren't already bashed enough by the general public (and some car journalists) for some of their "options" lists.

[luckstr]

I have had my 2017 440i for 34 months, I have 16,400 mi and my tires are shot ( Pirelli P-zero RFT's). I had RFT's on my 2004 C5 Corvette, replaced them 3 times (about 30k each time) until the 4th time I went with non-run flats. Wow, what a difference.
Now, I have 14 months left on my warranty on the BMW and what I would like to know is: if I replace RFT's with non RFT's, will BMW use this as an excuse to say no to warranty items that are related to tires, I.e., NOT something like a horn replacement ( done two weeks ago) or an instrument cluster replacement ( done 3 months ago)?

[jimbobiggens]

I took off the OEM Continental runflats yesterday. They weren't wore out but I was tired of the harshness. Replaced them with OEM sized Goodyear "normal" tires. Man, what a difference. Never, ever, will I run runflats again. There's a reason tractors no longer have steel wheels, and it's not cost.

[Desertnate]

A week ago I mounted my non-runflat winter tires on my car and it's been an eye-opening experience.

Based on the mountains of anecdotal evidence regarding runflats I had no doubt there would be a difference, but I wasn't prepared for exactly how big of a difference I've experienced.

I fully understand going from 19" to 18" would soften the ride a bit due to a taller sidewall, but what has really impressed me was how less brittle the road feel is over imperfections and the reduction of tire noise. I'm running the Pirelli Sottozero 3s which have a pretty agressive, directional tread. They aren't *that* quiet, but they are still quieter on than the S001 runflat summer tires on every type of road surface I've encountered.

[cmplaya]

you mean like they do with the X1 i just paid to have the spare put into?

Originally Posted by jh_f30

Can you imagine the vitriol they'd get if they included an EMPTY spot for a spare and charged EXTRA to actually put the spare tire in? As if luxury brands aren't already bashed enough by the general public (and some car journalists) for some of their "options" lists.

[cmplaya]

i wonder how much of that is also winter vs summer tires. i have 18 inch sottozero 2 winter runflats and they are quieter and ride is a little smoother, maybe due to softer compound. The ride is noisier and harsher with my 18 inch pilot super sport non runflats.

Originally Posted by Desertnate

A week ago I mounted my non-runflat winter tires on my car and it's been an eye-opening experience.

Based on the mountains of anecdotal evidence regarding runflats I had no doubt there would be a difference, but I wasn't prepared for exactly how big of a difference I've experienced.

I fully understand going from 19" to 18" would soften the ride a bit due to a taller sidewall, but what has really impressed me was how less brittle the road feel is over imperfections and the reduction of tire noise. I'm running the Pirelli Sottozero 3s which have a pretty agressive, directional tread. They aren't *that* quiet, but they are still quieter on than the S001 runflat summer tires on every type of road surface I've encountered.

[rak299]

Run-flats are great if you like wooden wheels

[GenXer]

I had a flat and called AAA. They arrived promptly after 90 minutes of wait and then had to tow me for another 30 minutes to the nearest tire store. So it was only 2 hours wasted!
AAA gold membership does not guarantee rapid response.

[alberto09.de]

Originally Posted by GenXer

Personally, I think they ride just as comfortable as regular tires if you don't over modify and keep it OEM size. I like the RFTs in my X1 and 430i GC.
I prefer the added safety of not having to replace a flat on a 4 lane expressway while everyone is doing 90MPH on Michigan roads or getting out in -20F to replace a tire.


Once you're on 20" and mounting on 255/30 or thinner tires that's when they ride horribly. If I drive with tires/wheel that size, I would need to replace them every other day. They would be ruined within a few miles on the road that we have.

I have on the front rims 225/35 R20 runflat and on the back rims 255/30 R20 runflat. Honestly I have 0 problems. They almost feel to me like the old 17" wheels non runflat that I had (don't remember the tire size, sorry)

[Desertnate]

Originally Posted by alberto09.de

I have on the front rims 225/35 R20 runflat and on the back rims 255/30 R20 runflat. Honestly I have 0 problems. They almost feel to me like the old 17" wheels non runflat that I had (don't remember the tire size, sorry)

You're roads are substantially better than those in the US, so the runflats probably aren't as big of a problem from a ride standpoint, though I'm surprised they aren't louder.

[DL335D]

Originally Posted by Desertnate

You're roads are substantially better than those in the US, so the runflats probably aren't as big of a problem from a ride standpoint, though I'm surprised they aren't louder.

So true. Runflats in Arizona are fine. Run flats in Massachusetts are horrendous.

[Desertnate]

Originally Posted by DL335D

So true. Runflats in Arizona are fine. Run flats in Massachusetts are horrendous.

I can only imagine.

We're fortunate to not have the same level of weather related pot holes you and others living in the northern tier see, but we have our share of seams between concrete segments of the roads and cracking from the wild temperature swings. Each one of those is a sharp impact that is amplified, rather than blunted, by the stiff runflat sidewalls.

[JonnyMystery]

I just moved to 19" non-RF tyres from 18" RFs. Only really moved up in size because my current alloys had a lot of curb damage. Anyway, not a fair comparison - but the 18" RFs were more a more comfy drive. Probably more to do with more tyre depth than anything though.