Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[NaTuReB0Y]

With all the big fuss about run-flats....and non run-flats.
Do we really need run-flats? Have you ever had a flat tire while driving or away from home? I haven't....

[petesamprs]

Huh? I don't understand your question? That's like saying "I've never been in an accident so I don't need insurance"

[driverseven]

I've had a flat tire 3 times on my car in 30 years of driving.

Changing a spare is a hassle, but not a real problem. Except if you are in a bad neighbhorhood, as I was on one of those occasins.

If you've ever gone through that experience, you appreciate the value of not having to change a flat in order to get home.

[ON325i]

In Toronto right now, I will appreicate deeply not to get out of my car at all if i don't have to.

[ase2dais]

Originally Posted by NaTuReB0Y

With all the big fuss about run-flats....and non run-flats.
Do we really need run-flats? Have you ever had a flat tire while driving or away from home? I haven't....

Here you are starting to crank me up again! I understand your point and you can sing in my choir, for I believe those RFT are nothing more than trouble and a major inconvenienvce for the amount of promise it gives.

In my 30 yrs of driving, I havent had a flat tire on the road away from home. I had even drove LA-NJ trip once, and nothing!
Most of my flats are within 25-50 miles from from home, for thats where you'll find most trash and debris on the road.

Id say BMW should do without those POS tires, they are heavy, expensive to maintain, hard to replace, not fun to drive in, not enough experience techs who can work on them, and they run hotter than normal tires.

I have followed closely the runflat thread in both e90 camps, and for most part, I havent heard one good thing said about a RFT flat or blowout incident yet, except Whooppieeeeeee! I had to drive more miles on a flat tire! wow! a piece of candy!

One person, had a blown-out and drove it for miles to a service center, to find out he had to wait for a tire to be shipped, it was a 3 day wait and a $300+ bill.

Can someone explain to me the benefit of that, one thread had a guy wait 8 hrs to get him back on the road after a flat. Wow! got anymore of the candy !

And people pay money to get this inconvenience, Give me a break!yeah ! yeah ! yeah ! argue the point of safety and that we are in the bleeding edge of this craze. As far as Im concern, a jack and spare in the back and a toll-free road service to enuf to cover your *ss.

Run Flats are so PIA, that not only BMs owners swear at them, but also Toyota Sienna's. Dont believe me, google it up, I saw words like
class action lawsuits in the google results. hmm.

I bailed out! months ago! for I believe that the Emperor has no clothes!

[CALIF65GM]

Yes I have had flats, but none too far from away, just changed it myself or called AAA.

The RFTs and no spare were the number one drawback on the e90 during my decision making process. I would rather they offer regular tires with spare as an option or the run-flats as an option for those who want it.

[LEDZEP]

You do have some good points, but I'm not going to say a peep and jinx myself - I've had too much bad luck this year.

I like the concept of run flats, and I'm sure the technology will improve as more brands compete in that area. I agree that the stock Bridgestones don't seem too great. Too sensitive to imperfections, etc. I'm not sure I agree about running hotter - mine actually seem to be cooler after an hour long summer drive than the conventional Continentals I had on my last car.

One thing about RFTs though, is that because of the stiff sidewall, I don't trust a visual "check" of the tires for pressure. I think you need to put a guage on them much more often - since after all, they are designed to hold the car up when they have zero pressure.

[ase2dais]

Originally Posted by coreslogic

In Toronto right now, I will appreicate deeply not to get out of my car at all if i don't have to.

I can do that too, by calling my car insurance Road Side Serivce or BMWs, they'll chge my flat for me on the spot! from my spare! and I dont even have to drive miles just to say "my tire is damage, becoz I drove it for miles without any air", "What do you mean. flats cant be fixed?", "You meant to tell me I have to get a entirely new tire?"

not to you! but to others who wonder Why!
DUHHHH!

I have this attitude in my hope that their will be even NOISE made to BMW, that if you are to give me RFT, at least give me a spare!
Dont scre* me and make me believe and say how wonderfull it was!

[David328M-Sport]

There are for and against points with RFT. Many of the above posts have valid points BUT as was mentioned, flat tyres are really quite rare considering the number of cars out there (x 4). So the argument can work both ways on the RFT as to whether they should or shouldn't be on the car. I would suggest that it would be even.

Now if we extend the debate to road holding and handling, then non RFTs would win hands down, simply because they have been on the market for decades with their technology highy refined, whilst RFT only a few years and a very small choice of tyres as well as being lets say 1st generation technology.

I do not have a problem with my Pirellis and thankfully I have not had a flat tyre yet!

It really is up to the individual to choose what type of tyre suits their requirements AND for a lot of members, piece of mind.

Provided members do not get hot under the collar in this thread, it can be one of the most interesting and informative threads to read.

Lets keep the posts and experiences coming.

Cheers everyone.

[BMW Lawman]

Originally Posted by NaTuReB0Y

With all the big fuss about run-flats....and non run-flats.
Do we really need run-flats? Have you ever had a flat tire while driving or away from home? I haven't....

Your question makes sense to me. I have had two flats on pickups I was driving out in the hills on gravel roads......thats it. A flat for the normal person driving around on improved roads is pretty rare......but if it does happen and its a blow out or rapid air loss situation, I want run flats on my side.

[E24]

Originally Posted by BMW Lawman

Your question makes sense to me. I have had two flats on pickups I was driving out in the hills on gravel roads......thats it. A flat for the normal person driving around on improved roads is pretty rare......but if it does happen and its a blow out or rapid air loss situation, I want run flats on my side.

I agree - with a kid now I have more concerns. Things I have never considered before. When you have a son going on 4 in the back and times when he only travels with the wife I personally want every safeguard possible. The run flats fall into that category. While I can change a tire or sit with my hazzards on on the side of the road waiting for roadside assistance I would rather that not happen when my wife is driving solo with our son en route to relatives, events, etc. I'll sacrifice any drawbacks provided by the run flats.

[LEDZEP]

I drive I-95 every day. At least three times a week I see cars on the shoulder with flats. Often, it can be attributed to being old tires that should have been replaced, and just wore out or were too weak to withstand some debris. But not all the time. Sitting on the shoulder (what little shoulder there is) of I-95, the nation's busiest freeway, while traffic flies past, including trucks that make you rock when they whiz by... waiting for roadside assistance or worse, trying to change your tire.. is not my cup of tea. Being able to drive safely home, or to work, or to a service station is a much better idea to me.

Also, just a plug for the law enforcers out there... I have seen many times a Delaware State Trooper changing a tire for a stranded motorist while they stand safely away from traffic. Hats off to them!

[ase2dais]

Originally Posted by LEDZEP

I drive I-95 every day. At least three times a week I see cars on the shoulder with flats. Often, it can be attributed to being old tires that should have been replaced, and just wore out or were too weak to withstand some debris. But not all the time. Sitting on the shoulder (what little shoulder there is) of I-95, the nation's busiest freeway, while traffic flies past, including trucks that make you rock when they whiz by... waiting for roadside assistance or worse, trying to change your tire.. is not my cup of tea. Being able to drive safely home, or to work, or to a service station is a much better idea to me.

Also, just a plug for the law enforcers out there... I have seen many times a Delaware State Trooper changing a tire for a stranded motorist while they stand safely away from traffic. Hats off to them!

Yes! I understand the point very well, of the argument, RunFlats main reason of being is to provide you the power to choose safe place and time to repair the flat tire!

But, lets take that scenario a step further, once you find a safe place, does BMW provided you that power to pick the time and place to get your replacement tire. Most Ive heard from forums was no! They were powerless beings under the mercy of Roadside Assistance arriving, the mercy of the service center if they have the train people to remove those teflon tires from a wheel, under the mercy of the local merchant to see if they want to repair it, or even carry it in stock, under the mercy of the suppliers to you in reasonable time. Lets add another twist to that and say maybe under the mercy to the tire insurance company to even consider your tire claim.

I believe, the second half of the scenario, provided more proofs that they took away more power than they have giventh.

Originally Posted by petesamprs

Huh? I don't understand your question? That's like saying "I've never been in an accident so I don't need insurance"

I believe its maybe: Someone create a tire issue so they could sell
tire insurance.

Originally Posted by CALIF65GM

I would rather they offer regular tires with spare as an option or the run-flats as an option for those who want it.

Have you ever wonder why E90 has such a great 0-60 record? Guess? .........maybe it because their is no extra weight of a heavy runflats spare tire to haul around with. Lets put that spare heavy runflats in the trunk, and lets clock it again. hmmm, E90, ever consider a diet plan.

[mckimble]

Seriously considering moving from RFT's after my most recent experience. Here's a link to my frustrating experience with finding one RFT replacement as I hit the road for holiday travel.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=120652

[ON325i]

hehe, these dicussions are always fun when it comes to a moot point like this IMO..

the people who seen peopel got reared while waiting for help, harmed while changing spare, accident due to lost control from sudden loss of pressure, etc will support RFT

the people who sees the inflexible of RFT, the availablity of roadside assistance and lack of RFT techies will be against RFT

pick one.

i think each argument presented are referring to a different space/time (i.e. during accident, waiting, after accident..) about the same subject, thus, they can never come to a conclusion....

ANYWAY, enough logical crap, I support RFT. hehehe

[Ghunger]

The RFT are one of the reasons I'm looking to buy an E90, as a safety feature. I fall into the first group as mentioned by core. I would prefer the immediate safety of the RFT in the event of a Blowout or it's ability to let me get off the freeway to a safe place. I can definitely see the other side though, as getting replacement tires sounds like a major hassle atm. I guess I'm hoping that RFT will become more popular and available by the time I need one.

[jpsquared]

I'm also in the camp for runflats. I just installed my winter Dunlop M3 runflats on dedicated 17" rims with the following points in mind:

1. The cost of buying a fifth wheel/tire for a spare offsets the extra cost of the runflats anyway
2. Donut spares are only good for maybe two uses, provided you don't drive fast on them for any real distance. When I had my Honda Accord, I got exactly 2 uses out of that donut for about 60 miles before it completely disintegrated and fell off the rim!
3. Donut spares make the car so unstable at any speed - especially if they're mounted on the front wheel. They're just dangerous.
4. Heavier tires? If you feel that the unsprung weight on your car is too heavy, changing out your rims will have the greatest effect, not so much the tires. How much heavier is an RFT vs. a non RFT? 1 or 2 lbs?

On the winter set I just installed, one of the tires had a leaky valve stem because the core wasn't tightened properly. I installed the wheels at night with full pressure and woke up to a flat on my front left tire. I didn't notice the flat until I pulled out of the driveway the next morning.

The thing is, the run-flat allowed me to drive safely - without damaging my rims or the tire itself - a few miles to the local gas station to tighten the valve core and refill the air pressure. Without the runflats, at best I would've had to put on a spare, take the wheel/tire to the station for inspection/fix/reinflation, reinstall the wheel, etc... wasting time, getting dirty and being inconvenienced. At worst, I would've had no choice but to drive on a regular tire flat, potentially destroying the tire and damaging the rims to get to the station.

I suspect that we're in the early-adopter phase of this technology. As more manufacturers make these RFT's OEM equipment, the major tire retailers and fixit shops will have no choice but to increase their inventories. I've had/seen blowouts happen on the highway at speed and it's a scary experience. For me, the extra expense is a small price for the peace of mind for my family's safety.

[wongmb]

If you take good care of ur tire, change them within a reasonable time frame (say every 5 years), and maintain a proper pressure (not overinflated), you prob have better luck winning the lottery than a outright blow out (as oppose to slow leak) while you are driving.

[ase2dais]

Originally Posted by mckimble

Seriously considering moving from RFT's after my most recent experience. Here's a link to my frustrating experience with finding one RFT replacement as I hit the road for holiday travel.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=120652

You're not the only one, heard of folks just waiting for their tire threads to wear up, before they switch to Non-RFTs.

I haven't had it before (RFT), I dont see it making much of a difference now, and I am not waiting and holding my breath to see more RFT in stock, for its just a lame excuse to keep people from switching their tires.

Lets just wait for more of these RFT holdouts to experience wat you had gone through, and see. It would be like Gen. Custer, in he Battle of Big Horn, sad to say there is no rescue RFT briigades coming, at least in the remaining years of my lifetime.

and this is IMHO, in keeping with the tradition of this polite forum.

gimme a break

[Robin_NL]

OK, true story. A friend of mine
(also competing in the Dutch touring Car Championship in a E46 V8 GTR)
http://www.supercarchallenge.nl/Show...=41&Soort=Team

was driving his new E60M5 V10 last saturday on one of the fastest highways my country has. The car has been re-chipped in Germany, no speed limiter anymore etc.

First run(not that much traffic) was 325kmh( 202 mph not kidding)
After the heavier traffic he was doing 280kmh(175mph) and his left rear tyre 'exploded'.Fopfopfopfopfop.Like that.

Car stability alright and they came to a stop. No sweat

Without runflats it would have been a differnt situation he told us....

Runflats rule.

[ase2dais]

A friend of mine got rear ended, while parked using her cell phone, totaled her car, and this was in broad daylight, her RunFlats didnt help her any.

She said that the drivers inattentiveness cause the accident, it was just her faith.

[LEDZEP]

Originally Posted by ase2dais

A friend of mine got rear ended, while park using her cell phone, totaled her car, and this was in broad daylight, her RunFlats helping her any.

WTF does this have to do with the tires? If a piano fell on her would expect the RFT's to intervene?