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BMW 3-Series Run Flat Tires

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Comments

  • mikethekmikethek Member Posts: 5
    hal56 - just curious, do you have an xi and do you have the Sport Pkg? My RFTs are shot at 9,500 miles. I am religious about checking the air pressure and I do not drive the car excessively hard.
  • larry175larry175 Member Posts: 68
    I have it all on my 09 335ix. bridgestone rfts al around. at 10100miles edges are wareing on all sides, insides, outsides on all fours. I don'tdrive hard either but the tires are getting noiiser and noiser. dealer, BMW od Ridgefield, Conn. has memory loss. My wifes car will be bought at BMW of Watertown, Ct. Excellent service depart.
    Ciao for now,
  • xeyexeye Member Posts: 168
    Curious,,,I wonder if BMW has changed their policy regarding OEM, Bridgestone vs Continental? You didn't say whether your car has the sport package even though some would say "emasculated" sport package on the xi. Regardless, my '07 335xi with the sport package came with the ContiProContact SSR RFTs. I have ~20,200 miles on the original tires, I've rotated them once front to back and they are all wearing evenly and probably have another 10,000 miles of life, at least. I don't do burnouts (difficult in the xi, thanks to the grip, in spite of the 300 hp & torque), skid to a stop or do excessively hi-G drifts. At brief bursts of speed of 80-100+ mph today on a smooth MA highway, the car was rock-solid and easily quiet enough to have a soft conversation. I've never had a flat and regularly check the air pressure, 33 in front, 36 in the rear.

    For me, I wouldn't hesitate to replace them with another set when the time comes. I expect to drive them through at least one more New England winter with no issues.

    Maybe I just got lucky with my tires, or perhaps I'm just more reasonable with my $50,000 worth of high end transportation?
  • larry175larry175 Member Posts: 68
    I do have the sport pkg. and our driving styles seem to be about the same. Connecticut roads are where my driving takes place except for a coppla times a month drive to visit my daughter in Norwell, Ma. I have only hit 95mph with this car. I get 28 on the drive to Mass.
  • dong84dong84 Member Posts: 24
    Hi all,

    I leased BMW 328 coupe i on May 2009. Overall, the car is good, but lately I have concerned about rf tire. eventually, last night, there was "low pressure" sign. after checking each tire, I found one of front tire was 23, but should have been 32~35....

    So, I went to a gas station to put air in the tire. Tonight again, "low pressure" sign again and checked the same tire again and pressure went down to 25 again...

    Do I have to change the tire? my car only has 1500 miles on it. I cannot believe if I have to change the tire. Please let me know..

    I have a couple of more questions regarding tf tire.

    1) if I have to replace the tire, should I buy non-rf tire and replace with rf tire when my lease is up. I know I have to return the car with rf tire, but I dont think I can change tire regularly.

    2) If I change with rf tire, where can I buy it? I searched on-line, but I just cannot find any store selling rf tire.

    3) How much does it cost?

    Thanks in advance.
  • hal56hal56 Member Posts: 94
    I have the HTC--rear wheel drive only--you will hear no problems from me but I said before if you take corners fast there is a price to pay. That has always been true.

    ie--my daugher and one of our family friends kids sons both got pontiac GPs at about the same time --the friends kids tires wore out much faster than our daughters tires and they complained to Pontiac about that--

    I had no doubt that its how you drive--this is not a critisism its just the matter of more aggressive driving.

    I have had a situation where my front tires became out of alignmnet and in short time the front tires wore out and fast fast. So I watch alignment and tire wear.

    ya have to be honest with yourself.
  • nkeennkeen Member Posts: 313
    2006 325i with ZSP -- I have about 17K Miles on my Bridgestone RE050As and they have around half their tread depth remaining. I toss my car around a bit, never switch stabilty control off, run 29 PSI front, 33 PSI rear as suggested in the owners' manual. I swap the tires for Bridgestone LM22 RFTs for about 4 winter months per year. The RE050As were getting noisier but I had the wheels aligned at the beginning of the season, and they now sound quite acceptable. Overall, they are grippy tires with rather lively, active handling.
  • rube4200rube4200 Member Posts: 1
    TWO DAYS AGO I TOOK THE RUN FLAT TIRES OFF AT A GOODYEAR TIRE STORE AND RE-PLACED THEM WITH (4) P205/55R-16 LCR NEXEN N5000,
    THE TOTAL BILL WAS $375.69 THATS TAX, SPEED BALANCE, NEW VALVE STEM, IT RUNS BEAUTIFUL BETTER THAN WHEN I PURCHASED IT, IT'S A 2007 328I. SO MUCH FOR ALL THESE TECHS SAYING YOU CAN'T CHANGE THEM, OH AND I RESET THE TIRE LIGHT AND I PUT OVER 450 MILES ON IT AND NO PROBLEMS.. GOODYEAR WOULD EVEN SELL ME A WARRANTY IF I WANTED.. SO GO CHANGE THEM GUY'S YOU WILL BE VERY HAPPY!!!!!
    GOOD LUCK!!!!!!
  • idoc2idoc2 Member Posts: 78
    I have a 2007 328xi with 16in rims. The original Bridgestone RFTs were replaced by the dealer for free under the TSB at 9,500 miles. Conti's were put on and have served me well for 42,000 more miles. While there is still at least 10,000 miles of tread remaining and no visible abnormal wear pattern the tires are getting noisy. I can not afford to be stranded and despite the reported benefits of non-RFTs with a can of fix-a-flat I will be getting new RFTs shortly. What is the consensus as to which are currently the best available RFTs.

    IDOC
  • hal56hal56 Member Posts: 94
    I have an 08 335 convertible with sports pkg, 12k miles and just kind of beginning to show wear on the front tires.

    Bridgestone is coming out with 3rd gen run flats--that are suppossed to be much closer to conventional tires in terms of noise, handling, hard ride (or not) and wear.

    the article in wards auto week graded tires as follows--

    conventional =95
    1st gen rft= 115
    2nd gen_ 110
    3rd gen =100

    the trick is a strong enough sidewall which if flat does not flex to much to create heat. new rubber product enable this.

    When i went from the first gen to 2nd gen rfts on my vette there was a world of difference so I was not fearful of rft on the 335. To me its been just fine.
  • djtesqdjtesq Member Posts: 1
    Any suggestions on where to get a donut for my 2007 335i - 18 inch wheels - does the donut have to be the same size as the wheel - is that a really stupid question?
    is there a BMW package for this? Cords are coming thru my rear tires and I don't wanna buy rft's? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 234,725
    No.. the donut doesn't have to be 18". The rim/tire just has to have the same overall diameter as your tires.

    LeatherZ spacesaver tire

    Click on that link for one vendor.

    regards,
    kyfdx

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  • davealfdavealf Member Posts: 1
    our 2008 335i came with the potenza re050a rft, we got 27000 and one tire wore on inner rim.

    of the various brands, anyone find one they think wears longer
  • rflrfl Member Posts: 100
    I've had terrific results with Continental Conti Pro Contact SSR's on my 335xi. Going on 20m and they look and ride like brand new. I forced the dealer to take off the crappy Bridgestones and give me the Contis at delivery or would not accept the car. Have had Bridgestone experience and would not take a set for free. Have actually gotton used to the RFT's (3 BMW with them) because of the Contis and on a recent long trip was glad I had them..
  • johnnylarajohnnylara Member Posts: 2
    Hi,

    I have a 2007 BMW 335 w/ Bridgestone run flat tires. I have under 16K miles and drive only on smooth roads. I have had 2 of the run flat tires damaged when the flat tire monitor came up and i was driving less than 10 miles at 35-40 miles per hour. After finding a gas station to put air in, it wouldn't even take the air as the inside side of the tire was just leaking the air out. This has happened to each of the 2 tires within the last 8 months.

    Has anyone had this problem and do you have any suggestions. I had to pay around $500 for each tire and I think this is a company defective tire.

    Please advise.

    Thank you!

    Johnny Lara
  • larry175larry175 Member Posts: 68
    google bmw class action bridgestone or similar and put your name on the list. meanwhile buy four yokohoma avos' and enjoy driving again. save one of the rfts as a spare.
    good luck
  • jajjaj Member Posts: 55
    There is a TSB that has BMW dealerships paying 50% of replacement cost for those tires that go bad with less than 20K miles (100% coverage for under 10K miles). This applies to tires manufactured during a particular time; my guess would be you qualify. Good luck.
  • cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,495
    Using an RFT as a spare on a car with real tires is a bad plan. You'd have to be old as dirt to know this, but there were many warnings against mixing bias-ply and radial tires on the same car, back when radial tires for cars were being introduced.

    Being young and somewhat stupid, I ignored the advice & put a bias-ply spare on the rear of my MGB with three radials. The first time I went around a 270 deg ramp, I learned they were right.

    Never mix tires with vastly different sidewall characteristics on the same car.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
  • larry175larry175 Member Posts: 68
    bias ply and radial have nothing to do with rfts and non rfts. The onlyn diff is in the side walls being stiffer in rfts. On the other nhand go out and buy a donut, jack and wheel for about another $500. And you should have known the difference with your mgb . so nothing has changed. Did you say you were still driving the mg?
  • cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,495
    Did you say you were still driving the mg?

    No, that was almost 40 years ago.

    Happy to learn that bias vs. radial ply has nothing to do with sidewall stiffness or performance. Even at my age, you can learn something new every day.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
  • mikethekmikethek Member Posts: 5
    After raising heck with BMW corporate I received new front tires free of charge. I had 9500 miles on the old ones. I have a 208 335xi coupe with sport package. When the back ones wear out prematurely (and they will) I will demand new ones also.
  • johnnylarajohnnylara Member Posts: 2
    That gives me a light at the end of the tunnel. Any tips/advice on how i can get reimbursed that you can help me with?
    I have a 2007 335 and only drive in the streets. less than 16000 miles and 2 have busted within the last 6 months. I never even drove past the 40 mph mark when the flat tire warning came on and i got as far as 10 miles before it was undrivable. These run flats do not run flat.

    BMW keeps telling me to complain to Bridgestone.

    Help!

    [email protected]
  • larry175larry175 Member Posts: 68
    geez, i thought i was the oldest kid on the block. how old are you? 40 years ago you say.
  • pearlpearl Member Posts: 336
    My 2007 328 came with Bridgestone EL42 RFTs. They were very loud after a few thousand miles and at 8K miles the dealer relplaced them with Conti RFTs. MUCH better overall, but I had two flats with them, neither of which could be repaired. At 42K, I dumped the RFTs for new Michelin Pilot Exaltos and I bought a Conti Comfort Kit (pump and tire goop) for emergencies. I have about 2K on the Michies and they are quieter and handle better than either the Bridgestones or Contis.
    As for "consensus", I don't think you will get it either here or on any of the BMW boards (Bimmerfest, etc). Everyone has an opinion. I suggest you go to Tire Rack and read all of their comparisons and make your choice yourself.
  • aldubyaaldubya Member Posts: 38
    I have a 2007 328XI with Conti RFTs. I complained of noisy rough ride and at about 3K miles, the dealer changed the Bridgestones to Contis at no charge. Although better, the Contis are still noisy and ride rough. I had a BMW 3 series 2001 and 2004 with regular tires (not RFTs). Much more enjoyable ride and not noisy. Are RFTs here forever?
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    "Are RFTs here forever?"

    Many of us are hoping not. I find myself wondering if BMW is going to learn anything from Honda's retreat from the RFT market segment, and if they do, what will their fall-back position be for cars like the 3-Series that don't have a spare tire well.

    Best regards,
    Shipo
  • johnsamjohnsam Member Posts: 55
    I have had 2 sets of Bridgestone RFTs (1 at 25,000)(still on 2nd set at 42,000 but showing wear) and I agree that if I wanted noisey tires I would have had WalMart "specials" installed. (2006 330i with ALL options).
    What a total waste of a "good" car.
    I also carry a "donut" spare (and all the accessories) as I have found out the hard way that replacements could take a minimum of a day to arive in Springfield, Oregon.
    Yes as far as BMW is concerned, their customers love RFTs and they are sticking with them.
    Will be a factor in buying a replacement for this car before warranty runs out.

    John :surprise:
  • xeyexeye Member Posts: 168
    Hi Shipo, Long time.

    My Conti RFTs in my '07 335xi have almost 22,000 miles and heading into their 3rd winter in Boston with no concerns. My wife has about 13,000 miles on her EL42s on her '08 328xi. Maybe we've been lucky - noise, without direct A/B comparison to a GFT is no different, grip is fine (Bridgestone slightly better in curves), and the tires hold air better than most tires I've ever had.

    I won't even write about a flat for fear of jinxing myself. My wife's previous '95 318ti buried the REAL spare under the floor. If BMW could do that with a REAL tire on the current turbo'd line, it would make for an epiphany moment with these readers and have me as a customer for a long time. Unless they go that route, I will have to make at least twice as many trips to the leaf dump by losing the fold-down seat capability and a gigantic tub of rubber siting in my trunk like my father's 1968 Chrysler 300 (with the 440 4-barrel carb, BTW).

    I make a lot of trips up I-89 to Montreal. If it happens that I get marooned between exits with no wheels, you can bet I will be, to say the very least, the most vociferous advocate for suggesting that every RFT manufacturer take their tires and do the unnatural with them.

    But that's just my $0.02. Happy motoring, and may your travels be trouble-free.

    xeye

    BTW, is anyone in the area going to the BMW Concours d"Elegance at Wagner Motors in Shrewsbury on Sunday September 13th (9 AM to 3 PM)?
  • highlandpetehighlandpete Member Posts: 46
    RFTs forever?

    Read this..... Bridgestone "3G" Third generation run-flats. I'm sure BMW will fall in love with Bridgestone once again. ;)

    http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/06/reviewed-bridgestone-3g-rft-tires-taking-the-- shock-out-of-run/

    I'm in contact with a Bridgestione field engineer for comments on use in the UK.

    HighlandPete
  • jagostjagost Member Posts: 13
    I'm on my third BMW, and I do not like the RTF tires. But to put everything in propective. Almost all cars today come with high performance tires. Those 18" tires that are 35 and 40s in sizes (low profile). Those tires always wear out fast. In fact, Lexus had me sign paperworks when I brought a IS250 stating that I knew. In addition, those tires make alot of noises, run flat or no run flat. The best bet is to buy 17" tires in the 50-55 size. But the 18" 35 and 40 look so cool.

    I'm going to try out the third generation run flat tires, but my next car will have 17" tires in the 50-55 size range. You get out of those high performance tires by ordering your car directly from the factory. But if you buy what the dealer has on the lot.... guess what, you are stuck with high performance low profile tires. Check out what the BMW and Lexus sites show as standard equipment, then check the dealer's lot.
  • jagostjagost Member Posts: 13
    What I mean from my above statement is that their is no major different between 18" RFT and 18" Regular tires. And that a BMW with RFT that are 17" at 245-55-17 for example will run and the tires will last almost as long as the non-flat tires of the same sizes. The problem are those 18" low (245-40-18) profile, cool looking tires that dealers force you to buy because those are the only tires on the cars on the lot.
  • xeyexeye Member Posts: 168
    Does anyone know if these 3rd Gen tires come in a 225-45 17 All-Season version? I'm sick of changing wheels/tires twice a year and my Contis have worked just fine in deep snow for 2 seasons and should for at least at least a third season.

    As well, what is the consensus between Conti ProContact and these new supposedly better Bridgestones? I have the Contis now and I'm happy with them, but I'll likely need a new set within 10-15K miles.

    Are the 3G tires even generally available yet?

    Thanks.

    (335)xeye
  • runningdocrunningdoc Member Posts: 32
    A quick question - I will be picking up a 335i in the next day in the southeastern US. When I pick it up, the dealer offers two aftermarket warranty packages:

    1) A multishield protection package - 5 year coverage of tire and wheel damage, Door Ding repair, Windsheild repair, and emergency roadside assistance. It seems that the last feature is useless on the car, but given the trouble people are reporting with the run flats, I wondered thoughts of the tire and wheel damage feature. It costs about $900.

    2) A Nanotechology (from paradigm automotive) covering paint (an exterior protection plan), glass, and interior stains, including rips, etc. Again, about another $900. Again, a 5 year plan.

    Any thoughts on either of these, or has anyone had experience with same?

    Thanks!
  • jonsdadjonsdad Member Posts: 4
    I purchased the wheel and tire insurance. I live in NJ and there are lots of potholes.

    My last car an Acura TSX needed tires do to bubbles on sidewall after hitting a pothole after snow storm.

    The tire and wheel for me was for 5 years. Haven't used it yet but still have a few winters to go.
  • highlandpetehighlandpete Member Posts: 46
    3G's are not yet available in the UK, next year? So not sure we will see too many options for a while.

    On Bridgestone vs. Conti, we have issues with both here in the UK. Premature edge wear and strange driving characteristics. I sense many US users have a thing about mileage. In the UK we are used to shorter tire life, due to running performance tires for many years, so 20k miles is not an issue. Tire performance is.

    HighlandPete
  • runningdocrunningdoc Member Posts: 32
    I'm looking at the same thing - is the tire warranty vendor IAS?
  • sujdsujd Member Posts: 1
    Hi,
    Lot of people on this forum are talking about changing the run flats on their bmws for regular tires. Is there any issue with the manufacturer's warranty if regular tires are used? Meaning if I were to use regular tires would it void the warranty or would dealers refuse to cover something under warranty?

    Thanks
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    No, no issues with the warranty. Some dealers might try using scare tactics to steer you away from chucking your RFTs in favor of GFTs, but unless they can prove that the GFTs directly caused any given failure, they cannot legally deny coverage.

    Best regards,
    Shipo
  • ltijerinaltijerina Member Posts: 3
    I have a 06 325xi and I want to replace the RFT with Radials on the same rim. Can this be done? I assume it's not possible, but maybe some of ya'll have done this before.
  • johnsamjohnsam Member Posts: 55
    There should be no problem with the replacement (as so many Bimmer owners have done) BUT first check with your tire dealer to make sure the tires being bought will be accomodated by the rims.
    You did not say if you have the Sports Package which brings up another problem (larger / more expensive rear tires). My 2006 330i has the SP and when I changed from RFTs to Rads the sticker shock on the rears left me wondering if I should invest in a new car.
    Also hope that your BMW new car warranty is up as some dealers will not cover "some" repairs if they see that Rads have been installed.
  • ltijerinaltijerina Member Posts: 3
    The car has 235/30/19 on all fours. No, I don't have the SP, which I'm greatful for as this car is expensive to maintain.
    I've got almost 32k miles, so it's currently under warranty. If I make any changes it won't be until after the warranty expires.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Feel free to lose the RFTs any time you like, doing so will not affect the warranty in any way, shape or form.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 234,725
    You've got 235/30-19s on an AWD car?!

    Where do you live? :surprise:

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  • ltijerinaltijerina Member Posts: 3
    Yes, 19s. What really surprised me when I bought the car was the low profile tires (30 -height). But I gotta say, it makes the car look awsome.

    I live Houston, Tx.
  • qaliqali Member Posts: 60
    I drive a 2007 335i sedan with 225/45/17 RFTs. I am going to be fitting non RFT winter tires of size 205/50/17. Questions:
    1. Will the 205/50/17 fit over my BMW rims or would I have to buy new rims?
    2. What happens with the sensors in the rims when non-RFT winter tires are installed on the BMW rims? Will the tire shop know how to turn off the diagnostics that manage the TPMS and the sensors that indicate a flat tire?
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 234,725
    Ahhh... Houston.. surprised they even sell any AWD 3-series down there...

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  • orsinus1orsinus1 Member Posts: 2
    I just replaced my RFT's with GFTs. Smoother, quieter, more comfortable ride. I like the feel and handling better as well. The RFT's only had 1300 miles on them. I replaced them with Michelin PS2s. Way better.

    I do not understand how BMW can continue to harm its reputation by using the RFT's. I am having to spend money after the sale to improve a "premium" vehicle by replacing new tires after 6 weeks of owning the new 328. Makes it very unlikely that I will ever own another BMW.
  • sensysensy Member Posts: 1
    i totally agree with jefferson... i bought a 2007 BMW 328i sedan 4 months back and it had 12000 miles on it..i put on 8000 miles on it and the tires look totally bald... i went to the showroon only to find out that the each tire costs around 225 dollars...i really feel costco tires are much better worth and come with 65000 miles warranty atleast and are lot cheaper although not run flat...i am confused abt this now...
  • frugalduranfrugalduran Member Posts: 3
    I have slightly more than 23,000 miles with my original set of RF. I bought my car at Brahman too. I faithfully rotate the tires --- front to back --- every 6,000 miles. I also try not to peel off when I take off. The tires have a hard rubber causing me to slip more often than in any of my previous cars, specially in whet conditions.
    The last tire rotation was done by a dealer and at this point they cross rotated the tires and did a wheel alignment which also took into account the suspension's camber. As the tires wear out unevenly, they affect the camber and this inturn eats up your tires faster.
    For regular rotation I trust Tire Kingdom at about $55 vs $200 at a dealer.
  • crayorcrayor Member Posts: 8
    I have a 2007 328 coupe that I have leased for close to three years, the lease ends this year in December. A couple of weeks ago I went to my dealership and had a pre-inspection. The guy spent less then 5 minutes inspecting my car then he turned me over to the sales person. I wasn't given the lease end inspection form nor a walk around vehicle inspection report but I was told that I would have to replace the front and rear bumper covers because of scratches. The cost will be $800.00. At the signing of the lease I bought a lease protection plan for $800.00 it was suppose to cover minor dents, dings scratches for the three years? I was told by several people that a good body shop could fix the the scratches. There are not any dents where the scratches are. A few days ago I called the guy who did the inspection and ask for my copies of the inspection. I asked him for the walk around vehicle inspection report, what I received was the inspection lease end pre- inspection form with the costs. Should I get a third party opinion? Like a reputable body shop?
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