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BMW 3-Series Run Flat Tires

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Comments

  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    snsn,

    If you have 29,000 miles on the tires, please replace them all. ALL tires are basically junk after 30,000 miles. You also do not want good grip on 1 tire and really poor traction on the others coming into winter. $193 each is an OK price. They are $165 at tirerack.com for the el42 bridgestone but by the time you add mounting+balancing you will be over your quoted price (but make sure your price includes balancing). Also, check out a local Firestone dealer. They carry bridgestone and I know they were on sale last month. You might want the Continental tires in the followng link which have been advised by other posters here.

    http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ContiProC- ontact+SSR&vehicleSearch=true&partnum=055HR6CPCSSRV2&fromCompare1=yes&place=0&sp- eed_rating=HR&speed_rating=VR&speed_rating=ZR&speed_rating=WR&speed_rating=YR&mi- nSpeedRating=H
  • lipplipp Member Posts: 58
    Please, whatever you do..........don't go with Bridgestone RFT's. I replaced mine with the Conti's and the difference is dramatic. Numerous posts on this board agree with me regarding this situation. The Bridgestone's may last 30,000 miles but the noise is horrible. The Conti's are less expensive and the lack of noise and the improved ride quality make them a better choice.
  • snsnsnsn Member Posts: 56
    Although my husband disagrees, I have opted for replacing all 4 tires. My car is driven the most; therefore, safety is a key issue for me and my family. My husband disagrees because we plan on trading the car in for a SUV within a year. I went to the BMW from a Sequoia because I had a really long drive to work. I am at a new job, closer to home and really miss the legroom my SUV provided.
  • screwbluetoothscrewbluetooth Member Posts: 10
    I have the Bridgestone Turanza EL42 RFT on my 2006 BMW 325i with 26,000 miles. What can I say??? I feel like I'm in the "Flinstones car with Barney and Fred". It's not BMW's fault. I take clients in my car constantly (Realtor) and I thought I was getting old and hearing more noise. These are the WORST tires on earth. I am in Minnesota and ready to put my Winter tires on 2 months early. All I can say, is that the owners with only 6K, 12K, 18K are awaiting a "BIG" eye opening. RFT tires are going to compare with the 1976 AMC Pacer "Moon Bug" vehicle. Good thought, but unrealistic. Thank God my lease is up in 12 months on this car, cause I want 4 real tires and a donut spare or whatever, but not some of this RFT stuff.

    I look back on what I typed, and only have 1 after thought. It's the car is a 15+ on a scale of 1-10, and the stupid OEM tires they put on are a super joke.
  • skobolaskobola Member Posts: 207
    Hmm, I see that a lot of BMW owners are frustrated, however, I still do not have the same problem with Bridgestones. But I have a long way to go, as I'm currently at about 4,000 miles, which, I understand, is not even a time to have problems anyway. But in regard to other posts in regard to the possible replacements for Bridgestones, my friend has a BMW 530 with SP with GoodYear runflats, and he had picked up a nail, went immediately to repair it, and no problems whatsoever. He told me that he even would not even know about it, except for the flat tire indicator on the dashboard. And the GoodYear people repaired the problem (unplugged the nail) without usual BS about tires being not repairable, etc. So, it seems that GoodYears could be an option. Except, how come that GoodYears are not available for 3 series? Maybe 530's have wider tires or what, at least in the case of SP with 18" rims.
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    I hade my EL42 plugged by a Goodyear dealer but opted for a new tire at around 5K miles. I also see the problems with noise/ride harshness with these Bridgestones but mine are wearing even and performance is good so far.

    We need to keep an eye on this technology which will not go away but will only get better as the rubber compounds change to compliment the tire strength and balance the performance dynamics.
  • kenshirokenshiro Member Posts: 16
    I have Bridgestone Turanza EL42 RFT with about 12,000 on them. How many miles can I get out of those tires?
    Alos, I just got a flat on one of the tire and need to get it replaced (I bought the tire warranty), will it make the car run even worse because I am replacing only 1 new tire while the other 3 are old?
    As for the tire warranty, will they replace it with the exact tire, or can I change to a different brand?
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    One poster, snsn, got 29K miles on these tires.

    My recommendation is to put the new tire on the rear and the 2 with the least visible wear on the front. The car should be more stable.

    You will be best off with the same tire replacement to ensure consistent tread pattern for best results.
  • keanhookeanhoo Member Posts: 3
    I got to finish all 417 messages to make sure I post something useful (hopefully). This forum helps me a lot to understand many questions I got for my 06 325i ever since I got my car during Oct 05. Thank you folks :)

    I went to my annual oil service and got a chance to talk to the service adviser in person (the call never got a good response). I would like to share some info, maybe it'll help each of us to know more about our car.

    2006 325i AT, ~15k miles (need ~4k miles for the 1st maint service).
    Bridgestone Turanza RFT.
    Tires condition:
    Front: 29 PSI, 4/8
    Rear: 36 PSI, 3/8

    I think I have another 10k~15k miles to replace them. No rotation is needed as advised from them. However, my tires did went low on their pressure, make sure you check them at least every two months.

    I'm not an aggressive driver, but I do experience the same problems of the RFT after 10k miles on it. I talked to my service adviser about it, it's the tires issue, however, they didn't offer to replace them as I didn't try hard to get it.

    I checked with another three of my friends who own the same car, 1st one (~17k miles) had to go to some local shop to rotate the tires after BMW suggested not to rotate them, but the loud noise did come back after a while. 2nd one (~10k), not aware of the noise yet, as he thought it was supposed to sound like that...just like many of us. :P 3rd one (~10k), it's the Conti tires...I tested it...the handling is so much different, i wish I got that tires when i got the car.

    I don't think I'm going to get that free replacement from them, but hopefully it's still safe and will not cause any mechanical issue to our car.
  • lipplipp Member Posts: 58
    WOW!!! keanhoo, you're too easy.........your too soft. You paid a lot of money for a quality car with the worst tires in the world. Your ride will lack in quality and the sound will not be pleasent. BMW will not support you unless you fight for your rights as a consumer. BMW is the least consumer oriented company in the auto industry. If it's you're desire to accept this from BMW then so be it. One question.......did you NOT learn anything from reading the 417 messages on this forum???
  • gourmet2gogourmet2go Member Posts: 1
    I just came from a dealer, looking at the 2007 335 coupe. Turanza tires were on it.

    I'll ask about Continentals -- my question is, is there anyone who has driven the Conti's for a while that knows they're good? And how many miles can I expect from them?
  • deed450deed450 Member Posts: 5
    note the B/S in the title doesn't mean Bridgestone.After reading a good # of post and posting myself can anybody tell me how you benefit from having these tires in everyday use.
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    Everthing is true regarding excessive noise and ride harshness with these tires. The run flat capability is excellent from my experience. The side walls are very thick to support the weight of the car at zero pressure and it works. Performnce in the wet/snow is about average for all-season tires. Treadwear seems average by the reports on this board. My wear on the '06 330xi is very even so far at 10K,

    This technology must improve before complete acceptance by the consumers.
  • owner6owner6 Member Posts: 89
    all the 2007 3 series are coming to my dealer in Milford Delaware with Conti's on them.
    PS I have a 2006 330i and was considering going to a 335 coupe. However the comments on other chat blogs about the Turbo power plant overheating and powering off have backed me off to a "Wait and See Status".
    My Turanzas were replaced for free at 18,000 miles. I reported them as bad to my dealer at 12,000 but it took several months for BMW to agree to replace them.

    I have 13,000 miles on the replacement set, however this may sound spooky but they are quite, wearing smooth and riding gently. Its almost like they were reconstructed with a new rubber compound?

    Both the old and new sets were rotated every 5,000 and balanced at 10,000. I inflated according to the yellow sticker on the door column.

    Thats my experience - Owner6.

    PS: If I need a new set prior to a new car I will get the Conti's.
  • deed450deed450 Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for your imput, but if the sidewalls are so thick how did two tires develop bubbles.Now how long can I ride them with out risking a blow out.I leased a 330xi nine months ago,now with under 7000 miles.Sat my wife and I are going back to the dealer to demand Cont's or whatever they have in stock.Even if we have to stay there all day.
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    You are taking the right course of action. Return to BMW and get new tires. I also leased the 330xi and despite the flat which I changed (3K miles), the tires still look good at 10K miles.

    Looks like you got 2 bad tires. Make them change all tires for No Charge. Some got dealers to change tires over 10K.
  • jjdowjjdow Member Posts: 20
    First - thanks to all the posts here and in the other forums on BMW's. The 330i w/ Sport and Premium is my first Bimmer and I love it. I traded in a 6 yr old CLK430 and this is an upgrade for $15k + less.

    I almost allowed the RFT issue to keep me out of this car, but I'm glad I didn't. This car w/ Potenza's drives great and is quiet. I have 6K miles so far, and also have had no other reason to go to the dealer. My CLK would barely get 20K of miles on a set of tires, and I tried 3 different brands. That's to be expected w/ any car with staggered wheels that can't be rotated with these softer tires. If you dont have SP, then you can rotate and get more.

    The car is a little rough with the SP suspension and these tires on rough, patched up roads. But on a decent (not perfect) streets, and some of the new highways we have in Tx, this car is a dream to drive. Smooth, quiet, and it drives straight as an arrow without holding onto the wheel. It seems to drive better at 90 than 40. The cornering just at agreesive peeds is flat and smooth - awesome.

    thanks again to all the helpful info that untilmately put me in the ultimate driving machine
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    I agree with your assessment of the rft issue. I agree with you on the performance (despite the extra roughness and noise which is detectable but does not bother me as much as others on this board).

    Have fun and stay safe.
  • deed450deed450 Member Posts: 5
    There may be hope,went to BMW today.The guy in service said he never saw rft tires get bubbles on the sidewalls with no damage to the rims.He made us leave the car because it wasn't safe to drive.They gave us a loner and told us they would call us momday. I think ( hope) they change all 4 tires.Will let you know next week.
  • bruceomegabruceomega Member Posts: 250
    I am happy to report that my dealer, BMW of Arlington, told me yesterday that BMW is going to reimburse me the purchase price of the Continental RFTs that I put on my car to replace the Bridgestone EL42s. I bought two 2006 cars from them and they treated this as a customer satisfaction issue. They are not reimbursing me the cost of mounting, balancing and alignment, but I appreciate that I will get some money back.

    I saved the EL42 tires, but the dealer said they are not needed. How do you get rid of tires? Will the regular trash pick up take them away? Or do they require a special disposal process like paying a tire dealer to take them?

    Thanks
    Bruce
  • cubanito1cubanito1 Member Posts: 4
    I cant stand the noise anymore!! I buckled and tomorrow I am getting a new set of run flats after 25K miles on my 330i sport. The guy at the tire place said he has seen many irrate BMW owners since the new 3 series came out. Its costing me about 1260.00 out the door installed. Oh well hopefully somewhere down the line they will be cheaper, but for now my sanity if worth more than the tires
  • owner6owner6 Member Posts: 89
    Slow Down,
    You should be able to get a new set of Contie's for 1/2 the price. Out the door for about $600.00 max @ 5 % State Tax. Thats Tire City price in Maryland. Make sure you tell them to be careful withe the Wheels.
    Owner6
  • screwbluetoothscrewbluetooth Member Posts: 10
    Bottom line is that it is not BMW's fault. I am a realtor and had 3 different people in the car in the last 3 days and they were not car people. They all said "your brakes are poor". I am done explaining and just said "yes". I am getting my Blizzaks put on early and shipping the EL42 to Bridgestone "FREIGHT COLLECT" to their CEO's Front Desk. Not kidding either, as I will provide anyone the airway bill #. It's about time someone should stand up to their product.
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    Yes, be carefull with the rims. My advice is buy the tires and make BMW install for free because of the complaint.

    A Goodyear dealer wrecked my rim replacing an EL42 and the rim costs $350.

    Mounting/Balancing at BMW should be about 65$ per tire.
  • gerapaugerapau Member Posts: 211
    65$ per tire? Are you sure? That sounds like a lot.
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    It should be cheaper if you do all 4 tires at once...it cost me $65 replace the el42 onto a new rim, balance and install on the car.
  • bruceomegabruceomega Member Posts: 250
    I had all 4 of my new Continental RFTs mounted at the same time, using a local installer recommended by the Tire Rack web site. The price per tire for mounting, balancing, and new valve stems is listed at $43.00 for 45 series RFTs. My total bill, which inlcuded an alignment, taxes, etc. was $327 (I took my old tires with me so there was no disposal fee).

    Bruce
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    Bruce, where did you have the service done? Was it BMW?

    It looks like the alignment was ~$129 and tax $26 (8%)

    OW
  • adolf2adolf2 Member Posts: 9
    I was one of the first 2006 3 series owners to complain about the tires.
    After 10000, miles my dealer replaced the tires with the Continentals at no cost to me. I was told BMW will take care of it. My car is not a rental. I don't know if that makes a difference.TireRack list the price for Continentals
    RFT $103.00 per tire.So far I like those tires much better.
  • deed450deed450 Member Posts: 5
    BMW replaced two EL42 tires at no charge,Due to bubbles on the sidewalls.They told me Bmw needs to replace the shocks because they can't handle the weight of the transfer case an extra 300lbs.This is a problem for the 330xi.Right now the tires are taking the beating for the shocks.I have to wait till jan 07.May be then I can start to enjoy this car.
  • cbp1cbp1 Member Posts: 11
    I have a 2006 330i with Bridgestone Potenza run flats. So far, no problems, but I only have 3000 miles on them. Can anyone tell me if they are supposed to be rotated and if so, at what mileage? Thanks for the help.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    "Can anyone tell me if they are supposed to be rotated and if so, at what mileage?"

    The quick answer is "No".

    That having been said, if you are driving an AWD model or a non-SP model, then I would if I were you. Why? The same reason as one would rotate tires on any other car that has the same size rubber at all four corners, extending the life of your tires and keeping tire noise to a minimum.

    As for what the duration should be, well, I used 7,500 miles on my 530i and it worked perfectly.

    Keep us posted on what you decide to do.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • adolf2adolf2 Member Posts: 9
    Sorry I ment to say the car is not least.
    Just getting old.
    I did have to pay for the frontend alignment.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Sorry I ment to say the car is not least.

    I take it that your car is the most then. :P

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • waiwai Member Posts: 325
    If this is a FWD, can we rotate the second and third time after 15,000 miles interval to save time and cost assuming that the front tires will wear out two times faster than the rear tires?
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Uhhh, which BMWs are FWD?

    As for rotational intervals, I think that the tire compound is more of a factor than whether a car is AWD, FWD or RWD. For my cars that run All-Season rubber, 15,000 miles is my rotation interval out of the gate. For my cars that have softer Summer/Performance rubber I rotate at ~7,500 miles, errr, sort of.

    Basically I put winter rubber on in the Fall and then in the Spring I remount the Summer rubber on the same side as where they came from except I switch them from front to back. In the fall I do the same with my winter tires when I remount them.

    Said another way, "Relax", tire rotation interval is very much a gray zone and a couple of thousand miles either way ain't gonna make much of a difference. That said, DON'T take that same attitude with your oil change intervals. ;-)

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • bruceomegabruceomega Member Posts: 250
    OW,

    I had the work done at Craven Tire Company, Falls Church, VA (DC metro area). If you're familiar with the area, they are on Columbia Pike just north (?, going towards DC) of Baily's Crossroads.

    I need to check my receipt again, as I thought they told me the alignment would be about $200.

    Thanks
    Bruce
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    Shipo,

    I will rotate tires tomorrow as you specify. I see some slight cupping on outer tread shoulders in front at 11,600K. As you say, tires are 225/45 on front/back so it makes sense to me to do this.

    I will switch front to back, back to front on each side.

    Why does BMW spevify not to rotate the tires? Was this something new for 2006 or is this somthing to do with the offset sizes on some models? Did this occur in past models?

    BTW, I notice noise intermittent at slowdown but never at highway speed with these tires. They are wearing pretty even, however.

    Thanks for your advice.

    OW
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    "Why does BMW spevify not to rotate the tires?"

    My understanding is that there are two main reasons:
    1) Like you speculated below, cars with staggered tire sizes cannot have their tires rotated and as such this is a moot point for most non-AWD SP equipped cars.
    2) I've heard suggestions that BMW believes that tires "wear in" to their location on the car and that the cars' balance could be upset by rotating said tires. Personally I believe that this point is a bucket full of bilge water, but hey, I'm not a BMW engineer. :blush:

    "Was this something new for 2006 or is this somthing to do with the offset sizes on some models?"

    Something new for 2006? Nope, it's been around since I started researching the E46 back in 1998.

    "Did this occur in past models?"

    Yup.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • bruceomegabruceomega Member Posts: 250
    Oops, I had incorrect information on what I paid to mount my tires. Craven charged me $30/tire for mounting and balancing, $3/tire for valve stems, and $209.95 for alignment. This, plus shop fees and taxes, brought the total paid to $370.27

    The mounting costs they charged me were less than what is listed on the web.

    Bruce
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    Bruce,

    That's half the price I paid for the one tire at BMW in Eatontown, NJ. Craven obviously has the correct machine for the mag rims.

    Thanks!

    OW
  • circlewcirclew Member Posts: 8,666
    Dear Shipo,

    I could not rotate my tires today because there is a center lug underneath the BMW logo cap that needs a special tool. The manual did not warn me but advises to buy special tools from BMW.

    Can I get this tool anywhere else?

    Regards,
    OW
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Ummm, no, I don't think so.

    Unless something drastic has changed, there is no central lug anywhere, just the five lug bolts. I suspect that your wheels are simply stuck. Assuming that's the case, all you need to do is to work them a little and off they'll come. Worst case scenario, turn around facing away from the wheel and pop the outer most edge of the sidewall of the tire with your heel, first one side and then the other. The wheel should then come right off.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • pdhvpdhv Member Posts: 1
    go to your dealer and complain, they can replace them under warrenty if you have less than 20k miles. we are using conti run flats on the e90's now. they are cheaper and a better tire. they may make you buy an alighnment, but still cheaper than replacing out of pocket
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    About 3 weeks ago I replaced my RFTs on my e90 330i with basic Kumho performance tires. My RFTs are now in my garage rafters waiting to be slapped back on the car at lease end.

    Since that switch I've noticed:

    Ride is quieter
    Car handles uneven pavement and potholes without upsetting chassis
    Handling is sharper - taking corners at much higher speeds
    Road feedback is markedly improved
    Mileage has gone up
    Acceleration feels different (won't say faster, just different)
    Car overall feels more nimble, more point and shoot

    Essentially, ditching the RFTs I am reminded of my 03 330i ZHP but the e90 with non-RFTs handles even better.

    Anyone unhappy with RFTs, I strongly suggest you consider putting real tires on the car. The change is marked and all for the best...
  • cbanctcbanct Member Posts: 17
    Has anyone tried using Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires ?
    Michelin's website lists them as options for the 330i. They are not runflats though so that can be a problem.

    cbanct
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Why would it be a problem? RFTs = garbage that compromise ride, handling and performance.

    Many folks on bimmer boards have switched to Pilot Sports. The e9x's suspension is FAR better with real tires.
  • shiposhipo Member Posts: 9,148
    Hey Blue, I'm very much enjoying your experience with your new GetsFlat Tires (GFTs) as it can be used as vindication of sorts to some comments that I made here in the TownHall just prior to the release of the E90. In those comments I opined that the ride and handling of the E90 would be vastly improved by the reduction of unsprung tire weight via the simple process of putting real tires on the car instead of the heavy/sluggish RFTs.

    The funny thing is that I was immediately shot down each and every time I made such comments because many folks believed the BMW marketing rhetoric claiming that the suspension of the E90 had been "optimized for Run Flat Tires". Ummm, yeah, right. To my way of thinking, a suspension that can effectively cope with RFTs will improve immeasurably with the lighter and more responsive GFTs, I mean, unsprung weight is still unsprung weight no matter how you cut it.

    Best Regards,
    Shipo
  • jbrock22jbrock22 Member Posts: 18
    So if you switch real tires, what are you doing about a spare? A can of fix-a-flat?
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    What happens with a Porsche or an M3 with a flat? They get out their tire repair kit (Tire Rack has the continental kit which is the same as the BMW one). Same here. I've got the continental kit in my trunk.

    How often do you get flats?
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