BMW 3-Series Run Flat Tires

shipo

I think you're confusing a few other issues.

1) Cars equipped with summer tires (i.e. RWD cars with the Sport Package and AWD cars with the performance tire package) do in fact usually need tires by 20,000 miles.
2) Cars that came from the factory with the crappy Bridgestone EL42 RFTs (allegedly fixed by Bridgestone, the jury is still out) are suffering from premature tire wear that usually requires replacement within the first 20,000 miles. That said, the replacement isn't because the tires are down to the wear-bars, it's due to excessive noise.
3) Cars with the Continental all-season RFTs (either from the factory or as a result of a replacement) seem to be experiencing tirewear that indicates a tread life of at least thirty to forty thousand miles.

Clear?

As for treadwear, when I turned in my last BMW (with factory rubber), I was told that the minimum is 5mm of tread depth. All of my tires had at least that even though they were summer performance tires. That said, I ran winter tires during the snowy seasons, and that was enough so preserve enough tread life on the summer rubber to that I didn't need to buy a set of those as well.

Best Regards,
Shipo

rjd2

Both of my cars are 2006 and over the past few months have become intolerable to drive due to the road noise 20 to 40 mph. Both have RFTs. I have been reading the discussions. What can I expect from the dealer tomorrow? The 325 has 20,500 miles and the 330 has 15, 000 miles??

shipo

The official BMW plan says that you can have your tires replaced free of charge if there are less than 10,000 miles on them and at half cost if they have less than 20,000 miles on them. As such, your 330i is good to go for half price, however, your dealer is going to have to use some creative accounting to cover the 325i.

Best Regards,
Shipo

alex_76

Thanks shipo. But there're 3 kinda Conti as they post on tirerack.com , so which one i should go for ? And one more thing , should I rotate my tires cuz the only 2 front are in edge- torn. Now its so noisy that the sounds real disturb !

Regards,

shipo

"...there're 3 kinda Conti as they post on tirerack.com, so which one i should go for?"

The only All Season Conti RFT that Tire rack lists for the 2006 330i is the Continental ContiProContact SSR in the 225/45 R17 size. The other two Continental tires that Tire Rack lists in your size are summer performance tires, tires that will give you better handling, shorter tread life and zero traction in the winter time.

As for what you should do now, order your car a new set of four tires and then rotate them every 7,500 miles.

Best Regards,
Shipo

sky11

What is the optimum tire size that can be mounted on a BMW style 73 rim 17 x 7.5J ? Going to store the run flats and down size (ala Shipos' recommendation) with GFT's and have a set of the 73's available. Thanks

shipo

The optimal size for 17x7.5" wheels is 225/45 R17, and in that size you have a huge selection of tires to choose from (TireRack lists some 148 different tires). Of that list, there are three different basic categories of tires (winter, summer and all-season), for which I've listed a few per that I'd consider for my own car:

Winter
Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60 -- $135
Michelin Primacy Alpin PA3 -- $154

Summer
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 -- $155
Michelin Pilot Sport -- $184
Yokohama ADVAN Sport -- $180

All-Season
Goodyear Eagle RS-A -- $162
Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season -- $138
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S -- $181
Yokohama ADVAN S.4. -- $166

I hope this helps.

Best Regards,
Shipo

sky11

Thanks Shipo, just looked the 73s' up on BMW web site and they list the rim as a 7" - does that make a difference?

shipo

Yes and no. The 225/45 R17 tires will fit 17x7.0" wheels, it's just that 17x7.5" are the optimal rim width for those tires.

Best Regards,
Shipo

kyfdx

I think the rims are 17 X 7... Look for 205/50-17 for that rim..

salmaz

I started noticing increased road noise at about 14-15K miles. I mentioned this when I brought in my 2006 330i for regular "free" service and was ultimately told that all the tires needed to be replaced due to "cupping". They said that because they had less than 20K miles on them, they would pay for 2 tires, pay for installation on all 4, and charge me cost on the other 2 which came to $250 ($125 ea.). Considering what I read so far in this forum, I guess I got a good deal, no? :confuse:

circlew

Absolutely a good deal. I assume you have the Continental RFT now. You will be happy.

BTW, one flat I had back in 2006 cost me ~$300 due to:

1) Cost of EL42 at the time = $225 + $25 mount/balance - GoodYear Dealer
2) Cost of replacing damaged wheel (Goodyear dealer expense) at BMW , mounting/balancing = $50

Regards,
OW

salmaz

I pick up the car later today, but they told me I'd get Continentals. I, too, got a flat a few months back, but I had purchased the insurance so it was fully covered. Too bad the policy doesn't cover this issue! :mad:

jenn1269

I HAVE 20K ON 325I BMW 2006 SPORT PKG AND NEED NEW TIRES. I HAVE BEEN TOLD SO MANY DIFF STORIES DON'T KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE. I'D LIKE TO FIND THE LEAST EXP WAY TO GET NEW TIRES BUT THEY SAY I HAVE TO HAVE RFT CAUSE OF NO SPARE, AND IF USE A SPARE IT COULD DAMAGE RIM. HELP

circlew

If it's a lease, you must commit to RFT if you are close to your last 16K miles left. Just go for Continental RFT for your car. Great tire - $600 for all 4 from TireRack.

Regards,
OW

retiredteach1

During the Thanksgiving break I need to shop for tires for my '06 325i with 52500 mi. on the original Bridgestone RFTs. Got herer by driving like a retired teacher (I am). The noise it awful but my local tire shop tells me I've been safe, with the help of rotations, etc. BMW told me they were 'shot' a year ago but this was before BMW acknowledged they'd goofed.

I plan to shop at my local dealer -- what should I look for? He is encouraging the GFTs. I am willing to get the ContiComfortKit too. Wondering what other conservative drivers would suggest -- including those of you who transport grandchildren.

shipo

As circlew wrote, if you are leasing your car and will be returning it during the next set of tires, you MUST ust RFTs. Given that your 325i has the Sport Package, your RFT options are a bit thin and are as follows:

$ per Set -- Tire make and model
$998.00 -- Bridgestone Potenza RE050A II RFT (V-Rated)
$758.00 -- Continental ContiSportContact 2 SSR (W-Rated)
$734.00 -- Pirelli eufori@ (W-Rated)
$868.00 -- Pirelli eufori@ (V-Rated)

On the otherhand, if you own the car and want to consider GFTs, your options are plentiful. A few of my personal choices are as follows:

$ per Set -- Tire make and model
$718.00 -- Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 (W-Rated)
$808.00 -- Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 (Y-Rated)
$790.00 -- Yokohama ADVAN Sport (Y-Rated)
$492.00 -- Yokohama S.drive (Y-Rated)

Best Regards,
Shipo

shipo

If you decide to stay with with RFTs, the jury seems to have spoken and the verdict is the Continental ContiProContact SSRs at $480 per set from TireRack. Period, full stop, the end.

If you decide to go with GFTs then TireRack lists no fewer than 145 different makes, models and speed ratings for your car, so take your pick.

retiredteach1

How does the sport package make a difference. I don't have the sport package.
I am shopping too -- see my post #1496 (2nd down from yours).

I started talking tires at about 25K. I put up with the noise until now. Rotations helped the wear. BMW does NOT recommend rotations so I am not suggesting it to you in any way. But I did it.

retiredteach1

Thanks ... I've been following the tire drama and your responses. Appreciate the advice.

shipo

While BMW may not recommend tire rotations, any BMW with the same sized rubber all the way around will benefit from tire rotations.

As for why the Sports Package makes a difference, RWD 3-Series cars without the Sports Package and AWD 3-Series cars have the same sized All-Season tires all around and can have their tires rotated. As for the RWD 3-Series cars with the Sports Package, they come exclusively summer performance rubber and mostly with wider rear wheels and tires than what is mounted on non-SP cars.

Best Regards,
Shipo

jenn1269

THANKS FOR THE INFO. I DO OWN THE CAR SO ARE THE OTHER OPTIONS RUN FLAT OR REGULAR BECAUSE IF NO RUNFLAT I DON'T HAVE A SPARE.

notzoro

For those of us with a 2006 sports package, the front and rear tires are different widths. Is it possible to use the same size tire in the front and rear of sport package sedans? If not, then are my only options 1) role the dice and hope the full size spare is the size of the next flat I get 2) carry both a front and rear full size spare 3) don't carry any spares and just get that ContiCare patch kit? I've got 34K on my vehicle and have had two RFT's go out dead...but still drove fine when they did go and I was able to go a full 60 miles after the fact, so RFT's are not completely useless for those of us commuting 60 miles per day. I also had the tire/wheel extended warranty so replacement was covered entirely.

stevenj815

2006 330i Bridgestone Run Flats. I should of switched a year ago! Noisy, Harsh Ride. I have 225/45-17. Finally switched to Yokohama's AVID H 4S ($107 each)
High Performance All-Season tires. What a difference. Smoother, quieter ride. Tires have great traction on dry or wet streets. BMW must have lost their minds with the Run Flats. I more than a bit pissed at BMW. If I didn't love the car so much, I would have switched for a Lexus or something else.
Also bought Conti-Comfort pack just in case. Tire Rack no problem.

Be careful where you take these tires to be put on. I went to NTW in Deptford, NJ. Besides gouging 2 of my RF's taking them off they also scratched up to rims.
Steve

jaxs1

If you exchange the OEM non-sport package tires on your leased 3 series sedan and wanted to save them so they can reinstalled at lease-return time, would you have to get another vehicle to transport them?

Would you be able to squeeze them in the trunk or put two or three in the trunk and the other one or two in the back seat with tarp to protect the interior or are the door and trunk openings too small even for tires without rims?

I could get one of those overhead storage racks for the garage so the tires could be out of the way for 3 years.

circlew

You will have a difficult time transporting the 4 RFT's back in the 3. If you cover the front and rear seats you could get in 3 tires and one in the trunk.

I believe the O/H racks would be great as long as there is clearance for the tires. In your picture 2 for each rack would be great if the width clears that space.

Regards,
OW

us015478

I was all set to buy a new 2008 BMW 328i Coupe (first new car in 15 years) - until I stumbled across all these postings with problems on run-flats. What to do? Order without the Sport Package and then what? Run the car until the tires die and then put on new wheels and non-RFT? Expensive. Or just buy a Mustang?

rfl

A Mustang? Surely you jest !

Buy the 328 (without the sports package) insist on Continental ContiProContact SSR tires- do not settle for ANYTHING ELSE and enjoy the car.

shipo

I'm not sure what the Sport Package has to do with your decision, after all, every 3-Series car comes with RFTs, regardless of the suspension or the drive orientation.

Personally, if I was in your shoes, I'd order a 328i SP and then a set of two Style 161 17x8.0 inch wheels to replace the wide factory rear wheels*. Then as the factory tires were getting near minimum tread depth, I'd sell the rear wheels and RFTs on E-Bay, toss the front RFTs and buy a set of four new 225/45 R17 GFTs from your favorite tire maker as well as the Continental flat tire kit. In this configuration you can pick and choose the tire that best meets your needs AND you can rotate the tires for maximum tread life and noise reduction purposes.

Best Regards,
Shipo

* If you are intending on buying a 328i Coupe instead of the Sedan, then you'll need to buy two Style 197 18x8.0 wheels for the rear and then buy a set of four 225/40 R18 tires.

shipo

Please note, Continental does NOT make ContiProContact SSR tires in a size that will fit the Sport Package version of the 328i, Sedan or Coupe, makes no difference as they simply aren't available.

Best Regards,
Shipo

us015478

Shipo,

Do I have this right?

1. Buy the 328i Coupe w/ Sport Package
2. Drive the car/endure the RFT ride until new tires are needed
3. Buy (2) 18x8.0 wheels to replace the rear 18x8.5 wheels
4. Replace (4) tires with something like Michelin Pilot Sport PS2

Thanks for your help,

us015478

Shipo,

If I go with the non-SP (RFT on 16 inch wheels), can I later put GFT on those 16 inch wheels? What would the 16 inch ride feel like compared to the 18 inch ride once I got GFTs on?

Thanks,

shipo

Yeah, that's more or less what I was suggesting. FWIW, you don't actually need to replace the rear wheels to convert over to GFTs, you just won't be able to rotate your tires unless you do.

Best Regards,
Shipo

shipo

"If I go with the non-SP (RFT on 16 inch wheels), can I later put GFT on those 16 inch wheels?"

Okay, here's the deal, the 328i sedan comes with 16" wheels as standard and 17" wheels with the Sport Package. The 328i Coupe comes with 17" wheels as standard and 18" wheels with the Sport Package.

That said, you can fit 16" wheels to a Coupe if you want to, but short of doing so for a winter set of wheels I cannot imagine why you'd want to do that.

As for ride and handling, while I have not had the experience of trying these cars with different sets and sizes of wheels and tires, my bet would be that a 17" set of performance GFTs will give you the best bang for the buck in that they'll handle every bit as well as the 18" RFTs (probably better) and ride virtually as well as the 16" RFTs.

For my part, regardless of whether I was wanting the Sedan or the Coupe (in fact, regardless of whether I was getting a 328i or a 335i), I'd be inclined to go for a set of four 18x8.0 Style 197 wheels (the wheels that come with the 328i Coupe SP) as I like the look of those wheels the best of any available on the 3-Series.

FWIW, RFTs and GFTs of the same size fit the same rims so it makes no difference from a mounting perspective.

Best Regards,
Shipo

circlew

Good Taste!

Style 197 Wheels 18X8.0



Regards,
OW

jenn1269

IF I BUY NON RUNFLAT CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT CONTI-COMFORT PACK DOES AND HOW RELIABLE IS IT IF I GET A FLAT. WILL IT DAMAGE RIMS IF DRIVEN TO CLOSEST PLACE TO GET A NEW TIRE

rjd2

After just spending over a thousand dollars on RFT's for repacemnts for my 2006 325xi and my 330xi, I would seriously consider another car.

shipo

Hmmm, something's amiss. Per the BIY tool on the BMW-USA site, the 328i SP (which comes with Style 197 wheels) looks like this:



Best Regards,
Shipo

nkeen

When I do my summer to winter swap, I put two in the trunk and two on the backseat with sheet to keep the seat clean (325i with SP).

circlew

Sorry, my bad. I like the "real" ones also. I wonder if they are tougher to keep clean.

Regards,
OW

shipo

Tough to keep clean? Uhhh, yeah that. Both of my BMWs have had that same basic design (Style 42 on my 328i and Style 42 2-Piece on my 530i) and yes, they are a rightous pain in the hind parts to keep clean. That said, once I changed my brake pads to PBR/Axxis Deluxe pads, they didn't get all of that nasty brake pad build-up on them and were no more difficult to keep clean than a set of full coverage 1970s hub caps. :P



Best Regards,
Shipo

kyfdx

Yeah.. but, where is the picture of the tire/wheel in the bathtub?

shipo

Actually I like to shower with mine. :P

sjthomas

I am sorry if this is not the right place to ask but I am sure this is a basic question that the pros can answer.

I was on vacation last week and left my 2003 325i in the garage. Today I found that I had a flat on my front driver side tire. There was a nail that I didn't remove.

I was wondering if there is any pump that I can get it from autozone or advance auto parts to inflate so that I can atleast get it to the mechanic.

Any suggestions? Or do I have to call Roadside assistance?

Thanks for your help.

shipo

As I see it you have three options:

1) Roadside Assistance (to either tow you or to mount your spare)
2) Jack your car up and mount your spare tire yourself
3) Most every autoparts store in the country will (or should) carry battery powered air compressors for tires which you can use to re-inflate your tire.

Best Regards,
Shipo

sjthomas

Hello Shipo,
I think the third idea is probably good one. I have seen air compressor's under $20

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?recordId=903&L- ist=List&state_1=&storeZip=07080&langId=-1&store=&storeCity=South+plainfield&pro- ductId=100059367&jspStoreDir=hdus&errorViewName=StoreFinderView&city=&storeState- =NJ&marketID=15&catalogId=10053&zip=08854&storeId=10051&locStoreNum=903&distance- _2=50&distance_1=50

http://www.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=271599&PartnerID=FROOGLE&Bann- erID=PD558

I shall fill it up and take it to the nearest shop to fix the flat.

Thanks for your help,
Steve.

lfx28

Hi:
I was looking to purchase either the G35x or the 328 xi. I was leaning towards the 328 but after reading all the postings about RFTs, I'm not sure now. Most of my driving will be around Chicago. How really bad are the RFTs. The G35x would probably cost me about $ 500 - 600 more per year in gas plus 4 oil changes at about $ 50 each.

dglassm

I was set on getting 335xi or 330xi but after researching the rft events I am going for G35x with sport package - the Japanese BMW is a good performer with no major headaches built in . RFT ever present headache ...
On the other hand you could install normal tires and throw a donut in the trunk.
But the most basic question , do you want 306 or 230 hp ?

shipo

"I was set on getting 335xi or 330xi... But the most basic question , do you want 306 or 230 hp ?"

230 HP? Last time I checked the 328xi put out 230 hp, by all accounts the 335xi put out more like 350 to the crank and 300 to the wheels, well over the G35x.

Best Regards,
Shipo

ftarpley

Sorry if this question has been asked before but I couldn't find an answer when I searched previous posts.
I own a 2006 325 sedan with basic suspension. The Bridgestone RFTs have about 22K miles and are very LOUD. I want to replace them and know the Continental RFT are the way to go for the RFT replacement. My question is if I decide to replace both tires and wheels (aftermarket, not BMW) what happens with the RFT sensor? Can I use the aftermarket wheel without constantly getting some kind of warning light for low air pressure? Will this void the BMW warranty?
Wish I had found this site a year ago.....
Thanks,
Frank