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Thank you for your reply. I apologize for your frustrations with your tires.
The amount of safe driving your tires may be expected to provide is determined by a number of factors, such as tire inflation, wheel alignment, driving style, road conditions, and suspension settings. We do not have the ability to advise you in a technical matter via e-mail.
I apologize for the inconvenience this problem caused you; however, BMW does not manufacturer or warrant tires. If you have concerns with the specific tires on your vehicle, I suggest contacting Bridgestone for additional information or warranty coverage. You may also want to have your tires inspected by your local BMW center. They are in the best position to review your concerns in person and offer technical assistance.
If you have any further questions, please respond to this e-mail or contact the Customer Relations and Services Department at 1-800-831-1117, Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M., Eastern Standard Time. Again, thank you for contacting BMW.
No good, but I figured I'd share with the forum...
Recap: My main reason for considering replacing the run-flats was the horrendous ride. After 2500 miles with them, I was not experiencing the noise issues that others have reported. But hitting certain bumps in certain ways was downright frightening, and even slightly buckled expansion joints at highway speeds was enough to send shocks up the spine. The ride was also unusually jostling. I wasn’t sure if the majority of the problem was an unusually stiff suspension with the xi or the stiff run-flats, or both.
Update: I replaced the Turanza EL42’s with normal tires and can now answer the question with confidence – IT’S THE RUN-FLATS! I kid you not, but I’d already noticed a difference driving the first 15 feet out of the parking lot in front of the shop I had replaced the tires at. I have now driven about 500 miles on the new tires, and although all bumps are still felt, they are taken so much more softly. The magnitude of difference in ride quality is huge. Having said that, I still think the suspension is a bit jittery (maybe it’s just me since this is the first 3 series I’ve owned and I'm used to driving bigger cars, so maybe it's normal).
Verdict: For those interested, I changed the Turanza EL42 RFT’s (225/45/17) with Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S (also 225/45/17). Aside from the dramatic improvement in ride quality described above, I will say that I think the tires are a little noisier than I expected based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Tire Rack (particularly true at low speeds). Overall though, I couldn’t be happier with the decision. Handling has been excellent and cornering is very confident, but I haven’t tested them in wet conditions yet. I assume they’ll perform very well wet. And tramlining is also improved.
As for the voiding of the warranty if you put non-run-flats on – it’s BS. My dealer told me I could put normal tires on if I wanted without voiding the warranty. And the tire pressure monitor still works. The monitor is independent of the run-flat tires.
I'll share some highlights with you here.
First off, the writer/tester of the 330xi did his driving in Europe and found the RFTs' handling excellent. However, the Bridgestone RFT tires listed on his car were Potenza RE050, not those on many of the current E90 cars, so it may mean these are improved version of the origial RFT? Additionally, Bridgestone RFT Blizzaks were put on for the snow driving and again, these tires were reported very effective in snow leaving many FWD as well as SUV behind, according to the writer. More importantly, there is an additional article discussing Pirelli's RFT development by another writer. Again, these tires are as good as their non-RFT of the same model. I think for current E90 owners with substantial complaints of the RFTs, they should know BMW developed the E90 suspension with these RFTs as part of the suspension system, so any "improvement" to replace them with non-RFT may actually render the handling not up to what BMW has originally designed for. So some of the less harsh and more compliant characteristics may be attributed to the softer ride as the result of the replacement.
What I have gathered from my reading from these articles, is that RFT will be here to stay, not just with BMWs but a trend in the automotive world. BMW only happens to be the leader in the trend developmemt as they have always done. Since these RFTs have been built into the suspension system, I don't think one wants to alter its intended handling characteristics by their replacement. It seems RFTs are being improved continuously, so by the time your current tires need replacement, you'll have many excellent choices for our consideration, IMO.
1. I had a 94 3 series and loved it, but decided against a 2006 BMW 3 series purchase due to the RFT issue.
2. The potential inconvenience as some have noted is a show stopper for many people; great car but not worth the trouble ... for many.
3. Looking at colors in the BMW lot I chatted with a few people buying the car and guess what ... none were aware of the fact that there were run flats.
4. Agreed that an additional inconvenience and possible another good reason not to buy the car is the lack of a spare.
5. 7% were dissatisfied...that is a HUGE NUMBER for any business
6. BMW as most other companies will "plausibly deny" any problem until they are forced to deal with it; in an effort to squeek out as many sales as possible, and get rid of as much inventory (cars and tires) as possible.
7. No matter how you slice it this is a potential black eye for the Ultimate Driving Machine, born out of either stupidity, arrogance or underestimating the public... remember idrive?
When I called the dealer, I was told I was the only one that has conplained about the tires. yeah right
The E90 sport suspension will render a sharp bang if you hit a pot hole or other major imperfection, but I wonder how much of that runs to the RFTs, how much to low profile tires with stiff suspension. Anyway it's a suspension that really feels more geared to European roads -- in the US we pay a price for great highways clobbered by build it, cold-patch it and forget it maintenance standards.
And with the ContiComfort Kit, I can get the same 125 miles on a flat tire to get me to a tire shop, and better yet I can be sure he'll have a tire in stock. I asked a couple of tire shops around Long Island NY and they said they don't stock any run flats. And that's LI, so I can only imagine what it would be like in more rural areas.
owner6
I have been impressed with the tires on my E90 325i with SP(17"), including their behavior at high cornering loads (no side wall rollover, sticky, predictable). I plan to get Blizzak 205/55/R16 RFTs for winter.
An Extra Bulge in our BMW (Long Term Road Test Blog).
A few days ago I learned that the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 comes with run-flats. I had no idea; those guys are driving way too fast and no one has ever posted a complaint.
I suspect that Imran62781's response from BMW is going to remain the party line.
Steve, Host
Tom
Bryncerdd
However, I thinking about these options. The orders are my preferences.
Questions:
1. Change the bad one with one regular Bridgestone RE050A which is currently on sales for $79.
2. Change both rear tires with 2 regular Bridgestone RE050A which is currently on sales for $79 if this is recommended.
2. Change the flat one with one Continental
ContiProContact SSR RunFlat.
3. Change the flat one with the same RFT Bridgestone EL42).
Can you give me some advise. Thanks.
No. 1, will create different traction on the rear.
no. 2 will be a little bit safer than no. 1. but the car will tend to understeer.
no. 3 is same as no 1.
I recommend you to change all four to RE050A if you don't drive too much on the snow since they are on sale and performs better (but need to make sure that the tires are not manufactured older than 1 year).
Also, what is understeer (I'm a little bit ignorant about these terms)?
How does EL42 or Continental RF perform on snow?
Thanks.
If the front tires break loose and lose traction while making a turn and cannot run on the same path of the rear tires, that is understeer. that means if you make a left turn, you end up not being able to turn that much as intended.
I can't answer whether you need a airpump or spare tires. Other BMW owners which have the sport package can help you.
What about the tire pressure monitor, will they work?
I have 325i 2006 with 24000 miles on it.I have original Bridgestone 205 55 16 RFTs.These tires have deteriorated significantly in terms of comfort and ride.They were pretty quiet during the first 10,000 miles but after that they started making unbearable noise. At 65 miles/hour it sound like you are sitting in a helicopter.
I am also struggling to get rid of these tires and replace them with regular 18 inches tires. At this time I don't care much about RFTs.
Any suggestion:
1. What wheel and tires i should go for. RFTs VS Regular what options I have?
2 Do Contiprocontact SSR runflats,come in 18 inches.
2. Will there be any significant effect in handling if I go two numbers higher. (I mean from 16 inches to 18 inches).
SIT
This is my first BMW. I did alot of research, attended the BMW ultimate driving experience shows and was extremely excited to buy my 330i. However, the tires are horrible! They are 225/45/17 Tarenza (sp?) run flats from Bridgestone. I first noticed the problem at 9,600 miles. Yes only 9,600 miles!! I contacted my dealer and was told that the pressure in my tires were ok but that I probably needed "new" tires and that the first available appt was 10 days away. I waited and in the meantime, stumbled on this site and others where consumers complained of problems with the Bridgestone run flats. When I finally took the car to the dealership (10 days later) they rotated the tires and told me that the noise which, sounds like a loud flat tire or air plane, would be in the back of the car instead of the front and that I really should "try to get more miles out of the tires" and "ignore the noise." This is completely unacceptable. Not to mention that when driving on the highway I feel like my safety is comprimised.
The dealership will require me to pay for 4 brand new tires. However, on this site I discovered that BMW North America had agreed to replace one owner's tires under a "one time" goodwill policy. I will look into this with BMW North America. In the meantime, I am researching and it appears Conti run flats are the way to go. Anyone had the contis on a 330 and run them more than 10K miles?
I would appreciate any feedback. Finally, BMW should be responsible for chosing a component manufacturer such as Bridgestone who provided such a horrible tire. The truth is that most if not all of us just don't have the time to argue for what is right which is that we should not be responislbe for new tires at 9,600 miles.
We bought 2 new 2006 BMW's this year , and the Bridgestone Turanza's are horrible and unsafe. We were forced to replace them with 4 new tires, after buying 2 new Bridestones. The other tires cupped and feathered,
BMW NA has told us they have heard of "no problems" even when I have presented them with about 4,000 complaints!
They finally told me to call Bridgestone which I didi, and they gave me the same story. They finally put me in touch with their local affiliate who told me they do not work on the Run Flats! I am sick and tired of BMW, their lies, and their obvious disregard for their customer base.
They just lost a customer!
The ride with the Conti's seems good but I guess I am hypersensitive to road noise now in light of the previous cupping and feathering with the Taurenza tires. However, I understand there is a break in period for the tires and I only appear to get noise on grooved roadway - sort of roaring noise until it returns to smooth roadway. Since all 4 tires are brand new, and that is the only issue I have with them, I am hoping that they are breaking in and that issue will pass soon. Did you ever experience that problem? Any insight is helpful. Thanks again and congrats on your success with BMW albiet after an arduous undertaking.
Since that time I wasted much time and energy trying to work with one of the many awful car dealers (Trust Ira) and BMW N.A. customer service. The latter would not even respond to my e-mails or return my phone calls. BMW N.A. customer service just threw me to the pack of dogs at Ira. The whole experience was a nitemare.
I felt so strongly about the non-responsive & defensive treatment, that I resorted to picketing the dealer and wasting more of my time. However, it did feel really good because nothing drives the salesmen on duty more crazy and who in turn get on their superiors.
Finally, I got smart about the whole miserable matter. I located the name of a BMW Director in Germany and sent him off a letter. I also found out the name of BMW's N.A. President, also sending him a letter, informing him of my experiences and asking him to assign me to someone who might actually return a phone call and work the problem thru with a committment to get it solved.
After receiving a call from the President himself, I finally understood the problem. It is obvious that the miserable customer service system currently in place keeps senior management unaware of these problems unless some "persistent nut" like myself breaks thru.
The bottom line is that I finally have their commitment to work with me in an attempt to rectify my displeasure with my '06 330xi. It also appears BMW N.A. is now looking into their blatant lack of customer service.
Was it all worth it? No, but if I can save others from wasting all their time, energy & money by imparting this information on the only strategy that works, then all is not lost. Good Luck!
I have similar experience. I called today BMW North america they referred me to brigdestone cutomers service which in turn referred to me firestone cooperate store to have a look at the tire. The brigestone service rep also told me that there is not much they can do as there is only gereral warrenty on tires.
I guess my next step is sending a letter to the president. Do you have any info/address?
SIT
Instead, I only recommend you send a letter directly to:
Assistant to the President
BMW North America, LLC
300 Chestnut Ridge Rd
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07675
I would include a request to be passed to a client relations manager, who might be interested to hear about your specific problem with the car and your unsuccessful attempts of reasonably solving it via the customer service system presently in place. Again, I honestly believe that the key executives have been sheltered and have not heard what has been happening within their customer service system.
Good Luck!
I couldn't have said it any better. You are absolutely correct. I owned a 2003 330i model and put 18" "regular" performance tires on it. I was thinking about buying a 2007 335i when they come out next month. I took the 330i (2006) for a test drive on the RFTs everyone is talking about.
What a TERRIBLE decision by BMW. Anyway you slice it, they don't get the performance a regular tire does, they cost more, have that tramline feeling, and now the forum people are saying; "Should I or should I not buy the warranty". So let me get this correct. We had a previous model E46 that had great performance on regular tires. Now potential buyers are asking the Q, should I take out the extended warranty to "protect" myself with these RFTs. Come on!!!! The best solution would be for all of us to send a letter to BMW headquarters saying give us 4 regular performance tires and a space saver spare again. If enough people took the time rather then worrying about buying the extended warranty, maybe BMW would listen. Who the heck made this stupid decision for RFTs.
I've owned 3 BMWs and will NOT be buying one until the RFTs are NOT a standard item. I'm not going to spend $40K plus just to run out and put regular tires on it; then have to buy a spare that will take up the truck space. At least they could have provided the space in the truck for the small spare, if the owner WANTED to switch over to regular tires. No but I guess that thought went out the window when they placed those cheap looking cup holders in the (horizontal) dash area of the cabin. Nice job BMW on the RFTs and those cheap cuper holders too.