BMW 5-Series Tires and Wheels

james27 · April 2012

I've not had any problems yet with my BMW (535GT - just turning 1-year old), and the only other vehicle I ever had to replace a wheel on was an Audi A6 - one bent so much on the rim it wouldn't hold air, the other enough so it couldn't be made not to vibrate at speed. I still contend that the lower the profile tire you go with, the more issues you will have, and anyone using the 20-22" wheels on any of these cars is just asking for major hassles. Maybe it's an issue with the RFT being stiffer - this may transmit more force to the wheel since it doesn't deflect as much as a conventional tire; but, the lower the profile, the stiffer it has to be, just making the problem worse. My vehicle is a tool - I care about how it operates, not so much on how it looks. I'm not out to impress anyone, and I can't see it from the outside when using the thing as a transportation tool. As long as it's comfortable, and does what I ask of it, I could care less about whether the wheel fills the wheelwell, and I'll take the more resilient, higher profile tire.

If you must have the bling, heed BMW's warnings, and take your chances. They install 18" as stock for a reason. Now, if your need includes track time or slalom, that's a different issue, and you don't normally find potholes at the track!

busiris · April 2012

In a word, what you were told is Bulls--t!

As long as the tires and wheels are the stock size that came on your car, BMW cannot force you to run RFTs on any of their models.

Warranty is not affected.

Either you misunderstood what you were told or your dealer is misleading you, intentionally or otherwise.

Far too many owners have ditched their RFTs for GFTs with no problems.

As an example...http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/chads-742-on-performance-tires-and-wheel- - s/switching-from-oe-run-flat-tires-to-non-run-flat-tires

I suggest you contact a different dealer and ask that question.

atalaya505 · April 2012

Interesting information.

But, I am not sure how well your experience with your F07 GT predicts what someone can expect with an F10 sedan. Your GT has a longer wheelbase, different suspension tuning and over 25% more ground clearance than the F10 sedan. And, if you have the standard 246/50 R18 tires, your tires have about 20% more sidewall flex height (the distance between the tread and the bead for the rim) than the standard 245/45 tires on the sedan.

All of these help to give you a lot bigger safety margin when you hit a pothole.

I would be really interested to know if your car shudders all over when it hits a pothole or other sharp impact. Does the impact reverberate through the entire body? It does on the F10 sedan.

Please note that NOBODY in this recent discussion is talking about huge wheels and super low-profile tires. These can cause problems on any car.

As I stated in my original post, my F10 535xi has the standard 18" wheels -- which, in the case of the sedan, means 245/45 tires.

A 45 profile tire is pretty much standard base spec for almost any performance sedan. And, as Shipo said in an earlier post: "245/45 R18 tires should be more than adequate to deal with all but the nastiest of road obstructions". He/she is absolutely correct -- which is part of the reason why I have never bought a car with anything lower than 45 profile tires.

However, the fact is that this does NOT appear to be true with the F10 5 series. I lost a wheel to a pretty garden-variety pothole, and many others are reporting the same thing. When we hit that pothole the impact was so sharp that my wife thought that the car had slammed into a metal bar on the road. Other cars were bumping over the same pothole without any sign of distess

This lead me to conduct the little pothole comparison test we ran in LA. This was run with current cars ALL of which were fitted with 17" or 18" 45 profile tires. The BMW was the only one to have a severe reaction over the test pothole. What I don't know is how the BMW would have fared if, like the others, it had not been wearing run flats.

Of course, stiff run flats are going to transmit more impact shock to the suspension . But, if run flats were the sole cause of the problem, why don't other Bimmers react like they have slammed into something and shudder all over the way the F10's do when they encounter a hard, sharp impact?

This is at the heart of what I am trying to figure out: If the stiff run flats are causing all the problems, switching to non-run flats (with a Conti Mobility kit and/or a spare in the trunk) should take care of things. But, if a soft F10 front suspension that bottoms out too easily is part of the problem, then switching to softer non-run flats might decrease the chances that a pothole will bend a rim, but increase the chances that it would blow out or bubble a more flexible tire!

We currently have a beautiful 535xi sitting in the garage because we dont dare use t for the long distance driving we bought it for. BMW will not help. It will not condone using anything but approved run flats on these cars. I am hoping that some of you on this blog may have some knowledge or experience that would help.

atalaya505 · April 2012

Thanks Burisis,

I had seen the Tire Rack blog entry. And, if I had anything other than an F10 5 series I would already have placed my order at Tire Rack for four Conti Extreme Contact DWS non-runflat tires. My own experience with these tires has confirmed that they really do provide superior snow traction for the first 20,000 miles or so of tread life. (Not as good as proper winter tires, but significantly better than any other all season I have ever used -- perfect for someone who is going to drive across the Arizona desert and end up in the mountains of New Mexico.)

The thing that is stopping me is that I have now had a couple of experiences with an F10 5 series hitting a modest-sized pothole that other cars take in stride with a "bang" and a shock that travels through the entire body of the car. I don't know if the front suspension is bottoming out, but this is sure what it sounds like -- and feels like.

My experience is consistent with the experiences that some of the magazines are reporting -- and what I am starting to hear from some other F10 owners.

If the F10 front suspension really is bottoming out when it encounters a pothole, changing from run flats may not solve the problem.

atalaya505 · April 2012

Techman9:

You are correct about the new Audi A6. We have now taken a couple of test drives in a new A6, then rented one for a day for a more complete test.

VW-Audi has been chasing BMW for years. VW has recently done a fine job of producing FWD cars with BMW-like grace and poise (especially the GTI and the CC Sport). Now, with the new A6, Audi has finally caught up with (and passed) the 5 series

Just as BMW was turning the 5 series into a more reasonably-sized 7 series luxury car, Audi finally built an A6 that incorporates the driving grace that used to be unique to BMW. Drive both cars back to back and it is hard not to conclude that the Audi is a significantly better drive.

So, why haven't I joined you and abandoned BMW for Audi? The answer is very simple: when you are driving 13 hours at a stretch car seats become hugely important. The side bolsters on Audi seat bottoms have always given us problems -- and this seems to be the one thing they have not fixed in the new A6. After half a day in the rental A6, we were in real pain. By contrast, the new 5 series Comfort seats are simply marvelous. The best 13 hour car seats we have ever had.

busiris · April 2012

It appears you have a real dilemma on your hands.

Either keep the OE wheels and tires on your BMW and leave it garaged while driving something else, or change some combination of wheels/tires and drive your BMW, or trade it for some other make/model.

Personally I can't speak to your individual experience, but I fail to see how BMW could be successfully selling so many 5-series sedans with such an easy-to-reproduce problem.

I hope you find a suitable solution for your situation...

laurasdada · April 2012

Given the information I gathered from several sources, when we bought an '11 535xi for my wife, we bought the tire/wheel insurance. Standard 18" setup. In over 6 months of driving, no issues with the tires or wheels (other than my perception of noise and harsher ride. She's happy). So, the tire/wheel gremlins know we ponied up too much $ for the insurance and aren't bothering us to have it pay out! We win?

Of course, we also didn't have much of a winter, so we may have been let off easy, pothole-wise...

busiris · April 2012

Your experience seems to be a good example of the "fly in the ointment", as the old saying goes.

On one hand, some number (relatively small, I would guess) have lots and lots of tire/wheel problems, while the rest have, at least, no more problems than one would reasonably expect.

It would be interesting to hear from one who originally had several bent wheels who has changed to a same sized after market wheel and get his/her response on any changes it made.

atalaya505 · April 2012

I would love to know where you live and what kind of road conditions you encounter.

To be honest, we would not be so concerned about this problem except for three things:

1. When we hit the pothole on I40, it sounded and felt as if we had slammed into an iron bar. A real "bang". Very loud, very abrupt. Reverberated through the entire frame of the car. I would love someone to tell me that this was just the jolt being transmitted through the stiff run flats. But, it sure sounded and felt like we had bottomed the suspension -- hard.

I have never encountered this on any other car before (including previous BMW's). The subsequent startling (but less violent) behavior when we drove a standard 535i w. 18" wheels at a quite modest speed over the test pothole in LA, plus the published report in Consumer Reports that their 535i w. 18" wheels shuddered through the entire body on sharp impacts, the Car and Driver report on the number of wheels and tires they went through in 40,000 miles -- combined with user reports I have found on-line -- all suggest that the F10 5 series front suspension may have a real problem with potholes and other sharp impacts. BMW must suspect something. They have asked us to bring the car back in to have right front strut inspected for possible impact damage.

2. If we mostly drove in an urban area, we would probably have never gotten alarmed about this. We would have figured that we just had the bad luck to hit a nasty pothole, paid for the new wheel and gone on with our lives. My wife has pointed out that this is probably what most F10 owners would do.

But, as I said at the outset, we bought this car for the express purpose of driving 900 miles in a day -- 20,000 miles a year -- over very empty landscapes between the Rocky Mountains and the west coast. We spend a lot of time a very long way from any BMW support. What would be an inconvenience if it happened to us in an urban area becomes a Big Deal when it happens in the middle of the Arizona desert or up in the mountains between CA and OR.

3. Out here, rough pavement and potholes are everywhere -- especially on the major Interstates with heavy truck traffic. There are many areas where roads will go through a freeze/thaw cycle almost every day in the winter. Potholes are simply a fact of life. You cannot avoid them. Any car or truck you drive on these roads has to be able to cope with them.

We may have made a mistake by buying a car that is not suited for these driving conditions.

We have not given up on the car yet. We do not believe that the pothole we hit was a once-in-a-decade pothole. So, we are trying to understand the problem and figure out if there are any changes we might be able to make to ensure that the next time we hit a significant pothole it doesn't take out a wheel, a tire and/or a strut tower.

atalaya505 · April 2012

I would love to hear from someone who has changed the run flats on an F10 5 series for non run-flats.

I know that this will improve ride, quiet and handling. But, what happens when you hit a pothole or other sharp impact? Does it still shudder? Have you blown out a tire or had any other damage?

busiris · April 2012

I don't think I would make the simple assumption that F10 owners simply replace blown RFTs and bent alloy wheels and "go on about their business".

Even on a luxury brand, that's a sizable chunk of $$$.

If it was as common as you suspect it is, I would think some reporting agency/news organization would be all over it, just as they were on the widely reported Toyota UA claims. Even the HPFP issues made "60 Minutes".

I'm NOT saying it isn't a problem, as it may well be. But, since the target buyer of a new BMW 5-series sedan is in the higher economic range of drivers, they also tend to be more "connected". And, that's a group that generally gets listened to when they have a complaint.

laurasdada · April 2012

Hi: Boston and surroundings. Roads range from lovely to Beirut-ish. Probably like most locales. The Bimmer is the wife's car, so I know not what she actually encounters in her daily commute. She doesn't let me drive it much, but I like my AMC Matador just fine... We did just replace the BMW windshield, however. Of course, pay big $ for tire/wheel insurance and the windshield goes! Straight line crack, under rear view mirror. Like an underline of the black shaded area.

I checked with my tire shop prior to the purchase, they recommended the insurance, they thought the price wasn't too bad for 5 years. They noted many BMW, Audi and Saab wheels come in. As well as the stinkin' RFTs. So, against my usual beliefs, we bought the insurance.

lawcar · April 2012

I had a 2009 528i with regular wheels and never had a problem. I really liked the car, but wanted something different and got a 2012 Mercedes E350 sport trim which has the 18" wheels. I heard that larger wheels are more prone to damage and with many potholes in Los Angeles, was also recommended to get the insurance, which I did for $1,500. I figured if I never used it, I would be fortunate and spent a few bucks that I could have saved. If I didn't get it, and had to pay $600 per wheel, I would have cursed myself. How much was your wheel and tire insurance?

laurasdada · April 2012

A little less, I think a little less than $1300 for five years. 20/20 hindsight, I might have self-insured, but the wife wanted it. Her car, she has all the money, too! It's only been 7 months, but so far, no issue.

techman9 · April 2012

When we hit the pothole on I40, it sounded and felt as if we had slammed into an iron bar. A real "bang". Very loud, very abrupt. Reverberated through the entire frame of the car. I would love someone to tell me that this was just the jolt being transmitted through the stiff run flats. But, it sure sounded and felt like we had bottomed the suspension -- hard.

You are absolutely correct in your description. I have never experienced this event in another car, an it is rather unsettling. I tried to explain this to four different dealers to absolutely no affect.

By any chance do you have the adjustable suspension? I always suspected that was the culprit.

atalaya505 · April 2012

No adjustable suspension. As far as suspension/wheels/tires goes, this is a base 535xi. We put our money into things like the Comfort seats with ventilation and message that make a huge difference when your standard long distance driving day is 13 hours.

atalaya505 · April 2012

NEW INFORMATION

Turns out my pothole on I40 didn't just take out a wheel. It knocked the alignment out of whack as well! Front and rear several degrees out. Three hours work and $435 to put it right! So, the total cost is not approaching $1100.

My essential question is whether the suspension is really bottoming, or if the impact transmitted through the RFT tires is so loud and sharp that it just FEELS as if the suspension is bottoming.

I am certain that BMW tech people could answer my question. But they refuse to make any comment or voice any opinion. So I am left with trying to talk with anyone else I can find who has more experience with these cars than I do.

In this past week I have talked with several Bimmer owners who have told me that their cars (previous-gen 3 and 5 series) also had impacts so hard and sharp that they thought the suspension was bottoming -- hard. BUT, when they switched to non-RFTs it became clear that the RFTs had been the problem. With conventional A/S tires, their cars still hit harder than other cars they have driven, but the impact no longer shudders through the entire body.

This is leading me to think that I may try an expensive fix to try to save this car: spend the money to get the Conti Extreme Contact DWS's mounted on BBS wheels with flow rolled rims (which should make the rims virtually as hard as those on forged wheels without going all the way to the cost of fully forged wheels.)

Total cost, including a spare wheel and tire and a jack, would be nearly $4K -- and I cannot be certain that it will fix the problem. But, the only other choice would be to take the hit of replacing a less-than-one-year-old $64K car.

mxyzhang · August 2012

Hi, I paid $1435 for my 2012 528i T&W Protection Tier 2. I feel like I overpaid it, and hesitate if I should cancel it within 60 days. If anyone could share the experience will be much appreciated. My 528i has regular 17" tire. I drive much less than 8K mile a year I believe as I normally take the company coach to/from work.

busiris · August 2012

Your "protection" plan really isn't anything more than an insurance plan, and as in all insurance plans, it's based upon the idea that it will bring in more revenue to the provider (insurer) than the outgoing costs (replacement wheels and tires).

So, the first thing you need to think about is how often in the past, recent or distant past, that you've had damaged wheels and tires. That will give you a general feeling about the value of the plan.

The mileage you drive comes secondary, unless its in areas you don't normally drive in or aren't familiar with...

On the plus side, you have 17" wheels, which gives you more sidewall height, which translates into more cushion for the wheel when you do hit a pothole. As wheel diameter increases, so does wheel damage, on average. Your experience may differ.

So, IMO, if you have never had to replace a wheel, and your last flat was 15 years ago, you might do better banking the money and taking the risk. OTOH, if you spend considerable lengths of time at the local tire repair shop, you might want to keep the protection.

Good luck in whatever your choice ends up being!

atalaya505 · September 2012

It depends entirely on where you live and where you drive. If you drive almost exclusively on smooth, well-maintained roads, at 8K miles per year you will probably never have any problems.

My situation is different. I drive 20K miles per year on roads in the west that have heavy truck traffic. Lots of pot holes. The runflats are COMPLETELY unsuited for this sort of driving. A single pothole cost me over $1000 to replace a wheel and tire and get a full 4 wheel alignment.

I resolved our problem by replacing the OEM wheels and tires with five lighter, stronger, OZ wheels with Conti DWS all season tires. It cost $3000 and the full sized spare takes up a lot of trunk room. But it absolutely transformed the car. Ride, handling, noise, and comfort all significantly improved. Unsprung weight considerably less. Total weight (including a jack) up by only a few lbs. Potholes that previously caused a big "bang" that made the car shudder now pass virtually un-noticed.

Here is a simple test: if you encounter situations in which your car slams into potholes as if it had hit a steel bar, it is only a matter of time before you lose a tire/wheel or more. If you don't, you will probably be OK.

I will NEVER buy any car with runflats again. They might make sense for someone who drives on smooth, well-maintained roads and never wanders far from service (as in Germany). They are un-suited for people who drive away from civilization in the U.S. BMW's are MUCH better cars without run flats. BMW should have made run flats an option in this country.

atalaya505 · September 2012

Past experience with non-runflat tires is NO predictor of how you will fare with run flats. Before run flats, I had been driving almost exclusively on 45 profile tires for almost 20 years and had never had a tire fail due to an impact.

Driving on the same roads at the same speed with BMW 45 profile runflats was a nightmare. I previously had had no idea how bad the roads I regularly drive on are.

When I switched the BMW to non-runflats and lighter, stronger wheels, it was like getting a new car. Impact noise is WAY down. Ride and handling are better. And, the pothole problem completely went away. It is like I am driving on different roads.

atalaya505 · September 2012

After thinking about this for a little longer, here is what I would do if I were you:

Cancel your insurance.

Use the money you save to buy a good set of non-runflat tires and mounting with expert dynamic balancing. Plus a Conti inflation kit. You will still have a bunch of money left over.

The new tires will make your car quieter, better riding and better handling. And, you will have no more problems with potholes than you would have had with any other car.

If you get a puncture, the the Conti pump will re-inflate your tire and inject sealant that will allow you to drive at least as far as you could with a run flat (or a temporary spare).

The only reason that we also have a full sized spare is that we spend too much time a long way from anywhere and wanted the peace of mind of knowing that we could always get home.

busiris · September 2012

So, what you're saying is that the wheel and tire "protection" insurance is a money loser for the agent selling it, since wheel and tire issues are practically guaranteed with RFT's.

Obviously, you don't understand how insurance works...

Folks either seem to love or hate RFT's. And, it isn't too difficult to pick out either side by the comments they make.

Past driving experience is the sole best predictor of what one might expect in the future, all other conditions being equal.

There's a huge difference, however, between prediction and guarantee.

atalaya505 · September 2012

Not saying that RFTs are guaranteed to fail. Our oldest daughter and her husband wore through the RFTs that came on their 328xi with no failures. The same is probably true of most people who drive where the roads are reasonably good. Those of us who drive in areas where roads aren't so good are much more likely to have continuing problems. Ask Car and Driver about their experiences.

It just seems to me that if you are worried about RFT's, it doesn't make sense to spend the money on the insurance. For considerably less money you can mount a good set of non-RFTs and carry a Conti Mobility kit.

When the RFTs wore down, our daughter replaced the RFT's on their 328xi with conventional all-seasons. "That transformed the car", she said. "We should have done this from the beginning."

james27 · September 2012

Depending on the size of the hole, the mobility kit may not seal it. But, while it may take awhile, you do have the free towing!

From a functional viewpoint, the advantage of a RFT is you choose where to stop within the max range of the safety margins. With regular tires, you must stop right away, or you'll trash the tire and probably the wheel (and maybe more, if the shreaded tire takes out brake lines, etc.).

RFT are getting better...Tirerack said on some of the newest generation ones they've tested, they rode as well as the equivalent normal tire in the same brand's family. The Goodyears I have on mine are not the greatest, but I do have some RFT winter Michelins I run for part of the year, and they're actually quieter and handle almost as well along with being a softer compound which lessens impacts.

Luckily, so far, I've not had a problem and hope to keep it that way!

stevenlh1 · November 2012

I recently put new Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on my 2003 530i with sport package (tire size 235/45-17). These tires are Consumer Reports highest rated high-performance summer tire and got very good user reviews on Tire Rack, where I bought them. So far I like them, but they are somewhat noisier and not as smooth riding as I would like. I still have a few days to exchange them under Michelin's 30-day guarantee, and I'm considering going with Michelin
Primacy MXM4 instead, to, hopefully, get a bit quieter and more compliant ride. If anyone has experience with either of these tires (or comparable Michelin) on your BMW, please let me know your thought/recommendations. Thanks!

goodmaj1 · November 2012

Nice to see another e39 out there. I currently run Toyos on my e39 M5 but aren't a huge fan. Lots of M5 owners really like the PSS', I'm a little surprised you're having issues. I prefer an A/S setup to summer, so I'd recommend the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus or the Conti Extreme Contact DWS. The DWS' are a little soft on the sidewalls but the tread isn't directional so you can at least rotate side/side. I love the Michelins though.

You should check out m5board.com, the e39 discussion area, for tire recommendations. Lots of threads there.

530ir1150r · December 2012

I use Pilot Sport PS 2s on my 2002 530i sport package. I bought my latest set last May on clearance, they may or may not still be available. They have been the best Michelins I've ever used. Also, PS2s have been the last two sets on my wife's Saab 9-3 and I intend to replace them early next year with Super Sports.

wardie3 · July 2013

Our 2010 X-1 has had 3 RFT replacements since new- all pothole damaged. We are considering replacing the RFT's with Michelins on 850 kg rated alloy 16" rims (to give us another 1" of sidewall), but I am nervous about any 'consequences'. The tyre dealer has done his homework and assures me this will work, but he's selling a product and won't back up his assurances in writing....

atalaya505 · July 2013

IMHO, the best thing you can do to improve a BMW is to replace RFTs with conventional tires. Our older daughter and her husband live in Washington, DC (lots of potholes). When the RFTs wore down they replaced them with Michelin all season tires and a Conti Mobility Kit. They say that the swap transformed the car. Impacts that used to jar the car are now handled with aplomb. Significantly quieter, smoother riding. Handling is at least as good. If they ever do have a flat, the Conti kit will give them about the same mobility that they would have had with the RFTs.

I have had a similar experience with my 535xi. We frequently drive through pretty empty country from the Rockies to the Pacific. After spending over $1000 for a new wheel and complete 4 wheel alignment after hitting a modest pot hole at speed (and almost being stranded), I stacked the OEM wheels and tires in my garage and replaced them with five OZ rims mounted with Conti Extreme Contact DWS tires (for four season driving) and the Mobility kit. The full size spare takes up a bunch of trunk space, but we work around that with a set of suitcases and boxes that neatly fill the remaining space. We have traded trunk space for the piece of mind knowing that we are not going to be stranded 100's of miles from nowhere.

The change transformed our car. Sharp impacts that used to shudder through the car are now hardly noticed. The car is much quieter and smoother riding. Grip is better, especially in the rain. And, for the first 20,000 miles at least, we had snow traction that was about halfway between that of standard AS tires and dedicated winter tires.

I spent the $ on the OZ wheels because they are lighter and stronger than the BMW wheels. The damage to the BMW wheel had been so severe that I thought I needed stronger wheels. It turns out that I probably did not. The Conti All seasons absorb so much more shock that it is hard to believe that this is the same car.

With the RFTs, the suspension set-up on this car allowed the suspension to bottom out on hard impacts. I had worried that this might still happen even with more absorbent tires. But, it turns out that it was ALL the RFTs. I was driving on tires with sidewalls so stiff that rather than absorbing impact they transmitted most of it directly to the rim  and from there to the entire structure of the car.

If we had not made this change, we would not have kept the car.

BMW will tell you that using "non-approved" tires voids the warrantee coverage on tires, wheels and suspension. But, when I had over $1000 worth of pot hole damage to my then-new 535xi with factory wheels and tires, they told me that this was road damage and not covered by the warrantee. So, it is hard to see what am missing. (And, since I still have my original tires and wheels, I can always put these back on if I need to.)

Ditch the RFTs. You will never regret it. IF your X-1 has 45 or higher profile tires (as my 535 does), I don't think that there is any need to move to smaller wheels and higher profile tires. If it has 40 profile tires, then I would make the switch. 35's and 40's have awfully small sidewalls  which makes them less absorbent and more fragile.

Good luck!!

acctprof1 · July 2013

I bought a new 535i on May 28. It has the Continental 245/45 RFT. After the first road trip I called the dealer to come get the car and balance the wheels. The sun visor vibrated as I drove down the freeway and I could feel the vibration in the steering wheel and my rear end.

The dealer replaced a tire that was out-of-round and checked the balance. According to them, everything is within the factory tolerance. However, I can still feel a vibration in the steering wheel. I asked the service manager if it was the RFT. He said bad ride with RFTs is an "old wives tale" and not a problem with newer versions (post-2008).

I'm ready to try conventional tires.

barjean · July 2013

My advice is not to have a flat if you have the run flat tires. I had one go bad today and found they are back ordered nationally until after August 18 and that is not a firm date!!

My only choice was to replace all four tires with regular tires and now I have no spare! Spent 4 hours in the tire shop while they called every tire dealer within 100 miles including the BMW dealers and the BMW dealer laughed and said good luck! All this tells me that a lot of people are having the same problem, if no tires are available. The loud bang was also experienced when we hit a pothole and I suspect that is what put a bubble on the side of the tire. The series 5 BMW is 2011 and has 22,000 miles on it. I am not a happy camper!

zimct · January 2015

Good Morning, I need Tire feedback and input on what to buy.

I have a 2011 BMW 550i XDrive. I need 4 new tires.

I have today: Goodyear Eagle LS2 245 45 / 18 100V - Good experience with then, but they did not run/last as many miles as I would have hoped for.

Also told to look at Continental Conti Pro Comtact SSR

Could you give me feedback on these two options and also on any others that are good options?

Thank you !!!

roadburner · January 2015

If you are determined to stick with RFTs the Continentals would be OK. Me- I'd ditch the RFTs and buy the Michelin Premier A/S, which is a top-rated Grand Touring All Season tire. I run them on my son's X3 and I have no complaints.

zimct · June 2016

I put new Continental Conti Pro Comtact SSR RUN FLAT tires on my BMW 550 all wheel drive in January 2015. Only got 15,000 miles and now the dealer is telling me that I need 4 new tires due to wear.
Seems like very short tire life and premature wear?

Had Goodyear Eagle LS2 245 45 / 18 100V before, and got 25,000 miles out of them.

What is the best Run flat tire currently?
Thank you.

roadburner · June 2016

Does your car have the staggered wheel/tire setup?

zimct · June 2016

@roadburner

No, I do not have staggered set up.
Thanks for the help/

roadburner · June 2016

@zimct

What size tire does your car use? Not an M Sport or Sport I assume. I like some of the Michelin Grand Touring style tires but I don't think that any Michelins are available as run-flats in your application. You have to remember that your 550i xDrive is a relatively heavy and powerful car and those factors have a negative effect on tire wear.
The Yokohama AVID ENVigor ZPS has a 560 tread wear rating; no experience with that tire but it should last quite a while.

zimct · June 2016

Thanks again for taking the time to comment. You know lots more on this than I do.
Car had Goodyear Eagle LS2 245 45 / 18 100V when I got it.
They seemed pretty good and lasted for what seemed like a decent amount of time.

The Continental Conti Pro Comtact SSRthat I put on 18 months ago are at a point where
my BMW service Dept. is telling me to replace all 4. Edges are worn, middle still seems to
have dome tread. Just did alignment to that may have contributed to the early wear?

roadburner · June 2016

Could have been alignment, also under inflation. Another tire you might consider is the Bridgestone RE960AS Pole Position.

zimct · June 2016

Thanks for all of the help!

roadburner · June 2016

You are most welcome! The Bridgestone tire has received a number of good reviews although I don't personally have any experience with it. You can't really compare treadwear ratings across brands, but a 400 rating should be indicative of a long wearing tire.

tommypress · July 2016

Considering that its a BMW and looking at the specified model, 13000 sounds a less amount than desired or deserved. Still don't know if the range you mentioned is reasonable though.

BMW 5-Series Tires and Wheels

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