Got rid of the run flats.

Jul 17, 2008 8 Replies

Just for information:



I had run flats on my Z4. Picked up a screw in my left rear on my last trip and the sensor went off with me still 60 miles from home. I pulled into a gas station a filled the tire up and reset the sensor. Made it home with no problems. Next morning there was zero pressure in the tire. I filled it up again and drove the 4 miles to the tire dealer. That's the good news. Everything worked as designed.



There is 15k on the tires and the rear ones showed a fair amount of wear. I had the option of buying two new RF for the rear for $260 each or non-RFs for $184. I probably had another 5k on the front tires (I managed to get



40k on my Mini-S run flats which amazed the dealer).

The dealer said they don't repair RF tires so if I have another flat with RF I would have to buy another tire. Also I could not mix non-RF on the rear while still having RF on the front because it would severely affect the handling. He mentioned it is recommended that if a vehicle having full time AWD has a flat with RF and there is less than 20% tread left on the tires, they recommend replacing all 4 tires. That makes sense when you think about it.



I replaced all 4 with non-RF tires that have a mileage guarantee of 45k miles (no mileage guarantee on the RF). I figure I can get them repaired if there is a slow leak (which has happened in the past with my truck). If I get a flat on road I will have AAA tow me back to the station and have the tire repaired. The dealer I bought the tires from will reimburse me for the repair or do it for free if I do it at one of their stores. I decided not to get the BMW mobility kit because I have read the compressor may have difficulty in pressurizing the tire if it is flat and it is difficult to repair a non-RF tire when "goop" is sprayed inside.


Most summer performance tires, RF or not, have no treadwear guaranty. The big advantages to replacing the RFTs are cost and ride quality.

You might try either the Airman Sparrow or Slime Powersport compressors + a plug kit as a cheap alternative to waiting the 2 hours for AAA. They take very little trunk space and as a side benefit, I haven't had any flats since getting them - I carry one in my car and motorcycle.

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Tom K.

I replaced them with Bridgestone Potenza RE 960ES and they have a 40,000 mile warranty.

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I think I will wait for AAA.

" snipped-for-privacy@oh-yoohoo.edu" wrote

That's because RE960 is not a summer tire. It's classified as an all-season tire.

How do you like them so far? I am considering getting them for my 530i since I moved to Chicago recently and will have to get rid of my summer Dunlop SP Maxx before winter arrives.

Pete

I have only driven the car a few miles but I will say the difference so far between the RE960 and RF is enormous. It was like driving a different car. Quiet and it seems much less harsh.

BTW, I had someone tell me that it is acceptable to run RF on the front while running the RE960s on the rear. That doesn't make sense to me.

Pete,

You may want to consider keeping the summer tires and getting dedicated winer tires and wheels for, well, winter.

When I swithed out the all seasons for winter tires in my E46 it made a world of difference. About the only thing that stopped me was when I started plowing snow.

would you mind PM your MSN to me? thanks. _______________________________________________________________________________ I want to sell my 'car'

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beacause ofserious 'diabetes'
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if you want to buy my'beauty'
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, pls contact me by snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com.

"joe_tide" wrote

I realize all-seasons aren't as good as dedicated summer/winter sets, but I have no place to store a second set of rims/tires at the moment. The summer tires that I have are on their last legs and they howl painfully, so they need to be replaced anyway. I live 2 miles away from work, so if the weather is really bad during winter, I will just take the bus to work - I do that half the time anyway.

Cheers, Pete

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