320d E90 touring tyres - replacement suggestions

[phatmanace]

Folks,

The Front tyres on my '55 E90 320d touring could do with a change.


They currently have Pirelli Eufori 225/45R17 Runflats on them.

should I look elsewhere for different models (i.e should I ditch runflats) ? if not, these are coming in at £127 per corner online (excluding fitting) - does this seem reasonable?



Cheers
-ace

[jon-]

A lot of people who ditch the runflats never look back, they say the car is transformed.

That said, if you just need fronts I'd personally put another set of RFTs on until you can change all 4 at the same time (or go and do an epic burnout)

[phatmanace]

jon- said:

A lot of people who ditch the runflats never look back, they say the car is transformed.

That said, if you just need fronts I'd personally put another set of RFTs on until you can change all 4 at the same time (or go and do an epic burnout)

Thanks for the info, when they ditch the runflats - what do they ditch them for?


.. also - noddy question I know, but what are the attributes of the bad handling that using runflats exhibits? I've noticed that my car tends to tramline a little on rougher asphalt or roadseams, is that the sort of thing that people mean?

[jon-]

phatmanace said:

Thanks for the info, when they ditch the runflats - what do they ditch them for?


.. also - noddy question I know, but what are the attributes of the bad handling that using runflats exhibits? I've noticed that my car tends to tramline a little on rougher asphalt or roadseams, is that the sort of thing that people mean?

A lot of the 320d E90 drivers are reporting that the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric or Michelin Pilot Sport 2 (on other e90s) is a good match to the car.

As you've already pointed out, tramlining is one of the top complaints of the runflats, along with harsh ride and a lot of cabin noise.

[Arrive Alive]

I've changed to non-runflat Falken FK452 on my 320d SE. The car came with Bridgestone RFTs which tramlined, were relatively noisy and expensive to replace.
If you do change then there are some points to keep in mind:
The car will ride better, be quieter and more refined but it will roll more as the non-rft side-walls are far less stiff.
You'll need to carry some get you home tyre goo in the car but it will be much easier to replace a tyre if you haver a puncture etc.
If you intend to trade the car in, in the future, it is very worth considering a new set of wheels for the non run-flats so that the run-flats can be put back on the car prior to sale. A friend changed to non rft's and his BMW dealership took £1000 off the trade in immediately arguing that they couldn't sell a non rft equipped car and so would need to fit new tyres.
Finally if you do change you'll need to inform your insurance company (mine didn't mind but some, I understand, increase the premium).
I'm happy that I changed.