Run Flats - bin them and put normal tyres on the alloys?
Discussion
Hi all,
Just got a 2008 120d coupe, lovely car except it has the dreaded RFTs on it. In the pouring rain the ride/handling is absurd and I am positive it will be better with normals on.
So - silly q maybe having not owned a Bimmer before... can I just whack the RFTs off and put a proper 17" tyre on each alloy? I mean is the alloy specific to RFTs in anyway?
FYI they are Bridgestone Potenza EA050's, on 17" alloys. Car is under BMW warranty - assume this won't be affected?
Ta!
Just got a 2008 120d coupe, lovely car except it has the dreaded RFTs on it. In the pouring rain the ride/handling is absurd and I am positive it will be better with normals on.
So - silly q maybe having not owned a Bimmer before... can I just whack the RFTs off and put a proper 17" tyre on each alloy? I mean is the alloy specific to RFTs in anyway?
FYI they are Bridgestone Potenza EA050's, on 17" alloys. Car is under BMW warranty - assume this won't be affected?
Ta!
Yes you can, the wheels are not RFT specific.
It shouldn't affect the warranty but if you have a wheel/suspension problem they may try and wriggle out of the claim and say it's down to the tyres but it's very doubtful.
You could pick up another set of wheels and put some other tyres on.There's loads of 17" ones about for reasonable price.
It shouldn't affect the warranty but if you have a wheel/suspension problem they may try and wriggle out of the claim and say it's down to the tyres but it's very doubtful.
You could pick up another set of wheels and put some other tyres on.There's loads of 17" ones about for reasonable price.
I'm going to enquire with BMW about the RFT situation as regards a warranty. The car handles really nicely but it is clear that the harsh ride and sketchy tramlining in the rain is down mainly to the rock hard tyre sidewalls etc.
I did wonder about getting a separate set of alloys and tyres and then selling the 17"s and RFTs that the car came on. There is loads of tread left but I just don't fancy driving these for thousands of miles through the rubbish weather.
I did wonder about getting a separate set of alloys and tyres and then selling the 17"s and RFTs that the car came on. There is loads of tread left but I just don't fancy driving these for thousands of miles through the rubbish weather.
carparkno1 said:
I'm going to enquire with BMW about the RFT situation as regards a warranty. The car handles really nicely but it is clear that the harsh ride and sketchy tramlining in the rain is down mainly to the rock hard tyre sidewalls etc.
I did wonder about getting a separate set of alloys and tyres and then selling the 17"s and RFTs that the car came on. There is loads of tread left but I just don't fancy driving these for thousands of miles through the rubbish weather.
II did wonder about getting a separate set of alloys and tyres and then selling the 17"s and RFTs that the car came on. There is loads of tread left but I just don't fancy driving these for thousands of miles through the rubbish weather.
I do wish you well. My experience is that car manufacturers rarely admit their recommended product is unsuitable. I would expect stonewalling from BMW. Good luck.
The 1 series is available with non runflats fitted from the factory so that's a non issue. The 1m coupe has non runflats.
The falken tyres seem to get good reviews, some have said though that the ride is more forgiving but you lose the initial directness of the steering. You could look at getting higher load rated tyres to reduce that.
My last 2 cars have been 1 series on 18" runflats, never had any issues with rude comfort personally.
The falken tyres seem to get good reviews, some have said though that the ride is more forgiving but you lose the initial directness of the steering. You could look at getting higher load rated tyres to reduce that.
My last 2 cars have been 1 series on 18" runflats, never had any issues with rude comfort personally.
carparkno1 said:
I'm going to enquire with BMW about the RFT situation as regards a warranty. The car handles really nicely but it is clear that the harsh ride and sketchy tramlining in the rain is down mainly to the rock hard tyre sidewalls etc.
I did wonder about getting a separate set of alloys and tyres and then selling the 17"s and RFTs that the car came on. There is loads of tread left but I just don't fancy driving these for thousands of miles through the rubbish weather.
Get another set and use the RFT ones once the weather is better?I did wonder about getting a separate set of alloys and tyres and then selling the 17"s and RFTs that the car came on. There is loads of tread left but I just don't fancy driving these for thousands of miles through the rubbish weather.
Which variant of the suspension it does it have, if the M sport then that could be the real issue. I test drove the 123d with it and decided to delete it on the order. When mine came it was noticeably softer and a more compliant ride.
And I do think RFT will continue to improve, we have them on the X5 and they are excellent in my opinion.
And I do think RFT will continue to improve, we have them on the X5 and they are excellent in my opinion.
OP: You're right in assuming that RFTs have a stiffer sidewall than a normal tyre, so yes, changing to ordinary tyres would change the ride and handling of your car. However, I'd probably rather trust BMW spending months setting up the suspension of your car rather than an unknown 'stab in the dark' change by simply moving from RFTs to another tyre. You could give it a go though - many have done just that and say they prefer it. Personally, on my '07 320d I run RFT summers and non runflat winter tyres and I much prefer the ride and handling on the RFTs, probably because identical tyres were on the car when BMW spent all that time setting up the suspension, although I don't know how much of what I feel is the difference between winters and summers and how much is the RFT issue - I suspect it's mainly the RFT stiffness.
That brings us to another point, I've tried to confirm this with BMW and on PH but have been unable to: Do BMW supply cars with different suspension settings if you choose a larger wheel? I personally have always preferred BMWs on their standard wheels, and I therefore suspect they don't alter suspension to match wheels. If your car has bigger wheels than standard then that might explain the poor ride and handling. I've got a 2007 320d with standard suspension on the standard 16" wheels with the standard RFTs and the ride is absolutely fine; I suspect it would be worse on 17s or 18s or if I changed the tyres etc. So for your car if you've got bigger wheels then you may get a better ride by downsizing to the standard wheel size, but that would be quite expensive sadly... Maybe BMW Sales have a car identical to yours with different wheels on that you could try first?
That brings us to another point, I've tried to confirm this with BMW and on PH but have been unable to: Do BMW supply cars with different suspension settings if you choose a larger wheel? I personally have always preferred BMWs on their standard wheels, and I therefore suspect they don't alter suspension to match wheels. If your car has bigger wheels than standard then that might explain the poor ride and handling. I've got a 2007 320d with standard suspension on the standard 16" wheels with the standard RFTs and the ride is absolutely fine; I suspect it would be worse on 17s or 18s or if I changed the tyres etc. So for your car if you've got bigger wheels then you may get a better ride by downsizing to the standard wheel size, but that would be quite expensive sadly... Maybe BMW Sales have a car identical to yours with different wheels on that you could try first?
The tyres have a load of tread left, more on the back than the front bbut I would say they are all fairly new.
Standard suspension on the coupe. I think I may take them off and keep them for when the nice non RFTs I order run out. Will look into the general consensus on what's good.
Do appreciate it is a personal thing but for me the tyres don't inspire confidence. If it is a placebo effect and actually something other than RFTs then I will report back!
Standard suspension on the coupe. I think I may take them off and keep them for when the nice non RFTs I order run out. Will look into the general consensus on what's good.
Do appreciate it is a personal thing but for me the tyres don't inspire confidence. If it is a placebo effect and actually something other than RFTs then I will report back!
Speaking as someone who didn't mind the rfts on my Z4 with 18s too much, the 120d M Sport I had on 17" rfts was truly awful and borderline dangerous imo.
There is a 90deg bend near here and in 27 years driving that road, no other car has changed direction mid-bend. This was a nearly new car. I chenged them to non rfts and the handling was a lot better.
Op do a search, there is a lot of info on this. Worth noting that if you trade in your car via BMW with non rfts they'll deduct an amount to replace them - or at least did when I got rid.
There is a 90deg bend near here and in 27 years driving that road, no other car has changed direction mid-bend. This was a nearly new car. I chenged them to non rfts and the handling was a lot better.
Op do a search, there is a lot of info on this. Worth noting that if you trade in your car via BMW with non rfts they'll deduct an amount to replace them - or at least did when I got rid.
RobM77 said:
OP: You're right in assuming that RFTs have a stiffer sidewall than a normal tyre, so yes, changing to ordinary tyres would change the ride and handling of your car. However, I'd probably rather trust BMW spending months setting up the suspension of your car rather than an unknown 'stab in the dark' change by simply moving from RFTs to another tyre. You could give it a go though - many have done just that and say they prefer it. Personally, on my '07 320d I run RFT summers and non runflat winter tyres and I much prefer the ride and handling on the RFTs, probably because identical tyres were on the car when BMW spent all that time setting up the suspension, although I don't know how much of what I feel is the difference between winters and summers and how much is the RFT issue - I suspect it's mainly the RFT stiffness.
That brings us to another point, I've tried to confirm this with BMW and on PH but have been unable to: Do BMW supply cars with different suspension settings if you choose a larger wheel? I personally have always preferred BMWs on their standard wheels, and I therefore suspect they don't alter suspension to match wheels. If your car has bigger wheels than standard then that might explain the poor ride and handling. I've got a 2007 320d with standard suspension on the standard 16" wheels with the standard RFTs and the ride is absolutely fine; I suspect it would be worse on 17s or 18s or if I changed the tyres etc. So for your car if you've got bigger wheels then you may get a better ride by downsizing to the standard wheel size, but that would be quite expensive sadly... Maybe BMW Sales have a car identical to yours with different wheels on that you could try first?
Car is on what I believe are standard 17s but happy to be corrected. I'm new to BMW and RFTs so all advice and opinion is appreciated.That brings us to another point, I've tried to confirm this with BMW and on PH but have been unable to: Do BMW supply cars with different suspension settings if you choose a larger wheel? I personally have always preferred BMWs on their standard wheels, and I therefore suspect they don't alter suspension to match wheels. If your car has bigger wheels than standard then that might explain the poor ride and handling. I've got a 2007 320d with standard suspension on the standard 16" wheels with the standard RFTs and the ride is absolutely fine; I suspect it would be worse on 17s or 18s or if I changed the tyres etc. So for your car if you've got bigger wheels then you may get a better ride by downsizing to the standard wheel size, but that would be quite expensive sadly... Maybe BMW Sales have a car identical to yours with different wheels on that you could try first?
So far the car is really pleasing to look at and sit in but I just want to get the ride and comfort as optimal as I can and figured this is where to start.
Of course if I take them off I will immediately get a puncture lol
carparkno1 said:
RobM77 said:
OP: You're right in assuming that RFTs have a stiffer sidewall than a normal tyre, so yes, changing to ordinary tyres would change the ride and handling of your car. However, I'd probably rather trust BMW spending months setting up the suspension of your car rather than an unknown 'stab in the dark' change by simply moving from RFTs to another tyre. You could give it a go though - many have done just that and say they prefer it. Personally, on my '07 320d I run RFT summers and non runflat winter tyres and I much prefer the ride and handling on the RFTs, probably because identical tyres were on the car when BMW spent all that time setting up the suspension, although I don't know how much of what I feel is the difference between winters and summers and how much is the RFT issue - I suspect it's mainly the RFT stiffness.
That brings us to another point, I've tried to confirm this with BMW and on PH but have been unable to: Do BMW supply cars with different suspension settings if you choose a larger wheel? I personally have always preferred BMWs on their standard wheels, and I therefore suspect they don't alter suspension to match wheels. If your car has bigger wheels than standard then that might explain the poor ride and handling. I've got a 2007 320d with standard suspension on the standard 16" wheels with the standard RFTs and the ride is absolutely fine; I suspect it would be worse on 17s or 18s or if I changed the tyres etc. So for your car if you've got bigger wheels then you may get a better ride by downsizing to the standard wheel size, but that would be quite expensive sadly... Maybe BMW Sales have a car identical to yours with different wheels on that you could try first?
Car is on what I believe are standard 17s but happy to be corrected. I'm new to BMW and RFTs so all advice and opinion is appreciated.That brings us to another point, I've tried to confirm this with BMW and on PH but have been unable to: Do BMW supply cars with different suspension settings if you choose a larger wheel? I personally have always preferred BMWs on their standard wheels, and I therefore suspect they don't alter suspension to match wheels. If your car has bigger wheels than standard then that might explain the poor ride and handling. I've got a 2007 320d with standard suspension on the standard 16" wheels with the standard RFTs and the ride is absolutely fine; I suspect it would be worse on 17s or 18s or if I changed the tyres etc. So for your car if you've got bigger wheels then you may get a better ride by downsizing to the standard wheel size, but that would be quite expensive sadly... Maybe BMW Sales have a car identical to yours with different wheels on that you could try first?
So far the car is really pleasing to look at and sit in but I just want to get the ride and comfort as optimal as I can and figured this is where to start.
Of course if I take them off I will immediately get a puncture lol
RobM77 said:
If they're the standard wheels and it doesn't have M Sport suspension, then you're right, your only option to improve ride comfort would indeed be to try non run flats. As I say above, I personally feel that the ride and handling of my 2007 320d is worse without the RFTs (there's too little damping), but that's just my personal opinion - some people on here have reported an improvement (I'm sure there are lots of threads to search through discussing this issue).
Yup got seven tabs open reading through them all lol I binned the run flats on my 120d on the basis they made the already too firm ride awful and that I had two punctures within a year (having never had a puncture in the previous 15 years of motoring)
Much, much better ride/handling with some Kumho's and, touch wood, haven't had a problem yet. I have a can of tyre repair foam in the boot (no spare) on the basis it may get me to a garage but I can just call the cavalry if not.
Plus, the Kumho's (which have done well in reviews) were less than 100 quid a corner versus 175 (IIRC) for RFT's
Much, much better ride/handling with some Kumho's and, touch wood, haven't had a problem yet. I have a can of tyre repair foam in the boot (no spare) on the basis it may get me to a garage but I can just call the cavalry if not.
Plus, the Kumho's (which have done well in reviews) were less than 100 quid a corner versus 175 (IIRC) for RFT's
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