Changing from run flats to regular tyres in BMW 640i

[briansy]

Hi, I've just paid £340 for a new run flat 20 inch and the other 3 tyres are in great nick. Literally bought it the day after picking the car up which I'm now regretting!! Don't like the ride and am debating either changing out the tyres to non run flats on the 20 inch wheels or just swapping out the entire wheels and tyres in one go to a set of 19s with non run flats. I do love my wheels so thinking maybe start with option 1 and see how I feel.

So if I have 4 run flats on my BMW - 1 brand new and 3 with loads of miles left, surely there will be a vendor that can take these off my hands and give me like a trade in price before putting on a new set of non-run flat tyres.

Are there any mainstream providers of such a service or would it be mainly dodgy guys. Pardon my ignorance.

[d_a_n1979]

briansy said:

Hi, I've just paid £340 for a new run flat 20 inch and the other 3 tyres are in great nick. Literally bought it the day after picking the car up which I'm now regretting!! Don't like the ride and am debating either changing out the tyres to non run flats on the 20 inch wheels or just swapping out the entire wheels and tyres in one go to a set of 19s with non run flats. I do love my wheels so thinking maybe start with option 1 and see how I feel.

So if I have 4 run flats on my BMW - 1 brand new and 3 with loads of miles left, surely there will be a vendor that can take these off my hands and give me like a trade in price before putting on a new set of non-run flat tyres.

Are there any mainstream providers of such a service or would it be mainly dodgy guys. Pardon my ignorance.

I sold all 4 of the RFTs that came off the Style 253s on my F01 on eBay within a few days of listing them, 3 different buyers and all came and collected

You'll do better selling them privately via eBay/Gumtree/FB (if you're on there) than you will anywhere else IMO

I waited for the 80% off fees or the £1 fees offer that eBay kick up every so often and then listed them, cost me a few quid to sell them in the end, well worth it and got around £100 for each tyre (less than half of what they were brand new)!

[curvature]

I would think carefully before you do this.

I've not driven in London for a long time but where I live in Staffordshire the roads have potholes that have their own lights in they are that deep.

If you do go for standard tyres sure that you have a sealant kit and something to inflate the tyre with or you will be stranded. You should also inform your insurance company.

Also remember that runflats have a much stiffer tyre wall so putting a standard tyre on means you could actually experience more tyre damage.

[briansy]

d_a_n1979 said:

I sold all 4 of the RFTs that came off the Style 253s on my F01 on eBay within a few days of listing them, 3 different buyers and all came and collected

You'll do better selling them privately via eBay/Gumtree/FB (if you're on there) than you will anywhere else IMO

I waited for the 80% off fees or the £1 fees offer that eBay kick up every so often and then listed them, cost me a few quid to sell them in the end, well worth it and got around £100 for each tyre (less than half of what they were brand new)!

My problem is that I have nowhere to keep tyres at home. I'll need to get rid of the old tyres and add the new ones in one fell swoop

[sly fox]

curvature said:

I would think carefully before you do this.

I've not driven in London for a long time but where I live in Staffordshire the roads have potholes that have their own lights in they are that deep.

If you do go for standard tyres sure that you have a sealant kit and something to inflate the tyre with or you will be stranded. You should also inform your insurance company.

Also remember that runflats have a much stiffer tyre wall so putting a standard tyre on means you could actually experience more tyre damage.

C0bblers.

Tyre sealant yes, informing insurance company , no. experiencing 'more' damage? Come on.

[d_a_n1979]

briansy said:

d_a_n1979 said:

I sold all 4 of the RFTs that came off the Style 253s on my F01 on eBay within a few days of listing them, 3 different buyers and all came and collected

You'll do better selling them privately via eBay/Gumtree/FB (if you're on there) than you will anywhere else IMO

I waited for the 80% off fees or the £1 fees offer that eBay kick up every so often and then listed them, cost me a few quid to sell them in the end, well worth it and got around £100 for each tyre (less than half of what they were brand new)!

My problem is that I have nowhere to keep tyres at home. I'll need to get rid of the old tyres and add the new ones in one fell swoop

Ah fair enough... Do you know of anyone that could store them for you at all?

And if not already; get something like this to keep in the car at all times

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175137219576?fits=Car+M...

[briansy]

Does anyone know if the idrive will give an idea of tyre condition as they are run flats / essentially "smart" tyres?

[d_a_n1979]

sly fox said:

curvature said:

I would think carefully before you do this.

I've not driven in London for a long time but where I live in Staffordshire the roads have potholes that have their own lights in they are that deep.

If you do go for standard tyres sure that you have a sealant kit and something to inflate the tyre with or you will be stranded. You should also inform your insurance company.

Also remember that runflats have a much stiffer tyre wall so putting a standard tyre on means you could actually experience more tyre damage.

C0bblers.

Tyre sealant yes, informing insurance company , no. experiencing 'more' damage? Come on.

Agree... The usual 'hearsay' bks IMO

[d_a_n1979]

briansy said:

Does anyone know if the idrive will give an idea of tyre condition as they are run flats / essentially "smart" tyres?

Does your iDrive not just give you the tyre pressures for each corner etc?

[curvature]

I know that we all have different opinions but did BMW ever sell the later 6 series (not the M6) without runflats?

If the answer is no then non runflats could be classed as a modification or a deviation from standard fitment. I'm only saying so check to be sure.

With regards to the other point raised if you are running low profile tyres, 35 profile, then you do stand more chance of damage to rims/tryes than say a wheel with a 60/70 profile tyre. Runflats are stiffer and will take more of a hit than the equivalent size non runflat.

I've driven over 200k miles on runflats, in 3 different cars, and do not feel the need to change them but that is just my opinion.

The last time I got a puncture in my 640 I was on my way to collect a takeaway curry. The runflats saved my curry so therefore they must be the way forward!

[briansy]

Hi curvature did you have the 20 inch wheels on your 640?

[curvature]

briansy said:

Hi curvature did you have the 20 inch wheels on your 640?

Hi Briansy,

No my car is an SE on 18" wheels so has nice big sidewalls.

When I bought mine it was just before COVID kicked in and my search criteria on BMW's site was 3 litre diesel, less than 3 years old and less than 30k miles and under £25k. I was amazed that the 6 series kept coming up in the search and that was made me look at them as they represented seriously good value when you consider their original list price.

I then started looking at the cars based on spec which lead me to to the one that I bought.

I went from a F31 330d and at first the 640GC felt massive but after a while you do get used to the size of them. My next car will be an estate though as I do miss the practical side but then again in the GC the back seats fold down.

Tyres are a very personal choice and as I said above I think runflats are fine but that's based on the miles that I drive and knowing that if I get a puncture I don't have to stop at the roadside to try and sort it out.