Runflats.............

[Garlick]

So, the 2800 mile Z4C's NSF tyre made friends with a large screw, and beep goes the tyre pressure warning light.

I tramline my way home (when flat it's certainly not a pleasant drive and not really what I was expecting- it actually feels flat?) and start to phone around. I felt like that bloke looking for Fly Fishing by J R Hartley. All I got was 'not in stock i'm afraid'. So the tyre is still flat and the one I thought would be fitted tomorrow- I have just found out- will not arrive until at the tyre place until Thursday.

It's not an unusual size (Bridgestone Potenza 225/40R/18), but I must admit to being disappointed with availablility of run flat tyres, even my BMW dealer couldn't help.

Luckily I have another car to use while the Z is out of action (I do miss it though)

Is mine an isolated incident?

G

ETA- funnily enough- my profile pic shows the offening tyre up close- I must have known we would part company one day!

Edited by Garlick on Tuesday 17th July 16:09

[Egbert Nobacon]

Good job you were close to home and not halfway across France on a Sunday, going on holiday.

Your problem is quite common, not only is availability tricky but I also understand they are a bugger to fit.

I still cannot see the advantage of a runflat, once its flat and you've covered the 100 miles or so your no better off.

Give me a full size spare anyday or even a spacesaver, at least you can finish your journey and get around with few restrictions

[NeVeTaS]

Did you try Elite in Rainham?

[StuB]

I've sourced them locally (York) quite easily and at mytyres where you can see a RE050A (RFT) in the size you need for £104.60

[CIS121]

A word of advice - I have a friend who works in a small, lcoal tyre fitters and they avoid dealing with certain modern cars with run flat tyres after a lengthy experience they had fitting them to an Audi. The tyre is far harder to fit than standard ones and embarrasingly, their machine couldn't cope! He now doesn't stock teh tyres as standard.

[Garlick]

StuB said:

where you can see a RE050A (RFT) in the size you need for £104.60

Great.....i'm paying 170 for a like for like Potenza but that includes fitting at PH towers too. Cheers for the advice though- i'll know where to look next time (hopefully way into the future!)

G

[Andrew D]

Egbert Nobacon said:

I still cannot see the advantage of a runflat, once its flat and you've covered the 100 miles or so your no better off.

Not to mention that you can't repair the Bridgestones (apparently Michelins can be repaired).

I'm on my *third* nearside rear tyre in 16 months of ownership. Back in February I suspected that I had a stone in the tread causing a tapping noise; turned out to be a bolt (yes, not a nail, an actual bolt!) right through the middle. Cue new tyre. Then a fortnight ago I got the runflat beep and found the smallest tack nail in my brand new boot, just towards the inner side. It barely even broke through, and would have been an easy patch on a normal tyre. But the Man From Bridgestone, he say no! Cue new tyre redux.

As for prices, these were rears so slightly larger (255/35ZR18's IIRC). For the swap back in February I contacted the main stealer who spun the "they're hard to get hold of" line (even though they had them in stock?), which presumably means that the price was driven by demand to the £255+VAT quote I was given. Haha. So I rang Kwikfit and they sorted me one for £240.

This time round I was more inclined to shop around. Ended up going with Blackcircles who sorted me one for £200 all in.

Edited by Andrew D on Wednesday 18th July 09:23

[pete]

I've just paid £145 per tyre for a pair of 225/40 18 Goodyear NCT5 runflats for my 130 (fitted etc), from Blackcircles. The Goodyear runflats can definitely be repaired - Bracknell Tyres repaired one of my fronts a couple of months ago.

Pete

[abarber]

StuB said:

I've sourced them locally (York) quite easily and at mytyres where you can see a RE050A (RFT) in the size you need for £104.60

Can't seem them for less than £160 on mytyres?? Also, any idea what the new preperation RFT Bridgstones are?

[CatherineJ]

pete said:

I've just paid £145 per tyre for a pair of 225/40 18 Goodyear NCT5 runflats for my 130 (fitted etc), from Blackcircles. The Goodyear runflats can definitely be repaired - Bracknell Tyres repaired one of my fronts a couple of months ago.

Pete

I've got goodyears on the 120D and I find them to be much much better than the Bridgestones I had on the 318i and Z4C. MOH's 330D is running contis if I remember correctly.

[StuB]

I didn't mention, but I purchased 2 years tyre insurance with the E60, so punctures are covered. Insurance paid for iteself a week or so after collecting the car

I think the RE050's seem ok on the E60.

I like the idea of RFT's as you can continue to drive when you have a flat. I particularly like the idea that my wife can make it home down country roads, back home or to a 'place of safety', rather than stopping on down a country road or on the hard shoulder.

I also like the TPA system, so you know if a tyres going soft. How many people do you see with soft tyres? How many people check their pressures weekly?

I have a Z3 with 18's on Eagle F1's and you cannot fit the wheel anywhere in the car if you do fit the space saver, even with no passenger, it's just too big!

Innovation sometimes passes people by doesn't it

[Carolineccb1]

Have you considered getting rid of them? I'm thinking of ditching mine (I drive a Z4 Coupe) as lots of things I've been reading, suggest that doing so makes for a better drive. A number of people say that they carry a couple of cans of that tyre gunk. I know its not ideal; but with cost, availability and performace to consider - maybe its a fair trade-off?

[Andrew D]

Whilst being able to run on the tyre in the even of a puncture is nice, you pay a pretty big price for it in terms of ride quality, tyre cost, and non-repairability of certain brands. I'd much rather have a space-saver-spare (as on the Boxster) or else a can of tyre weld and a compressor (as on my old Smart Roadster).

[Roop]

Our Z4 has 18" Bridestone runflats on and although it looks smart on massive rims the ride is god-awful. Unless you were desperate to be able to drive on a duff tyre, I'd ditch them for a good quality regular tyre. Better ride and little discernible difference in handling if what I have heard is true...

[Robin Hood]

I got rid of the runflats on my 330, should have done it sooner.

5th post on here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Paracetamol]

My conspirancy theory on this is

1,000,000 cars per annum less £50 for a wheel, tyre and jack (cost price)= £50,000,000 on the bottom line for BMW! No wonder they like run flats!

[Garlick]

So it's now Thurday and my ordered tyre will only arrive TODAY! That's some wait I think you'll agree. I did have the choice to order with another supplier but as every dealer near me had a 48 lead, there wasn't much point.

As the car is so new, I'll wait for the tyres to wear a little but maybe losing the runflats altogether is an option- or at least a switch to a repairable brand.

As for the ride quality- after my 18 inch shod Boxster S with factory sports chassis option I can't really feel much difference- they both ride harshly in town. Must say a harder ride doesn't really bother me.

Anyone fancy the BMW meet- see sticky at the top of the forum??

[Robin Hood]

Garlick said:

As the car is so new, I'll wait for the tyres to wear a little but maybe losing the runflats altogether is an option- or at least a switch to a repairable brand.

Conventional tyres won't fit runflat designated wheels, they have a deep slot around either side of the wheel so the tyres don't seperate from the rim when the tyre's flat. That's why I changed wheels as well as tyres. I've obviously saved the original 6,000 mile wheels and tyres which I'll put back on it at PX time. There should be a ready market for the ones that come off because getting rid of runflats seem to be at the top of many wish lists.

[Raify]

Where did you hear that about the wheels? It's not necessarily true. For example, the MINI is offered with run flats or normal tyres + gunk, witht the same wheels.....

[Robin Hood]

Raify said:

Where did you hear that about the wheels? It's not necessarily true. For example, the MINI is offered with run flats or normal tyres + gunk, witht the same wheels.....

4 different tyre suppliers said exactly the same and as someone else said, "ordinary" tyre machines can't get them off and on anyway, that's the reason why, the deep slot around either side of the rim.

I'm not bothered about having to buy wheels too anyway, Sytner said if a car comes in for PX without runflats the cost of replacing them would be deducted from the valuation given for the car. That's why I've got the originals set aside to go back on when the time comes. As said the wheels and tyres I've bought will be readily saleable so at the end of the day the issue won't have cost me much at all