Runflats - 335D Options

[Cyclone1]

Cars just been in for an oil service - 20k miles and whilst there BMW recommended that the rear tyres need replacing (I did know this), they then kindly proceeded to offer me a price for replacement with 15% discount. The quote for two Michelin Pilotsport 255/35/18 tyres was:























£642.54

Somehow I don't think so.

The options are as follows:

Source two Michelin Pilotsport RFT's for considerably less than the quote.

Replace all four tyres with a decent non-RFT alternative (FK542's for £330)

Buy some replica replacement alloys with tyres for £700ish.


The question is what have other owners done?

Where have you sourced the Michelin RFT's from?

Has anyone changed to non-RFT's and if so to what and how did this affect the handling etc?

I don't want this to turn into a "car handles and rides rubbish on RFT's" as for me the car has been fine so far.

Jules.

[Methane Bloke]

The problem is trying to find Pilot Sport RFTs. Most tyre places will tell you they are on back order. We had a puncture after about 2K miles and had to replace just one rear. Luckily we got one in three days at a cost of £245. We have tyre insurance so cost wasn't an issue. Our dealer doesn't have them in stock only Bridgestones which I don't wont. I'm just changing the Bridgestones on the 120d to Michelins (due in this week).

Regards

Chris

[twiggie]

Similar problem here. I have been offered some mint E46 m3 wheels with new tyres, Not sure if they will fit though..Anyone know ?

Twiggie

[dxb335d]

Im running on Dunlop Sportmaxx non runflats Jules. The ride quality has improved tenfold. I would recommend ditching them, i have a can of stuff for 6 squid which inflates the tyre if i get a puncture and lines it with latex to get me home safely.

Oh and it ws a free set of tyres too so i couldnt complain LOL.

Carlos

[JeffC]

Ive just bought 4 new bridgestone 19" runflats off good old ebay (pair of 225/35/19 and pair of 255.30/19"s) for £290 the lot described as part worn but have 8mm of tread and rears still got the hairs on and no repairs to them , dunno where they are from but Im well happy, (dont need them yet just thought they sounded cheap)

[Cyclone1]

Cheers for the replies.

For those of you running the non-RFT's what tyre pressures are you running?

Jules.

[dxb335d]

Cyclone1 said:

Cheers for the replies.

For those of you running the non-RFT's what tyre pressures are you running?

Jules.

2.6 Bar at the front and 2.7 at the Rear buddy!

[RedRobert]

so is there any problems putting non runflats on the car? I don't want error messages each time I get into her.

With the lack of luck in getting a set of 172's, I need to replace the back 2 tyres on the 18" M sport wheels on my 535d. Any recommendations on what tyre is best? I've owned 4 wheel drive machines for the last 5 years so with the move to rear wheel drive, I want something good but not "exotic"! Want something I can have confidence in.

Cheers
Ró

[dxb335d]

RedRobert said:

so is there any problems putting non runflats on the car? I don't want error messages each time I get into her.

With the lack of luck in getting a set of 172's, I need to replace the back 2 tyres on the 18" M sport wheels on my 535d. Any recommendations on what tyre is best? I've owned 4 wheel drive machines for the last 5 years so with the move to rear wheel drive, I want something good but not "exotic"! Want something I can have confidence in.

Cheers
Ró

Ive had no issues with the Non-runflats so far mate, done a few k on them. I am using Dunlop Sportmaxx and I would recommend them!

[Cyclone1]

RedRobert said:

so is there any problems putting non runflats on the car? I don't want error messages each time I get into her.

With the lack of luck in getting a set of 172's, I need to replace the back 2 tyres on the 18" M sport wheels on my 535d. Any recommendations on what tyre is best? I've owned 4 wheel drive machines for the last 5 years so with the move to rear wheel drive, I want something good but not "exotic"! Want something I can have confidence in.

Cheers
Ró

If you are going to go the non RFT route then change all four tyres.

I am going to pop on a set of Falken FK452's on mine this afternoon (used them on my Cerb and they were fantastic!). I've also checked with my Insurer and they have given the all clear. Will no doubt spend a fair bit of time adjusting tyre pressures over the next few days to get the right "feel", but hopefully won't be too disappointed as I was quite happy with the set-up on the RFT's.

Jules.

[iMungo]

Jules - how did you get on with your Falken's (and where did you get them from?). My runflats are near their minimum tread limit and I'm about to swap all four tyres for non runflats. Anyone else got any good recommendations? I''ve managed 30,000 miles on the original tyres, anyone else managed longer and on what tyres? Thanks in advance.

David

[Gimlet]

I have just changed my two rear tyres (Bridgestone Runflats 255/30/19's) for two new Bridgestone Runflats of the same size on my E92 335d.
They had done 32,000 miles, and the fronts have done the same but do not yet need changing.

I was going to change all 4 tyres for Falkens, and contacted Falken UK directly to seek advice on this.

Their response from Mike Hawes is below:

"Thank you for your email, although you can fit non runflats to your rims
I wouldn't recommend it. Firstly I wouldn't try to change just a pair as
the tyres are constructed in a completely different way and the handling
is likely to be affected.

If you fit non runflats then you will also be running without a spare
which could proove very expensive in the long run. You can fit different
sizes to your car but personally I would stick with the existing sizes
in runflats as that's what the car has been tested with.

I hope this is of use and thank you for showing an interst in Falken
Tyres, however, on this occasion I would recommend that you stick to the
original sizes in runflat."

I've had a similar response from several of the major tyre fitting companies too.
Many have quoted that if RFT's are exchanged for Non-RFT's then the Insurance Company must be made aware too as the handling of the car and braking distances are effected.

I paid £445 for the two tyres in total (fitted price) from Kwik Fit.
They had quoted £245 each, but gave me a 15% discount as I was buying 2.

It's very difficult to know what to believe when it comes to tyres as there are so many conflicting views/comments, I just decided to play it safe and replace like for like.

Edited by Gimlet on Wednesday 13th August 10:14

[ITP]

I need 2 rears on my 05 330i and am thinking of ditching the runflats. The way i see it is that no tyre company is going to recommend anything other than the standard spec, ie. runflats. Its a bit annoying when people say its 'unsafe' to put normal tyres on in case you have a blowout etc. Does this mean 98% of cars on the road are unsafe? Even BMW's own M cars? The biggest pain is not even having space for a space saver.

[Cyclone1]

iMungo said:

Jules - how did you get on with your Falken's (and where did you get them from?). My runflats are near their minimum tread limit and I'm about to swap all four tyres for non runflats. Anyone else got any good recommendations? I''ve managed 30,000 miles on the original tyres, anyone else managed longer and on what tyres? Thanks in advance.

David

Hi David,

The Falkens were fine provided that I over inflated the rears. The reason for this is that I found the set-up to be too soft / wallowy after ditching the RFT's. I actually liked the ride on the RFT's and found that with the "correct" tyre pressures in the Falkens the car felt soft into and out of corners as well as when travelling over small humps and bumps on the road. The car also felt less taut when changing lanes / direction. In order to compensate for this I ended up playing around with the tyre pressures and settled on over inflating them slightly, made the car a little bit less wallowy etc. Worse thing is that the rears are now worn again.......after 10k miles!!! So experiment over and Michelin RFT's here we come

Jules.

[dxb335d]

ive recently changed my Dunlop non runflats for Conti sport contact 3's.

Honestly anyone who hasnt tried non runflats should change to them when the runflats wear out.

[Methane Bloke]

Since my earlier post in this topic, we've had another puncture in the 335d, this time the nearside front. Managed to get another PS2 from our local Kwik Fit the same day and he matched price. Tyre insurance payed up again and we retained the tyre and had it repaired as the penetration (screw) was fairly central and the tyre had only reduced to about 25psi.

The post about the e46 convertible that had a blow out got me thinking about the value of run flat tyres though.

Regards

Chris

[DSM2]

ITP said:

I need 2 rears on my 05 330i and am thinking of ditching the runflats. The way i see it is that no tyre company is going to recommend anything other than the standard spec, ie. runflats. Its a bit annoying when people say its 'unsafe' to put normal tyres on in case you have a blowout etc. Does this mean 98% of cars on the road are unsafe? Even BMW's own M cars? The biggest pain is not even having space for a space saver.

Whether runflats are safer than non, which, of course, they are in the event of a rapid deflation, is only half of the issue.

The cars, especially BMWs, which the manufacturers say should only be ftted with RFTs have been designed only with RFTs in mind. The suspension compliance is all designed to match RFTs.

Fitting non-RFTs fundamentally changes the ride and handling characteristics of those cars, which could be important in an emergency.

[ITP]

This is the only other concern although it does seem in the majority of cases of people who have changed they don't report their cars handling like a pig, in fact they appear to handle more safely in wet or bumpy situations. I suppose the other option is to also change the dampers/springs to Alpina spec (D3, B3) or similar which is widely reported as being a vastly superior set up to the standard runflat set up. Not cheap i would imagine though, but over time may not be much difference as you won't keep having to replace expensive runflats and you would have a much nicer car to drive over your ownership period.

[993rsr]

I've driven 15k miles in my 335D touring with non-run flat tyres. The improvement in ride and handling over the run flat tyres is significant. From regular day to day driving, a 2000 mile high speed trip to Europe, even a wet and cold RMA Nurburging trip the car's handling has excelled in every situation. For me the RFTs are a non starter.

Edited by 993rsr on Friday 15th August 14:44

[iMungo]

993rsr that's good to know. What are you running?

Jules - thanks for update re Falken's, I'll give them a miss as you suggest..