Reasons to have Run-flat tires on your BMW

Let me start first by saying that this a “touchy” subject and it has been debated over and over again. While there are many people that love the run-flat tires on their BMWs, there are plenty of others that are absolutely against them and consider the normal tires as being a better choice for their cars.

The purpose of this article is to show you BMW’s point of view or the reasons behind using run-flat tires on most of their models. So, I will let them tell us the advantages of using them, but I will have an article ready with the cons as well.

The following text was published on babybmw.net, an UK fans forum, in response to a customer’s concern.

Quote:

BMW aims to provide our customers with a premium product that provides ultimate safety with optimum performance and it is always a concern to receive feedback of this nature.

We chose to include Run-flat technology on our vehicles for the following reasons:

It is dangerous to stop on any road to change a tyre, especially on a motorway or at night.
There is no need to have to wait for a breakdown service to arrive.
Safety and security of the driver and passenger(s) is maintained.
Alloy wheels are difficult to detach from steel hubs.
On most cars the spare is under the contents of the boot, and uses boot space.
It can be tricky to line up the wheel bolt holes with the hub screw holes and match the thread.
The dirty punctured tyre needs to be removed and stored in the boot.
Another puncture before the punctured tyre is mended means one is stranded.
A driver can continue for 150 miles at 50mph with a punctured Run-flat tyre.

All of our vehicles that use Run-flat technology have their suspension and braking components set up to accommodate Run-flat tyres. Should you decide to change to non Run-flats, it may alter the driving and handling characteristics of your vehicle. It is for this reason that this modification is not recommended by BMW as a manufacturer.

However, it is possible to have standard tyres fitted. You will additionally need to purchase either a spare wheel with jack and brace set or a mobility kit which can be ordered from the Parts Department of your nearest BMW Approved Dealership.

End quote.

Stay tuned for our reply.

44 Responses to “Reasons to have Run-flat tires on your BMW”

rcm3 says:

March 12, 2009 at 9:20 pm

Not going to lie… this site seems to be quickly transgressing into disappointing fanboy-ism.

That list is just basically the reasons why changing a tire is a pain in the ass. Are any of these things really a surprise?

Runflats are more expensive to buy, more expensive to install and offer poorer performance (used be BMWs mantra).

That is great that you can drive 150 miles on it at 50 miles an hour but how often is this really the most convenient solution? Most flats I’ve gotten have been while driving out of town on a trip. With the FULL-SIZE spares BMW used to offer, getting a flat was a 25-minute pause, after which I could finish my trip COMPLETELY without having to worry about a repair. I could drive at full speed, with unlimited milage and worry about the flat when I got home. Having a run-flat would virtually guarantee I’d be put-off for at least a day, and this is assuming I could get to a shop that can handle mounting these tires within 150 miles and they have a suitable replacement tire in stock. The likelihood of this is not good. My car would most likely be undrivable for 2 days or more at great expense to me and my passengers.

If BMW really wanted to address this issue appropriately three things would need to be different:

1. Run-flat tires should be an OPTION on all cars (except Ms), not mandatory.

2. Replacing your standard RFTs with regular tires should be allowed by the computer system without setting off the barage of warnings that are currently associated with running non-RFTs on RFT-equipped cars.

3. Including a FULL-SIZE spare in ALL new cars (RFTs and non-RFTs) so people with RFTs have the option to make the swap in case they are not near home, etc.

This all seems so obvious. Get with it BMW.

- Horatiu B. says:
  
  March 12, 2009 at 9:54 pm
  
  @rcm3, that list wasn’t ours, it was just an example given by BMW. As always, I give both sides, BMW and the consumers, to tell their point of view. I don’t see the fanboy-ism in this. I’ve been contemplating for a while if I should just stick, like all the other blogs, to relate news, re-write news and that’s it, no personal opinions, no car tips, nothing…
  
rcm3 says:

March 12, 2009 at 10:05 pm

@Horatiu B.:

No worries. I kind of regret throwing that comment in there, especially right at the top. It detracts from the rest of my comment which I thought pretty hard about. However, I do think there is a general lack of BMW-criticism on this site (constructive or otherwise). Although reporting news is certainly your first priority, having an opinion every once in a while is expected (and you do), and having a negative opinion every once in a while is inevitable (and I haven’t seen any).

There is no doubt that the introduction of PASs and POSs and all the new models stir up some controversy. I have an opinion and I wouldn’t mind hearing an opinion from somebody who is a regular contributor to a site like this. Afterall, this isn’t BMWnewspaper.com. This is BMWblog.com.

That’s all. I enjoy the site. Between bmwblog.com and my monthly Roundell, I don’t miss a beat.

I love driving my BMW, working on my BMW and following BMW. That doesn’t necessarily require me to love everything that BMW does. I’m sure many contributors to this site feel exactly the same way.

Anyway…

Cliff notes: Bring back full-size spares.

- RFTom says:
  
  July 27, 2009 at 7:43 pm
  
  I actually managed 27K miles on the OEM Bridgestone Potenzas before replacing (with still quite a lot of tread left) on my ‘07 335i. Expensive? You bet! Especially thru BMW dealership. But I found an independent deal – still $1,200 for the set. My next set is going to be a conventional set, but I hear that plan’s fraught with danger, too.
  Comments about the non-existent ride are dead on but I love the handing – don’t really have a frame of reference since this is my first BMW since the ’70’s.
  You mention: “you love driving my BMW”, ditto here; “…following BMW”, ditto again; “…working on my BMW”, HUH? Without going into the lack of all traditional means of monitoring my BMW’s performance (we’re talking computer(s) here), I can’t even check my own oil – there’s not even a dipstick!
  
Horatiu B. says:

March 12, 2009 at 10:14 pm

@rcm3: No worries Criticism is okay on here, and you will see that I never delete any comments, regardless if they are positive or negative.

As far as criticizing them,well, I said many times in the past that I dislike the idea of a “PAS” model, I did change the tone a bit when I saw the photos. I also published not so positive reviews, I said that if you have a 335i, you don’t wanna buy the 335 diesel, and etc….

Sure, most of the things are positive and honestly, if I would start throwing more negative articles, it will draw traffic, but I will never do that just to gain a few thousand more readers.

And yes, my goal is to allow you, our readers, supporters, to express your opinion in forms of an article, I encourage and promoted this many times. It gives more value to the overall blog style.

Ok, moving on, great comments about the run-flats, and since I said that I will have an article with the disadvantages as well, please email me and maybe we can work together on this

Dede says:

March 12, 2009 at 11:13 pm

I like the benefits of run flats, especially when my wife is driving the car with my daughter. What I don’t like is the rate at which I seem to get nail and screw punctures in the run flats on my car. Maybe my bad luck, but in the 7 years I have had run flats I have had 8 punctures, necessitating replace of 8 tires (one with only 35 miles on it!). While in the 15 years of driving prior using traditional tires, I had only 1, one single puncture, which I fixed with a plug. All sports cars, driving in the same area.

So I have to wonder, are run flats more prone to puncture because of the way they are constructed?

- Charles says:
  
  October 26, 2009 at 4:52 am
  
  I feel the same way. I must have 4 already in 1 year.
  
Gil says:

March 13, 2009 at 12:50 am

I can’t deal with run-flats. I drive up to NB and NS (Canada) all the time (from Philly). I go through Maine, and the boonies of Maine is well, the boonies, and these small towns won’t have run-flats for replacement, nor to repair it. 150 miles and I’d be out of luck. I prefer regular tires. Which is my concern when I need to get a new BMW in about 4 months (X3 is at end-of-lease). I want to upgrade to an X5, but it uses run-flats! I don’t want another X3, either. Even the 3-series uses run-flats these days. What’s up with that.
So my choice, and it’s becoming one of those self-imposed “this makes sense!” stuff, is:
Get a new X5. Throw in a regular tire in the back whenever travelling to Canada thru the boonies of Maine, or,
Drive the LX470 to Canada instead, and leave the X5 at home.

biker says:

March 13, 2009 at 6:11 am

run flat is a never ending story here in germany
it’s one of the greatest mistake in history of bmw

M says:

March 13, 2009 at 10:13 am

Run flats are the main reason why I am not buying a BMW.
If BMW is really after customer satisfaction and safety, then offer both types of tires, with spares, and let the customer choose. I guarantee you, less than 10% will order RFTs.
BMWs used to be great cars to drive, now they are becoming so delicate…full of complex technologies which only make initial and running costs very high!!!
Cars ride on tires, RFTs worsen the ride quality, they are noisy, hard to repair or replace, very expensive, do not look as good…etc.
BMW, if you care, and I don’t think you do, scrap RFTs.

Doug says:

March 13, 2009 at 10:42 am

You guys made lots of excellent points. I basically agree.

Supposedly the ’09s were going to get a new generation of runflats that were much more pliable and made the handling very close to what the normal tires were. What came of this? Has anyone noticed a difference from a test drive?

The real problem is that BMWs go through tires so quickly that the added expense is a real drawback, especially on top of all these tradeoffs. To boot, you need to go to a place that can supply the same tires and is skilled at changing run-flats. Would that be your BMW dealer? Their fees tend to be very, very high for work excluded from the warranty.

reifen online says:

March 13, 2009 at 3:31 pm

Its very informative, i would still prefer to run my tires full like what you said it hinders the stirring and handling capabilities will be reduced…nice article

Lance says:

March 13, 2009 at 4:24 pm

@rcm3: I completely agree with you here. BMW must start waking up! This Run flat business is not a favourable option.

Ignatius Reilly says:

March 13, 2009 at 4:36 pm

Yeah, thanks for keeping us safe, BMW! Sheesh. They do not, repeat do not, recommend you take the risk of using non-runflats, but they will sell you a mobility kit. They don’t miss a trick do they? BMW cars? Great. BMW the company? Not so much…

Lance says:

March 13, 2009 at 5:12 pm

I am against Run Flats and yes, BMW was just giving us all the normal procedures for changing the tyres and comparing it to letting someone else do it… I was wondering if they ever thought of BMW On Call?? If it was a BMW owner who did not feel like changing the tyre herself/himself, then they are entitled to call BMW On Call to come and assist – may be they were thinking that they could reduce the call out expense to customers.

Anyway, here’s my list of why the company wants RFT on their cars:

– Reduced expense on Call Out service to assist with tyre change
– Reduced cost of production as there’s no spare
– Weight reduction for their cars
– some limited benefits to customers
– Possibly more business for tyre manufacturers (explained later)

Why you shouldn’t get RFT:

– Lifespan is half of that of normal (even with regular monitor of pressures)
– costs 50% more than normal tyres on average
– the ride is terribly uncomfortable, especially if you have 17″ upwards (which actually makes me wonder about their statement of the car suspension being specially designed for the RFT – that’s non-sense, did they especially design another or set up the suspension for 17′, 18′, etc individually??? Obviously not, because my car’s vibration is so much on a rougher road that I worry something can easily loosen up and rattles seem to be more prominent as well)
– replace your tyres when you have a puncture (no exception)
– increase the running costs of ownership. normally a tyre lasts you a good average of 80000km. Now you probably have to change it twice before trading the car in for a new one when you didn’t have to worry about tyres in the past.
– not all tyre shops have RFT
– not all tyre shops have the necessary equipment to deal with RFT and rims (I know tyre outlets that have broken BMW RF rims with their machines when taking out RFT tyres)
– unpleasant ownership as you always have to worry about getting a puncture and always hoping that the warning does not appear

So do you actually think that the benefits out weights the disadvantages? Not to me at all. All you need is a tyre pressure monitor that will tell me whether the tyres are losing pressure and have a system that can tell me which one (normal or RF). If I am in town, I’ll pump it up at a fuel station or dealership. If I’m outside town, I’ll change it myself provided there’s no garage near by. Like another comment mentioned, the problems and time spent on replacing a RFT may be far greater than changing the normal tyre yourself.

So what’s in it for a customer? They are now being forced to buy a product that they do not believe in – BMW will definitely lose out in this one. Many customers would rather go for a Lexus or Audi or Merc because their tyres makes more sense. Why have this worry all the time and why pay a premium for something that does not even justify it in the first place. I am sure that even if the RFT were selling at the same price as the normal, people would still choose the normal, because just based on costs alone, it will cost half based on the average lifespan that’s double of RFT. So whatever Efficient Dynamics techno or whatever they are trying to come up with to save fuel (save costs for customers), they would all be lost in the mere fact that you pay double for your tyres.

What customers want:
– an option for RFT or normal
– have a more attractive and durable RFT product (longer life span, be able to repair punctures)
– don’t come with this non-sense about the normal tyres will damage stuff on the car as BMWs are designed for RFT – we will definitely argue the fact that BMW is manufacturing a budget 3 Series model in the UK using non RF.

Most of all, most customers do not see the overall benefit as a valid basis for the price premium and all sorts of unpleasant experiences with ownership of a BMW with RFT. It would be amazing to see how many people changed to an Audi, Merc or Lexus because of RFT, and I can assure you, it would be a great percentage. Also, stop coming up with these restrictions on motorplan, etc. because BMW is taking customers for a FOOL! and I am terribly pissed off with that! When customers are pissed off, they leave your brand, which would be a pity. But it is unacceptable to force a sub-standard product (RFT) onto your customers, expect them to pay more and restrict them using motorplan benefits, etc. ABSOLUTEL BS!

Shrawan Raja says:

March 14, 2009 at 12:47 am

Quite an informative list Horatiu. But again, this one is controversial.

Ron Fitzpatrick says:

March 15, 2009 at 11:38 am

Agree with all the comments against RFL, I have had BMW,S since 1978,5Series Did not buy the last model because of RFT, due to change but if the new 5 out in Oct is fitted with RFT, I will be changing to Jaguar or Mercedes.

s. mc bride says:

March 17, 2009 at 12:46 pm

would recommend using run flat tires i have a 07 x5 with new normal tires which keeps stepping out ,handling very bad cant wait to get my rfl back would not recommend normal tires on this model.

Charles Pickett says:

April 12, 2009 at 7:33 am

Gees… after reading these blogs I am going to remove my Z4 RFT’s and install a regular tire, with of course, a portable compressor repair kit in the trunk. My tires have 8000 miles and show no wear – can these tires be removed without damage for re-sale to someone that wants a deal on OEM RFT’s?

joseph camlleri says:

May 17, 2009 at 7:34 am

I agre with the RFT comments. I have had 3 puncture in 2 years and and another one just today after taking a sunday drive across town. I agree that these tyres are susceptable to punctures as in the 8 cars that I have had with traditional tyres, I onlyexperienced one puncture. These are costly to replace and take the shin off the beautuful 6 series coupe that I have equiped with these horrible tyres.

Klaus Silberbauer says:

May 18, 2009 at 5:00 pm

Hi,

Thanks for some great thought on RFTs. I have just ordered new rims my 2008 5-series (17″ style 138), and based on the above (and on the con-RFT post) I have chosen to order style 138 rims (only available as EH2) but mounted with standard Michelin Pilot Primacy HP 225/50 R17.

My 5 have a great comfortable ride on the originally mounted standard 225/55 R16, but 16″ look like crap on that car. 17″ is minimum, visually speaking. But my current 235/45 R17 Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s are too hard and noisy. I couldn’t live with paying more just to get an even harder ride – and the comments about the RFTs being extra prone to punctures – well that did it for me.

Besides, I just had my first puncture in 8 years: A nail went through one of my brand new PS2s while doing 130 km/h on the freeway. The Tyre Pressure Monitor alerted me instantly (before I noticed anything in the steering), and I managed to get off the freeway to a safe place before the tyre was completely deflated. So even with standard tyres you don’t necessarily suffer instant death when having a puncture.

I’m sure the RFT technology will mature, but till then… standard tyres for me.

Greg Passlow says:

August 13, 2009 at 5:18 pm

Run flat tyres again – I have been through the process of replacing tyres on my 3 series and again the same problems. Michellin dont have stock and none on order, Bridgestone have stock of the ER300, Kumho have no stock. Do BMW realise the difficulties experienced when you attempt to replace the run flat tyres in Australia in a city which is some 80 km from the major supply cenre let alone some distance outside the major supply centre. When will they revert back to a sensible solution for the Australian market.
The current vehicle is my sixth BMW and will be my last.

- Lance says:
  
  August 22, 2009 at 10:04 am
  
  I can tell you now that BMW is losing many sales with their RFT concept that they force customers to accept. There is absolutely no choice between the two when purchasing your BMW. Even if you change it to non RF after purchasing, they try to stop you from doing so by limiting your motorplan cover as they say that the car is not designed for non RF and all this BS! What’s ironic is that in the UK, they brought out a low budget 3 Series with non-RF! So how did they manage to do that if they say that BMW are designed to only run on RF! Customers today want choice and flexibility. If you think you are so big and mighty that customers will just accept whatever trash ideas that you deem clever, expect sales to go down. This is one of the reasons why Audi is selling at amost 80% of BMW’s volume worldwide! BMW products with RFT and these barriers that they put on customers to prevent them changing to normal render BMW products less attractive.
  
  Especially in these economic climate, we do not need to be paying more than $400 everytime we get a puncture!
  
john says:

August 29, 2009 at 11:53 am

The BMW spin aside, we have had 6 flats on our two year old 335XI. We are looking for a new car with regular tires as besides the inconvenience of constantly changing the tires if you are away on a 400 mile trip getting a new one is almost impossible and when you do hit a pothole and the tire compresses to the wheel and the entire car shudders something else not good must be happening to the car. This should be an option with a spare in the trunk. MOST INTERESTING, if you go to the BMW website they say nothing about these cars coming with run flats just in case you were hoping to buy a BMW with regular tires.

- Lance says:
  
  August 30, 2009 at 4:54 am
  
  Even if it is just a thin buscuit spare would be ok with normal tires. Did BMW even do their research properly before launching this product and forcing it onto all their models, even the X5 has a RFT and it would be interesting to see how much it’d cost to replace those huge RFT!
  
  What’s more interesting is that with the customers of the the first lot of X5s featuring RFT nearing their time for an upgrade, I expect them to stay away from BMW products again after an absolutely horrible experience. So we might see the sales of the X5 and any other models for that matter plunge. In actual fact, BMW is losing market share worldwide, while Audi is gaining. so this should be a wake up call and not put any blame on the currect economic situation. Everyone that I know and spoke to , except one person, hated RFT.
  
  I suggest that all owners should enquire about the replacement cost of their interested vehicles before purchasing, factoring the reduced lifespan and puncture possibility into their ownership cost. Furthermore, testdrives must be taken on the rather rough road to test the vehicle’s tremendous vibration and knocks that they take from the hard RFT, esp if you have a 17″ rim or larger.
  
Randolph Mitchell says:

September 20, 2009 at 3:42 am

I have a BMW 545I 2004 that has a spare factory installed and i have replaced my run flat tires. The non run flat tires are much better. I have not noticed any change in the handling and i have the sports package.

Jazz Dylan says:

September 25, 2009 at 12:42 pm

Run flat tyres nearly killed me!
Bought a 2 year old 5 series which unbeknown to me had a repair job done on 1 of the rear tyres. obviously not checked properly by the garage! Driving down the motorway the car steering went haywire (no warning from the computer! no indication of a tyre problem) ended up crashing into the central barrier then swerving over to the hard shoulder.
Buyers beware!!!!!!!!!

Jennifer says:

September 27, 2009 at 5:16 pm

I replaced the RFT’s on my 2005 545i w/ sports pkg in Feb 2009 and my back tires are now in need of replacement again, after 9,000 miles. This is absoulutely rediculous! As I look for traditional tires and places to install them, I keep getting told by the tire shops that I HAVE to replace the RFT with a RFT – and they will not put regular tires on my vehicle. I am told that they don’t want to be liable if I get hurt in an accident. Will a traditional tire make me more likely to have an accident than a RFT? If I switch to a traditional tire, will I be putting myself in danger? I am aware of the pitfalls of having a flat tire; but will these tires really cause my car to handle inappropriately? I did find one place that WILL put traditional tires on my car. Does anyone have any opinion on whether I am asking for trouble by putting traditional tires on my car, other than the pitfalls of having a flat?

Randolph Mitchell says:

September 28, 2009 at 12:52 am

I purchased tires for my 2004 545i on Tire Rack — the DSW Continentals for the front and the rear. I also have a full size spare. I have not had problems with having someone putting the non run flats on my car. I went to Merchants Tire and they replaced the tires that I purchased at Tire Rack. The car handles with no problems, smooth ride.

- Jennifer says:
  
  September 30, 2009 at 7:29 pm
  
  Tirerack has been great!
  
  I bought a set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 runflats in Feb thinking a good quality tire and good rating would change the tirelife – WRONG when it comes to RFT’s! Thanks for your input.
  
  Have you been pleased witht the Continentals?
  
  - Horatiu B. says:
    
    September 30, 2009 at 8:33 pm
    
    I agree, TireRack is great, we had some banners on our site from them to advertise their deals, we might put them back.
    
    RFTs are tricky, I have Continental also, a bit noisy, but I don’t mind them.
    
S says:

September 30, 2009 at 7:06 pm

I am on my 3rd set of run flats, 2 yrs, 50K. I have maintained all three sets BY THE BOOK..,2 the numbers!!! RUN FLATS SUCK!

s says:

September 30, 2009 at 7:36 pm

I also purchased Michelins, same result. Again, didi everything by the numbers. They are soo loud I can’t even hear my radio. Its rediculous!!

s says:

September 30, 2009 at 7:39 pm

So……are all ofyou happy with the regular tires instead of the run flats?? If so,,Is it necessary to purchase the kit…and how is the no trunk thing working for ya?? I do alot of driving..need room in my trunk. I am serioiusly thinking about making the sacrifice. Three sets of tires in 2 yrs is insane!! tons of money!!

- Jennifer says:
  
  September 30, 2009 at 7:47 pm
  
  My car actually came with a spare tire and a spare tire compartment. I know others who have just made the sacrifice and decided it was more beneficial to them to buy a spare to keep in the trunk. Space hasn’t been an issue for them b/c they have other vehicles for travel.
  
Jennifer says:

September 30, 2009 at 7:43 pm

Apparently, my tire pressure was too high b/c the tires were bald in the middle. (Just the back tires) The front tires still have some meat on them. What really eats me is that BMW was the last ones to put air in those tires! In June too, so it’s not like the summer heat had anything to do with the air expanding. I can’t afford to replace RFT’s twice a year. I just bought a full set for our GMC 1500 truck (much bigger tires) and they were less expensvie than two RFT’s.

Gardner Gray says:

October 5, 2009 at 12:52 am

I went to my local tire dealer for KUMHO 225 40 18R W88 and was told that these tires are on back order for the whole county. The whole country! In order to make an argument about being able to go 50 miles an hour for three hours you have to have a dealer within that time and distance..and a tire waiting for you. It might be cheaper to buy another car. If I could figure out what wheels to get and what tires to put on the wheels that would not interfere with the brakes, I would get regular tires in a minute or at least when I had the money.

S says:

October 5, 2009 at 12:57 pm

Gardner, I am right there with you. I am thinking of getting rid of my bmw because of the tire expense!!! 3 sets in 2 years…Got Michelans last time and they have been the worse of all as far as noise. I can’t even hear my radio. SERIOUSLY. Its freaking rediculous!

Ray says:

October 5, 2009 at 1:24 pm

I’ve been driving my 520i on Dunlop 245/40R18 run flats for the past 3 years and in that time had at least 4 punctures, so I would suggest that they (RF’s) must be more susceptible to punctures. However, I was completely oblivious to the recommendation that they not be repaired up until recently when I got the latest puncture only to be told by the garage (one of the main chains) that they would not repair the tyre and that in their view it was illegal to do so. I put it to my local garage (independent tyre repair shop, who does work for BMW and Merc garages) and he tells me that its nonsense, and that yes they can be repaired. After googling the subject and coming across this, among other sites, I am looking to change to regular tyres, on both 1) the price comparison of the tyres alone, and 2) the idea that I’d have to spend EUR350 (as the back are 275/35) to fix what would cost just EUR8 puncture repair on a normal tyre. I only recently replaced the back tyres, with RFs but was going to go with normal tyres for the front which currently need to be replaced. Does anyone see a problem with this, ie runflats on back and normal tyres on the front? Is this going to confuse the onboard computer and am I insured? Any comments appreciated?

Jennifer says:

October 5, 2009 at 1:51 pm

I have been wondering the same thing in regards to back and front tires b/c I’m in the same boat. I just finally gave in and bought all four traditional tires. I was too concerned with the handling and uneven treadwear on my new tires since the tow types of tires are made differently.

Ray says:

October 5, 2009 at 2:17 pm

Just checked with my insurer and no problem from their side if I change to regular tyres even while back are runflats.

kim says:

October 13, 2009 at 8:52 pm

I have 33,000 miles on my 2006 325i. i bought it as a certified preowned. i am now in need of my 3rd set of front run flat tires. I can’t believe it. Why would anyone want these tires on a car.?And BMW doesn’t seem to want to admit they are a problem.

Scott Clark says:

October 19, 2009 at 2:00 pm

I have a 2006 330i with Sports PKG and Runflats.

BMW: Why not make the “storage” well in the back of the car large enough to accommodate an OPTIONAL compact spare for those cases where we have a puncture (>150) miles from the closest BMW dealer (pretty much the only facilities who can mount the tires, let’s be real.)

Those of us who drive long distances in the country with a full boot of luggage could then have a backup plan.

Run Flat tires have proven their worth to me. Having a puncture in the mountains of PA, in a thunderstorm, surrounded by high speed lorries, my family was able to drive on into a town where we settled in to a B&B whilest I had my car flat-bedded to the nearest city for tire replacement. Two days lost true…but family alive and well.

BMW should have paid for my accommodation. My end costs were around $1400 for the hotel, meals, and tire.

ABDUL RAZAK says:

October 27, 2009 at 12:03 am

Hello,
i am from portugal and recently bought 520 d lci automatic with RFT tyres…
I am very desapointed, They are noiser, we feel an hard riding, and and would really change them for normal tyres and will add spare tyre set.
Has someone said there are some advantages using RFT, but the choice should be from the clients and not an imposition from BMW,
Wish you all best luck and thanks for the opinions too.
See you beemers
Abdul Raza