Pros and cons to replacing RFT with normal tyres

[Ash1971]

:blink:

E70 40d needs new tyres - mine is a 7-seater so no spare. Here are my thoughts:

Pro:
- cheaper (by a margin)
- better ride
- wider choice and easier to replace or fix (got a nail in my old RFT and nobody would touch it, insisted I bought a new tyre until I found a hole in the wall who fixed it for £10 17,000 miles ago)

Con: only one is I have no spare.
- Ok how often do you get a flat? Is it worth the risk?
- I could use RAC if in the UK but planning to go to Italy for 2 weeks this summer - if I get a nail in the RFT it's harder to replace esp at some garage 20 miles outside Florence)
- is that tyre inflation gunk any good on a 315 section 20" rim or would I need multiple cans to refills a tyre?

What do others think? Go (replace) or no go (stay with RFT)? Any experiences sought.

Thanks

[MSPORTBMW]

Good question.....I'd like to know this too.
I've just bought a 3.0d MSPORT with Bridgestone runflats. They still have a fair bit of tread but I was looking at replacement run flat prices and like the op says, there are not many to choose from and they are very expensive.
Usually when I buy tyres( non run flats) I buy the cheaper to mid range tyres as I don't do many miles ( about 6k a year) and it's mostly town driving. Mine is not a 7 seater but still don't have a spare.
So is it worth getting on non run flats and buying that tyre gunk stuff? And how good is it?

Cheers

[X5Sport]

Personally I have no issues with RFT as I find the ride acceptable.  Those who seem to find more issues are those with M Sport suspension.  My X6 has sports suspension and is fine.  I will be changing mine later this year and will go on using RFT, though maybe something different from the OEM Dunlop fit.

I have had one puncure in just over 4 years and it ws fixed with no issues.  No idea about tyre gunk but I would expect it to cover all sizes if you buy the BMW kit.  Others may need more careful checking.

I'm not happy with the shorter life of RFT at well under 20K miles a set.  I got a lot more than that out of my E53 on normal rubber.

One question that I have yet to see answered anywhere is that if you switch to non-RFT does that count as a 'mod' because the car is not supplied by BMW with anything other than RFT so the car is no longer 'as made'?  Some insurers will walk away from anything they can so do you need to declare the change?

Richard

[Whitey]

Make sure you tell or check with your insurance , I asked my insurance about changing to non runflat tyres on the winter set up and they said they had no problems with them but in the same sentence said as long as it was manufacture specification .

Right there was there get out clause , so renewed with 4 new runflat winter tyres .

I have the 40d se and find they ride a lot better than a sport model , why the last 2 x5's have been se spec

[Ash1971]

Ok thanks all. Never would have considered insurance. They always get you somehow don't they?

So far verdict seems to be biased towards RFTs - a few people have PMd me to say the same and one person recommend Hankook RFT.

Next question is which to go for. Richard isn't keen on his Dunlops. Mine came with Bridgestone and have lasted over 20k miles - the ride doesn't bother me one iota - and the best quote I got for the more expensive rear 315 was £250 fitted. That's not bad. Hankook Ventus RFT is cheaper at £212 but somehow the Bridgestone appeals to my sense of what's right for the car. I do a fair amount of miles and the car has seen 140+ on the speedo (in Germany, mind  ) and if they're good enough for the factory to fit then that suits me just fine. Dunlops are £300+

RFTs will end up £400 more for all 4 corners but if that's the "insurance" protecting me from being stuck by the side of the road at night in the rain (in a foreign country) then so be it.

[X5Sport]

I'm considering either the Bridgestone or possibly Continental ContiSport 5 as there is a new RFT option that fits the 20" wheels.  We have the non RFT version for our 330Cd convertible and they're pretty good in the wet and dry.

There aren't many options in RFT for our cars if shod with 20" wheels.  Michelin don't seem to do one so no Diamaris equivalent.

I reckon it will cost me around £1200 a set, perhaps more, although with oil prices falling perhaps tyres will get cheaper again - they do use oil products in the manufacture.

Richard

[535dboy]

Are you still under warranty/BMW assist?

[Ash1971]

Contis are another £100 each though. And the BS have proven themselves well for me in the past.

Yeah I had the Diamaris RFTs on 19s on my E53 and they were good. Worth the outlay.

535dboy no warranty I'm afraid - I've just had a brand new ZF gearbox fitted and a BMW warranty would have been handy...

[535dboy]

[quote="Ash1971"]
Contis are another £100 each though. And the BS have proven themselves well for me in the past.

Yeah I had the Diamaris RFTs on 19s on my E53 and they were good. Worth the outlay.

535dboy no warranty I'm afraid - I've just had a brand new ZF gearbox fitted and a BMW warranty would have been handy...
[/quote]

Ouch

Then insurance would be my only worry then as RFTs can still be a pain.

When I first got my 535 (which iirc was the first BMW to get run flats) I found a bulge in my tyre 160 miles from home

Phoned all the BMW dealers and nobody had a spare.

I eventually found an independent that had 4 (which I bought)

My point being if you get a damaged rft then you are in the same boat as non rft anyway so if yo want to go none then go for it

I should point out this was 2005 so the availability of RFt maybe fair better now

[Ash1971]

Gotcha. And a good point - but at least I'll be able to crawl to a garage as the tyre "runs while flat", or damaged as the case may be. If the garage can't replace I can as a last resort buy a cheap Nankang or equivalent to tide me over.

When I bought the car about 18 months ago the previous owner had just shelled out over £700 for 2 new rears (have the receipt) and they had done 2k miles. A few days later the flat tyre warning comes up and I discovered a nail. No problem I thought, I'll get someone to plug it, but nobody would touch it. Prevented by their insurance it appears. You can't fix RFTs you can only replace they said. Eventually I found the afore mentioned hole in the wall who did it for £10 and I've used them ever since for both my cars.

But you're right they can be a hassle - though at least more widely available now than in your day.

[Riggie]

I recently replaced all four RFTs with the new Kumho x3 s which was £690 fitted. RFTs would have been 1200.

I have a space saver so no issues there and my insurance company siad that they did not consider fitting standard tyres to be a modification. Their stance, and that of every insurance company I have asked the question (three others over the years) has been that the tyres need to be the manufacturer's specified size, speed and load ratings.

My X has sports suspension and yes, it has made an improvement to the ride, as have the others I removed RFTs from.  I'm not sure about the F10 M5 but I know that the E60 M5 didnt come with runflats, I wonder why?

[TORTUGA]

I have 20" wheels and a year ago went away from run flats, basically because of cost and also the hassle of a nail in the tyre, and no one prepared to fix it.  I had several arguments with tyre centres who said run flats cant be repaired, even though Bridgestone say they can be plugged like any other tyre.

I just carry a set of screw in tyre plugs and a compressor in the boot, I also have a can of tyre foam just in case I need a little more , in 23 years of driving I have never had a side wall puncture, and recently had a big fat nail in my new tyres, I stoppped, pulled it out, screwed in the plug, pumped it up and drove off.  I have break down insurance incase it ever is a side wall job, but as I ride motorbikes, I am used to no spare wheel when out miles from home.  You dont even have the option of a screw plug really on a motorbike, just need to be recovered as has happened before.

The insurance company were not bothered, the new tyres had to be the same spec and rating as the run flat, and that was all which I would think is normal. 

I am glad I switched as one pot hole, and your geometry is just a tiny bit moved, which due to the 20" tyre sizes means that the wear gets exagerated and you end up with a bold tyre or 2 and another big bill in no time at all, when the rest of the tyre is fine.  And like I say, a nail in a brand new run flat should not need replacement, unless you drive over 50mph, but no tyre centres will do it, and that is just madness when Bridgstone say it can be done like any normal tyre.

[damian777]

Pros and Cons,  without  bias....
Ive had 4  X5s, M Sport suspension set up  so i guess from memory i've replaced about 20  x  RFTs or standard  tyres on my X5s over the last eight  years . All  vehicles had  20 " Rims on the 2005/ 2007/2009/ 2011  X 5 cars.......  I have noticed the  4 D with 305 hp goes through tyres faster !!!
The Pluses  on RFT,s
OEM  Bridgestone or Dunlops  315mm rear and 275 mm on the front ... no spare so lots of boot space, and if you get a puncture you limp home at up to 50mph.
Good for 140 mph  fully loaded  on the Autobahn yes and safe !
Minus Points  ........
They give a hard ride, i swapped to non run flats to sell an X 5 with four new tyres and my God it was so much smoother and quiet, pity i only did 500 miles then sold it !
The RFT s don't ware well, 14- 15 K  then your down to 2mm and the insides go first on the 315s, get down on your knees often and check them !!!  A following Police car will notice the bald inside edge  PDQ !

If you burst a RFT and decide to drive home at the recommended max of 50 mph you will need a) a new tyre as the rubber will bead and shred and b)your rim will be damaged,  thank you and music to your BM dealer who will relieve you of £ 700 or more !
The RFT s dont like Potholes , and burst and usually damage your rim, same bill as above. !
The cost of RFTs  is as mentioned  in other posts  £220 - 300 each and its take it or leave it.
I have seen new Budget tyres which are Z rated  ( ie approved ) for  £ 90 each + vat ( 315mm ) so if you only drive round the City doing the school run or similar at 30 - 40 mph they will do !!!

If you are hammering along the autobahn or M1  / M6 at Mach 1 or  100mph +  then i would stay with the RFTs as you can afford the expensive tyres if you can live with 20 mpg at that speed in an X 5 so dont whinge about the tyre costs .!
The hard ride is a pain on RFTs  and they dont protect those expensive rims in any way with 35 profile tyres and the newer  20 " 333m diamond cut rims are £ 130 + to rec cut and refurb !!
My preference is non RFT when the OEM tyres have reached  2mm-2.5mm  as i dont like to wear them to the legal limit for both Penalty Points  and winter drive condition reasons.
I think it all depends how and where you use your X 5 .
D

[The Mechanic]

I own a 2012 E70 30D M Sport with sport suspension deleted.  I still have the original RFT Contis as summer tyres but my winters are Vredestein Wintrac 4 non-RFT.  The non run flats definitely give a much softer ride than the Contis and I will give serious consideration to replacing the Contis with non-RFTs when the time comes.  I have a BMW gunge kit in case the winters puncture.  My wife has an Audi TT that does not have run flats and came with a gunge kit as standard.

The Wintracs are excellent winter tyres in my view.  I have also used Nokian winters on my previous E61 and they were also brilliant in the snow.