Tyre advice

[Dan1502]

It's nearly time to change back to summer tyres and although still legal, the tyres on our 19" summer wheels are now very old, the X5 being a 54 plate but only having done around 35,000 miles.

We've pretty well decided we're going to keep it a while longer (the longest I've owned a car) as it does everything we want it to do and is still on the BMW warranty.  So I'm thinking I will get the 19s refurbished then get new tyres.

I've always favoured Michelin but looking on the Michelin site they don't list tyres for the E53 X5 in 19" and looking on Camskill at the various ratings my initial conclusion is that Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 SUV Runflats might be best as they have A rating for wet grip and decent other ratings.  The sizes are 255 50 19 107 W XL and 285 45 19 111 W XL.  Prices at Camskill are £206.70 front and £229.10 rears plust there's a £40 fuel voucher offer with goodyear.  Michelin currently have a £100 fuel offer if four are bought or £60 for two from Costco (not sure if you could buy two sets of two for £120).

Any thoughts and/or cheaper sources?

Thanks

[kkx5]

First off all, runflats are no good for e53. I got those: http://www.coopertire.co.uk/tyres/high- ... r-zeon-4xs , very happy with them, and my transfer box is happy too. Dont forget, on bmw's with x-drive system, wrong tyres will damaged TB.

[X5Sport]

Why are RFTs no good on an E53?

Richard

[sid10]

Hi I have had run flats on my E53 for the past 6 years , 285/45/19 rears & 255/50/19 fronts they are on genuine BMW X6 wheels which fit the E53 done over 40,000 miles on them can't see why you can't use them ? As the car is serviced every year by BMW dealer they have never mentioned once that they will damage the car .
  The only problem I can see is that you can't fit runflats to normal E53 wheels as the have to be EH2+ as the run flats have a thicker side wall this extra lip on the wheel stops it de-mounting when running flat !
just be carefull if you are looking to buy different wheels as most of the E70 wheels don't fit the e53 as they have different offsets & most will require spacers as well as spigot rings as the centre bores are different . Main thing to look for are the correct offsets !
Regarding the run flats they are brilliant recommend Continentals or Bridgestone , stick to premium tyres & best to get a 4 wheel enlinement as this can stop the usual tramlining & heavy inner usage of the new tyres .
    Drop me a pm if you want some pics of the wheels on the car !

[X5Sport]

Well I had Bridgestone runflats installed on standard BMW Style 132 19" wheels that came OEM with my E53 X5 with no issues at all.  No special bead/rim required.  The tyres came off a brand new X6 where the owner didn't want them.  The donor rims are now my winter set for the X6 with Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow RFT fitted.

The X5 was run for almost a year (we sold it) with those tyres and BMW assured me no special rims required.  I don't believe any special designs are needed for current RFTs, only earlier types.

Richard

[kkx5]

well, answer is quite easy: suspension on e53 is not design to run RFT tyres. The ride must be horrendous. No wonder some e53 users complain about harsh ride. + You need flat tyre system on car with RFT which was an option on e53, standard on all bmw's factory fitted with RFT.

[X5Sport]

The ride was absolutely fine on 19" rims (the car had sport suspension anyway) and the car also came as standard with the tyre pressure warning system fitted - it was not optional when I bought mine new in 2004. 

There is no requirement in the UK for specific additional 'radio type' TPMS to be fitted.

Road tests around the time mine was made frequently reported as 'crashy' ride - and that was with Diamaris.  I think they were used to the more 'wallowing' ride of many other SUVs on the market then.  The X5 could be driven around corners at speeds that would have had a Range Rover on it's roof, or the passengers being sick, and also allowed it to keep up with even hot hatches - much to their chagrin.....

Richard

[kkx5]

You are very wrong. Please don't put anyone in danger, just read what's written on sidewall off the RFT tyre......"...for Your safety, do not put RFT tyres on cars without flat tyre monitor..." that system was an option for e53 all production years. No x5 e53 left factory on RFT.

[kkx5]

Read this about suspension:
http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/bmw-ru ... oblems.php

[kkx5]

and this about safety:

The other essential item of safety equipment for a vehicle with Run-flat tyres is a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Run-flat tyres are designed to minimise the difference in ride quality when a tyre is punctured. This is especially the case with motorway driving where there is relatively little cornering. For this reason it is difficult to determine that a tyre has lost pressure or is operating in zero pressure conditions. Should the driver not be aware of a loss of pressure they may well exceed the safety limits imposed by the manufacturer. This would eventually cause the tyre to fail. Run-flat tyres are not indestructible!

[sid10]

I thought the E53 used the ABS sensors for the tyre pressures ?
The tmps was only used on 2007 / 2011 cars on & most USA models . Regarding the ride the 19" ride twice as good as the 20" even on Runflats ! The Range Rover is the best option for softer rides .
    Regarding the runflat tyres on normal rims this is the dangerous part as 99% of people think that it is ok to use them , first check on the web , then ask what the Eh2+ on the rim is for ?
    How can you use your old e53 wheels on your X6 as the centre bore is 72.6 on the e53 & 72.6 ,74.1 on the X6 unless you have had them machined out ?
Their are a lot of for & against but everyone deserves to have a say the best advise is try some one else's if you can , look on the web but don't take everyone's word as gospel I bought some wheels from a BMW dealer that said they would fit my car , once purchased & brought home I went to fit them a month later , they didn't fit after contacting the dealer they said that they wouldn't take them back as I should have tried them first !

[X5Sport]

Please don't suggest that I was putting anyone in danger or am wrong about this.  Your referenced article is also very out of date.

Mine had tyre pressure monitoring.  No problem, no danger.  TPMS was fitted as standard to a number of models depending upon the year or trim, with some of the V8's even having the radio type because they all had it so it wasn't removed for the UK market.  I'm not suggesting anyone should fit RFTs just because they want to.  Anything fitted to a car must comply with the rules in force.

Even the new ones with RFT have exactly the same system......and there is no 'detector' in the wheel, it runs from the ABS as noted above.  I know that because I have had both an E53 and also have an E71....(and even our E46 & Mini Countryman) which all have EXACTLY THE SAME SYSTEM TOO.  The E46 can also be fitted with RFTs.  The Mini is fitted with them.

BMW are perfectly happy with RFT fitted to an E53.  I know because I checked!  Please don't assume I'm so stupid as to put myself, my family and ANY other road user at risk through my tyre choice.  There is no way I would fitted anything to that (or any other of my cars) vehicle which was unsafe.  I spent too many years in law enforcement and saw too many 'incidents' when working for the police to ever do that.

[kjb1]

^^^^ agreed ^^^^

M3 e46 had it, as did my Mini and my e60.  And I totally agree with you on rims etc, no issues whatsoever.

[kkx5]

ok, no point for me to argue. e53 is not design to run on RFT, end off. You can put whatever you want to put. About safety, i was talking in general...someone will read this and will think, ok, i can put RFT not knowing You have to have any kind of system (and yes i know bmw uses abs sensors) and thats putting in DANGER!!!

[X5Sport]

Possibly you misread what I wrote as referring generically.  There is no need on an E53 to put additional radio TPMS on if it already has the ABS type system fitted.

For any cars not fitted with any form of pressure monitoring then absolutely you must have TPMS.

Does that make it clearer?

Richard