Non Runflats and spare wheel

[Pope]

When its time to replace the RFT's on my E70, i'll also be fitting non RFT's + Goop.

I have done the same on my 635d and the ride is much better..

[Bmwx5 montenegro]

Syg9m

We don't speak about price and having money or not. We speak about rft and non rft. If so fired non rft as you say, nobody woudn't use them. Yes , continental or dunlop spend bilions for reseraching and improvement so they cant aford such a thing like tyre fired in the midle of driving. That is possible only if you drive it over 30,000km.


Sent from my iPhone

[leosayer]

I replaced RFT with Conti 4x4 contact non-RFT on my 18" wheels last year. I did it purely for ride quality reasons.

The ride over big bumps was improved from intolerable to tolerable. There is also less road noise. I can't detect any change in handling characteristics.

I've got to say that the new tyres have been great in the recent snow and ice. I'm sure they're not as good as true winter tyres but for all-year use in the UK they seem very good. They are labelled as 'M+S' but don't have a snowflake symbol.

I don't have the 7 seater so my wife went and bought a spare wheel kit from BMW and they fitted it under the boot floor for her. Be aware that it needs to be pumped up to 50 psi or so, which it certainly wasn't when we bought it.

[TORTUGA]

I am sure I came across a space saver spare for an E70 on ebay the other day.  Have a look.

[Nat]

This is interesting subject for me, esp given E70 has yet to arrive. I have ordered an SE because I am familiar with the complaints people give about ride quality and RFT tyres and so have gone for the soft option so to speak.  The only difference between a RF tyre and a normal tyre is the sidewall, which is much harder on a RFT as its designed to keep its shape when it has no air in it. One point of interest for me is sidewall strength. I know there is little that can be done about a nail in the middle of your tyre RFT or normal tyre. Just for the record a RFT is no stronger @ the tread ( centre ) than a normal tyre. Its just the sidewall thats different, thats why the ride quality suffers as the sidewall is so much harder , there is less give , but actually there is more feedback to the steering. Anyway, one of the issues I have had in the past is sidewall punctures. I had this twice, when I just rubbed a kerb and it was enough to tear the sidewall. I believe If i had a RFT tyre I would have been ok. The second is convenience. I have had X5's for 7 years now and have taught the Mrs how to change a wheel. However, my Mrs isnt built like Arnie and to be fair most women would struggle to lift a 20 "rear wheel/tyre, especially as a dead weight when its in your tyre well. Also there is the issue of having to empty the boot of all of its contents to get at it , and no doubt the puncture will be at night when its pissing down with rain and its the wife , kids and the dog that are in the car and you are at home. Put in plain english, tyre changing is not for girls. Lets not even address locking wheel nuts, different size wheel nuts ( 17/19 ) or trying to loosen wheel nuts . Thus I have RFT's ( as thats what it will come with ) and I will give them a chanve . I have also already bought a winter set up , RFT's again. I have also provided my Mrs with a compressor in the boot and she will top up the offending tyre as and when its safe and there is no need to stop on the hard shoulder of some motorway and put yourself at risk. I have also got some tyre magic in case thats needed too. The idea is, if you get a puncture ,you are able to deal with it . If you are close to home you can carry on  , if not, pull over when its safe or where you feel safe , pump the tyre back up and continue till the TPM goes off again and repeat as many times as necessary. Its my Mrs who drives the X5 most of the time and I hear all the points made about comfort/ride quality/cost etc etc, but for me, I am , on principle for reasons given above ( and I havent got my X5 yet so could change my mind ) very much in favor of RFT's. Also applies to Grannies/Daughters/any other women in the family.
Just my view.

Regards,

Nat.

[Don Coffey]

I understand you views Nat. But what tyre magic are you talking about? The one I use will seal punctures upto 6mm instantly so you don't have to stop, change tyre or even top up the tyre. This stuff is just as useful in run flats as well.

Don

[Nat]

Thats the stuff Don...................

[55NF]

I'm most certainly ditching the RFT's on my E70 X5.  I'm about to buy another 1 Series or X1 & I'll speccing that with M Sport suspension deletion......  I just hat e these RFT's.  It's a no brainer to run non RFT's.

[huck]

[quote="Don Coffey"]
I understand you views Nat. But what tyre magic are you talking about? The one I use will seal punctures upto 6mm instantly so you don't have to stop, change tyre or even top up the tyre. This stuff is just as useful in run flats as well.

Don
[/quote]

That's really interesting Don. Certainly gives us a few more options with that in the arsenal.


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Huck (iPhone mode!)

[4687ah]

Check this out for a puncture repair!
I have never seen anything like this before.
A little bit too close to the sidewall i reckon.

[huck]

Where's the pic from?


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Huck (iPhone mode!)

[leosayer]

[quote="Nat"] I have ordered an SE because I am familiar with the complaints people give about ride quality and RFT tyres and so have gone for the soft option so to speak.  [/quote]

I did the same, went for the SE with 18" wheels. We still ended up replacing the tyres for non RFT.

Aside from the stiff sidewall, I think it's the weight of the RFT which kills ride quality. I checked on the Tire Rack website and it says that the RFTs for 18" wheels weigh 6kg more per tire than non RFT. That's a huge increase in unsprung weight.

[Don Coffey]

[quote="huck"]
[quote="Don Coffey"]
I understand you views Nat. But what tyre magic are you talking about? The one I use will seal punctures upto 6mm instantly so you don't have to stop, change tyre or even top up the tyre. This stuff is just as useful in run flats as well.

Don
[/quote]

That's really interesting Don. Certainly gives us a few more options with that in the arsenal.


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Huck (iPhone mode!)
[/quote]
This is the stuff I use see here it's very cheap but it does work.  For the sake of a fiver a tyre I now use them on all tyres, both run flat and non as well as the caravan.

Don

[4687ah]

[quote="huck"]
Where's the pic from?


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Huck (iPhone mode!)
[/quote]


It was on the FRONT of my E53, which I bought AUC, and made the mistake of not looking too closely at the tyres.
After getting a better look at it, I spotted that repair and the fact it had non run flats on the front as well as run flats on the back (both of which had been puncture repaired!)
I found all of this unacceptable, and spoke to my local dealer who confirmed it in writing for me, and were very helpful, the guy offered to be contacted by the supplying dealer to confirm it all if they so wished. I then spoke to the supplying dealer and sent them pics of all the tyre repairs. They did not query it at all and arranged for a set of four to be fitted by one of their sister dealerships.
It wasn't great, admittedly, and shouldn't have happened, but to their credit they did sort it quickly and to my satisfaction.

[huck]

Like you say, not ideal but good that you didn't have to fight for it too hard.


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Huck (iPhone mode!)