[AP]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

You are correct, we endeavour to run a pressure that balances wear, but also after the best driving feel. Too low and we can run on the stiff sidewalls, tram-lining is one problem associated with the low side of working pressures. We must ensure we do ride the crown of the tyre.

My experience with RFTs, running above the lower end of the recommended pressures gives this wear/driving balance and reduces/eliminates tram-lining.

Driving short trips (up to 15 miles) is another reason to up the pressure a little, RFTs don't warm as fast as normal tyres, therefore can run more miles below the working pressure.

Worth trying an adjusted pressure, just to see if it reduces the tram-lining.

HighlandPete

Well I set the front pressure to 2.3Bar (up .1 from the sticker) and the backs 2.3BAR (as per the sticker) and will see how this goes. Seems ok so far but may be placebo effect. I use a garage machine to pump up the tyres and it is of course possible that this may not be calibrated correctly.
The lower ambient temperatures of the winter may also have had a bearing on this as well.

Will see how it goes.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by AP

Well I set the front pressure to 2.3Bar (up .1 from the sticker) and the backs 2.3BAR (as per the sticker) and will see how this goes. Seems ok so far but may be placebo effect. I use a garage machine to pump up the tyres and it is of course possible that this may not be calibrated correctly.
The lower ambient temperatures of the winter may also have had a bearing on this as well.

Will see how it goes.

Certainly worth the experimentation. Up here in the Highlands we get wide temperature swings (can be over 10C in a few hours) so learned early on in RFT use that pressures are very critical to steering responses.

I'll give an example with the F11 running the summer 18" wheels. I keep a close eye on pressures related to ambient temperature trends. But always aim to keep above the lower end of the recommended pressure range, even with the average temperature drops.

I remember one autumn day where we'd been around the 10C mark and went out realising it was about 3C and roads were damp. I got on a piece of road I use regularly and there was a hint of steering wander and tram-lining. 'Alarm bells' in my head, pressure too low... Sure enough the drop in ambient required an adjustment, problem solved, steering back to normal.

I typically run 0.2 bar above the lower setting figure BMW give for my front tyres, just 0.1 bar above and if the tyres don't get warm (short wet trips) it is right on the critical limits for feeling a change.

HighlandPete

[Grover432]

Originally Posted by Paul1994

What is the point of having runflats when they 1 they don't last long and 2 if you have to drive over a certain distance with a flat you will need a new tire anyway.. or have to call a tow truck..

I might as well have non RFT's and get towed anyway.

Also after having a flat in the Seattle area it seems most tire shops don't have the size i need and I have to wait at least a day or so.. If I buy a spare it takes up my trunk... Arrrggghhh.....

I read all of these posts and I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. I have Goodyear runflats on my F10 and don't really have any complaints. The aren't too noisy with 12,000 miles on them, have good road adhesion and I don't find the car losing grip with them - at least not when I drive the car on the street (and this isn't a "track" car). The added bonus is more trunk space and the peace of mind knowing that in the unlikely event I blow a tire at highway speeds, the tire will stay on the rim until I can slow it down to a safe speed. What's not to like?

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by Grover432

I read all of these posts and I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. I have Goodyear runflats on my F10 and don't really have any complaints. The aren't too noisy with 12,000 miles on them, have good road adhesion and I don't find the car losing grip with them - at least not when I drive the car on the street (and this isn't a "track" car). The added bonus is more trunk space and the peace of mind knowing that in the unlikely event I blow a tire at highway speeds, the tire will stay on the rim until I can slow it down to a safe speed. What's not to like?

No universal agreement on RF in any of the forum threads I've read.

My experience is opposite to yours, I had same tire and found them to be noisier than non RFT, found them to ride quite a bit rougher and did not transfer as much road feel to the steering wheel. They also do not last as long, it's a known fact they will wear out faster and cost more than non RF tires. Like many others here, I also had a bubble in the sidewall after hitting a pothole at not too high of a speed, which eventually burst. For me personally, they were fairly bad on wet roads in terms of grip. To their credit, they got me to the dealership safely on burst sidewall, so that was great, I can see your argument about bursting on highway speeds.

All this made me move to non RF tire with Continental kit in the trunk (my winters are still RF though).

Was it smart and safe decision? I'm not 100% convinced, as I dislike not having a spare in the trunk or "perceived safety" of RF tire, but ride quality and noise levels in the cabin are both better, not a night and day difference, but noticeably better in my opinion.

After spending last 4 months on winter Dunlop RF, I'm starting to think it's Goodyear OEM that are the reason for most people dislike for RF tires, for sure those did it for me.

[Grover432]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

No universal agreement on RF in any of the forum threads I've read.

My experience is opposite to yours, I had same tire and found them to be noisier than non RFT, found them to ride quite a bit rougher and did not transfer as much road feel to the steering wheel. They also do not last as long, it's a known fact they will wear out faster and cost more than non RF tires. Like many others here, I also had a bubble in the sidewall after hitting a pothole at not too high of a speed, which eventually burst. For me personally, they were fairly bad on wet roads in terms of grip. To their credit, they got me to the dealership safely on burst sidewall, so that was great, I can see your argument about bursting on highway speeds.

All this made me move to non RF tire with Continental kit in the trunk (my winters are still RF though).

Was it smart and safe decision? I'm not 100% convinced, as I dislike not having a spare in the trunk or "perceived safety" of RF tire, but ride quality and noise levels in the cabin are both better, not a night and day difference, but noticeably better in my opinion.

After spending last 4 months on winter Dunlop RF, I'm starting to think it's Goodyear OEM that are the reason for most people dislike for RF tires, for sure those did it for me.

I also run Dunlop Wintersport 3D ROF for winter (just took them off). As I haven't driven the car on anything other than the winter set, I can't compare the noise level to other on run flat tires.

As to control, my M Sport X Drive car has never broken free on the road in summer (rain or shine) either accelerating or stopping, although I don't race the car around.

In general, I find BMW cabins to be a bit noisy and the F10 is no exception. I find the car a bit quieter with my winter set on, but not appreciably so.

We are challenged by potholes where I live and I hit one in late summer last year. I noticed a vibration but didn't have time to check it out. When I switched to my winter set a week later, the vibration went away. I just got back from the Goodyear tire store. They spun all 4 wheels to check for balance and made some small adjustments, but the culprit was a bent drivers side rear wheel, which was fixed for $100.00. The car is now vibration free. I have no doubt that the tires can fail after a hit - I've read plenty of stories here - but in my case, the rim gave in before the tire did.

As to mileage, I doubt I'll be affected. I've got 17,000 kms on my 2013 (November) and I figure about 10,000 kms are on the winter set. I keep my cars 3 years, so I don't worry so much about tire wear or increased noise levels during my time with the car. I appreciate everyone's use and experiences can be different though.

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

No universal agreement on RF in any of the forum threads I've read.

My experience is opposite to yours, I had same tire and found them to be noisier than non RFT, found them to ride quite a bit rougher and did not transfer as much road feel to the steering wheel. They also do not last as long, it's a known fact they will wear out faster and cost more than non RF tires. Like many others here, I also had a bubble in the sidewall after hitting a pothole at not too high of a speed, which eventually burst. For me personally, they were fairly bad on wet roads in terms of grip. To their credit, they got me to the dealership safely on burst sidewall, so that was great, I can see your argument about bursting on highway speeds.

Are you comparing conventional tire and runflat of the same brand and model? If you are not, your statement is much too generalize to compare conventional tires with runflats.

[Bbb34]

Originally Posted by The X Men

Are you comparing conventional tire and runflat of the same brand and model? If you are not, your statement is much too generalize to compare conventional tires with runflats.

No, I wasn't, and you are correct, it is generalization, and that's wrong. Hope that doesn't mislead anyone sitting on the fence about what to do.

Like I said, more threads I read, more I'm convinced it's Goodyear OEM tires, not so much RF tires in general. I really hated these, but don't have any issues with Dunlop winter RF tires I have on now.

The fact still is, RF in general are more expensive, quite a bit actually, and more difficult to find on a short notice. According to most posters, they also wear faster, so, while I'm not 100% convinced moving away from them is the right choice, I'd still likely do the same thing.

Hope that clarifies it

[Grover432]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

No, I wasn't, and you are correct, it is generalization, and that's wrong. Hope that doesn't mislead anyone sitting on the fence about what to do.

Like I said, more threads I read, more I'm convinced it's Goodyear OEM tires, not so much RF tires in general. I really hated these, but don't have any issues with Dunlop winter RF tires I have on now.

The fact still is, RF in general are more expensive, quite a bit actually, and more difficult to find on a short notice. According to most posters, they also wear faster, so, while I'm not 100% convinced moving away from them is the right choice, I'd still likely do the same thing.

Hope that clarifies it

I agree the runflats are difficult to replace on short notice and are over $400.00 to boot.

[dadysev]

My experience with runflats over the past year:

Live in Toronto, Canada. after every winter theres a lot of pot holes around the city. with my 19" option my rims have less sidewall protection. Hit one pot hole that a regular tire could survive, and boom! ripped the run flat. Got me home but i was pissed. Replaced it.

Headed to New York to visit Family last fall. Going down the belt parkway just after JFK, and bam!! Nice New York pothole was waiting for me2 runflats gone.

That was it for me. Running regular tires since. Smoother ride but not as stiff handling due to the rock sold RFT side walls. i'm done with runflats.

I have found that since the RFT sidewalls are so hard the impact goes straight to the rims, and bends and cracks!! Regular tires give more absorption to impacts.

Just my take on it. I miss the spare I had on my e46...

[The X Men]

Originally Posted by Bbb34

No, I wasn't, and you are correct, it is generalization, and that's wrong. Hope that doesn't mislead anyone sitting on the fence about what to do.

Like I said, more threads I read, more I'm convinced it's Goodyear OEM tires, not so much RF tires in general. I really hated these, but don't have any issues with Dunlop winter RF tires I have on now.

The fact still is, RF in general are more expensive, quite a bit actually, and more difficult to find on a short notice. According to most posters, they also wear faster, so, while I'm not 100% convinced moving away from them is the right choice, I'd still likely do the same thing.

Hope that clarifies it

I had a set of Good Year eagle LS non-runflat which came wiyh my 2003 Acura MDX, believe me, they were no better than the runflat version find in the F10. They wear out fast, light snow traction was horrible and I also got a sidewall bubble. My Audi A6 had Conti procontact non-runflat on it and my F10 has the same tire but in the runflat version and they both perform very similarly and tread wear was about the same as well.
Looking on Tirerack, the Bridgestone Potenza RE050 runflat cost 30% more than the Potenza RE050 non-runflat. Some will debate that the addition $70 per tire is well worth the additional safety factors of runflat tires and some will disagree. Availability and selection remains to be a major issue with runflats, but I am sure that problem will slowly diminish as runflat becomes more popular.
I am up in the air as well as far as rather to go with non-runflat for my next set of tires. One thing I know for sure is that runflats are getting better as we speak. I remember my first set of runflats on my 2008 Lexus GS350, it was horrible compare to the today's runflats. Bridgestone have already came out with a third generation of runflat which has thinner sidewall and a smoother ride. The technology is changing fast.

[Paul1994]

Well I did not know this thread would take off like this. i lit the fuse and left.. Anyway

I bought a spare tire and went with non runflats. I am the only driver of the car and my wife's X5, i bought runflats for her the price difference for the x5 tires was not a significant enough to switch.

My main beef with the runflats was that when i had a flat the tire blew out from the sidewall so I needed to get a new tire anyway and i did not feel comfortable driving it home when that happened. Also there was a good price difference between RF and Non RF's. but if I factor in the spare i bought i ended up paying more.

I am happy for now, but lets see what happens if i get a flat

[lsturbointeg]

Seems like RF's are notorious for bubbles on the sidewall. So if you hit a pothole my dealership said 90% of the time it'll cause a bubble and we don't cover that. So whats the point of having them knowing potholes Are everywhere?

[vlam]

Well I finally ditched the RFT. My wife drove the 535xi base for the first 3 years so I never really pay close attention to it. Got a nail last month and the Continental RFT is not repairable. I figured it's time to give summer tires a try so I ordered a set of Pilot SS.. Oh.. what a difference.

I am just going to go with running two set of tires from now on.