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View Full Version : Run Flats... advice?



TC2002
04-10-2013, 12:03 PM
Just bought an X3 from Ryan, who has been phenomenal to deal with at BMW Gallery. Thx Redlyne. :)

What are your experiences with the BMW run flats? The finance guy is asking us to buy warranty on them. Do you think it's worth it?

There's some construction near where I live, but other than that, it's the usual daily drives of Deerfoot or Elbow and within the Core. Never had a flat tire at all with my Mazda 3 over the past 8 yrs.

Twin_Cam_Turbo
04-10-2013, 12:19 PM
I wouldn't buy any tire warranty but that's just me. I got rid of the run flats on my 135i without even using them and put some other tires and wheels on.

G
04-10-2013, 12:25 PM
if leased yes else no.

I bought it when I leased a 335 replaced both my nearly bald rears prior to returning the car because I ran over some "nails". The tires would not have passed lease return inspection.

If you bought throw those pos tires out.

RickDaTuner
04-10-2013, 12:27 PM
Sell the OEM wheels and tires, and get a new set of Non run flat wheels and tires. Purchase warranty for that set.

TC2002
04-10-2013, 01:26 PM
Thanks for the tips! I'm leaning towards no on the warranty.

Leasing it but got the excess wear & use protection included, so I don't have to worry about that before returning the vehicle.

vtec4life
04-10-2013, 01:40 PM
Excess wear and tear covers you up to a certain amount and only on certain things. I would check the fine print to make sure it covers bald tires.... I can't remember now.

IF you are keeping the run flats, get the warranty. The cost of the warranty is basically the price of one of those tires should something go wrong or you "drive through a construction site" ;).

Mind you its not so bad on the X3 but one tire on a X5 M-Sport will make the average person break down and cry.

TC2002
04-10-2013, 01:55 PM
Ok. Will look into it some more.

I'm still considering swapping out the run flats instead. A friend told me he really hated the drive with them so that's always the other option too. Great to hear all the opinions.

Twin_Cam_Turbo
04-10-2013, 01:57 PM
Originally posted by TC2002
Ok. Will look into it some more.

I'm still considering swapping out the run flats instead. A friend told me he really hated the drive with them so that's always the other option too. Great to hear all the opinions.

Stiff sidewalls make them kinda crashy over bumps and rough surfaces, I wanted a stiff more performance oriented tire on my car so I got rid of them, my parents did the same with theirs as soon as they were worn out.

Aleks
04-10-2013, 02:08 PM
If you ditch the Run Flats make sure you have a means of fixing a flat or at least getting somewhere to repair it as the car has no jack or spare tire.

Newer Gen runflats are much better than older versions. If you decide to keep the run flats on buy the tire warranty. I said no to my warranty last time and 2 months later I got a flat. Cost $600 bux installed for 1 rear tire on the 335 as they are not repairable :banghead:

vtec4life
04-10-2013, 02:33 PM
Originally posted by TC2002
Ok. Will look into it some more.

I'm still considering swapping out the run flats instead. A friend told me he really hated the drive with them so that's always the other option too. Great to hear all the opinions.

How do they feel to you??

Usually road noise is the biggest complaint.

max_boost
04-10-2013, 03:04 PM
Congrats!

Did you get a 328X drive as well? Ryan is awesome to deal with. The excess wear and tear package looks wicked on paper.

Yes I contemplated the exact same thing. I said no to the run flats because of the cost, $695/4 years. I am leasing mine for 4 years. For the tire size I think 225/50/17 I can buy two run flats for that price and I've only had 2 flats in my 16 years of driving. It also covers the rim but I have never destroyed a wheel in my years of driving. Or for $695 I will buy a new set of tires and put the run flats back on when I return the car.

CanmoreOrLess
04-10-2013, 03:42 PM
^^^^ This is a very good idea. ^^^^

Am I wrong in thinking run flats are far worse in the winter than normal tires?

TC2002
04-11-2013, 09:33 AM
Originally posted by vtec4life


How do they feel to you??

Usually road noise is the biggest complaint.

Husband and I test drove it and it felt great! Very comfortable ride if anything. Less noise than the winters on my Mazda 3 right now so I guess that's hard to compare. Ha ha.



Originally posted by max_boost
Congrats!

Did you get a 328X drive as well? Ryan is awesome to deal with. The excess wear and tear package looks wicked on paper.

Yes I contemplated the exact same thing. I said no to the run flats because of the cost, $695/4 years. I am leasing mine for 4 years. For the tire size I think 225/50/17 I can buy two run flats for that price and I've only had 2 flats in my 16 years of driving. It also covers the rim but I have never destroyed a wheel in my years of driving. Or for $695 I will buy a new set of tires and put the run flats back on when I return the car.

Hey S!
Will talk to Ryan about the specifics of wear and tear re: tires later. I just didn't want to put him in a strange position for trying to "sell" the warranty as his job vs. what he may think outside of his job, so I posted on here.

Thanks for your perspective. Leaning toward getting winters from Gary at UrbanX to put on the X3 and using the run flats through summer months. Won't have a spare, but I'll probably get some cheapo patching kit that'll make due to get me to his/other shop should I run into a flat. Like you, I've never had any issues with destroying wheels at all in my years of driving.

No to warranty. Kind of decided on that now.

D. Dub
04-11-2013, 10:32 AM
The run flats on my 335xi were horrible, noisy, terrible handling and had weird wear patterns on them.

Strider
04-11-2013, 11:16 AM
I have an X3 with runflats as well, I don't really have any complaint about noise or harshness... but I will likely replace them with non-runflat when the time comes (haven't had a flat tire in 14 years of driving).

Regarding flats though... conventional wisdom would have you replace all the tires at the same time on an AWD - does this still apply for xDrive? I've read everything from replace one, replace in pairs, to replace all 4. Will the warranty cover multiple tires if only one is damaged?

Twin_Cam_Turbo
04-11-2013, 11:17 AM
Originally posted by Strider
I have an X3 with runflats as well, I don't really have any complaint about noise or harshness... but I will likely replace them with non-runflat when the time comes.

Regarding flats though... conventional wisdom would have you replace all the tires at the same time on an AWD - does this still apply for xDrive? I've read everything from replace one, replace in pairs, to replace all 4. Will the warranty cover multiple tires if only one is damaged?

How many you replace depends on how much difference in tread depth there would be between new and old tires.

max_boost
04-11-2013, 11:27 AM
Originally posted by Strider
I have an X3 with runflats as well, I don't really have any complaint about noise or harshness... but I will likely replace them with non-runflat when the time comes (haven't had a flat tire in 14 years of driving).

Regarding flats though... conventional wisdom would have you replace all the tires at the same time on an AWD - does this still apply for xDrive? I've read everything from replace one, replace in pairs, to replace all 4. Will the warranty cover multiple tires if only one is damaged?

Only covers one so what you would do is poke a hole in the other 1 or 2 or 3 if you want those covered but who does that? lol :nut:

You replace two minimum is what everyone tells me.

CokerRat
04-13-2013, 09:19 AM
Now that I've had runflats, I'm totally sold on them -- especially for winters and especially if you live in an area with new construction. When you run over a nail and get a low tire pressure warning on the middle of Deerfoot on the way to work, it is awfully convenient to keep on driving and get it fixed when it's convenient. Besides that, there's the safety component... who wants to have the car pulled over in the dark on a icy road in cold weather to replace a tire? Only caveat is that if you have a complete failure (like a tear in the sidewall), you're stranded until you can replace it.

Runflats can be repaired for small holes like any other tire.

Warranty.... why buy any additional warranty? Odds are you will not get your money out of it, which is why they push it. If you actually do have to replace a tire early, it's not going to break the bank.

Twin_Cam_Turbo
04-13-2013, 09:28 AM
Originally posted by CokerRat
Now that I've had runflats, I'm totally sold on them -- especially for winters and especially if you live in an area with new construction. When you run over a nail and get a low tire pressure warning on the middle of Deerfoot on the way to work, it is awfully convenient to keep on driving and get it fixed when it's convenient. Besides that, there's the safety component... who wants to have the car pulled over in the dark on a icy road in cold weather to replace a tire? Only caveat is that if you have a complete failure (like a tear in the sidewall), you're stranded until you can replace it.

Runflats can be repaired for small holes like any other tire.

Warranty.... why buy any additional warranty? Odds are you will not get your money out of it, which is why they push it. If you actually do have to replace a tire early, it's not going to break the bank.

If you drive on a run flat when it's too low on air your gonna ruin it and have to replace it anyway.

heavyfuel
04-13-2013, 09:30 AM
Runflats? Move over. I want these!
Pja6vKnEV4E

CokerRat
04-13-2013, 10:31 AM
Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo
If you drive on a run flat when it's too low on air your gonna ruin it and have to replace it anyway.
I don't think that's really a problem, provided you work within the limitations of the product and use some common sense. For example, Bridgestone says if you've driven on a run flat while it's significantly deflated, you should have it inspected -- which I imagine is covering their liability because somewhere out there some tool is going to drive on a totally flat tire too fast and too far and will wreck the tire and blame the mfr when it fails. In practice, you're likely to have SOME air pressure (mine seems to trigger around 22psi) and even if you don't, it's rare that you have more than few kilometers to get to a service station. I like that it lets me get where I'm going more reliably than with conventional tires.

Redlyne_mr2
04-13-2013, 02:20 PM
Thanks for the props Sam and Simon. On the topic of RFTs there were some bigs improvements made on them in 2009. They're no longer loud or rough like earlier RFT's. I love the convenience of them, I love how a flat doesn't ruin your day. The downside is that they're super expensive. We retail an X3 18inch RFT for $793 installed per tire. We're a BMW dealer so we're more money but even through Urban that tire is pricey. The harder compound of the RFT also doesn't absorb road debris like a conventional tire so they puncture easier. The tire warranty for 4 years is about the cost of 1 tire replacement. I've got it on my 1m because it also covers bent wheels so if I bend one of my Advans on a pothole the wheel is paid for.

Excess worry free does cover worn out tires.

mo_money2supe
04-15-2013, 12:49 PM
Thanks for all the info everyone, and thanks again Ryan for your help. Finally, my third car bought from a beyond mod, even though two of 'em have been through Ryan. Btw, the OP is my wife's account, this account is mine. :nut:

I think my wife and I have decided to just keep the RF's for summer use and just pick up another set of winters for just that, winter use. :winter:

We'll just need to find a spare somehow or maybe just pickup some tire filler goop for emergency use when the winters are on, as much as it's despised by shops. Might just have to bribe Gary to clean the goop if we ever run into a flat with the winters on.

SkiBum5.0
04-15-2013, 01:15 PM
If you get a flat tire caused by the construction in your area you can approach the contractor and ask for reinbursement. You have to prove it was material that was not properly cleaned up.

I had this issue with an in-fill near me. Picked up a roofing nail in my Pilot Sport 2 rear tire and asked the contractor to foot the bill for 2 new ones. The nail in my tire was the same as the ones lying around the construction site so it wasn't difficult.

jaylo
04-15-2013, 03:07 PM
Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
Thanks for the props Sam and Simon. On the topic of RFTs there were some bigs improvements made on them in 2009. They're no longer loud or rough like earlier RFT's. I love the convenience of them, I love how a flat doesn't ruin your day. The downside is that they're super expensive. We retail an X3 18inch RFT for $793 installed per tire. We're a BMW dealer so we're more money but even through Urban that tire is pricey. The harder compound of the RFT also doesn't absorb road debris like a conventional tire so they puncture easier. The tire warranty for 4 years is about the cost of 1 tire replacement. I've got it on my 1m because it also covers bent wheels so if I bend one of my Advans on a pothole the wheel is paid for.

Excess worry free does cover worn out tires.

I am under the impression that BMW only covers the original OEM wheels under their Rim and Tire Protection and is subject upon approval of BMW Canada before they perform any repair or replacement.

I have dealt with a fractured wheel October and it is not fun dealing with BMW Canada through our local dealer.

jaylo
04-15-2013, 03:13 PM
Originally posted by CokerRat

I don't think that's really a problem, provided you work within the limitations of the product and use some common sense. For example, Bridgestone says if you've driven on a run flat while it's significantly deflated, you should have it inspected -- which I imagine is covering their liability because somewhere out there some tool is going to drive on a totally flat tire too fast and too far and will wreck the tire and blame the mfr when it fails. In practice, you're likely to have SOME air pressure (mine seems to trigger around 22psi) and even if you don't, it's rare that you have more than few kilometers to get to a service station. I like that it lets me get where I'm going more reliably than with conventional tires.

A punctured RFT tire can be repaired depending on the severity of the damage.

Prolonged driving on a 0PSI RFT tire will damage it, as well as going over 80km/h which from what I heard creates a lot of heat damaging the sidewalls.

With the fine print and limitations of the Tire and Rim Protection plan, you'd be better off saving that $800-1000 in your bank for a replacement. If your car is under warranty you have BMW Roadside Assistance, if not you can always get an AMA card for $100 for peace of mind.

+1 for RFT tires

Redlyne_mr2
04-15-2013, 04:28 PM
Originally posted by jaylo


I am under the impression that BMW only covers the original OEM wheels under their Rim and Tire Protection and is subject upon approval of BMW Canada before they perform any repair or replacement.

I have dealt with a fractured wheel October and it is not fun dealing with BMW Canada through our local dealer.

Nope, the tire warranty is under written by a third party. They take pictures of the cracked/bent wheel and send it off to the insurance company and they reimburse. Any wheels and tires are covered as long as the claim total does not exceed $5500. I've yet to run into any limitations on the tire warranty other than the $5500 cap.