darkside

I did not find the ride particularly harsh with the runflats, but then I came from an e46M3. What I did find was a noticeable improvement, when I removed the runflats, both in handling and steering feel. You will be fine - it is still a great car. And just think what you have to look forward to if and when you change out the runflats!

gtwsdmd

I have a 550i with sports package, active steering, and run flats. No complaints about the ride so far. Very smooth, quiet, and hugs the road

Heloha

The ride also has a lot to do with the quality and construction of the roads you drive on. When I had the OEM wheels and RF tires I thought they were very quiet no matter where I drove but could feel a big difference between asphault and concrete road surfaces. The ride was too stiff for my taste. I came from a performance/sport package 330i which didn't have RFs and the 330 ride was a lot better both in softness and in handling. In the beginning I found myself driving with the Sport button off which seams to help a little. Now that I have switched to Non RFs the ride has improved dramatically although I'm sure I give up some softness with 20" wheels now but I love the low profile look. I believe non RFs in 18"s would be very good in terms of having great handling ability and improving on the luxury ride.

katheikia

As the weather gets warmer (above 70 degrees) the RFs ride alot smoother. Wear them for a year and then decide if you should get PS2s.

TV550

I dont blame the 550's sport suspension for the jittery ride and bouncing over small ruts, its the runflats. Its not rough over smooth highway but if you go over small ruts especially several in a row the runflats make the car bounce and jittery at high speeds. The sports package is a must with the 550. Rfts should be sold as an option not as standard equipment. I am getting non Rft tires soon. I drove my friends M5 for a week and he has the regular PS2s and sportier suspension but his M5 was smoother than my 550 on the same roads.

Heloha

This is a good point katheikia makes. I did think the ride did get better as I added miles. I switched to the Non RF at around 8500 miles. One thing I must also say is the wear was excellent on the Bridgestone RFs as the tread depth looks the same as when new.

wavehogger

Thanks TV. I do find it hard to believe that an M rides better with non-run flats.. It seems so many people are at opposite ends on this still. Many here say that I won't be disappointed with the ride with them...

I would like to hear from anyone here who has gone from the run flats to non run flats using the same rims..

Thanks, Steve

Presley348

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The sport package on your new BMW will be awesome!

The only problem I found is that people don't maintain their tires correctly...for that superior and handling Bimmer ride that a sport package has you will still need have to balance and rotate your tires, with is not that easy with a staggered set opposed to non staggered set , buy hey that why you got a sport package for that awesome aggressive staggered look, plus handling capabilities, right...

so every 5000 mile you will need to locate a local tire company i.e. a Kauffman, or a Big 10 Tire or Goodyear (sometimes runs these lifetime rotation and balancing packages), and purchase the lifetime rotation package I know at Kauffman time here in Atlanta GA, for $59.00 or one pay BMW dealer their price of $90.00 per time, and swear your getting a good deal! :thumbsdown:

The only thing with the staggered set will be a little tricky to rotate your tires, because remember you will have to keep you radial belted tires rolling in the same direction which will cause you to have dismount and mount and rotate your tires not rear to front, but side to side every rotation to keep the radial belts running in their set same direction, which might cost a little more, but not that much, and you will have your smooth Bimmer ride, or forget rotation like some BMW drivers do, and you will hear noises and wear your tires out about every 10,000 to 12,000 miles, but the choice is your, and I wish you the best with you decision and you new awesome BMW!!

Sincerely,

R. Eddie Presley

PS,
Also remember to check your tire pressure about twice a month, and that too will give you better service than most get out of theirs, because they assume their ok, because the tire store salesman said they will check for them, and if they believe that I will be glad to sell them some ocean front property in Arizona! (LOL)

HHP

I have a 550 sport package with RFs and ride is tight when cornering, overall smooth. roadnoise is not noticeable.

I took the 550 up Angeles Crest Hwy (2) in the los angeles area and opened it up about 3 weeks ago and no loud noise and the handling was superb. And yes of course I was speading.

nbarco

I have a 530i with sports package. Currently, it has the Dunlop Winter M3 Runflats. The summer tires are the Bridgestones RE050 or something like that. I had great performance out of both. Yes they are stiff and recently the Dunlops have become very noisy. This began after 5000 miles. The Bridgestones I only drove for 4000 miles before I swapped for winter tires. They were hard, but not noisy. I hope they won't become noisy like the winters.