Oh yeah! I forgot to say I bought a skinny spare wheel to go in the hole in the boot for ?150 from the delaership...otherwise I believe I would have been illegal in the UK....

 

Well, I'll buck the trend. I swapped my 245/40 x 18 Bridgestone RE050A run flats for Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymetric non-run flats and there's virtually no difference.
I think it could be very car specific though as mine is a 2004 530D SE Touring (E61). From what I've read of other people's comments on the E61 they seem to run better on the run flats. Maybe due to the rear self levelling air suspension?
I will be going back to run flats when these wear out as I miss the reassurance they give and the car cornered better on the run flats. I also have 2 good run flats in the garage.
On very bad roads the Goodyear's are marginally better and they grip a bit better in the wet. That's it though.
Yes the Goodyear's are cheaper but every time I go out now I get a niggling feeling I'm going to get a puncture and be stuck.
Just my opinion.

 

Is that right ??

I have an E61 (2008) Sport version (is yours the sport reference you comments above) and was considering changing to non RFT's. However, if the benefits are only felt in the saloon then it's not worth it. Would be interested to hear from any other E61 touring owners ??

 

You didn't have a full size spare in there? I've got RFT's (both summer and winter) and my spare is a full sizer. I wonder if it was an option back in 2004 and the original owner of my car took that option. Or perhaps it's still the law in Germany that you need a full sizer. Who knows. Who cares

btw, nobody's taking my RFT's away. No harsh ride here. Maybe it's just those who drive on crappy roads that feel the harsh ride. I'm sticking with the safety of RFT's though. I'll even take off non-RFT's and replace them with RFT's on my next car if it doesn't have them.

 

No, mine is an SE not the Sport. Mine is also pre-LCI.
I think these differences are crucial. I can imagine the non run flats working better on the Sport models.

 

i have a 2004 E61 525 dse, i swapped the goodyear nct5 runflats for falken 452s about a year ago best thing i ever did,
when i was on the goodyears the ride was very harsh on rough roads and there are a lot of rough roads where i live
they were also very skittish if you hit a bump mid corner, the wife nearly lost it twice, also not very good in the wet
they got a lot worse as the temperature dropped over the winter. i also had problems with bulges in the sidewalls,
i had the car about 6 months and when i was washing it i noticed a bulge in the drivers side front tyre which had about 6mm
of tread left on it, i had it replaced with another goodyear nct5 runflat, about 3 months later same thing happened with the
passenger side front tyre also about 6mm tread, dont know if this was because of rough roads or the tyres themselves,
this is when i decided to change to non runflat falken 452s
my tyres are 245 45 18s allround i went for the 97 extra load 452s because they have stiffer sidewalls because
the car being a tourer sometimes runs fully loaded they are also a lot cheaper than runflats. 452s ?90 a corner
since having them fitted i have noticed that they are quieter they are a 1000% more comfortable and the
grip in the dry and especially the wet is a massive improvement and there is also a vast improvement in tramlining
the 452s tramline a little bit but the goodyears were terrible
i did not buy a spare wheel i bought a tyre weld kit from cosco 2 tins of tyreweld, torch ,gloves and high vis vest for ?10
and an air compressor of e bay for ?20 been driving for 26 years and only ever had 2 punctures both of which in work van
picked up screws from around rubbish skip
unless there is a vast improvement in runflat technology i would not use them again, just my opinion

 

Apparently a spare is not a legal requirement here in the UK

 

Thanks for clarifying that Jambers at least I won't be stranded if I get a puncture...

 

I SEE MANY OF THE FELLAS HERE ARE FROM EUROPE. What am I to do with a new 2010 535 M sports Suspension with 135 wheels and Run Flats? Can I tell the dealer to take them?

 

Funny that reading your story is the exact same as me, Goodyear RFT's tramline like hell very harsh and solid on the littlest bumps. Bought 19 inch 172 alloys and run Falken FK452's when taking the old wheels off noticed the two rears had really bad wearing on the inside of the tire!! for a tire that has done 6k is shocking.

Falkens have transformed the car ok its still a little harsh and your avoiding potholes like mad but its less harsh than the RFT.