Jambers

Taking any roundabout was EVIL the other day when it rained here in the UK

The car was crabbing. Now don't get me wrong - I've had this car for over 2 years so I know how it handles in any type of weather conditions and it performed faultlessly even in the terrible snow on it's GY RFT's. But now it seems to have turned on me!

I inspected the tyres and they still have 4.5 mil of tread across the rears and 5.5 on the fronts, but the wear is wierd and I have no confidence in them.

So....I called an Indi tyre specialist today to discuss changing from RFT's to non-RFT's who advised not to do anything until I spoke to my Insurance company. Did that....no problems with Insurance (Direct Line) BUT they said you must keep the speed and load rating the same as specified or upgrade (so the standard is 93Y, you can have 93Z, or 97Y, but you can't go for a 93W).

Then I rang BMW warranty services who stated it made no difference to the warranty - but the whole car is designed to run on RFT's only. Then I reminded him that the car could be spec'd with 172's and no RFT's, at which point he referred me to my dealer....

Then I rang the dealer. "Ohhh sir, you really don't want to move away from RFT's as the car's suspension, coils and struts are designed for RFT's...."

Again I reminded him that the car can come with 172's and Non-RFT's...to which he said "....aaaaah that's the 19" wheel which is different...." and then he said "....your flat tyre monitor may have issues as the non-RFT's are about an inch smaller diameter at the point the rim goes...." and finally "...the rim is designed for RFT's...".

He finished by saying that they have seen some cars changed over but be it on my own head, or words to that effect....

So after all of that, my question is specifically this:

On the standard style 135 18 inch rims on an M Sport LCI, can you put Non RFT's and what issues do you get? Please only respond IF you have carried out this "mod" on the MV Style 135 18 inch rims on an E60 M Sport, 2007....I don't really want to know about 19's....if that's OK!!

Rudy

Sorry, I haven't carried out the mod myself but I have a feeling you're going to get opinions from others who don't have your exact specs yet are able to offer you good information...

First, you will have no problems switching from runflats...the rims aren't special, the tire pressure sensors won't care one bit, the suspension will still suspend, etc. (Obviously, you should get the same tire size and it's true that you should maintain the same or better quality from a load/speed rating though.)

Second, if you don't have a spare tire, you may want to consider getting one -- if not, you run the risk of being stranded if you get a flat.

Finally, I would have your rims checked to see if any of them are bent. The "crabbing" condition you describe may not be related to the runflats, there may be a different problem. It could be something on the car that is out of alignment, bent, or it could be a defective tire...

Good luck!

BLooD

I changed to non-runflats when I had my 2003 530d and my insurance never bothered when I had my accident last april. The dealers talk crap and treat us customers like idiots because thats what there trained to do.

jay77

Agreed, I can tell you from experience I have gone from 18"MV2s to OEM 19" 166 alloys on M sport suspension and the ride is far better on normal tyres. It will be even better if your going from 18" RFL to 18" normal tyres...go for it you wont regret it.

The rule seems to be you can go from run flat tyres on run flat rims to standard tyres on run flat rims and it will not effect your suspension at all. The UK dealers only know enough to sell you the car (in the main)... after you have driven the car 5m you know more then them.

You can not go the other way i.e non run flat rims and fit run flats (Lets face it why would you want to).

The dealer will not want to sell you normal tyres when they can charge you nearly double for run flats so you decide if they are telling you the truth or making a sale.

What tyres are you thinking of fitting if you went to normal tyres? Tyres are probably the area where you buy the best you can afford as its the only thing when it comes down to it keeping you on the black stuff

Hope it helps

Muppet_Man

I've just bought my space saver spare kit as I'm getting new non run flat tyres Saturday week. The tyre place I go to and have known since I was a Renault Technician tells me he has swapped dozens of BMW owners tyres from RF to non RF.

He also owns a 5 series himself and has done the same thing over two years ago. He's had a chance to try some different brands and so I'm going with a set of Avon ZZ3's

I've had these (and still do) on my Audi Quattro S6 and find the combination of grip, but substantially improved ride quality and noise level a great improvement over the Bridgestones, Goodyear and Yokahamas I've tried previously.

Good luck with your change and I'm sure that you find the whole car improved.

cobradav

You can easily go to non-RFTs with great confidence in performance as long as you get good tires. No single tire is the best at everything (wet/dry grip, road noise, comfort, stability) but obviously some are better at some things than others. Although you may not be able to buy from tire rack (US mega vendor) you can certainly compare brands and tread types (summer performance in various levels or all season tires [tyres]).

There is nothing magic about the E60 that would render one tyre type better than the other over your personal preference. I am on my 5th set of tyres (all MAX summer performance tyres), three sets of RFTs interspersed with two sets of non-RFTs. Although my preference is the RFT (OEM Bridgestone RE050A) that is because of their attributes in dry aggressive cornering. I switched to non-RFTs Michlein PS2s due to internet forum hype. However, I found them to be no better in any category (noise, ride, grip) and worse in cornering feel (front tyres) compared to my OEM RFTs. I got them close to RFT capability by raising the front PSI to a really high 44 psi cold, but still did not feel comfortable in aggressive cornering. I also tried Pirelli PZeros non-RFTs but that was on a larger diameter wheel (20 inch) and hoped with the lower profile I would get better cornering performance. Did not like them either, so back to RFTs. They perform well in the wet until they get low on tread (duh). All of the tyre types and brands worked well in my daily driving in typical Florida monsoons but I don't have all the curves in my daily routine I do when I go to the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee for aggressive driving. Also, if you are getting some strange wear patterns now you should get alignment as you get your new tires. Also note that I consistently got about 5k miles more mileage 25k versus < 20K) out of the RFTs than the non-RFTs.

ulvit

Dealers dont really no either...
Their advice is based on what will make them the most amount of cash with the leat amount of effort
EG. Replace rather than fix

Good luck. I am sure this forum's members can assist.

leadfoot

Been there done that . rudy's correct make sure if you go non run flats to get a spare tire or a good 17-18 inch donut.

leadfoot

oh! and get a large coffee with that donut

Jambers

Another question before hitting that button -

those of you have that have changed, has your Flat Tire Monitor played up? I've been told that the normal sidewalls/tyres flex a lot and this can cause the "false alarm syndrome" to run riot!!

Looking at Hankook V12's at the mo....