DD_545i

A lot of people don't seem to like them here, saying that the ride is harsh. I've found this (e60) ride to be much better than my previous (Audi A6) ride, despite this one having RFTs and the previous one not having them. So ride-wise, I've got no problems. Based on this test video, and the other one I saw on German TV, I'm sticking with them on this and future rides. I think I haven't said rides enough, rides rides rides.

This video is from an April 2004 episode of the british car show Fifth Gear and coincidentally, they test using an E60

Phantom Mark

Geesh catch up dude, thats an antique vid

Nice link to those who dont understand the science tho

DD_545i

I know, it was on Dave today though and I just happened to TiVo it

dusandimic

I had runflats on my 124's and now i have PS2's on my 167's.
My wheel got bigger so my profile went down from 40 to 35 in the front
and 35 to 30 in the back.

Even with the lower profile the ride is softer with the PS2's.
Better grip in turns and acceleration.

I'll never go back to runflats.

rik zeppelin

+1

DD_545i

Not tempted by the safety aspects? I certainly am, but then again, I do regularly cruise between 80 and 140mph, peaking at 158 when the traffic allows. I really fancy my safety chances better with the RFTs.

Phantom Mark

Fwiw on my trackday in the 5er I had a sudden deflation in the right rear tyre at 100mph as I was in the apex of a uphill left hand bend, pushing really hard, I just managed to keep control with only a small tank slapper with all aids disabled, made me jump and a little luck kept me out the wall

No doubt if those guys had the regular speed you have DD they would consider them more carefully ?

swajames

There is an undoubted safety benefit to RFT's, but they significantly compromise ride and performance. A quality performance tire transforms the handling on an E60 that formerly had RFT's. Judgment call we all need to make is our willingness or otherwise to trade some reduction in safety against increased performance. No wrong or right answer there, but as I've never had a blowout in over 20 years of motoring I tend to fall on the side of the performance benefits. It's pretty telling how few performance cars come with RFT's.

dusandimic

I drive at those speeds also.
What makes me feel safe at 150 mph is the quality of the tire.
This is why i ride on PS2's.

Remember that 200 mph supercars didn't have runflats untill recently
and most still don't.

Plus track cars never have them. There must be a reason for it.

I'm sure the technology of the RFT will get better but until then
I'll be fine without them.

DD_545i

Yeah, but most didn't have airbags and traction control until it became available. Supercars are all about getting the utmost performance from every aspect, so I can respect the decision to avoid RFTs.

These aren't weekend or trackday supercars we're driving though, they're our daily drivers and do a lot of high speed driving on generally poor quality roads (I'm speaking for y'all in America on this one).

I wouldn't put up with a performance/comfort hit if it intruded into the level of driving I usually drive at. But if you have to take corners at 0.9G to tell the difference between RFTs and regular tyres, then I'll never see that difference.