Everyone always asks 'Are you going to swap your run flats for proper tyres?' or 'Do you find your run flats handle badly?' etc.. etc.

But you are asking guys that don't know how their car actually compares, they are making the decision based on only trying one.

Say you got an apple pie from the local bakery, it may be a really good pie, it may me a great pie, the best you ever had even, so good that no other pie could ever be better, would it? But, you have a friend that says the pie from the bakery near his is even better, what do you do? Just stay with your pie and tell him he is wrong or do you try a bit of his pie?
What if you try his pie when you are 90 years old and it absolutely beats that taste of the one you have been eating all your life, you will be gutted, you will have had second rate pie all those years, when you could have made a bit of effort and had the best pie in the world!!



So my poll is going to ask the guys who have tried both run flats and proper tyres out what they think, as there is no point getting feed back from a guywho won't even try another pie!

 

Please only post if you have put proper tyres on your car, driving someone elses car doesn't count as they all feel different, this is to help the guys out who are trying to decide whether to swap, so don't vote if you are using run flats as it doen't help anyone.

 

Thanks for the poll gIzzE. I look forward to the results. Also, another factor may be guys that have never had a flat may not see the value of the run flat. I have had a flat and it was nice to be able to keep going.

And, oh, I prefer chocolate pie.

 

I have had two sets of runflats now, I don't at all think they're as horrible as people claim.

Also, I had a complete sudden loss of pressure (0 PSI) from a hollow metal spike at about 75 mph on the freeway. This could have been catastrophic with a normal tire, but was almost undetectable (except for the vehicle warning me) on the runflat.

Sure, chances are, everything would have been fine with a normal tire (though I would have had to pull over immediately in the middle of nowhere, and there's still always a chance of losing control with a total loss of pressure suddenly). The point is that with a runflat, the vehicle maintains its driving integrity (to a point) and I was able to drive about 11 miles to the next town safely, and then install my spare to get home (I was still about 200 miles away from home, and of course no one stocks 275/35-18's).

So, I'm satisfied with runflat tires for what they're supposed to do, and I don't have problems with the ride or road noise. (In the past I have had Pirelli P7000 Supersport and Pirelli PZero Nero M+S.) On the other hand, my wife has BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO's on her truck, so maybe we're not so picky.

 

Read what you wrote above. Not sure you meant that.

My car came with runflats std. Don't you want people whose E60 came with std tires and then replaced then with runflats?

 

I'm also a bit confused by your wording, so I didn't vote.

My car came with Bridgestone RE050 runflats, and they were terrible - rock hard sidewalls meant I felt every bump in the road surface, the car suffered from "skipping" on uneven roads, I had lots of tyre noise, and worse of all the traction was extremely poor in the wet. Easily the worst tyres I have had on any car, ever.

I switched to non-RFT Conti SC2s, and boy what a massive improvement in grip, comfort and noise level.

Would I go back? Well maybe ... but probably only if I trade in my car for a newer one that has (hopefully) much improved Runflat tyres. I keep reading that the runflat technology has moved on significantly in the last couple of years, but would have to experience it for myself.

Hope that helps.

 

Sorry, I put run flats when I meant to put proper tyres!

The run flats are still as bad as ever, I am sure that they will in time become great, but for now they are pretty poor, that is why I put would you change back with current tech.?

 

I't slightly off topic, but I had traditional 19 inch tyres on my 530d SE and was very worried about getting runflats on my 330i sport.

I am very pleasantly suprised though. The tyres are bridgestone potenzas. I was expecting to feel some numbness / lack of response and maybe some 'squirming' in the wet.

But no .... so far the 330 feels like it's on rails.

Probably not a good comparison though as the motoring press thought that the runflats were better on the e90 from the outset, because they were designed as part of the car rather than an afterthought.

I hope this continues, because if I do start to have a problem with them I have a lack of options since there is no spare wheel well in the e90.