LouDawg

I recently leased an 07' 530i after having an 04'. Liked the E60 so much that my decision was easy. My last one was premium package without sport because I knew I was going to be moding the supspension and wheels. My new car has premium and sport package and the stock ride quality is pretty much as stiff as the ride on my old car, lowered and 20" wheels?

Question, do you think it's worth it to go out and buy a new set of tires or just wait for the RF's to wear and then change them out with some non RF tires? It seems that alot of members say they wish they would have changed out the RF's earlier because the ride quality is so much better. The ride is not terrible, just basically feel about any bump in the road. Are non RF's quieter or just a smoother ride? I'm used to a lowered car so maybe I was just expecting a smoother ride with a stock setup. Other than this small concern, I love my new car, especially because I don't have a black car anymore.

Chorethorious

LouDawg,

I guess this all comes down to money and how comfortable you are at spending it. The stock tires aren't that bad, but you'll notice a difference when you switch. I guess you'll have to ask yourself is $900-1200 in tires worth a little better ride. I only did it because I purchased new rims. Actually, I would have waited till they wore out and tried to get news ones from the dealership for free due to the issues surrounding earlier issue RF tires.

Anyway, non-rf's are going to produce a smoother ride, because the sidewall is going to give a little over bumps and such. As far as a quiter ride, well that all depends on the tread and composite of rubbers in the tire. Well, take in a lot of comments from members who've done this and make the decision that feels right for you.

Flowerfred

It strikes me as odd that nobody seems to appreciate the rtf's for what they are designed for: they keep you going with a puncture.

Yes, the rider is more harsh, but it's more the noise than the ride quality imo.
However, I have had 5 punctures in the 67,000 miles I've done in my car. The fact that I could continue my journey immediately justifies the ride.
I do not take pleasure drives, therefor when in the car I need to be somewhere.
I am due tyre set number four soon, and I'll go for the noisy buggers again.

Just my 2 pennies.

Chorethorious

Flowerfred,

I totally agree with you regarding the security that the tires provide. I've yet to need them in my car, but could have used them on my truck many times. But, for me though, the car doesn't do but maybe 4 or 5 long distance trips a year. So, if I get a flat that I just can't fix with the spare or whatever the case, I'll call for roadside assistance.

BTW, your car looks great.

KAF

This concerns a lot of people, I had more punctures in 10,000 miles on RFT's than I have in the last 5 years of regular tyres.....................why?

5 punctures in 67,000 is an awful lot. And with most dealers refusing to repair a runflat, an expensive way of running a
car.

Flowerfred

Not really. Even though the dealer won't fix them, a local tyre shop will. In my case at about 15 pounds a pop.

I don't think rft's are more likely to have punctures. I did buy a house on a new development. I think it's because the builders were dropping screws as building work continued after I moved in.

madoon

exactly the same with me...
perviously. all i have had a average of about 2 on road flats a year.... however in this last year i have repaired my tires about 5 times...
i know it has nothing to do with the RFT, but i have really been unlucky with these...

i love the RFTs for there connering performance as there stiffness provides a little more grip in turns however, they are very noisey..

but you get the comfort of knowing you dont have to stop if anything happens... this is very comforting when someone else is driving my car...

red-max

It is a difficult choice. My 2004 E60 was totally transformed when I swapped out the (original OEM) run-flats for Conti SC2s - so much smoother and quieter, more like a 5 Series should be IMHO. I bought the space-saver spare wheel, but in fact I never had a puncture in 20,000 miles and just over a year, so no regrets.

Now I've traded the E60 in for an E92, I'm back on run-flats. The ride and handling are ok, but I do notice the tyre noise is really bad on certain road surfaces. I am fairly sure it would improve the car to swap the run-flats for some decent tyres, but I'm a little reluctant to do that due to the E92 having no place for a spare wheel.

As Flowerfred says, there is something to be said for the comfort of knowing that you can just drive home - though there is one small problem with the range of the run-flats, and in fact I have bought a full-sized spare for trips that take me over 100 miles from home.

In short, there isn't a clear answer. If you have a high speed blow-out, runflats could save your life. Then again I've been driving for 20 years on normal tyres and I've only had two punctures, so should I really be so worried about getting another one that I drive my high-performance BMW on these hard noisy tyres when I could be enjoying a smoother quieter ride? It's a tough choice, and I'm a bit annoyed at BMW from making it more difficult by not providing space for an emergency spare.

For now I'm runing on the OEM run-flats, but when they wear down, I'll have to make a decision...

KAF

You do also realise that if you have a full load, runflats are only good for about 30-50 miles.

At least with a skinny spare I can drive it for as long as I need to as long as I keep the speed down.

Flowerfred

I think the range is determined by how much you cane them. Biggest problem I found sofar is that not all tyre shops have the equipment to take the tyre of the wheel.

Don't get me wrong, I am not the biggest fan of runflats in the world, it just struck me as odd that no-one ever mentions this benefit when discussing rft's. We have hade many threads like this and it hardly ever comes up.