jmach

It seemed odd to me too. I have only had the car 3 weeks and thought the car was equipped with RF tires. I guess I had a feeling my car did not have RF tires. I looked thru all the literature that came with the car, checked the tires and went on the Continental Tire website to make sure I knew what I was talking about. It seems that here in the States BMW is now fitting the 5 with non-RF tires.

jmach

Sorry. My mistake. I thought all 5s were equipped with RF tires. Why would BMW equip only cars with the Sport Package with RFTs? Not all 5s. To me that seems counterintuitive. Isn't the general thought that tires on 18 in wheels are more suseptible to damage than tires on 17 in wheels? If RFTs are that good, or provide benefit, why doesn't every 5 come with them?

Again, sorry for not knowing what I was talking about.

kmslo530i

No need to be sorry.....that's why we are all here....to learn and share!! While I agree with your logic about all fives having the RFs, that same logic would/could be extended to include rear side airbags, sport packages....etc. I guess it all comes down to cost.......

As for the RFs.......while there is definitely a safety factor to having the runflats, they are absolutely not universally loved....so....perhaps you should count yourself lucky??

rodybmw

Actually when I got my M-tech bumper I did not want to drill any holes in it, so I just used double stick tape to mount the license plate, and I glued the plastic screw covers on to make it look like it is mounted with screws.

As far a the 166's....yes I like them, but read my thread about wheels for the whole story:

>>>>>CLICK HERE<<<<<

batha

You'd better check. I have an 07', and it came with Pontenza RFs, and a compact spare.

sg530

Dropped RF over a year ago. Haven't seen anyone suggest this tho... Had dealer replace RF with Michelins all around but inspection of wheels while on lift showed two things; and the reason for the following advice. One, they placed some balance weights between the spokes of the wheel where everyone can see them and could be scrubbed off in cleaning. I suggested that they split the weight and place them behind the spokes. I didn't think I had to explain to the dealer how to balance tires. Second... and more important, I saw some paint chipping of the rim of one wheel against the rubber where I could never see it before. This was likely done in the shop because of the difficulty pulling off the RF's and mounting new tires on those rims. I can't prove they did it, I just suspect it. I hand wash the car myself only. So, before anyone does some tire work, closely examine the wheels and better take a picture close to the rim-rubber meeting line. This way you have the proof you need for them to fix or replace the wheel.

PabloR

I have had my RF dunlops replaced for free at 8K mi and now again at 18k mi for the same problem of loud road noise. This time they put on bridgestones, what a difference! still RF though... Luckily when I bought the car they sold me tire insurance and so far they have replaced 6 tires in addition to the above because of potholes, punctures etc. So far I have had 14 tires replaced for free in 20kmiles!!!