red-max

After reading several threads on this forum, I finally took the plunge and replaced my horrible factory-fitted Bridgestone RE050 runflats with normal tyres. The car is *much much* quieter, glides over uneven roads, and the horrible skipping sensation is gone, as is the sensation of driving on solid wooden wheels.

I went for the Continental SportContact2's, 225/50R17 - same size as the original Bridgestones (I have style 138 wheels 7.5 x 17"). They seem quite soft, and have a rounded edge. One nice feature is that the alloy wheels seem quite well protected as they sit quite recessed in the tyre wall.

My first long drive was to the BMW dealership to drop off my wife's MINI (which has developed an oil leak) and we saw a brand new M5 in the showroom fitted with the same tyres (different sizes obviously).

Before getting the tyres changed, I bought the BMW emergency spare wheel kit (space-saver wheel, tyre, jack and brace). The tyre centre guy suggested I also buy a couple of cans of get-you-home puncture repair goo, "even if it just allows you to drive to a safer place to change the wheel, it's worth it", so I have that too.

If anyone's interested, the total cost was ?181 + ?480 = ?660 UK Pounds.

The tyres were ?480 for set of 4, fully fitted and balanced. The best price I got was over the phone from a local tyre shop, beating the best online quote of ?550 by quite a margin - a pleasant surprise.

Thanks to everyone who posted their runflat experiences on this forum - I probably wouldn't have done it without reading so many of your positive stories here.

For those of you still suffering with Dunlop runflats, here's an ironic fact to ponder: Early bicycles were called "boneshakers" before a Scottish vet, John Boyd Dunlop, introduced the pneumatic tyre in 1888.


Future plans:

a) I might look into a mild suspension upgrade. Now the tyres are softer, the standard suspension feels overly soft, and the car rolls a little too much for my liking. I'd be interested to hear feedback from anyone who's upgraded the standard suspension on their E60. I guess the BMW Sports suspension is one option - I might call to find out how much that would be, but I suspect it's going to be the most expensive option. I was thinking aftermarket springs/shocks might be a more sensible option - what do people think? My car is 20 months old, so invalidating the warranty might be a deciding factor...

b) DMS ECU re-map. Got a quote for ?795+VAT UK Pounds, so this might have to wait. I've also got my insurance broker checking how much this would add to my annual premium.


Merry Xmas to all

Marco

Why so complicated??????

I have a set of runflat Goodyear 245/40/18" with sport suspensions and I am very happy about the ride of the car...

Ricracing

You must be driving somewhere with good roads.

Congrats red-max!

My Dunlop RF's will also go.

Peter530i

my man. I did same and I'm happy.

amigo525

I think i am one of the few left wth R/F. Well, i only have 500 miles on my car and the roads where i've driven are smooth. I wonder what my reaction will be when i get to messy roads? Oh well.....let's waitc.

Scott

I guess you just don't know what you're missing until you try it, but I feel like my car is smooth as silk with RFs. I just can't imagine that changing the tires would be this whole new world because I like my car the way it is.

Though I admit, you've all got me curious now.

PUMPMAN

Just had the R/Fs replaced by the dealer at no charge.
At 15000 miles they sounded like a school bus with snow tires
I guess i'll give these another chance but won't be surprised if they do the same.

BMW#7

WeIcome to the ARF club!