The smaller engined base E60's have 16" wheels with non rft's and I believe the monitor works with those tyres. So they should work with bigger non-fun flats.

A question re the rims for RFT's?
Have the rims been modified in any way to help keep a punctured rft on?
Or, will a standard tyre fit a rf rim?
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NO
YES

I switched the runflats for 19" Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's and I couldn't agree more. As you say, it's like getting a new suspension on the car - it's just incredible. I'm driving on Michelin Pilot A/S tires now (my winter setup), and they are nothing like the Goodyears. Still far better than the runflats though. I would say the reason for the ride/handling improvement is 70% ditching the runflats, and 30% these terrific Goodyear tires.

I got out of the Dun-flop runflats too. After only 4,000 miles, the tread noise was making me crazier than I already am.

I tried Michelin PS2s first. Let me tell you, those tires have steering response and handling that is astounding!! My 545i felt like a sports car. Far, far better than the handling and steering response than the OEM RFTs. But, the ride was just too harsh and the noise too high for me, so I switched to ContiSport Contact 2s. They are wonderful! They definitely ride significantly better than both the original RFTs and the PS2s, and they are nice and quiet too. I'd say they handle at least as well as the OEM RFTs; actually somewhat better. They don't handle as well as the Michelin PS2s, but for me the better ride and quietness is worth the tradeoff.

I've read good things about the Goodyear F1 GS-DS, and I think it and the ContiSport Contact 2s are probably the best all-around choices for an E60. For someone who wants maximum steering response and the best handling possible, and is willing to give up some ride quality and quietness, I don't think you can beat the Michelin PS2.

One thing is for sure, though- it's easy to get both a better ride and better handling by dumping the RFTs. Plus, the OEM RFTs all seem to develop an unbearable tread roar fairly early on that just kills the whole joy of owning an E60.

I would like to know from those that switched to non-RFT, is the incidence of bent/cracked rims higher? I am running 18" rims so I'm guessing BMW installed runflats, with the stiffer sidewall, to absorb road impacts.

So which are quieter, The GoodYears or the the Michelins? Wolverine, why did you choose Goodyear.

I think the stiffer sidewall deflects and transmits, whereas a softer tire absorbs (sometimes to the point that it reaches the wheel and causes damage). Also, the rough standard ride of our cars is the result.

I just drove a little more with my new tires. Definitely better. In fact, I noticed myself going FASTER, without knowing it. Because the ride is just SO much smoother on the 18in wheels with the GSD3.

I had S02 PS on my ex540. While I can't directly compare, the GSD3 on the E60 definitely has much 'sharper' response. I can still feel every bump i need to feel, but without the 'harsh edge' of each bump. Steering is great. It just feels like a different car...better. Before you upgrade anything on the E60, just get rid of the RFT. they should be the first to go.

I know it's been said above but I'll say it again...the FTM doesn't care if you have 4 donut spares on the car -- it works on any tire, any size, any pressure. Just make sure you have everything the way you want it before you initialize it. This way, it'll "learn" what is normal so it can alert you when something changes.

Now, on to my opinion about the runflat tires:

I can honestly say that the runflat saved me from replacing a wheel this summer. I hit a (water filled) pothole so hard that it almost knocked out one of my dental fillings. I thought for sure I was screwed. After investigating the damage, I found that the wheel was fine but the sidewall of the tire had a fairly big bubble sticking out of the side. Did the tire ever lose air? No. Did the tire fail and cause a potential safety hazard? No.

A few weeks ago, my FTM went off and I found that I had a small leak in one of the (almost bald after 9300 miles) rear tires. Did I deal with the puntcure? No. Because of the runflats, I was able to simply add air every couple days (and on one occasion, waited more than a few days to find that I was driving around with only 10psi in the tire.) Sure, the car felt a little different driving around with one tire low but it didn't feel like it would have if I were using a normal tire.

Why did I not immediately replace the pothole damaged tire and repair the punctured tire? A couple of reasons...

First, I already had my winter setup ready to bolt on as soon as it snowed enough to warrant them so I wasn't worried about saving any tires and I knew this was a temporary situation. Second, since they were runflats, I felt more confident that I wasn't going to have any catastrophic failure (not impossible, but not as likely). Third, I have a donut spare so I wasn't going to be stranded. Fourth, the rears were down to the wear bars so I wasn't about to spend any money having someone repair it.

I knew that the snows would be mounted within a few weeks so I just dealt with adding air every two or three days and I didn't do any really high speed driving.

Now, the snows are on and the rears are dead. The fronts aren't completely dead but I'm not likely to reinstall them since one of them has the sidewall bubble and the tread isn't going to last much longer anyway.

Having said all of that, I'm leaning towards purchasing normal (non-runflat) tires for the spring. The runflats clearly add a sense of security that I never had before but I think they need a few more years to be refined enough to be mainstream. One thing's for sure, they "took the bullet" for my wheel and saved me big time. I'm not ruling out getting another set of runflats -- I'll just keep an eye on posts here to get a feel for what others are doing...

I posted on a curb incident I had a while ago. Coming out of a restaurant at night (no alchohol involved) I didn't see a curb winding it's way around the exit of the parking area. I absolutely slammed into the curb head-on. My passenger almost hit her head on the dashboard. I was running the Goodyear F1 GS-D3 tires on 19" BBS rims at the time. Not only was there no damage to the tires, there was absolutely no damage to the rims! I couldn't believe it. Now, the forged BBS rims are quite a bit stronger than the OEM rims, so this may not apply.

The OEM rims are BBS cast, and they weigh 31.5 lbs front and 32.5 lbs rear so they should be quite strong. I really don't think you'll encounter too many situations where you hit a curb or pothole that would bend a rim with a non-runflat, but will not bend the rim with a runflat.

I have to tell about one more incident with the Goodyears, where I would have damaged a rim for sure with the OEM runflats. Coming out of a parking garage pay booth area I turned and heard a screeching sound from my left front tire. Both my wife and I just about died, since we knew I had just 'curbed' my very expensive BBS wheel.

After a thorough inspection, there was not a scratch on the wheel. The 'curb protector' lip on the Goodyear tire had protected the wheel, and the sound we had heard was the tire rubbing against the curb. The lip on the tire extends a good 1/4 inch beyone the wheel, and it's very strong.

I would of thought stiffer sidewalls would increase the chance of rim damage? (A softer wall would cushion the 'blow') :cool: