First 100 miles

[danno2]

Okay, bought coupe with sport suspension and manual. Manual is great, but those RFT and 18" rims make for a jolting ride on anything from expansion joints to potholes. Smooth interstates are fine, but other wise like riding a hardtailed Harley. Love the car, but what is best way to calm this suspension down? Will going to non run flats make it liveable? Need to go with 17" wheels? What combo seems to work?

My 60+ year old bones need a little more cushion. Had a 335i with sport and it was much more acceptable...I'm surprise, as even Consumer Reports didn't mention the sometimes jolting ride and they are pretty conservative. I know, I should have bought a Buick. Thanks for any constructive feedback.

[dkommor]

Congrats on your new ride. I've had mine since March 09 and it only gets better. The ride is a bit jarring and I've been reading that losing the RFT's is a big help. You can search the forum for similar posts.

Have Fun!

David

[jkp1187]

danno2,

You will be amazed at the difference that non-RFTs make. I didn't even realize just how truly harsh the 18" RFTs were - I was subconsciously chalking most of it up as the price of having a sporty car. Two weeks ago, I switched over to my 17" Blizzak LM 25 winter tires (215/45), and the difference was almost like night-and-day. When switching to snow tires mikes the ride BETTER, you know there's something just not quite right about the stock tires. I am not looking forward to switching back to the stock 18" tires, and may just buy a set of non-RFT summer tires. (Or maybe run my winter tires all year!)

Anyway, if a more compliant ride is what you're looking for, yes non-RFTs will really go a long way to help.

[cadeucsb]

Originally Posted by jkp1187

danno2,

You will be amazed at the difference that non-RFTs make. I didn't even realize just how truly harsh the 18" RFTs were - I was subconsciously chalking most of it up as the price of having a sporty car. Two weeks ago, I switched over to my 17" Blizzak LM 25 winter tires (215/45), and the difference was almost like night-and-day. When switching to snow tires mikes the ride BETTER, you know there's something just not quite right about the stock tires. I am not looking forward to switching back to the stock 18" tires, and may just buy a set of non-RFT summer tires. (Or maybe run my winter tires all year!)

Anyway, if a more compliant ride is what you're looking for, yes non-RFTs will really go a long way to help.

+1

I didnt realize how night and day the ride comfort is until I threw on my Hankook non-rfts.

[plasar]

Danno2, a simple thing to try is to lower your tire pressures and see if that makes it more acceptable.

On my old E36 M3 conv with regular tires, there was quite a difference in ride between the standard recommended pressures and the max load pressures.

As an aside, when I picked up my car from BMW Dallas, they made a big deal that they inflate the tires with nitrogen gas. This supposedly helps maintain tire pressure better over a wide temperature range. You might want to check with your local dealer if they'll gas you up with this if it matters to you.

[M3R1]

I switched to non RFT's within the first 500 miles. For me the RFT's were as harsh as you described. I have also upgraded to a KW street comfort suspension set at half a turn from full soft. My car now rides perfect now...

In short, ditch the run flats!

[Harry135]

My 135 is on 3000 miles now and the ride is noticeably more supple - less crashy, could even call it compliant now and more than acceptable in my view.

[Nicky G]

For those of you who ditch the run-flats, do you tend to buy a fifth rim and tire to have as a fully-functional spare? And the big question, is there actually a space for a spare tire, donut or full-size, under the floor of the trunk?

Thanks in advance! Just placed my order and I'm trying to catch up on everything I haven't researched yet! GREAT forum I must say!

[gyrfalcon]

Originally Posted by Nicky G

For those of you who ditch the run-flats, do you tend to buy a fifth rim and tire to have as a fully-functional spare? And the big question, is there actually a space for a spare tire, donut or full-size, under the floor of the trunk?

Thanks in advance! Just placed my order and I'm trying to catch up on everything I haven't researched yet! GREAT forum I must say!

In short, no and no. Most people just get a compressor and a tire repair kit. You could theoretically keep a full size spare in the trunk but it would take up most of your trunk space.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by danno2

Okay, bought coupe with sport suspension and manual. Manual is great, but those RFT and 18" rims make for a jolting ride on anything from expansion joints to potholes. Smooth interstates are fine, but other wise like riding a hardtailed Harley. Love the car, but what is best way to calm this suspension down? Will going to non run flats make it liveable? Need to go with 17" wheels? What combo seems to work?

My 60+ year old bones need a little more cushion. Had a 335i with sport and it was much more acceptable...I'm surprise, as even Consumer Reports didn't mention the sometimes jolting ride and they are pretty conservative. I know, I should have bought a Buick. Thanks for any constructive feedback.

Read some threads in the wheels/tires section.
YES, get ride of those RFT's! They suck for ride quality and performance.
Recently I UPGRADED to Conti DWS all season non RFT, and it's made a big difference in ride quality with no loss of overall daily sport performance.

[jibaholic101]

ditch the rfts

you will notice a huge difference!!!!

lets see some pics of this beast!

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by Nicky G

For those of you who ditch the run-flats, do you tend to buy a fifth rim and tire to have as a fully-functional spare? And the big question, is there actually a space for a spare tire, donut or full-size, under the floor of the trunk?

Thanks in advance! Just placed my order and I'm trying to catch up on everything I haven't researched yet! GREAT forum I must say!

It is a minor concern for me with non RFT's, but, luckily I haven't had a tire issue for a long time now, at least 10yrs. I find modern tires to be pretty good in puncture resistance. I don't have a spare of repair kit.
BTW, I won't use that canned repair crap. It fills the inside of your tire and worse, the wheel with awful stuff that will throw off balance and make it a nightmare to clean and replace a new tire on the gunked wheel.
I'm relying on road side assistance.

I look at it this way; even with RFT's you can only go so far with a puncture, as they are rated for slow speed for limited miles like 50-100.
So, you have to get a new tire anyway. That's with a standard puncture.
IF you have a "blow out", the RFT will have even less miles of survival stiffness at an even slower speed. So, it seems to only be useful for a conventional puncture, and again, luckily I haven't had one in over 10yrs.
Am I taking a chance on being stranded? Yes. Am I bothered by it? No.

I may be taking a long trip or 2 out west, where is much limited road side support. If I take these trips I do plan on bringing a compact spare, jack, and wrench. For me, the only option is a compact spare as it allows you to drive at a good clip for lots of miles.
Barring that, for daily use I'm sticking with road side assistance.

The added benefit to non RFT's is that my tires can be repaired using conventional parameters, meaning if it's a nail and it's not in the sidewall, my tire will be repaired and be just as good as before when repaired properly, inside and out. The RFT may give you a chance to drive a few miles to get to a service station but then you'll be spending a LOT of money to get another one, or you'll have to get a non RFT, so you'll have to get an RFT very soon. Worse, you may have to spend the night in some lonely little town waiting for the local mechanic to order up them fancy tires.

Sorry, I just don't see any real value to RFT's. They are harsh, expensive, and weight too much. My new non RFT's are a good bit lighter, and I've had at least a 1mpg improvement in fuel economy, mostly due to lighter weight, along with quicker handling, improved acceleration and braking.
Yes, I HATE RFT's! It's a cool idea in need of improvement and refinement, and then more car makers and drivers will get them that should eventually lead to LOWER prices, hopefully.
BMW needs to stop with these things and only offer them to those who really want them and have a good need/use for them, like people who travel a lot in areas with limited road support.
The people who benefit the most from these things are the car maker who can now save money by not having to include a spare, jack, and lug wrench.

[Garduna]

I'm just gonna say this. Runflats makes me hate driving. Period!

[x5mad]

I ditched my runflats at approx 6000km for Pzeros. What a difference! Improved grip, less wheelspin and flashing of the traction control light, better handling, and best of all for me was greatly improved comfort.

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by Nicky G

For those of you who ditch the run-flats, do you tend to buy a fifth rim and tire to have as a fully-functional spare? And the big question, is there actually a space for a spare tire, donut or full-size, under the floor of the trunk?

Thanks in advance! Just placed my order and I'm trying to catch up on everything I haven't researched yet! GREAT forum I must say!

No, there is not space underneath the trunk floor for a spare -- not even a space saver spare like this: http://leatherz.com/Merchant5/mercha...y_Code=all_E82


A full-size spare will fit in the trunk, but you won't have room for much else (I checked it when my 17" winter tires came in.) Basically, the car was designed to NOT have a spare.

You could put a space-saver spare in the trunk along with the jack kit, although it would eat up a little bit of the usable space.

I toyed around with the idea of buying a spare, but for now, spent $10.00 on a bottle of Green Slime (a latex fix-a-flat brand,) and $30.00 on a miniature air pump with cigarette lighter adapter. A friend had to use that stuff before, and he was able to drive a full 50 miles back home, with no problems and not too much fuss when he had the tire replaced. Supposedly it won't foul the TPMS sensors, either. (Not 100% certain of that, but I figure it's better to have more options than fewer in a pinch.) If I was going to take a long trip out into the boonies, I WOULD carry one of my full-size tires/wheels as a spare, or perhaps get the space-saver spare and jack kit, like RPM90.

Most of my daily driving is within 30 minutes of home, so I figure between the Green Slime, AAA, and BMW Roadside Assistance, I should be covered. If I'm on a long trip outside of town when I get a flat, well, I figure I'd be no less screwed than if I had a flat with the RFTs; in both cases, I'd still have to stop after 50 miles and get the tire replaced. (And a big benefit of non-RFTs is that (a) the typical tire store is far more likely to have a non-RFT that will fit my car and (b) the typical tire store may NOT be equipped/trained to install a RFT. Both of these have been issues for BMW RFT users in the past.)

[danno2]

Tire Rack is telling me to go with 225/40X18 (using my stock wheels) all the way around on my 135i. Their conclusion is best quality ride and possible not have to go to snow tires if only lighter snows. I'm thinking the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. Anyone shoot me if I go this route? Remember, I'm not a racer or handling nut. I do like torque and a ride where you can take a sip of coffee while crossing a crack in the pavement. I've appreciated everyone's feedback.

[jkp1187]

As long as you don't get serious snow, that'll probably be fine. Personally, I don't like relying on all-season tires through the occasional heavy snow that we get here, so I switch to dedicated winter tires for October/November - March/April, even if I have all seasons for the summer months.

But I'm sure the 225/40 tires will be just fine. Tire Rack usually makes good recommendations.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by danno2

Tire Rack is telling me to go with 225/40X18 (using my stock wheels) all the way around on my 135i. Their conclusion is best quality ride and possible not have to go to snow tires if only lighter snows. I'm thinking the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus. Anyone shoot me if I go this route? Remember, I'm not a racer or handling nut. I do like torque and a ride where you can take a sip of coffee while crossing a crack in the pavement. I've appreciated everyone's feedback.

I disagree. 225F/255R, all seasons.
225 all around will compromise rear traction on dry roads and wet roads. The narrower tire should give better traction in snow, but it'll now be optimum for the other days.
I went 225/255.

The PS A/S is a fine tire. I went with the Conti DWS, pretty much the same performance for less money.

All seasons all year round are just fine if you live in an area where the snow is plowed/cleared regularly. I'm in NW Indiana and it gets cleaned fairly quickly.
I prefer all seasons as they have the best all around, year round performance for those that don't want to change tires.
I don't do snow tires because I don't drive in an area where they are needed. Northern Mich, Wisconsin, Minnesota, W. Virginia, mountains, etc... I would do snow tires.

The reason for me is that snow tires are not as good as all seasons when the roads are dry or wet, with less grip, louder ride. They are designed to be driven on snow covered roads. If your roads are covered in snow most of the winter, then it's clear what to get. In the Chicago area and NW Indiana for the majority of the winter months the roads are cold, more damp than snow covered, and dry with dusty salt residue, perfect for all seasons.

Snows would be ideal for the days when it's snowy for sure, but I balance that with how often will I benefit with snow tires vs. how much of a hinderence they will be when it's not snowy. When the roads are slick and snowy, performance is the last thing on my mind. It's not just your car and skill, it's the other people on the road that FREAK when they see a flake drop.

My E46 325i did fine with the last gen of Pirelli all season. The 135i has more power, but the Conti DWS are also rated better for overall winter driving with great wet traction, and the best snow rating of the ultra high performance all seasons.

What tires have you run in the past? Is this your first winter in Indiana?

[JimD]

The research I did on plugging RFTs indicates it can be done as long as you do not ruin them driving too far and fast with no air in them (they tend to overheat without air pressure). Otherwise, same caveats as non-RFTs seems to be the recommendation. In other words, the puncture has to be in the tread area (not the sidewall) and there cannot be damage to the cords or inside of the tire. If those conditions are met, they can be plugged. I expect more of a hassle if this ever is necessary but I won't throw the tire away without trying several places. I also want a plug with a mushroom head or a patch installed from the inside.

To give me a better chance against overheating, I carry a Viair 70P compressor. For a slow leak, the kind of leak where you have a chance at repair, I should be able to air it up and drive pretty normally far enough to get home - from my normal around town trips. Alternately, it should get me to a tire repair place. If all else fails, for the first 4 years there is the BMW roadside assistance.

I do not find the ride on my RFTs too bad. But roads in the South tend to be better than in the snow belt. When it's time to replace, I will look at both non-RFTs and RFTs. There are supposed to be softer sidewall non-RFTs coming out which make the difference less.

Jim

[Thud]

Originally Posted by danno2

Okay, bought coupe with sport suspension and manual. Manual is great, but those RFT and 18" rims make for a jolting ride on anything from expansion joints to potholes. Smooth interstates are fine, but other wise like riding a hardtailed Harley. Love the car, but what is best way to calm this suspension down? Will going to non run flats make it liveable? Need to go with 17" wheels? What combo seems to work?

My 60+ year old bones need a little more cushion. Had a 335i with sport and it was much more acceptable...I'm surprise, as even Consumer Reports didn't mention the sometimes jolting ride and they are pretty conservative. I know, I should have bought a Buick. Thanks for any constructive feedback.

You probably need to let some air out of the tires. I had a rough ride too for the first week after I got my 2008 model, and then noticed that my tire pressure was 45psi!! I think they are inflated to near the maximum pressure at the factory.

I let it out to about 34psi and it helped considerably. Still, non-RFT tires will probably be better.

When my factory tires wear out I'm going to switch to non-RFT, and then keep an electric pump and can of fix-a-flat in the trunk. That's basically the same setup that my Z06 had, since it had neither run-flats nor a spare. It came with factory fix-a-flat.

[danno2]

Thanks For All The Input, But Get This: Returned To Dealer And Had Salesman Take A Ride To Show Him How Hard Ride Is, He Immediately Tells Me To Return To Dealer. Service Manager Checks Rear Suspension And Finds The Hard Plastic Blocks Used To Elimination Suspension Travel During Truck Shipment!!! Can You Believe This? Makes One Wonder How Rest Of Pdi Was Completed. With Blocks Out Handles Like A Champ.

[M3_Dust]

Originally Posted by danno2

Thanks For All The Input, But Get This: Returned To Dealer And Had Salesman Take A Ride To Show Him How Hard Ride Is, He Immediately Tells Me To Return To Dealer. Service Manager Checks Rear Suspension And Finds The Hard Plastic Blocks Used To Elimination Suspension Travel During Truck Shipment!!! Can You Believe This? Makes One Wonder How Rest Of Pdi Was Completed. With Blocks Out Handles Like A Champ.

I hope you have another BMW dealer in your town for future service needs...