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[FIRST1]

So in one of my previous threads I was bitching about how I hate hitting potholes, having the DSC warning flash, the unpleasant feeling when you hit a huge ditch, and I feel like every small ditch is felt, and that my suspension is extremely sensitive, and I'm always cracking my rims

Someone recommended that before I purchase a new suspension kit, I change my tires to non-RFT. Since I don't know shit about this topic, here comes my fellow forum members to save the day

1. Will going from RFT to non-RFT really improve the comfort in driving?

2. Am I sacrificing anything? (Besides not having to fix a flat if it happens)

3. Do I have to change all 4 tires at the same time? For example, 1 of my tires needs to be replaced soon, but others have differing amounts of tread left. Can I just replace one of the tires with a non-RFT for now, and will the TPMS still work fine?

Front: 215/40 R18
Back: 245/35 R18 (stock, right?)

Thanks people, and once again excuse my newbieness (that's why I'm here )

Feel free to throw in your 2 cents on which tires you're using, how you feel about them, recommend which tires I should buy, from where, etc.

[BrokenVert]

1) It makes a lot of difference. But I got sick of it all. So I said eff it and dropped to 17"s, that made even more of a difference

2) The only thing would maybe be turn-in - the rfts have very stiff sidewalls, good for turn-in, and depending on which tire you replace with it might become slightly mushier.

That being said you gain so much in overall grip its worth the slightly mushier turn-in.

3)Yes - never mix rfts and nonrfts.

But if you are replacing one tire with the same type of tire you only have to change the axle.
ie, if you were putting on rfts again you need to replace both of the tires on that axle.





And we cant recommend tires unless you tell us how you normally drive.

[135Pats]

Runflats are brutally stiff, any standard tire will be far more compliant over the bumpy stuff. Ditch 'em and never look back.

[kensington]

I just switched from rft's to regular hancooks. The ride has improved, i would say around 10-20%. Big potholes are about the same, but the small bumps in the road that would jar you pretty bad before will be better.

[roo97ss]

First off agree 100% on getting rid of RFTs.

Also, driving around NY/LI i'd recommend more rubber on the tire as the roads are pretty rough up there...

Most guys go to
225/40/18 up front
255/35/18 out back.

It's a little more rubber, fits fine and won't mess with any of the systems. I'm up to 265s out back and they also work well.

Best ride would be 17s though you would have to watch what brand rim you bought for front caliper clearance. I have the stock wheels from an e46 330ci sport package with my winters running 225/45/17s and 245/40/17s, much more compliant ride that the 18s....

[FIRST1]

First of all, thanks for all the info so far.

Not looking to switch to 17 inch wheels because I don't want to have to buy rims as well.

So would this switch also make it less likely for me to be cracking my rims? Because it's rly driving me crazy.

I drive about 10 miles above the speed limit, and break slowly and easily, and don't try to drift around corners or anything like that. I don't track my car or anything like that. Maybe once a week, I'll throw it in sport mode and try to hit a high number on a straight away

[ralawren]

Then try Continental DWS. I ran these on my 128i and was very pleased for all season driving on Maryland.

[J0E]

I guess I am an oddball that I don't feel like the RFT are all that bad...

That said, don't forget, with a set of non-RFT you will need to buy a spare and throw it in the trunk at all times, otherwise if you get a flat, you are SOL.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by J0E

I guess I am an oddball that I don't feel like the RFT are all that bad...

Same here... I only driven on RFTs for a couple of months (new car) and I don't think the ride's any worse than my old E36 with 205-60 15s.

[FIRST1]

So what's the cost do you guys think for a whole set? Shit is tough on a college budget...

[631twentyeighteye]

i was set on changing off of run flats after my stockers wore out, then i found a nail in it and it didnt even go deep enough to release the air. certainly going to keep run flats on for DDing and just get a seperate set of not RFT's/track tires for autocross and track.

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by FIRST1

So what's the cost do you guys think for a whole set? Shit is tough on a college budget...

what tire are you looking at?

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by FIRST1

First of all, thanks for all the info so far.

Not looking to switch to 17 inch wheels because I don't want to have to buy rims as well.

So would this switch also make it less likely for me to be cracking my rims? Because it's rly driving me crazy.

I drive about 10 miles above the speed limit, and break slowly and easily, and don't try to drift around corners or anything like that. I don't track my car or anything like that. Maybe once a week, I'll throw it in sport mode and try to hit a high number on a straight away

For my 135i the switch to Conti DWS all seasons make a noticeable improvement in ride and bump quality.
There is one particular large bump I always hit as I take the on ramp to the highway. With the RFT's the rear end would literally jump off the road and DSC would start flashing with reduced power just as I'm accelerating onto the highway. Hated that.
With the DWS the rear end rarely leaves the ground now. The bump has to be pretty big to make the rear wheels leave the ground.

The Conti's are a great tire, imo. They are a bit squishier on initial turn in, and Tirerack testing also shows this. But, it's not extreme or bad at all.
There are other ultra high performance all seasons that have firmer turn in, but I chose the DWS due to their higher rating in snow and especially wet conditions. Traction and braking on wet roads is even better than the summer performance RFT's. Overall dry grip is about the same. On very curved on ramps I can easily hit 60mph and a bit more on dry warm pavement. Higher speed has the tires start to give, but they give up progressively and are very easy to control.

Winter snow performance has been acceptable to me and the road conditions we have in the Chicago area. Your area may differ.
If you have hilly terrain and have lots of snow that remains on the roads for over a few days, then you may consider winter performance or snow tires.
Base it on your winter driving conditions.
Bridgestone just introduced an updated all season called RE970, former was RE960. They have a firmer sidewall with better turn in. But according to Tireracks testing, they may not perform as well in the snow as the DWS.
Your call.
I've got a 2013 335i Msport, which is due to come in in a couple of weeks.
I'll be getting either a set of DWS or the new RE970's. Right now I'm leaning towards a set of DWS.

Always replace at least the 2 tires on any axle, never just one tire.
Best method is to get all 4 replaced at the same time.
You can't rotate staggered size setup, but you can at least swap left to right if the tire isn't directional. With the DWS I swapped left to right on the front and rear and it helped quell a tread noise that was starting to develop on the right front. The swap helped even out the wear pattern.

Tire sizing:

Here are some options and numbers for tire width and sidewall ratio.
You can try a larger diameter size that would give you a taller sidewall.
I kept the same 18" size to limit big differences in actual mph and speedo reading.

For example:
Stock front size is 215/40/18, overall diameter is 24.8".
Sidewall is 215 x .40 = 86mm or 3-25/64".

With taller sidewall:
215/45/18 has an overall diameter of 25.6".
The sidewall height is 215 x .45 = 96.75mm or 3-13/16".
With a 45 ratio, the sidewall is almost 7/16" taller.

Wider tire w/stock ratio & taller ratio:
225/40/18 diameter is 25.1".
Sidewall is 225 x .40 = 90mm or 3-35/64"

225/45/18 diameter is 26".
Sidewall is 225 x 45 = 101.25mm / 4"

As you can see you can play around with with and sidewall ratio to get different section (width, sidewall, diameter) sizes.

Stock size has an overall diameter of 24.8" w/ 86mm sidewall height.
Increase the ratio and the diameter goes up to 25.6" w/ 96.75mm sidewall.
Wider tire same ratio is 25.1" w/ 90mm sidewall.
Wider tire with taller ratio is 26" w/101.25mm sidewall.

An larger overall tire diameter will result in a lower vehicle speed reading than what you're actual MPH is.
If you want to stay as close to stock, then going with a 215/45 will go up from 24.8" to 25.1", which isn't too big of a change.
Going from stock 215/45 to 225/45 will give the biggest difference going from 24.8" to 26". That size will have a wider tread along with a good jump in sidewall height, but also a jump in diameter.

I don't want to go into the speedometer reading differences.
Perhaps someone else can do them and post, so we can see the difference in speedometer reading vs real mph when you increase tire diameter with the sizes I posted.

[Diver]

Some owners have complained their car was "floaty" after switching to non rft tires.

Several posts in the tire and wheel section indicate going up one tire size on the stock wheels is not optimal.

The usual result of playing around with tires and wheels is a complete set of new wheels and tires, plus extensive suspension mods. Remember, the suspension on BMW's is designed around the stiff sidewalls of RFT rubber.

[Cemoto]

Originally Posted by 135Pats

Runflats are brutally stiff, any standard tire will be far more compliant over the bumpy stuff. Ditch 'em and never look back.

This is great advice.

I recently switched due to a bad RFT tire, and run Michlen PSS w/ the 100+ mph pressures listed in the door jam.

So much better IMHO.

[Vigilante375]

To give you an estimate with the tires I got, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus non-run crap, I went with 225s/255s. That was a total of $847 shipped to my front door and then install at a local business was around $93 (I think). So under $1k and those weren't the expensive tires neither. Fronts were $182 per tire and the rears were $211 per tire and they were on sale plus I'm getting $70 back from Michelin.

I got my tires from Tire Rack and checked with Discount Tires plus a local place with Tire Rack being the cheapest by $50-$75.

I could tell an immediate difference between the RFT and non-RFTs, especially on the Interstate. Plus the extra grip from the better tire quality and tad bit bigger size on the fronts. I never had a car with RFTs until the 135i and I could tell the immediate, crappy performance and ride quality from them. I'm not the one concerned with a flat tire as a tow truck isn't but a phone call away. Change to a better, non-RFT and you'll notice the difference.....a better difference.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by J0E

I guess I am an oddball that I don't feel like the RFT are all that bad...

That said, don't forget, with a set of non-RFT you will need to buy a spare and throw it in the trunk at all times, otherwise if you get a flat, you are SOL.

True, depending on where you end up with a flat, you could be SOL.
But, for most of us we have road side assistance that's not too far away.

If I were to take a long away from home area trip, that's going to go to somewhere where help would be over an hour or two away, I would bring a mini spare, jack, and wrench.

I've been very lucky with my last 3 cars, 9yrs.
All with non RFT's and no flats. I will also be replacing the RFT's on my new 335i. But, I will try the new gen of RFT's. During all of my test drives with the new gen RFT's, they felt much much better than the RFT's on my 135i.
They were quiet, decent handling, and the ride is much improved.
Others have commented positively on the new RFT's as well.
I wonder if 2012 and 2013 1 series have the new gen RFT's?

[FIRST1]

Originally Posted by 135Pats

what tire are you looking at?

I don't know, lol.

[135Pats]

Originally Posted by FIRST1

I don't know, lol.

For pure value BFG kdw2s are decent, as are Hankook V12s...The "best" summer tires out there are Mich Pilot Super Sports, and they're actually pretty decent in terms of price. Another advantage to replacing RFTs, they're horrendously expensive...just insane to stay with them IMO.

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by FIRST1

So what's the cost do you guys think for a whole set? Shit is tough on a college budget...

It didn't stop you from buying the 135i.

[FIRST1]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

It didn't stop you from buying the 135i.

19th birthday gift... but that's another story...

[FIRST1]

Originally Posted by RPM90

For my 135i the switch to Conti DWS all seasons make a noticeable improvement in ride and bump quality.
There is one particular large bump I always hit as I take the on ramp to the highway. With the RFT's the rear end would literally jump off the road and DSC would start flashing with reduced power just as I'm accelerating onto the highway. Hated that.
With the DWS the rear end rarely leaves the ground now. The bump has to be pretty big to make the rear wheels leave the ground.

The Conti's are a great tire, imo. They are a bit squishier on initial turn in, and Tirerack testing also shows this. But, it's not extreme or bad at all.
There are other ultra high performance all seasons that have firmer turn in, but I chose the DWS due to their higher rating in snow and especially wet conditions. Traction and braking on wet roads is even better than the summer performance RFT's. Overall dry grip is about the same. On very curved on ramps I can easily hit 60mph and a bit more on dry warm pavement. Higher speed has the tires start to give, but they give up progressively and are very easy to control.

Winter snow performance has been acceptable to me and the road conditions we have in the Chicago area. Your area may differ.
If you have hilly terrain and have lots of snow that remains on the roads for over a few days, then you may consider winter performance or snow tires.
Base it on your winter driving conditions.

I appreciate all of your info. So I could use the Continental DWS tires year round? And they work in the winter too? Wow, never thought I'd be able to drive my 1er in the snow.