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[doggiedog]

Sorry if this has been asked. I tried a search but couldn't find anything.

I was told by my dealer that I need new rear tires. My fronts are OK since I've replaced them numerous times from bubbles and flats (NYC potholes suck). I think one of them has only a few hundred miles on it.

I really don't want to get the OEM RFTs anymore especially with my tire insurance ending next year. There seems to be a great many non-RFTs that are inexpensive that people are happy with. Would it be OK or safe to use different brand rear tires than fronts?

Thanks,

DD

[Slow_335i]

No problem doing it, I ran runflat's on the front of my car and non runflat's on the rear for about a good 6 months.

You will have zero problems

[Tom K.]

Yes, you will have no problems - unless you exceed 30 mph, or drive in the rain, or go around corners, or have to swerve to avoid an accident, etc., etc!

Driving on tires with different tread designs is dangerous enough; driving on mismatched tires with different tread AND construction is foolhardy.

Tom

[Slow_335i]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Yes, you will have no problems - unless you exceed 30 mph, or drive in the rain, or go around corners, or have to swerve to avoid an accident, etc., etc!

Driving on tires with different tread designs is dangerous enough; driving on mismatched tires with different tread AND construction is foolhardy.

Tom

let me guess BMW told you this?

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by Slow_335i

let me guess BMW told you this?

Nope. BMW's position is to use only RFTs.

Back in the late 60's when radials first started to arrive in the US from Europe, there were a number of reports of folks getting into tire related accidents after mixing radials & bias plys.

And Gary from TireRack has posted more contemporary warnings re mixing RFTs & Go-flats on this forum:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=726185

Glad you have survived - but you were treading on thin ice.

Tom

[doggiedog]

Thanks for the responses. I guess I'll change all four and try to sell the front RFTs. One is practically brand new.

[phillip@bmpdesign]

We've come a long way since the 60s-70s. While there is a difference in construction between a runflat and a non-runflat, as far as handling it is primarily in the stiffness of the sidewalls, a comparison that begins to fade in any high end high performance or ultra high performance tire such as a bridgestone or a michelin.

Also, don't believe the hype about matching tread designs, the only time you would have a problem is if your making a high speed turn in wet weather and the front tires have a superior tread design giving you overconfidence in the handling of your rear tire and you lose control of the rear, which would be more difficult with the wider footprint. Unless you have an all wheel drive vehicle.

You're not on thin ice, and the risks are negligible at worst. Millions of people are driving their cars that way, many high performance cars. While it is never recommended to have unsafe tires on your vehicle, your tires are safe as long as the tires are similiar in construction and performance rating and have a safe level of tread

-Phillip Wilmeth
BMP Design

-Phillip Wilmeth
BMP Design