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[greenscape]

I have asked around a bit on this subject and have gotten very little feedback. I now have 1100 miles on my non sport 330. I like the car in almost every respect(compared to my 97 E39) except the tires. I find this car to be a bit of a wanderer on uneven roads. I think the term is tramlining and my car does it very well. I think its not only unacceptable but I think its primarily because of the tires. Mine has Bridgestone EL42's and they are horribe. Not just in my opinion, but go to Tirerack and look at the reviews. Its a horrible tire in almost every category. And guess what... the other runflat available in that size(I beleive there are only 2 in the 225/45/17 size) is the Pirelli Euforia.. And you guessed it, Its ratings are worse.. I think its a little insane that I bought a 42K car and the manufacturer expects me to have 2 tire choices..

So heres what I did,,
I called Bridgestone directly who put me in contact with my local distributor who put me in touch with another local Distributor. I explained my unhappiness with the Tire.. Guess what, he said he'll get me new tires just tell him what I want and they have to be Brigestone or Firestones.. Just like that..

Talked with a Tirerack guy on Friday, he says they have 3 E90's they are testing and none have Runflats on them. He says this car being designed for Runflats is just absolute nonsense. He says the car may have been designed in consideration of them but not for them. Also heard that theEuropean cars do not have runflats ?? Anyone know ?

So tomorrow I will be having a discussion with my dealer about Changing them and buying the Slime Repair kit.. Your comments would be appreciated.. I can't be the first to do this can I?

[bimmer4me]

What are you going to do about a spare?

[Mark]

I dislike run-flats also, go with regular tires, they are cheaper, grip better, ride better, and are more fun.

Only consideration is the spare like bimmer4me said.. but I'm just going to buy a spare and strap it to the trunk




(ps. most high performance tires do tramline, runflat or not. Its a "feature" of many high-grip tires. Some do it worse then others tho. Good luck with your new tires, for high performance I highly recommend the S03 bridgestones )

[greenscape]

I'm gonna buy a Slime repair kit and keep it in my trunk. I guess I could buy a space saver spare for long trips. The car is a summer only work commuter. Besides, I have very little intention of changing the flat anyhow. I just had back surgery, I have AAA towing and BMW roadside assistance. I'm making a phone call !!

[David328M-Sport]

Originally Posted by greenscape

Its a horrible tire in almost every category. And guess what... the other runflat available in that size(I beleive there are only 2 in the 225/45/17 size) is the Pirelli Euforia.. And you guessed it, Its ratings are worse..

I am very happy with my Pirelli Eufori@s. I rate them as very good. I have the 225/17 in the front and 255 17 in the back. They do what I want of them but I am not hard on my car.

I hope you sort your problem out quickly.

[David328M-Sport]

Originally Posted by MarkE90M3

but I'm just going to buy a spare and strap it to the trunk

Just like those SUVs. Should look great on the boot lid between the logo and model designation (if you have it). Make sure you get the special BMW protective bag to keep the elements out.

Post some pics too!!!!!

[mds82]

hey greenscape, where in CT u from. i'm thinking of doing the same, but getting a different set of wheels. in the winter i was going to use the OEM wheels w/ runflats, and the other 3 seasons get a nicer wheel with performace wheels. ALso i'm thinking of getting a can of the slime for a quick fix. I have to ask the dealer though about the road side assitance and will that cover putting on a new tire with out run-flats on the car. who knows...

325xi - in production now

[Oz]

Can you get regular tires and still use BMW assist? Will they help you replace it with the same time (I got assist and the tire insurance)

[NaTuReB0Y]

I have regular tires with AAA Autoclub......they'll tow(flatbed, of course) my car up to 100 miles......

[Tierfreund]

Originally Posted by greenscape

Also heard that theEuropean cars do not have runflats ?? Anyone know ?

Nonsense. All E90 (Europe/US/Round the world) are delivered on RFT´s. There is no place for a spare either.
On the E60 they´re optional

[greenscape]

East Granby, North of Hartford...

[thebigman]

I experienced the same problems with tram-lining when I put 18” on, up from the standard 16”, it was frankly horrendous; the car was very twitchy on a poor road surface.

After I experimented with different tyre pressures and 2000 miles later, the tram-lining has largely disappeared.

I have the Bridgestone tyres.

[mikpap]

I have the 159 alloy wheels (225/45/R17, front+rear) with continental ruuber (German manufacturer) and I rate them as very good to excellent (I also have the sport suspension). I believe that Bridgestone tires are not a good choice too. Unfortunately you can't choose what type of tyre your car will have.

[BrunoT]

I also just switched to 18" non-runflats and noticed some tramlining on uneven roads around town. Have not had it on the expressway. I will check the tire pressure. But the original post's problem with tramlining may not be because of the tires. I was used to a much more stable feel, less squirmy, in two previous 5 series BMW's. It's not bad, just not what I was used to.

[markh]

I moved from standard 16" tyres in my last E46 to 18" runflats with the E90 and I notice a big difference. It's almost as if I'm fighting with the steering on some surfaces rather than just pointing the steering wheel with the last car.

I suspect it just needs getting used to, as there is much more information transmitted from the road. The roadholding and handling is astonishing.

The ride seems quite hard, and that is with standard suspension and Bridgestone Potenzas. I'd be keen to know what difference moving to Eagle F1 GSD3 non-runflats would make to the ride.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by markh

I moved from standard 16" tyres in my last E46 to 18" runflats with the E90 and I notice a big difference. It's almost as if I'm fighting with the steering on some surfaces rather than just pointing the steering wheel with the last car.

I suspect it just needs getting used to, as there is much more information transmitted from the road. The roadholding and handling is astonishing.

The ride seems quite hard, and that is with standard suspension and Bridgestone Potenzas. I'd be keen to know what difference moving to Eagle F1 GSD3 non-runflats would make to the ride.

Eage F1 GSD3 are very soft (ie comfortable) and have almost no tramlining when compared to the other top performance summer tires.

I'm curious if its the first time driving on summer tires for some people and thats why you find tramlining to be something out of the ordinary ? Or maybee you guys just have it bad ?

[greenscape]

So have any of you gone to non-runflats yet ???

[ward]

in about 15-20 thousand more miles (6 months or so) I'll be putting on michelin PS-2, or maybe bridgestone S-03 (if they're on sale)

I've had good experiences with both of those tires

[Costa]

I don't think that the tramlining issue is gonna get fixed by using different tyres. It will probably be less with a higher profile and/or softer tyre, but at the end of the day it is the steering system that determines how much feedback you get. There is only so much an inch or two of rubber can do.

Every post I have read here raves on about the quality of the handling of the car - IMO that is because of the engineering behind the steering and suspension. Hence you can;t have it both ways ie: better handling means you get more feedback from the road.

That's my theory - any Mechanical Engineers out there care to comment (I'm an Elec Eng) ?

[NaTuReB0Y]

Originally Posted by greenscape

So have any of you gone to non-runflats yet ???

Nitto NT555

[longtran]

Originally Posted by NaTuReB0Y

Nitto NT555

bridgestone RE750 handles like a dream at the malibu run. i think bmw roadside assit is still with you no matter what. can someone confirm this??

[sunchild]

longtran, i'm gonna try those on my next set of tires. i want a spare tire but i want the trunk space. something to think about for the next few months...