[AlanQS]

Having had a set of 17" Radial alloys (Style 187) and a set of 19" (Style 230) and swapped them around between winter and summer I finally need new tyres for the 19" wheels.

My dilemma: Firstly, I am very worried that in removing the runflats and fitting new tyres, the edge of the rims are going to be scored to hell and back and I'm not forking out at least £60 a rim to fix them.

To further add to my dilemma, I can't decide if I should go for non runflats or get new Bridgestone run flats to replace the existing Bridgestone. Perversely, in six years I've had no punctures and if I go for non runflats I'll probably get a puncture. For those who went non runflat did you solve the problem of getting a tyre pressure that suited the car and was the ride improvement that good?

Being a mean Scotsman, the non run flats cost £180 less (Continental SP5) but does the risk stack up - both in terms of security, handling, steering, and decent mileage?

[90MSP]

Just replaced all 4 runflats on mine with Vredestein tyres. After a week or so, I have noticed how much smoother the ride is, the tyre noise is low and the car seems to roll better, less road resistance. They look good too and being a Scotsman, you may like that they only cost £375 for all four tyres from camskill.co.uk

Just need to buy a puncture repair kit now !.

[rufnekfatboy]

Originally Posted by AlanQS

Having had a set of 17" Radial alloys (Style 187) and a set of 19" (Style 230) and swapped them around between winter and summer I finally need new tyres for the 19" wheels.

My dilemma: Firstly, I am very worried that in removing the runflats and fitting new tyres, the edge of the rims are going to be scored to hell and back and I'm not forking out at least £60 a rim to fix them.

To be fair this is a risk you are going to have to take, just make sure when you take the car in, you get them to inspect the wheels before they do anything, take pics.. if they damage them you have the evidence of before and after..

To further add to my dilemma, I can't decide if I should go for non runflats or get new Bridgestone run flats to replace the existing Bridgestone. Perversely, in six years I've had no punctures and if I go for non runflats I'll probably get a puncture. For those who went non runflat did you solve the problem of getting a tyre pressure that suited the car and was the ride improvement that good?

I have just changed from run flats as got fed up with the damage they do to the wheels, still playing with pressures, but the ride on the bumpy Surrey roads is so much better, I don't find myself clenching my arse cheeks and gritting my teeth as much as I used too, waiting for the big bang on every little hole or lump in the road.

Being a mean Scotsman, the non run flats cost £180 less (Continental SP5) but does the risk stack up - both in terms of security, handling, steering, and decent mileage?

The only real risk in my opinion is a major blow out, this can happen with both tyres and the result will be the same either way. Can of tyre weld and a pump should sort most things out... Non run flats with extra load walls are proven tyres so the risk is a small one I think.

[335d Rocco]

I recently had the same dilemma, runflats or non-runflats, I ended up deciding to stay on runflats but I wasn't going to use Bridgestone anymore, so I bought Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric runflats and they are so much better than the Bridgestone runflats, they are slightly more expensive but are well worth it IMO, the ride is nowhere hear as harsh

[BoondogUK]

Non run flats, running vreds... Quiet, smooth and touch wood... No punctures. For the £180 you save you could get a spare on eBay? Though a compressor and repair can work for me.

[Jase 320d]

Non runflats every time


Bmw M models come with non runflats for a reason.

Genuine tyre inflator for non runflats is £99 from bmw so even if you bought one of those you'd still be £80 better off

For me a can of foam at £9.99 does the trick

[L1oydee]

I have just wrestled with the same dilemma, needed to replace all four tyres.
Eventually the non run flats won the day, you can almost buy two sets of non's for the price of a set of run flats.
I'll take my chances with a can of tyre weld a compressor and RAC membership as a last resort.

As for the ride, it's definitely more supple with the non run flats but no where near as much of a difference as some would have you believe [IMO].

[Digitalize]

If you're wheels are marked when run flats are removed, it's down to the tyre fitter being poor at their job.

I went non run flat Eagle F1s. Pumped about 5psi higher than recommended to add a bit of stiffness back as it felt a bit vague, especially at the back. Quieter and I think my MPG has gone up a tad.

[Pacman83]

As a BMW relative newbie, I can speak from the following experience.
I hired a 2014 320d touring which had runflats. Soon as I pulled out of the dealers,I could have sworn by the road noise I had a wheel bearing gone. The ride was harsh and without question, the car was noisy at any speed. I had a Fabia VRS 1.4 TSi on H&R set up with 18" wheels and 35 profile tyres. It was hard and a little noisy. The BMW touring was worse and even the wife (who has no interest in cars) commented on the noise and ride quality.
My 320d M Sport has 19" rims and non run flats. I kid you not, it's like a Rolls Royce compared to the Fabia and the touring. The ride is incredible and exactly what I like. Incidentally, it's running on Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres which don't even seem to have the best reviews, OK, but not the best. I have both Tyreweld (2 big cans) and trusty Green Flag breakdown if needs be.

[AlanQS]

Thanks for the opinions, much appreciated.

[Sheepy]

I'm going down the non run flat route shortly, buy the tyres & take them to a local refurb place for fitting, they have to be able to replace tyres without damaging the wheels or they wouldn't make any money! Factor in say £15 a corner for fitting on top of the tyre price.

[MrPogle]

I'd be tempted to go for NRFT for your summer tyres when all the handling benefits matter and RFT in the winter when you really don't want to be arsing around at the side of the road in the cold and dark (with an owl). Punctures in summer are annoying but in winter they can be life threatening.

[marknjayne]

More grip , more flex at sudden direction changes , not noticeable unless pushed excessively or on track (that's going from bridgestone rft to pirelli P-Zero silver)

[Kerr]

More grip, quieter, smoother and the car is vastly improved on rougher roads.

The car on runflats was a bit nervous on rough roads.

The steering is a little softer on initially steer though.

I initially wondered if everyone dropped the runflats due to cost. Honestly, cost doesn't come into it, it does make it a better car overall.

I find you need to run the normal tyres at pretty high pressure though.

[BMW325iE90]

Safety and practicality for normal driving - providing you align tyres properly at regular intervals = RFTs

For anything else and those who think they are Formula One drivers = Non-RFTs

Say what you want RFTs are the safest things around in terms of having punctures and needing to get somewhere on time providing you don't act like a nab on them and make sure their aligned perfectly so that uneven wear doesn't happen which is the reason why these horror stories of RFTs exist. RFTs are crashy but that's 99% of the time because UK roads are fucking garbage.

I'd pick RFTs over Non-RFTs anytime and have rode on a slow puncture to the airport to catch my flight with 30 minutes to spare...do that on a non-RFT...oh wait.

[Cero ceto]

Well you are still restricted to driving at 50mph for a limited distance with a puncture on RF tyres! So that argument doesn't always work! So to me it makes far more sense to stop and change the wheel which takes less then 10 mins and then put your foot down! That's exactly why I moved onto Non RFT for the huge improvements already mentioned BUT carry a spare in the boot.

[Jase 320d]

My 18" alloys with non rft's were 22kg's lighter overall than my 17's with rft's

Rft's are awefull thats all im saying

[Pacman83]

Originally Posted by Jase 320d

My 18" alloys with non rft's were 22kg's lighter overall than my 17's with rft's

Rft's are awefull thats all im saying

Absolutely agree. I'm not buying this 'getting stranded' or 'dangerous in the winter' reasons either. In my 25 years of driving (and I'm fully qualified advanced police too) I have clocked up many miles, seen many incidents, but the amount that were caused by either a blow out or someone being struck by a vehicle whilst attending to a flat tyre, are microscopic compared to the real reason that accidents happen. Speed. BMW needed space for there rear wheel drive cars, the rears are HUGE especially, so runflats make sense in that department. They weren't solely designed for safety. That's an element that exists due to the design, but it's all about space saving. Good quality, branded tyres are incredibly safe, rigorously tested beyond most persons motoring capabilities/situations and considering the miles that regular tyres have achieved over their 130 year constant design period, they are nothing short of incredible. That's not something you can honestly say about runflats.

[BMW325iE90]

Originally Posted by SSIIJAR

Well you are still restricted to driving at 50mph for a limited distance with a puncture on RF tyres! So that argument doesn't always work! So to me it makes far more sense to stop and change the wheel which takes less then 10 mins and then put your foot down! That's exactly why I moved onto Non RFT for the huge improvements already mentioned BUT carry a spare in the boot.

Where is your spare tyre?

When you switch from RFTs to non RFTs people carry a tire punture repair kit?

[Cero ceto]

I carry a spare in the boot and made a false floor with matching carpet, so it looks original. Although it takes up some of the boot space I still have more than enough space for a suitcase or two. Unless you need the space for prams etc I don't understand why you would not switch your tyres from those terrible RFT and just carry a spare and reap the benefits!

[Pacman83]

Originally Posted by BMW325iE90

Safety and practicality for normal driving - providing you align tyres properly at regular intervals = RFTs

For anything else and those who think they are Formula One drivers = Non-RFTs

Say what you want RFTs are the safest things around in terms of having punctures and needing to get somewhere on time providing you don't act like a nab on them and make sure their aligned perfectly so that uneven wear doesn't happen which is the reason why these horror stories of RFTs exist. RFTs are crashy but that's 99% of the time because UK roads are fucking garbage.

I'd pick RFTs over Non-RFTs anytime and have rode on a slow puncture to the airport to catch my flight with 30 minutes to spare...do that on a non-RFT...oh wait.

No, runflats are MILES more crashy than any conventional pneumatic tyre, period. That's their design flaw and anyone trying to make others believe they're similar to pneumatic tyres is a complete nonsense.

[Dan-]

I would go for Michelin Pilot Super Sports all day long, they not only perform on and off the track excellent, wet grip is amazing, dry grip is outstanding but there the standard tyres for the E92 Comp pack M3, F80 M3 and F82 M4 so if there good enough for them there good enough for our cars!

Plus there cheaper than the pilot sport

I've just forked out for a set of brand new tyres for my new wheels in 245/35/19 M3/4 size and 265/30/19 and the set cost me £760 fitted!