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06-28-2008, 02:26 PM | #1 |
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Thumbs up to SLIME, thumbs down to BMW
I've been an opponent of RFT technology since day one. I am all for progress and innovation and the idea of the tire not going totally flat while it has no air pressure inside is all cool, but the idea of that being a viable replacement for a spare tire has always struck me as plain bull sh.t. Up until now I had no personal experience to prove my theory but all that changed few days ago. Last week my wife and I drove down the Cape Cod in order to leave the car there for a week and spend a week on Nantucket Island. We had a great time away from everyday troubles and soon enough the vacation was over and we found ourselves back in the parking lot where I left the car. It was around 10pm, but the dark surroundings did not prevent me from noticing the back wheel of my car being just a bit low. Considering that I have 18s I though to myself that it probably is the angle of the street lamps in the lot. I fired up the engine and sure enough the flat tire sensor was on.
... Rewind back to November... I had purchased a set of snow tires for the winter and I opted out for non-runflats since.. you guessed it, I think they are bull sh..t. So just like any responsible car enthusiast would do, I got myself a kit from SLIME, which includes an air compressor and a bottle of their gooey magic... sort of looks like blood of the creature from movie The Predator. It's summer time now and I am back to the regular factory tires but lucky for me the SLIME kit has stayed in the trunk all along. ...Fast forward to the parking lot at night... Looking at the tire I realized 4 important points: 1. The tire may be holding the wheel up a bit, but it was very evident that a medium size pothole would have been enough to put nice bend into the expensive wheel. 2. The RFT tire has a range limit, which in this case was less than the distance I needed to cover. 3. Riding on a flat RFT tire will cause enough damage so that it cannot be repaired (if anyone tells me that I am not really supposed to repair RFT tires I will find you and egg your car). 4. Afterthought to point #3, a new RFT tire is f... expensive. SLIME to the rescue! I popped the valve out using the tool included in the kit, poured the magic Predator blood into the tire, pushed the car so that the hole was to the bottom of the tire and started pumping. The tire pressurized itself and hasn't let a single PSI of air out in the past 4 days. This stuff works and I will never travel without it in the trunk. I am currently debating if I should have the tire repaired or just ride it out like this until it needs to be replaced. So in conclusion all I can say is: 1. Get a SLIME-like product. 2. Hey BMW, RFTs as a spare replacement does NOT work. Give us one of those fake spare wheels I don't care, but stop blowing smoke into our eyes. Cheers.
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06-28-2008, 02:52 PM | #2 |
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I drove 116 miles on a flat no damage to rim but I did need a new tire in the end but...I did not get dirty (was in work cloths) B. I was in a shady area so it was nice not having to be worried about getting robbed!! but you slime idea seems good to add to the RFT
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06-28-2008, 03:00 PM | #3 |
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Just because one solution was viable does not mean that the other solution is not. How is that SLIME going to help your car handle when you get a high speed blowout, for example?
Good that your solution worked out for you, and I understand the need to self-congratulate... but sometimes Coke tastes just as good as Pepsi.
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06-28-2008, 04:37 PM | #4 |
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With my E90, I had a blowout with a RF tire on. That's right... a blowout. The wheel lost its bead lock with the rim. Like hell I was going to drive on that.
To cap it off, it happened on a Saturday at 7PM too far from any BMW dealership. No tire shops open until Monday, and with no spare, I was stranded. This has been a fatal flaw of these tires. I would not be so opposed to RF tires if we still had a spare. Whomever says you do not need a spare with RF tires is an idiot. I could have gotten out of that situation very easily with a spare. |
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06-28-2008, 06:01 PM | #5 |
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Oh I do this all the time, helps me with my low self-esteem.
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06-28-2008, 06:02 PM | #6 |
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My point exactly.
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06-28-2008, 07:51 PM | #7 |
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isnt it just best to get a cheap small spare in the trunk?
I know this whole point has been debated to death but there is really no replacement for having an extra tire/rim with you.. the run flat, the slime, even the plug, they all can help but don't always get you home! if you have a blowout, even though it is rare, it is the one time you needed to get somewhere safe or whatever, you can not repair that with slime or plugs.. as for run flats... like you said, what if youare on a long trip or more than 50 miles that they recommend?? then new tire etc... spare seems best, so what a few extra lbs and space in the trunk... I didn't buy my 335 to be a minivan lol...
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06-29-2008, 06:00 AM | #8 |
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And how many people in this country keep the spare tire in their car properly inflated? To most people it is out of sight and out of mind. Hell, the Government even passed a law that mandated tire pressure monitoring systems because people don't keep tires properly inflated (the ones they see every day!). How many people swap the spare for a flat only to find it is low on pressure and not suitable to drive on?
I'd bet most the drivers in this country, especially BMW owners, don't even know how to change a tire anyway, let alone keep the proper inflation pressure of 60 PSI in the temporary spare. RFTs make a lot of sense for the typical BMW owner. What sucks is there are not many choices for replacement RFTs if you have the sport package |
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06-29-2008, 11:20 AM | #10 | |
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Quote:
Coke tastes WAY better than Pepsi. Pepsi tastes like what I imagine flat donkey piss tastes like. Coke on the other hand is the nectar of the gods!
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06-29-2008, 11:23 AM | #11 |
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Doesn't that goopy stuff ruin your TPMS sensors?
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06-29-2008, 11:26 AM | #12 |
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It supposedly does not ruin the sensors.
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06-29-2008, 12:35 PM | #13 |
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Yes but even if you had normal tyres you would only need the SLIME as extra which I doubt takes up very much room.
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06-29-2008, 12:49 PM | #14 |
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Thanks for sharing , can you give us more info on the slime kit? I have seen the aerosol bottles before but never a complete kit....
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06-29-2008, 03:42 PM | #15 |
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Where did you get the kit? Cost?
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06-29-2008, 07:47 PM | #17 |
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The kit I am talking about is this http://www.slime.com/product_122_Sma...S-PDQ_06).html.
At Autozone it is $20. The bottles note that it's TPMS safe, my sensor has been fine so far, but will see how it works in the long run. I certainly don't want to make any false claims about it being TPMS safe since I don't know.
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06-29-2008, 08:25 PM | #18 |
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I've seen it at Walmart.
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06-29-2008, 08:43 PM | #19 |
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I had a leaking problem in my RFT a few months back, was not near my usual dealership so I had to go to one nearby. The SA that they would not plug the tire. Said that you can not plug an RFT tire and I had to buy a new one (it was either that or take my chances getting to another dealership. I knew this was BS because a month earlier, I had the tire plugged at another BMW dealership for FREE! Cost me $400+ dollars. Jerk!
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06-29-2008, 09:18 PM | #20 |
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we dont plug RFTs either...if you DID happen to plug them it can ruin the integrity of the belts in the tire..and therefore could cause greater damage if the tire was then run low on air..but ONE thing i will tell you is every time i dismount a tire that has slime or any other stupid product like it...i want to bitch slap the owner right across the face as i get that stupid shit all over myself or the machine...
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06-29-2008, 09:20 PM | #21 |
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When going a long way I sometimes stick the winter tire and rim in the trunk as a spare - I use the front as presumably it would fit front or back whereas the back tire wouldn't fit the front without rubbing.
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06-29-2008, 09:34 PM | #22 |
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There is a similar discussion going on in Wheels & Tires Forum right now:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114974
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