Run Flat Tyres - Availability (lack of!!) - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum

2GPP · 08-22-2006, 05:26 AM

Well having pushed 16k out of the rear rubber on my 330D Sport they are now on the wear indicator (well ok slightly below!) and need changing (now!). A number of phone calls later to various tyre shops in the South East and to a few BMW dealers (who basically passed the problem to a tyre fitter they use) there are currently no tyres avaialble! They are on "back order" this includes the Bridgestone REO50A and the Michelin. Tyre required 255/35/18 - W. I would advise anyone with RFT's who are nearing the end of their road going life to source availaibilty and even order some!..Now it begs the question what if one of the tyres was punctured...would my car need to be off the road until the tyres are available?? It is a good car but this is a very annoying problem and has safety issues also.
Anyone else having issues sourcing this rubber?

- Paul - · 08-22-2006, 05:51 AM

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17316

Is this of any use to you? I've not had to replace mine yet. Over 16K but on 16's if that makes any difference.

booforty · 08-22-2006, 06:49 AM

How does the tyre wear indicator work?

2GPP · 08-22-2006, 07:15 AM

The wear indicators are the slightly raised rubber "knobbles" that sit accross the tyre and inside the main tread grooves. When the tread wears down to the same level as these then that is the legal limit (UK).

Take a look at this link from Kwik Fit:
http://www.kwik-fit.com/changing-tyres.asp

booforty · 08-22-2006, 07:21 AM

Yes, I'm aware of the ones on the tyres - the way I read it, I thought that i-drive had a tyre wear indicator!!

NFS · 08-22-2006, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2GPP

Well having pushed 16k out of the rear rubber on my 330D Sport they are now on the wear indicator (well ok slightly below!) and need changing (now!). A number of phone calls later to various tyre shops in the South East and to a few BMW dealers (who basically passed the problem to a tyre fitter they use) there are currently no tyres avaialble! They are on "back order" this includes the Bridgestone REO50A and the Michelin. Tyre required 255/35/18 - W. I would advise anyone with RFT's who are nearing the end of their road going life to source availaibilty and even order some!..Now it begs the question what if one of the tyres was punctured...would my car need to be off the road until the tyres are available?? It is a good car but this is a very annoying problem and has safety issues also.
Anyone else having issues sourcing this rubber?

www.etyres.co.uk and www.blackcircles.com list (a few) suitable runflats including michelin ps2's.

I'm sure they won't be on the shelves though. Even if you change to standard tyres, the 18 inch sizes will be a struggle.

I had to get a tyre for the back of my car after a puncture goodyear F1 275/30/19 - no chance - I ended up ordering 2 conti's which still took 2 days.

ES-Jet · 08-22-2006, 08:37 AM

It's all a bit worrying then.

What's the maximum distance you can travel on a run flat? I've had punctures on cars before when I've been in the middle of London. If I couldn't find a garage/fitter selling run flats would it go the 40 miles back home again?

WhiteHartMart · 08-22-2006, 08:41 AM

I'm sure I read somewhere that you should be able to travel up to 150 miles at a maximum speed of 50 mph - does that sound right??

isleaiw · 08-22-2006, 08:52 AM

If its 2 days to get a tyre and I do a min of 110 miles a day then I'm boogared if I get a puncture aren't I?

Methinks that if my car is off road because I can't get tyres then I'll be charging BMW the cost of a hire car for fitting the damn things in the first place!

Snake Pliskin · 08-22-2006, 10:03 AM

Yeah all this business about lack of run flat availability is not very good at all .. quite worrying really.

2GPP · 08-22-2006, 10:03 AM

Correct -BMW quote you can drive up to 150 miles at up to 50mph max. I had a puncture on a front tyre on my 530d (E60) which had runflats and drove for about 10 miles at stop/start then about 40mph over some A and B roads and boy do you know you have a flat tyre!! It pulls, it makes a lot of noise, every pedestrian you pass stares at the wheel cause the noise it makes!... to the point I was actaully wondering if they were runflats!! When I got to the tyre shop the tyre was smoking and stinking!
I called BMW UK customer care earlier today and outlined my issue, I await a call from them to advise on why there are no tyres available in the UK. Surely it is not too difficult for BMW to liaise with Bridgestone and Michelin to ensure they are producing enough tyres to meet demand and potential demand... It is worrying when there are no BMW dealers in my locality that even have tyres!!

2GPP · 08-22-2006, 10:07 AM

Tried etyres and black circles also - no stock. everyone is saying these tyres are on "back order" - earliest delivery expected - 2weeks - at which point I will be no longer legal. I await to hear BMW UKs advice on this!

NFS · 08-22-2006, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2GPP

Tried etyres and black circles also - no stock. everyone is saying these tyres are on "back order" - earliest delivery expected - 2weeks - at which point I will be no longer legal. I await to hear BMW UKs advice on this!

Suggestion - go to your dealer (and or BMW UK) and insist that they provide you with the equivalent non-runflat tyres or a free loan car - until the run flat tyres are available in the UK.

There is an argument that this should be considered a warranty claim - and it's significant since your car is effectively off the road it the tread is below the UK minimum.

Alternative - swap to trad tyres and get a mobility kit or spacesaver.

normanh · 08-22-2006, 12:19 PM

I asked the dealer at the time of sale where i could get rf's and he shrugged his shoulders. Anyway as a case of ecominics a set of reasonable 18" normal tyres are aroun £300 to £400 and a rf is at least 200 per tyre I'll be replacing mine with normal tyres to hell with BMW and rf's. they're noisey hard and handle like sh1t. But we should all pester the life out of the dealers who insist on selling cars with them when we have a problem

ROCKETRON · 08-23-2006, 05:17 AM

This seems a bit worrying hope BMW/Tyre manufacturers sort it out. Glad i took out the BMW tyre insurance now, at least if they cant get the right tyre they can give me a new set or a courtesy car until they have sourced the tyres.

NFS · 08-23-2006, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROCKETRON

This seems a bit worrying hope BMW/Tyre manufacturers sort it out. Glad i took out the BMW tyre insurance now, at least if they cant get the right tyre they can give me a new set or a courtesy car until they have sourced the tyres.

Did you get this via the dealer and what were the costs?

jjbirch · 08-23-2006, 05:53 AM

i had a flat on my car last month on the front the tyre was dead flat i drove it for about 150mls as i had no other choice, but the car felt fine a little heavy but thats it i had 18ich m sports on Michelin zp i think there called anyway i ad it from a local dealer at trade price because i have a few work trucks, he quoted me £130 fitted, when i had this put on he said he called 5 places to get this tyre and the last one only had 1 left, how lucky was that.

2GPP · 08-23-2006, 06:06 AM

No response from BMW UK yet.
My tyre contact came back with a price for a Michelin Run Flat - will take 3 days to have delivered. The cost... a staggering £230 per tyre fully fitted.
The Bridgestones are £200 each (except there are none!!). Anyone have experience of the Michelins? I have no choice no anyway if I want to stay on the road (literally!).

jjbirch · 08-23-2006, 06:10 AM

yep i will pm you a number if you want make a trip to devon for a mini break over the weekend and your will get them cheaper than £230

mjh93sa · 08-23-2006, 06:37 AM

Sorry to hear all this... makes me glad I've got a full size spare in the boot

NFS · 08-23-2006, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OilBurner

Sorry to hear all this... makes me glad I've got a full size spare in the boot

Bollocks to it. My e60 doesn't have runflats and the majority of e60 owners on www.e60.net complain like hell about them.

The tyre sizes for the 18 and 19 inch rims are hard enough to get anyway, so if the runflats cause me problems I'm not going to think to hard about switching them for proper tyres.

Is there ANY space in the boot for a space saver though? This is still an option in the e60, but I think I remember that there just isn't any room in the e90.

booforty · 08-23-2006, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by needforspeed

Is there ANY space in the boot for a space saver though? This is still an option in the e60, but I think I remember that there just isn't any room in the e90.

No space for a spare unfortunately

08-22-2006, 05:26 AM	#1
2GPP Private First Class Drives: E91 335i M Sport Join Date: May 2006 Location: South, UK Posts: 189 iTrader: (0)	Run Flat Tyres - Availability (lack of!!) Well having pushed 16k out of the rear rubber on my 330D Sport they are now on the wear indicator (well ok slightly below!) and need changing (now!). A number of phone calls later to various tyre shops in the South East and to a few BMW dealers (who basically passed the problem to a tyre fitter they use) there are currently no tyres avaialble! They are on "back order" this includes the Bridgestone REO50A and the Michelin. Tyre required 255/35/18 - W. I would advise anyone with RFT's who are nearing the end of their road going life to source availaibilty and even order some!..Now it begs the question what if one of the tyres was punctured...would my car need to be off the road until the tyres are available?? It is a good car but this is a very annoying problem and has safety issues also. Anyone else having issues sourcing this rubber? __________________ E91 335i M Sport

08-22-2006, 05:51 AM	#2
- Paul - Major General Drives: see above. Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Yorkshire, UK Posts: 5,163 iTrader: (3) View - Paul -'s Garage	http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17316 Is this of any use to you? I've not had to replace mine yet. Over 16K but on 16's if that makes any difference. __________________ My Photos Past and Present

08-22-2006, 06:49 AM	#3
booforty Major General Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 8,814 iTrader: (0) View booforty's Garage	How does the tyre wear indicator work? __________________

08-22-2006, 07:15 AM	#4
2GPP Private First Class Drives: E91 335i M Sport Join Date: May 2006 Location: South, UK Posts: 189 iTrader: (0)	The wear indicators are the slightly raised rubber "knobbles" that sit accross the tyre and inside the main tread grooves. When the tread wears down to the same level as these then that is the legal limit (UK). Take a look at this link from Kwik Fit: http://www.kwik-fit.com/changing-tyres.asp __________________ E91 335i M Sport

08-22-2006, 07:21 AM	#5
booforty Major General Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 8,814 iTrader: (0) View booforty's Garage	Yes, I'm aware of the ones on the tyres - the way I read it, I thought that i-drive had a tyre wear indicator!! __________________

08-22-2006, 08:37 AM	#7
ES-Jet Second Lieutenant Drives: 320d ES Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Kent, UK Posts: 227 iTrader: (0)	It's all a bit worrying then. What's the maximum distance you can travel on a run flat? I've had punctures on cars before when I've been in the middle of London. If I couldn't find a garage/fitter selling run flats would it go the 40 miles back home again?

08-22-2006, 08:41 AM	#8
WhiteHartMart Enlisted Member Drives: 320d M Sport Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Cornwall, England Posts: 16 iTrader: (0)	I'm sure I read somewhere that you should be able to travel up to 150 miles at a maximum speed of 50 mph - does that sound right??

08-22-2006, 08:52 AM	#9
isleaiw Private First Class Drives: 330d SE, silver with black lea Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: UK - Derbyshire Posts: 66 iTrader: (0)	If its 2 days to get a tyre and I do a min of 110 miles a day then I'm boogared if I get a puncture aren't I? Methinks that if my car is off road because I can't get tyres then I'll be charging BMW the cost of a hire car for fitting the damn things in the first place!

08-22-2006, 10:03 AM	#10
Snake Pliskin Second Lieutenant Drives: 330i M Sport Saloon Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Lincs Posts: 196 iTrader: (0)	Yeah all this business about lack of run flat availability is not very good at all .. quite worrying really.

08-22-2006, 10:07 AM	#12
2GPP Private First Class Drives: E91 335i M Sport Join Date: May 2006 Location: South, UK Posts: 189 iTrader: (0)	Tried etyres and black circles also - no stock. everyone is saying these tyres are on "back order" - earliest delivery expected - 2weeks - at which point I will be no longer legal. I await to hear BMW UKs advice on this! __________________ E91 335i M Sport

08-22-2006, 12:19 PM	#14
normanh Second Lieutenant Drives: 320si Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: N. Ireland Posts: 145 iTrader: (0) View normanh's Garage	I asked the dealer at the time of sale where i could get rf's and he shrugged his shoulders. Anyway as a case of ecominics a set of reasonable 18" normal tyres are aroun £300 to £400 and a rf is at least 200 per tyre I'll be replacing mine with normal tyres to hell with BMW and rf's. they're noisey hard and handle like sh1t. But we should all pester the life out of the dealers who insist on selling cars with them when we have a problem __________________ carbon swartz blue/black 320si, heated black leather, bluetooth, rain sensor and compass, sun protection glass, grad tint w/screen. AC boot and window spoiler. Chrome grill

08-23-2006, 05:17 AM	#15
ROCKETRON 320D M-sport le-mans blue Drives: E90 320D M-Sport le-mans blue Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: N.W London UK Posts: 114 iTrader: (0)	This seems a bit worrying hope BMW/Tyre manufacturers sort it out. Glad i took out the BMW tyre insurance now, at least if they cant get the right tyre they can give me a new set or a courtesy car until they have sourced the tyres. __________________ ROCKETRON E90 320D M-Sport Lemans blue/beige leather/wood/auto/lumbar support/folding mirrors/through load/bluetooth/pro satnav,i-drive/voice control.

08-23-2006, 05:53 AM	#17
jjbirch Colonel Drives: 320d sport Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: england Posts: 2,348 iTrader: (1) View jjbirch's Garage	i had a flat on my car last month on the front the tyre was dead flat i drove it for about 150mls as i had no other choice, but the car felt fine a little heavy but thats it i had 18ich m sports on Michelin zp i think there called anyway i ad it from a local dealer at trade price because i have a few work trucks, he quoted me £130 fitted, when i had this put on he said he called 5 places to get this tyre and the last one only had 1 left, how lucky was that.

08-23-2006, 06:06 AM	#18
2GPP Private First Class Drives: E91 335i M Sport Join Date: May 2006 Location: South, UK Posts: 189 iTrader: (0)	No response from BMW UK yet. My tyre contact came back with a price for a Michelin Run Flat - will take 3 days to have delivered. The cost... a staggering £230 per tyre fully fitted. The Bridgestones are £200 each (except there are none!!). Anyone have experience of the Michelins? I have no choice no anyway if I want to stay on the road (literally!). __________________ E91 335i M Sport

08-23-2006, 06:10 AM	#19
jjbirch Colonel Drives: 320d sport Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: england Posts: 2,348 iTrader: (1) View jjbirch's Garage	yep i will pm you a number if you want make a trip to devon for a mini break over the weekend and your will get them cheaper than £230

08-23-2006, 06:37 AM	#20
mjh93sa Brigadier General Drives: 135i MSport Coupe Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Gloucestershire Posts: 3,986 iTrader: (0) View mjh93sa's Garage	Sorry to hear all this... makes me glad I've got a full size spare in the boot __________________ ///*MSport TiAg 135i 6AT * Black Leather * ProNav * BT * Voice * HiFi + 6FL * Adaptive Xenon * Full PDC * AutoDim Mirrors * Butt Warmers**