[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by RSUDARSANAN

Attachment 1499948

Rest my case

I reiterate, for added peace of mind BMW must be persuaded to extend RSA package to all its cars, irrespective of the age of the car.

What happens when you get a puncture and the nearest BMW dealership is more than 250kms away. The RFT can only go 80-100kms distance once it is deflated.

The space saver comes in handy during such emergencies. Isn't it better to change to the space saver rather than wait at the side of the road for hours for RSA to arrive for a puncture.

[RSUDARSANAN]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

What happens when you get a puncture and the nearest BMW dealership is more than 250kms away. The RFT can only go 80-100kms distance once it is deflated.

A lot more farther...
Joy is BMW !

The space saver comes in handy during such emergencies. Isn't it better to change to the sp.

Elementary my dear Viddy.

You go to a tyre dealer at the next town, fix the puncture and resume your journey.

BMW dealerships do not fix punctures. They only replace the tyre.

Owner's call to replace tyre or continue with the puncture fix .

Cheers

PS. RSA for crippled vehicles, not for mere punctures.

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

What happens when you get a puncture and the nearest BMW dealership is more than 250kms away. The RFT can only go 80-100kms distance once it is deflated.

The space saver comes in handy during such emergencies. Isn't it better to change to the space saver rather than wait at the side of the road for hours for RSA to arrive for a puncture.

As RSUDARSHAN mentioned, you don't need to drive like that till next BMW service center. Any good tyre shop should be good enough to get the puncture repaired.

Just this weekend got a puncture repaired at a local tyre shop for Rs. 100/-. Was able to drive for 10 kms with no air pressure without any issues.

Space saver is a pain to carry especially in 3 series. There is practically no space left for something like a full size bag.

[sonaljain71]

I've got a 320d and had a terrible time sourcing a Bridgestone runflat last year when my front left side tyre burst on the Chandigarh highway after hitting a small pothole. They were not available anywhere in India, so I bought Pirelli and changed both tyres in front. Now I got repetitive punctures in the rear right tyre and am scouting desperately for 225/55/R16 runflat. I am told that they are extinct as BMW no longer uses same in new cars. They use only R17.

The only solution is either to order them from BMW at a whopping price of Rs. 28,000 per piece or go for tubeless. I think I would change all four to tubeless to maintain uniformity. However I'm told by a tyre dealer that in case of a puncture the tubeless ones will just lose out flat and the vehicle will either just sag then and there or at high speed the vehicle will get out of control.

Any expert opinions from forum will help me decide to make my buy at Delhi easy. Thanks in advance.

[slicvic]

Originally Posted by sonaljain71

I'm told by a tyre dealer that in case of a puncture the tubeless ones will just loose out flat and the vehicle will either just sag than and there or at high speed the vehicle will get out of control.

Any expert opinions from forum will help me decide to make my buy at delhi easy. Thanks in advance.

Some hard sell by the dealers.
There are so many cars on road with tubeless tyres, and so few accidents which are linked directly to the tyre.

If what he is saying is true then tubeless wouldnt exist in the first place.

Go for the tubeless tyres, get an inflator. The tyres leak very slowly, and can be inflated and used temporarily unless it is a big nasty cut.

[ACM]

BMW Dealer Infinity Motors (Bombay) has informed me that switching to Tubeless Tyres during the course of their warranty would VOID their suspension warranty.

Their logic is that in case of a blowout or even a flat the suspension would be affected in a bigger way with Tubeless than with Runflats (Makes sense).

Makes this discussion purely academic in the initial 4-6 yrs of usage of BMW's at least.

[rlasrado]

I've had the E60 and current F10 - for both changed to non RFT and the difference has been amazing.

Pros -
Smoother ride
Much much cheaper
Better grip

Cons -
In case of a puncture, you in a fix. Anyways for the price saved, buy new non RFT every 3 years.

Btw RFT have to be technically changed if they have been driven with zero psi for those 50 ms.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Get the puncture repaired like in a normal tyre. As long as the repair is done properly you won't have any issues traveling long distances. No need to replace the tyre just for a puncture.

Hey. A few questions from a BMW newbie. If I ever get a puncture and want it fixed, is there a preferred mode of fixing the runflat? Should i use patch method instead of that needle they insert with some gluey kind of thing? Or is either method.

Will continuing with a fixed puncture Run flat also adversely impact warranty?

If and when I need to change RFT with RFT on my GT, is there a preferred brand of Run flats I should opt for? Assuming all specs remain OEM. I assume there would be 2-3 brand options even in the stock spec of Run flats. My current stock tires are continental contisport ssr or something like that.

Lastly, any inputs on the question below?

Thanks

Originally Posted by Axe77

Hi. I recall years ago I had used some green puncture proofing or puncture sealant fluid that you could put in all your tyres which prevented regular tyres also from goon flat. I'm sure either that or a similar product is still available.

My Q is, can we use that product in the BMW run flats? Would it help. While I know the run flats can run Witt a puncture for a certain distance is it fair to assume this is even better since you don't need to fix the puncture at all.

Thanks

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Hey. A few questions from a BMW newbie. If I ever get a puncture and want it fixed, is there a preferred mode of fixing the runflat? Should i use patch method instead of that needle they insert with some gluey kind of thing? Or is either method.

Will continuing with a fixed puncture Run flat also adversely impact warranty?

I don't think it matters if you use either of the ways to repair RFTs. So far have got two punctures fixed with plug system and no issues at all.

Are you referring to the tyre warranty or car warranty in general? I don't see any reason why overall warranty should have any impact due to simple puncture repair.

[rlasrado]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Hey. A few questions from a BMW newbie. If I ever get a puncture and want it fixed, is there a preferred mode of fixing the runflat? Should i use patch method instead of that needle they insert with some gluey kind of thing? Or is either method.

Will continuing with a fixed puncture Run flat also adversely impact warranty?

If and when I need to change RFT with RFT on my GT, is there a preferred brand of Run flats I should opt for? Assuming all specs remain OEM. I assume there would be 2-3 brand options even in the stock spec of Run flats. My current stock tires are continental contisport ssr or something like that.

Lastly, any inputs on the question below?

Thanks

If the side wall is damaged then you will have to change the tire. If the puncture is on the tread, plugging it is fine.

However to note - if you have driven the RFT for a long period of time with little/no pressure, you would have damaged the RFT and it requires a change.

Another thing from my expeirence - once i started getting a puncture, it was time to replace the RFT. I replaced all four tires with non-RFT - smoother ride and better grip besides it being much cheaper.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Hey. A few questions from a BMW newbie. If I ever get a puncture and want it fixed, is there a preferred mode of fixing the runflat? Should i use patch method instead of that needle they insert with some gluey kind of thing? Or is either method.

Will continuing with a fixed puncture Run flat also adversely impact warranty?

If and when I need to change RFT with RFT on my GT, is there a preferred brand of Run flats I should opt for? Assuming all specs remain OEM. I assume there would be 2-3 brand options even in the stock spec of Run flats. My current stock tires are continental contisport ssr or something like that.

Lastly, any inputs on the question below?

Thanks

Patch method is better, but then the tire has to be removed from the rim. Much more cumbersome, and if the shop doesn't have an RFT machine he will scratch the rim while removing the tyre. The plug thingy works fine, but if you are doing a lot of highway drives, etc I would say get it patched.

When you change RFT with RFT see what all is available at that point. You may not have much of a choice.

WRT to your question, I've heard that goey stuff messes with the balancing and causes vibration.

[zebanaff]

Couple of questions from a new BMW RFT car owner.

1. In case of a slow puncture while on the highway, would it be better to periodically fill up air (I have a portable pump) and then get the tyre patched from a tyre dealer that is equipped to fix RFTs, or just stop at your average tyre repair guy and get it done there?

2. Are RFTs really more prone to damage than tubeless? On average with tubeless tyres over the last 7 years I've averaged 1 puncture a year. Are RFTs really that delicate?

3. Are BMW the only source to buy RFTs or can they be purchased from a reputed tyre seller as well? I'm assuming BMW would be charging a premium as opposed to the latter option.

4. Is it recommended to fill nitrogen in RFTs? Or stick to regular air?

Thanks in advance!

[Sail]

Originally Posted by zebanaff

Couple of questions from a new BMW RFT car owner.

Hi @ zebanaff,

Firstly, wish you happy miles ahead with your new BMW. Please enjoy the car rather than worrying about RFTs.

I have successfully completed 8 Delhi-Kolkata trips and several other long-distance (500+ KMS) trips with my BMWs without any tire failures. I know one day it will happen & will see that on that day. I had two (one on each car) puncture during city drives, which was patched up at local tyre shop.

Giving your answers from my 4+ years of RFT experience on BMWs (3GT & X3), Continental SC5 and Bridgestone Alenza. I will always suggest to stick to their recommended tire pressure as per the load on long drives.

1. Yes, you can do that. I always carry BMW tire repair kit (check their website > accessory section), which has a solution and pump, a slow repair can be sealed with that solution & air topped up. However, side-wall failure can’t be repaired by any means.

2. Side walls are more prone to damage when compared to tube-less tires. However, few BHPians has reported repeated failures of their tires also.
They won’t last more than 20K-25K KMs as they are sport oriented tires. I have lived with punctures (and living), no issues at all.

3. No, you can buy RFTs from out side too from a decent shop, but if you are having “BMW secure” then it’s better to buy from them when replacing a damage tire. I always buy BMW secure insurance and RSA due to my long drives. Yes, their quote always higher than out-side market, but you can haggle.

4. RFTs are normal tires with thick side-walls, no issues at all with Nitrogen filling. I have noticed with Nitrogen filled tires, increase in tire pressure is less on a long drive, especially in summer. Also, with Nitrogen you don’t need frequent re-filling. As you have mentioned about your portable air pump, my suggestion would be stick to normal air.

Few recommendations (learned from BMW mechanics): -

a. Correct tire pressure – always.

b. Avoid crossing big/sharp (more than 4 inch in depth or height) pot holes at higher speeds. (you need to practice this...trust me).

c. Apply brake before touching the pot-holes/speed breakers not during the transit over them.

d. In-case of a sudden pot-hole, avoid breaking, trust me you will damage the tire more if you brake on them. Just let the car glide on them.

Enjoy your drives,

Cheers,
Sail

[zebanaff]

Thanks Sail!

This is very helpful. Also thanks for the tips at the end. Already practice all of them (except number 1 on bad days), so good to know I'm doing something right!

[Dr.AD]

I need a new set of tyres for my 320d. The tyre size is 225/50/R17, and I will stick to the same size. The OEM tyres were Bridgestone Potenza RFTs. One issue I had with those was that they were very noisy. So now I am looking for a bit quieter RFTs.

Recently I saw Michelin Primacy 3ZP as the OEM RFTs on a brand new 520d in the showroom, and turns out they are also available in the size I want. So this is one option for me.

Has anyone used these tyres, or know more about these? Given that normal tubeless Primacy 3 are very quite and comfortable, I am assuming that the RFT version of the same will also be somewhat quiet. I found several user comments from some US and European sites, but haven't seen any mention of anyone using this in India.

If anyone has any feedback about these tyres in Indian conditions, I will appreciate it if you could please share. Thanks in advance!