[Aviationshark]

Hi GTO,
Pulling on this old thread, I need to replace the tyres on my pre worshipped 2014 W212 E250 CDI.
I am looking to go the RFT way as well, Stock tyre is 245/45R17 I believe. Would you recommend the Continentals? (any exact model name to be shared?) and would it be a better call to reach out to Autohangar / Infinity for it? I don't know if a BMW dealership would be any help in this case since it's a different brand.
Any other RFTs that you considered but did not pick for particular reasons?

Sorry for the stream of questions and thanks in advance.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Aviationshark

Hi GTO,
Pulling on this old thread, I need to replace the tyres on my pre worshipped 2014 W212 E250 CDI.
I am looking to go the RFT way as well, Stock tyre is 245/45R17 I believe. Would you recommend the Continentals? (any exact model name to be shared?) and would it be a better call to reach out to Autohangar / Infinity for it? I don't know if a BMW dealership would be any help in this case since it's a different brand.
Any other RFTs that you considered but did not pick for particular reasons?

Sorry for the stream of questions and thanks in advance.

But why would you want to do that? It will just worsen the lovely ride quality of the 212. 245/45 is a high enough profile to keep any tyre damage away, for most cases. Id say just a good set of regular tubeless (BTW some 212s did come with RFTs when they were just launched, but only tubeless then onwards.)

[Aviationshark]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

But why would you want to do that? It will just worsen the lovely ride quality of the 212. 245/45 is a high enough profile to keep any tyre damage away, for most cases. Id say just a good set of regular tubeless (BTW some 212s did come with RFTs when they were just launched, but only tubeless then onwards.)

Hello,

The car will be primarily be used by my wife on highway runs for Bombay - Poona. It gives her peace of mind that she can drive to her destination instead of changing the tyre in the middle of the expressway.

I would opt for the tubeless but I am seldom with her on these drives.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Aviationshark

Hello,

The car will be primarily be used by my wife on highway runs for Bombay - Poona. It gives her peace of mind that she can drive to her destination instead of changing the tyre in the middle of the expressway.

I would opt for the tubeless but I am seldom with her on these drives.

In that case it makes sense. Better to avoid vehicle dealers. Go to tyre shops and see what they can source you in that size. It might not be available in 225/45 17, in which case you are sure to get it in 225/50 17. But do check with prominent tyre dealers.

[rocksterraghu]

Originally Posted by Aviationshark

Hello,

The car will be primarily be used by my wife on highway runs for Bombay - Poona. It gives her peace of mind that she can drive to her destination instead of changing the tyre in the middle of the expressway.

I would opt for the tubeless but I am seldom with her on these drives.

I personally do not believe run flats to be THE solution here. Leaving alone the problems with fixing punctured or RFTs that have run more than the recommended range after a puncture, it is important to understand what happens when a rim bends or breaks. A spare wheel is a must when it comes to bad roads and manufacturers have learnt it the hard way - now BMW and other manufacturers provide a spare wheel as a standard accessory as a broken alloy will not help you even if you have RFTs. And with 45 profile tyres and bad roads, you are running a higher risk of damaging the wheel. Also, it is a known risk that if you run an RFT with enforced sidewall, you do manage to put more impact on your wheels and suspension.

Having said that, I do admit that damaging the wheel as such, may have a much lower probability than having a puncture.

But, the probability of having a flat within the recommended range of running on RFT (say, 75 KMs @ 80 KMPH) is also debatable, which means to say that even with a RFT and undamaged wheel, you may still have to replace the tyre or temporarily fix the puncture before you reach the destination.

[sharadmumbai]

Im in a similar stage now. My X1 needs new set of tyres - having run on stock conti for 42k Kms. I have done a lot of research and key points are:
1. Official Conti tyres with ISI mark are not available in India. You can buy genuine Conti only from BMW who imports them from Germany. They dont look at ISI but look for a star mark on the tyre. Rest all Conti tyres are grey/parallel imports and have no warranty and not necessarily fakes but could be old ones or defective ones. Got a quote of 14.5k for 225/50/R17 RFTs purportly from Dubai. BMW price is around 18.2k. The Dealer is willing to offer his Shop's warranty but thats a risk.
2. Bridgestone ISI mark tyres with Warranty are 18.5K. Imported/Grey market ones are 16k
3. Pirelli RFT tyres on X1 are apparently a failure as they have a pulling problem as per BMW team

Now my dilemmas are:
1. whether to go tubeless with so many benefits already covered in length. Cost of tubeless Bridgestone is around 11.5 to 12.5k. But then i need to invest in a donut and compromise on safety/Boot space and spend around 62k including cost of Donut
2. If i decide to go for RFTs (which i am inclined to), which tyres to chose from? Conti or Bridgestone and if its ok to Go for Grey market ones. 74k for ISI bridgestone Vs 64k for Grey ones or around 74k for Conti from BMW.
3. Which are better RFTs- India Certified ie ISI Bridgestone or German Imported Conti?

What do the experts think?

[zombiedriver]

Similar situation. My car came with contis and i had to get them changed at about 24k kms. It still had some life in it but the ride had become unbearable. 90% of my usage is on the highway. I'm on my 2nd set and this time i shifted to Yokohama because their rubber is slightly softer which helped in improving the ride quite a bit. I've done about 21k kms on them and even though the ride is still not very bad considering I've got rogerab fitted, the tread is almost down to its end and i can start feeling the rear tires lose grip once in a while. The car is due for service in 4000 kms and I'm contemplating what to do.

Which generation of bridgestone runflats are those prices for?

[sharadmumbai]

Originally Posted by zombiedriver

Similar situation. My car came with contis and i had to get them changed at about 24k kms. It still had some life in it but the ride had become unbearable. 90% of my usage is on the highway. I'm on my 2nd set and this time i shifted to Yokohama because their rubber is slightly softer which helped in improving the ride quite a bit. I've done about 21k kms on them and even though the ride is still not very bad considering I've got rogerab fitted, the tread is almost down to its end and i can start feeling the rear tires lose grip once in a while. The car is due for service in 4000 kms and I'm contemplating what to do.

Which generation of bridgestone runflats are those prices for?

21k is really less...
I'm not sure about the generation but as these will be from authorised dealer with warranty, I assume I'll get the latest ones after checking the manufacturing date.
I'm thinking to go for Bridgestone only and hope they last at least 45k like my conti
What do u suggest?

[sharadmumbai]

Update on my tyre change:
Decided to go for Bridgestone RFTs : Potenza RE050
Got all 4 changed. All ISI marked tyres, Made in Japan with 5 year Company warranty
Did not notice any change in ride quality or noise, will know on the weekends long trip.
Dealer: Bhushan Tyres in wazirabad. Good decent guy
Also, 4 tyres have different manufacturing dates: 2417 for 3 and 0917 for one. But I got pretty new tyres. Most other dealers had tyres from 2016

[zombiedriver]

Originally Posted by sharadmumbai

21k is really less...
I'm not sure about the generation but as these will be from authorised dealer with warranty, I assume I'll get the latest ones after checking the manufacturing date.
I'm thinking to go for Bridgestone only and hope they last at least 45k like my conti
What do u suggest?

I know it's less. I expected to get atleast 35k kms of it but doesn't look like I'll get anywhere close to that. I'm very finicky about my cars and can't tolerate even small issues let alone not having tyres in perfect shape.

By the way how much did the new tyres cost?

[sharadmumbai]

Originally Posted by zombiedriver

I know it's less. I expected to get atleast 35k kms of it but doesn't look like I'll get anywhere close to that. I'm very finicky about my cars and can't tolerate even small issues let alone not having tyres in perfect shape.

By the way how much did the new tyres cost?

I agree that you cant take any risk with tyres...better prolong our lives vs the tyres

The total cost for me was 75K all inclusive with 28% GST , brand new original bridgestone valves plus balancing and alignment

[Frankenstein]

Originally Posted by GTO

Most of you know how I hate runflats. Here's the dilemma - My 530d has low-profile tyres running on large 18" rims. I honestly feel this new trend of big wheels & shorter tyre profiles sucks as it only results in a stiffer ride, tyre damage, wheel damage & expensive replacements, but we'll save that discussion for another day.

My 530d has been out on the highway a dozen times or so in the last year. Inevitably, a couple of deep potholes have been hit (including at high speed).

Here's the thing - Despite the highway running & bad roads, my current Continental ContiSport runflat tyres don't have a single bulge on them. They have taken all the beating that our roads could throw at them. I want to switch over to regular tubeless tyres, but the runflats have survived 25,000 km without any damage / bulging. Is it safe to assume that the stronger sidewall of a runflat tyre makes it more suitable to bad roads? Or is it that a firmer sidewall will flex lesser and bulge easier?

Tubeless tyres are cheaper, ride better and quieter. The first point isn't a problem. While I'd like better ride quality, I'm very happy with the current comfort levels too. No issue with tyre noise either.

My car sees the highway at least once a month, hence my main concern is tyre damage - Do runflats survive bad roads where tubeless tyres fail? Again, keep the low profile size in mind.

Tyre change due soon. Thanks in advance!

With the development of roads across Europe and America and other countries , so have cars including Mercedes and other big companies started reducing the suspension , rubber bushes, spring seats, suspension travel etc . Low profile tires , shorter suspension travel , result is death of ride quality.

Unfortunately our country still has godforsaken roads in existence and the above new setup is just not suited for . Guess future cars will ride like go karts . Why dont you do a comparison of older cars vs newer cars in a exclusive ride quality test like the old Mercedes test videos EXAMPLE, A W212 back breaking suspension against a simple old w124, use high profile tires in the newer benz and see if it will hold a candle.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

I believe Profile will be important, Runflats with lower profiles are definitely a No-No for our Roads, whereas thicker ones can definitely take better. Now I won't have a definitive answer as any of RFT or regular have not taken a hit in recent past but regular ones are definitely quieter and comfortable. RFT does give you more confidence to complete or reach to nearest place in case of a puncture or cut, which essentially is what these are designed for. I remember an old incident where there was a side cut but I could still drive for another 50-60 Km.

I am now deciding whether to give up RFT's for the Mini Cooper which rarely leaves town. Have already had a horrendous experience when a cut sidewall (drove it for 40 km till it gave up) left me stranded. On Bangalore Roads, coupled with the 40 profile, it crashes and bangs.

As the car rarely leaves the city, my proposal is to swap to tubeless and rely on a puncture kit and compressor.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by ajmat

I am now deciding whether to give up RFT's. my proposal is to swap to tubeless and rely on a puncture kit and compressor.

Absolutely, that's the first thing to do on a Mini or any BMW

There are 2 different options in Michelin, I am completely missing the details, try the softer one, not PS4, If recollect correctly. Else the noise will be more.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Absolutely, that's the first thing to do on a Mini or any BMW

There are 2 different options in Michelin, I am completely missing the details, try the softer one, not PS4, If recollect correctly. Else the noise will be more.

Primacy 4 Silent Tuned (P4ST) should do the trick I think.