[rocksterraghu]

They're great tyres. Double edged sword, the infamous soft sidewall that bleeds at kerbs, but in this case helps the cause by dramatically improving ride quality when used with caution. Coming from RFTs, they were a delight, both in the city and on the highway. Of course, they are no comparison to performance sport tyres like PS3/4, P Zero or ContiSC5; but they are the optimum balance between comfort and performance for a layman.

[aadya]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Hence I need the advice on the following:
1. RFTs or tubeless? Would the tubeless be more resistant to damage by potholes ( I cannot avoid that stretch and can't change my home either). Also my car has an active warranty which expires in December, 2018. I am told that the suspension warranty and anyother part related to the tyres would lose the warranty coverage on switching to tubeless.

2. Which brand of tubeless tyres to go for? I would like to stay with the stock sizes.

Kindly advice.

I don't own a BIMMER, but has been experiencing fair amount of Tyre technology since childhood. The one and only place RFT score over Tubeless is that they can be driven for longer distances even after a puncture(100miles). Otherwise regular tubeless tyres with Tyre Pressure Monitoring systems and a Sealant would do for most situations and cars. RFT are traditionally made for BMWs and Cadillacs meant for VVIP convoys for Security reasons.

[vivekshukla]

Experts, I need a little advice regarding my RFT in F30. My Right Rear tyre went into a pothole causing a sidewall chip. The service advisor said that I should not worry about it as the cut was not very severe. I do a lot of highway runs so I decided to change the tyre. My car has done 23k so far. I have two questions -

1 - Is it okay to change just one tyre or should I change both rears?
2 - Service Advisor asked me to maintain 35 psi in all tyres. Is it a good advice?

Tyres are Bridgestone Potenza 215/50/R17 RFT.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by aadya

....RFT are traditionally made for BMWs and Cadillacs meant for VVIP convoys for Security reasons.

If thats the reasoning, why they ever thought of making RFTs for Indian versions ? Because our VVIPs are surrounded by Innovas here To comment something from the personal user experience : RFTs are irritatingly noisy on our roads, my wife's Figo is super silent compared to my RFT tires.

Originally Posted by vivekshukla

.......I do a lot of highway runs so I decided to change the tyre.... Is it okay to change just one tyre or should I change both rears......asked me to maintain 35 psi in all tyres....

Hope you know a 35 psi can go upto 40 psi after an hour of highway run. I have checked it myself in my drives. Thats one reason people usually release little bit of air mid trips or start the journey with 3 or 4 psi less. About changing the rear tire, its good to check the tread depth and decide if you need to do one or both. Uniformity is linked to safety.

[drmohitg]

I finally bit the bullet and bought Michelin primacy 3 ST for the 320d. The stock RFTs had done 42k kms and were now up for change. Most people on the forum seem to prefer the tubeless route and highly recommend it. But I am not really liking it. I have driven around 200 kms as of now while maintaining 33 PSI.

Positives: The ride has completely transformed. It has come very close to what my Altis offers. Soft, cushioned and the bumps are not felt much inside the cabin.

Negatives: As a price for the above, he driving dynamics have been spoilt. The car no longer feels like a bimmer as it used to be. I am disconnected with the road. The steering is not so sure anymore. Even the pick up feels sluggish. It is as if the engine is revving and wants the car to lunge forward but the tyres are holding it back. High speed stability is something that I look forward to test during this weekend but within city limits it was just average.

Moral of the story: I am not so sure if the improvement in ride quality is worth trading the car's DNA for. The F30 didn't have a horrible ride quality to begin with. I wish I had stayed with the RFTs. I am going to try increasing the tyre pressure gradually to see if I find a sweet spot where it behaves a bit closer to the RFT set up.

Advice: For F30s do try to get hold of a BMW on tubeless before switching. You may not like it that much.

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

...As a price for the above, he driving dynamics have been spoilt. The car no longer feels like a bimmer as it used to be. I am disconnected with the road. The steering is not so sure anymore. Even the pick up feels sluggish....

Eagerly awaiting your further feedback as you munch more miles. I always find the RFT road noise an irritation but never thought of a possible compromise on the driving dynamics

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Negatives: As a price for the above, he driving dynamics have been spoilt. The car no longer feels like a bimmer as it used to be. I am disconnected with the road. The steering is not so sure anymore. Even the pick up feels sluggish. It is as if the engine is revving and wants the car to lunge forward but the tyres are holding it back. High speed stability is something that I look forward to test during this weekend but within city limits it was just average.

Sell it immediately.

There is always some chauffeur driven BMW owner wishing for a better ride.... sell your tyres to him at maybe a small discount over what you paid....

And then go back to RFTs.

The sooner you do this, the better. Spread the word asap among your fellow doctors and BMW owners.

[dinu2506]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Sell it immediately.

There is always some chauffeur driven BMW owner wishing for a better ride.... sell your tyres to him at maybe a small discount over what you paid....

And then go back to RFTs.

The sooner you do this, the better. Spread the word asap among your fellow doctors and BMW owners.

Thanks for the advice. I was also overwhelmed by the excellent feedback about Tubeless over the RFTs and had mentally prepared myself to switch on my next change. What would you suggest for my X1, stick to RFTs or switch to tubeless?

[drmohitg]

I am not looking to change now. Will use them a bit longer to see how they behave. Wife is liking the added comfort and hence there is no going back now.

BTW just to make everyone aware here, the following was BMW's reply regarding warranty status if you opt for switching to tubeless.

Dear Dr. Gupta,

Thank you for your email addressed to BMW India.

With reference to your query, we wish to inform you that, "Your BMW is equipped with a unique state of art tyre technology known as Run Flat Tyre (RFT). All the vehicle specifications and characteristics concerning various component groups (chassis, suspension, steering etc.) are designed, set and tested according to the tyres (RFT) fitted. Further we wish to inform you that the specification of tubeless tyres (non-RFT) may not match with the original specification of these component, as they are designed/tuned to function with RFT tyres on the car.

In case of deviation from original specifications of tyres (non-RFT) these component group may not function as these are supposed to and may affect the warranty of your vehicle.

Thank you for bringing the matter to our notice and giving us an opportunity to offer our comments. For any other assistance, in future, please feel free to contact us again.

With kind regards,
BMW India Customer Service

I have posted the same on my ownership thread but I felt it needed to be posted here to so that more people wanting to change tyres to tubeless take an informed decision.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

I finally bit the bullet and bought Michelin primacy 3 ST for the 320d. The stock RFTs had done 42k kms and were now up for change. Most people on the forum seem to prefer the tubeless route and highly recommend it. But I am not really liking it. I have driven around 200 kms as of now while maintaining 33 PSI.

Positives: The ride has completely transformed. It has come very close to what my Altis offers. Soft, cushioned and the bumps are not felt much inside the cabin.

Negatives: As a price for the above, he driving dynamics have been spoilt. The car no longer feels like a bimmer as it used to be. I am disconnected with the road. The steering is not so sure anymore. Even the pick up feels sluggish. It is as if the engine is revving and wants the car to lunge forward but the tyres are holding it back. High speed stability is something that I look forward to test during this weekend but within city limits it was just average.

Moral of the story: I am not so sure if the improvement in ride quality is worth trading the car's DNA for. The F30 didn't have a horrible ride quality to begin with. I wish I had stayed with the RFTs. I am going to try increasing the tyre pressure gradually to see if I find a sweet spot where it behaves a bit closer to the RFT set up.

Advice: For F30s do try to get hold of a BMW on tubeless before switching. You may not like it that much.

In your case you are not enjoying the tubeless for 2 reasons -

1) Your car has 16" rims with a higher sidewall by default. In RFTs the sidewall is stiff, but now you have switched to tubeless with a thinner sidewall. And with the higher profile tyres in your car it will be even more noticeable.

2) You chose comfort oriented tyres. Possible that more sporty options were not available in your size. But Primacy 3 ST is a comfort oriented tyre, so this along with the higher profile tyres are bound to take away from the fun.

If your car had 17s, and you had the option of taking a sportier tyre (Michelin PS4, Yoko Advan Sport) the handling and grip would have improved and you would have gotten a better ride. Primacy 3 ST works on vehicles like the early F10 5 series which had a stiff suspension by default, on the F30 it was very bouncy in the initial days.

So I would say your case is the exception, rather than the norm.

As for the warranty, yes that is the official word - But many people I know including myself, have had warranty claims while running tubeless tyres, some even suspension related. But if you are going to ask BMW of course they will say any change from OE Spec will void warranty.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

So I would say your case is the exception, rather than the norm.

Well as much as I might want to change back, my family is absolutely thrilled with the improved ride quality. And so the tyres are going to stay.

As for the warranty, yes that is the official word - But many people I know including myself, have had warranty claims while running tubeless tyres, some even suspension related. But if you are going to ask BMW of course they will say any change from OE Spec will void warranty.

I have a year more to go before the warranty expires. I foresee approx. 3 services during this time period, the first one coming up in the next 1000 kms. Would you advise me to switch back to my old RFTs and give the car for servicing and then make the switch again + re-balancing the tyres and also perhaps risk scratches on the rims etc OR just give the car for servicing with the tubeless tyres and hope nothing goes wrong? I am really tempted to do the latter.

[rohanmeets]

Hi Members,

I have year old BMW 320d (11000Kms done) with current setup of Goodyear 225/45/R18 91Y. I am facing huge issues with tyre bulge and have already got 4 tyres replaced. I am in gurgaon and road conditions are terrible.

Now from whatever study I have done, the issue boils down to side profile of the tires. What should I do, try and downsize to 17inch alloys and RFTs with better side profile or change to tubeless with existing profile? I am ok with ride quality, just don't want these bulges and tire damage needing replacement.


Also how does the insurance with tyre secure playout incase of after market fittment. Right now BMW manages the replacement and insurance. I have TATA Aig insurance with tyre secure.

Thanks,
Rohan

[myM5]

Hi Guys

So I need to change the tyres on my BMW 3 series.. I currently have Bridgestone Potenza 225/50R17 94W Company installed. They are charging me a bomb for replacements and I am looking for the tyres from a vendor outside of BMW. I have a silly question. I have found Bridgestone Potenza S001 225/50R17 98Y - 98Y being the difference. Does this make a difference in terms of performance rating or is it just batch number of sorts??
Can I go ahead with the 98Y??

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by myM5

Can I go ahead with the 98Y??

98 is load rating, higher the better.
Y is speed rating. Y means 300kmph, certainly better than W. So just go for it man.

BTW, I also bought the 330i recently and closely watching all such threads to smartly manage the ownership costs. Dealers loot, I see. Can you share the price the dealer is quoting and the price you are getting from outside?

[myM5]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

98 is load rating, higher the better.
Y is speed rating. Y means 300kmph, certainly better than W. So just go for it man.

BTW, I also bought the 330i recently and closely watching all such threads to smartly manage the ownership costs. Dealers loot, I see. Can you share the price the dealer is quoting and the price you are getting from outside?

Hi Anand, thank you for the feedback.. the tyres are 11,385/- as compared to the 20k from BMW.

I am getting them from the Bridgestone website. Which is great come to think of it. Haven't really checked any retail store as I feel online costs would be cheaper than a brick and mortar store.

Thanks again