[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Changing runflats requires a special machine, otherwise the rim ends up getting scratched when people try to remove the runflats which are far stiffer than regular tyres. If your tyre shop is large and has a runflat changing machine, do it there, otherwise after paying 84k what is another 5k But yes during regular alignment and balancing I would never pay that much.

But then you will get those scratches every 5k kms when you get the balancing done at a regular shop. So why bother about that one time and pay an exorbitant rate of 5k? Just saying.

BTW what prices do you pay for balancing and alignment outside? Here in Delhi most shops charge you around 2000 and above for the job once they see a BMW. The same process costs much less in a regular car like Toyota or Hyundai etc.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

But then you will get those scratches every 5k kms when you get the balancing done at a regular shop. So why bother about that one time and pay an exorbitant rate of 5k? Just saying.

Why will you get scratches anyway? The tyre is not removed from the rim for balancing. Its just put on the balancing machine which rotates it. So no question of getting any scratches if they are careful while handling the wheels.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Why will you get scratches anyway? The tyre is not removed from the rim for balancing. Its just put on the balancing machine which rotates it. So no question of getting any scratches if they are careful while handling the wheels.

My bad. I misread ur post and assumed you are talking about potential scratches while taking off the wheel from the car.

[rxpaul]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

You said the rears have a sidewall cut, best to change ASAP in that case. Yes the 3 is low, and will scrape some breakers when fully loaded. Best option is to go sideways over the bumps.

Please don't go for taller sidewalls at least in this car. I am assuming you have bought it for driving pleasure, and a change like that will increase body roll when cornering.

Just an update : I ve been using the car a lot and enJOYing. The only problem I see is the car bottoms out almost on all speedbreakers. I have new PST3 205/55 R16 up front & still the old Primacy LCs on the rear. I want to change the rears asap, but also want a solution to the scraping problem. 215/55 on the rear will give me a diameter variance of +1.74% so well within the limits OR can I add spacers to increase ride height.
In 2014 I had changed my Octavia TPI tyres from 195/65 R15 to 205/65 R15 ie a diameter varience of 2.01%. I still have the car, it runs beautifully with no issues in handling or GC. Ive measured the GC on both cars (layman style) at the same point (location just under the car at the front door hinge position and my Skoda reads 230 mm while the Bimmer 175 mm.
Going diagonal across the speed breakers, tends to irritate fellow traffic so I don't count that as a safe solution.
So can spacers be added or should I go for 215/55

[EP.]

Just came across this article and thought this might be useful for someone searching this thread:

BEST CAR TIRES (2016-2017)

Cheers,
Paul

[drmohitg]

My car's left rear tyre got a small sidewall cut yesterday. The car has run 41k kms on stock bridgestone RFTs and I do not really have much to complaint so far. The ride quality is definitely a bit hard but then I am comparing it with other cars that I own and not a 320d on tubeless set up and hence it might not be a fair comparison. The RFT's biggest advantage for me till date is that I don't need to worry about punctures anymore and I can just drive slowly to the nearest petrol bunk and get the puncture repaired. The current tyres still had around 10k kms life left in them.

The problem is that I recently moved in an apartment block closer to my workplace and the last 200 meters of road right in front of the apartments is non-existent and only has crater sized potholes which you cannot avoid. Things have become worse in the monsoon season. The only thing I can do is to drive through them slowly. The sidewall cut must have resulted from brushing against one of the potholes and their razer sharp edges. Since the tyres have run 41k kms, I would rather change all 4 instead of changing only 1 with the side wall cut ( for now I have got the cut repaired by putting a patch from inside).

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.

[androdev]

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.

Most members on the forum seem to prefer tubeless but I prefer RFT. I once had my tubeless tire completely lose air suddenly and fortunately I was driving at low speeds in the city so it wasn't a disaster. The tubeless tire was puncture repaired few days ago and that plug just came off while driving. Scary incident for sure.

I don't think going for tubeless will help you much unless you can go for smaller rims with thicker sidewall. Tubeless can handle shock impacts better but are not good with rubbing related cuts. I recently drove too close to the median and my tubeless tire got a 2cm hole in the sidewall as there was a sharp-ish stone lying next to the median that I didn't notice. It was a slow moving traffic so nothing bad happened but I had complete loss of air and I had to change tire on a busy road (slight drizzle to make it more exciting).



I find the RFT comfort adequate so I have no plans to move to tubeless.

[drmohitg]

Guys need just one last piece of advice before I make my decision. Is there any real world difference ( not theoretical) in the high speed stability of the tyre when it comes to RFTs vs tubeless. Most of the times I am stuck in Delhi traffic and what shoes the car is wearing doesn't really matter. But every once in a while we like to take the car out on highways and it is there where I like to stretch her legs. So will the RFTs be safer during these drives?

[EP.]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Guys need just one last piece of advice before I make my decision. Is there any real world difference ( not theoretical) in the high speed stability of the tyre when it comes to RFTs vs tubeless. Most of the times I am stuck in Delhi traffic and what shoes the car is wearing doesn't really matter. But every once in a while we like to take the car out on highways and it is there where I like to stretch her legs. So will the RFTs be safer during these drives?

Hello Dr Mohit,

There will be no difference in High speed stability of your vehicle whether you use Tubeless tires or RFTs.

In fact, all BMW M cars have sport tubeless tires. I have Continental Conti Sport Contact 5 tubeless on my 3 series and if you raise the pressure of the tires by 1-2 psi more than the recommended for RFTs, you hardly notice any difference in handling of the car either.

And for your long highway commutes, tubeless tires will work better as there is a lot less noise inside the cabin, especially when you go over expansion joints. The ride is more pliant too.

An added benefit would be that you will never have to worry about checking your tire pressures constantly with tubeless tires as RFTs are very sensitive to tire pressures. Even my recent conversation with a BMW executive ended up with him suggesting that the customer should be allowed to choose between RFTs or Tubeless tires.

From a safety stand point, if you make a lot of highway runs during the night and if it is unsafe to stop your car, then it makes sense to stick with the RFTs.

Whatever choice you make, you will never be wrong. Just make sure that you keep a watch on the health of your car tires as a lot of people overlook the importance of tires in a vehicle. It would be great if you can stick with - Michelin/Pirelli/Continental (the top 3 brands for luxury cars and sports cars). And if I were you, I would buy the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 as they are now available in 225/50 R17 size.

Best Car Tires 2016-2017

Cheers,
Paul

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by EP.

And if I were you, I would buy the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 as they are now available in 225/50 R17 size.

My car has Bridgestone Turanza 225/55 R16 sized shoes. I would like to stay with the stock size. What option should I consider amongst tubeless for this size?

[Turbanator]

What option should I consider amongst tubeless for this size?

Check if you can get P-Zero, I am yet to see anything quieter than these. Though I don't have a long-term feedback for these, check if you can go these somewhere at Pirelli shop at Delhi or Gurgaon. Other members have a high opinion about Conti. Bridgestone - better avoid, these get extremely noisy or at least my experience has been bad.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Check if you can get P-Zero, I am yet to see anything quieter than these. Though I don't have a long-term feedback for these, check if you can go these somewhere at Pirelli shop at Delhi or Gurgaon. Other members have a high opinion about Conti. Bridgestone - better avoid, these get extremely noisy or at least my experience has been bad.

I am more inclined towards Michelin. There have been mixed reviews about Pirelli and Continentals on the forum. But people have been happy with Michelin for the larger part and I have been using their XM2 on my Altis for quite a while now without any problem.

[Turbanator]

I am more inclined towards Michelin.

Again, on both of my old 7 series, I had to get these replaced due to excessive Road Noise at around 12,000 Km mark but that was for RFT's.

[rocksterraghu]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

My car has Bridgestone Turanza 225/55 R16 sized shoes. I would like to stay with the stock size. What option should I consider amongst tubeless for this size?

Michelin Primacy 3 ST. I got them on the 320d, same size, Prestige variant.

That's an odd size if you ask me, with very few cars sharing the same size. I suspect Michelin use this to their advantage and price this size at a premium.

I doubt if Pilot Sport 4 would be available in 225 and 16, but if they are and can be fit, they would be my best recommendation. I run 225/45/17 Pilot Sport 3s on another car and they are the best tyres I have ever used in my life.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by rocksterraghu

Michelin Primacy 3 ST. I got them on the 320d, same size, Prestige variant.

That's an odd size if you ask me, with very few cars sharing the same size. I suspect Michelin use this to their advantage and price this size at a premium.

How was your experience with them on the 320d? Michelin doesn't offer the PS4 in this size.

Also has anyone tried the Continental MC5 on the 3 series yet? What is the verdict on these?