Why BMW love their Run-flats

[Zafiro]

Found this on babybmw.net. BMW reply to an unhappy RFT owner.
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Thank you for your email with regard to the Run-flat tyres on your BMW. I am sorry to learn that you are unhappy with the Run-flat technology fitted to your vehicle.

BMW aims to provide our customers with a premium product that provides ultimate safety with optimum performance and it is always a concern to receive feedback of this nature.

We chose to include Run-flat technology on our vehicles for the following reasons:

· It is dangerous to stop on any road to change a tyre, especially on a motorway or at night.
· There is no need to have to wait for a breakdown service to arrive.
· Safety and security of the driver and passenger(s) is maintained.
· Alloy wheels are difficult to detach from steel hubs.
· On most cars the spare is under the contents of the boot, and uses boot space.
· It can be tricky to line up the wheel bolt holes with the hub screw holes and match the thread.
· The dirty punctured tyre needs to be removed and stored in the boot.
· Another puncture before the punctured tyre is mended means one is stranded.
· A driver can continue for 150 miles at 50mph with a punctured Run-flat tyre.

All of our vehicles that use Run-flat technology have their suspension and braking components set up to accommodate Run-flat tyres. Should you decide to change to non Run-flats, it may alter the driving and handling characteristics of your vehicle. It is for this reason that this modification is not recommended by BMW as a manufacturer.

However, it is possible to have standard tyres fitted. You will additionally need to purchase either a spare wheel with jack and brace set or a mobility kit which can be ordered from the Parts Department of your nearest BMW Approved Dealership.

I appreciate that you have conducted research into the problem that you are experiencing and BMW are aware that there are internet forums where BMW owners can discuss matters of this nature. I can advise that, although the internet can be a useful tool when searching for individuals who are experiencing similar faults with their vehicles, this source is extremely misrepresentative of the overall customer experience. I have checked our database and I can confirm that the problem you are experiencing is not a common fault within our vehicle range(Errr you reckon ! ) . Your BMW dealership will have inspected the vehicle to assess if the cause of this is anything to do with the set up or manufacture of the vehicle.

Should you wish to raise your concerns with our Customer Services Team, you can do so via the following:

Write to:
BMW Customer Services
BMW UK
Ellesfield Avenue
Bracknell
Berkshire
RG128TA

Phone: 0870 5050 160
Email: customer.service@bmw.co.uk

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further queries.

Yours sincerely
BMW Group UK
Christian Gorton
Customer Information Advisor
Ellesfield Avenue
Bracknell RG12 8TA

Tel: 0800 325600
Fax: 0870 5050 206
Email: customer.information@bmw.co.uk

 

[Zafiro]

I can advise that, although the internet can be a useful tool when searching for individuals who are experiencing similar faults with their vehicles, this source is extremely misrepresentative of the overall customer experience.

Well, they are probably saitisfied because they havent tried a non runflat yet .

 

[EnI]

BMW are right.

Internet responses represent much more bad experiences than good ones. People are describing their issues, and searching for solutions / advice via internet communities.

Therefore one could think some product is completely faulty when reading thousands of posts describing problems & issues. Not knowing that the wast majority of owners is satisfied with the product, and most of them have no need to come to internet communities just to brag or praise the product.

Regarding run-flat ... yes, some people do not like run-flat experience at all. But most of them do, or do not care about. BMW decided to go run-flat, and that's it.

Yet mind the first generation cars with run-flats are not perfectly calibrated to the tires. The new ones match the run-flats much better.

 

[Zafiro]

They dont know, thats the problem. Let them try both types and bmw would have many more complaints. As long as people dont know, then they wont complain. Carmagazines love to complain on RFT tyres as well.
M models and the 5-series dont come with runflats anymore and for a good reason. Normal tyres are better. BMW knows this too.

Advantage with normal tyres:
- Not as much tyre noise
- Better ride comfort
- Not as sensitive to bumbs and uneven roads
- Better for the handling
- Weight is less

Normal tyres own runflats, thats a fact.

 

[speed_kills]

Can you tell me the advantages of a normal tyre when it blow up because of some pot hole? Or a tyre blow at high speed?

 

[chonkoa]

I have no problem with RFT, I love it for safety reasons.
My only problem is the absence of a spare due to RFT, and the space to stow it. My old 3 series came with RFT and no stow-away space, and I had to get a spare.
I think if BMW will afford consumer the space in the boot to stow their spare,that will be just fine.

 

[MikeJ]

Can you tell me the advantages of a normal tyre when it blow up because of some pot hole? Or a tyre blow at high speed?

You make it sound like that happens to you every day.

The average driver experiences a flat tyre about once every 9 years or so... Very few are high-speed blowouts. Normally the tyre deflates relatively slowly, and if your car is fitted with tyre pressure sensors, you'll notice it well before it becomes a hazard. While run-flats sound like a good idea, I'm not sure if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages quite yet.

 

[Zafiro]

I have had a flat tyre one time during 10 years of driving.

BMW sell something called M Mobility Kit - Emergency Tire Repair and Air Compressor Kit. Its standard in all M models without RFT Tyres. And it will help you to take the car to the nearest workshop.

Contiental also sell it, called: Continental Tire's ContiComfortKit

 

[Yperion]

My local tyre shop owner has a 2007 BMW X5 , he has also attended several seminars from tyre manufacturers like Michelin. We had a conversation about this matter the other day and according to his opinion run flats are useless because , among others , cannot be repaired and have to be replaced after deflation.

 

[ZicZachZo]

Yea, the whole run-flat argument on BMWs part just seems like they are sticking to it because they have a business deal with RFT manufacturers. It also costs them less money to put spares in cars. And ahem, when you used to buy a luxury car you got a full size spare in the trunk. Much more piece of mind than some sort of lifeline kit that you have to purchase at the dealer.

 

[Bartek S.]

I’m one of an unhappy costumer who doesn’t like RFT. On my cabrio I left run flats for summer and I just got an other set for winter with regular tires. My X5 runs only on regular tires and it’s my choice. I’m ready to pay towing in case of flat tire than run on RFT. They are really noisy and uncomfortable for Canadian roads.

 

[martinbo]

I love this topic - it's one that I analyse and discuss with my peers on a regular basis.

Run-flats are not globally viable. The variation in road condition, distance, product distribution and availability and product price indicates that run-flats are only suited to urban conditions on roads of the highest quality. Not everyone has Just_me's lucky record of a flat in 10 years.

Heck, I've had four Geolander flats in the space of 12 months due to: potholes, punctures and road debris. The most recent episode happened in Mozambique; Land Cruiser territory. Some sections of road are so bad, you don't swerve to miss a pothole, you swerve to choose the best of them. It was under these conditions that I burst a tyre. Now, I'm outside a little town 400 km North of Maputo and the modus operandi is thus:
- pull over and jack up the car
- fit full-size Geolander spare
- drive back to Inhambane
- repair puncture
- place repaired tyre as spare
- carry on enjoying the holiday

With a run-flat, you're screwed. You cannot repair the puncture. You have no spare wheel, and, even if you had a space saver spare, you'd get stuck in coastal dune sand. There is no run-flat tyre outlet within 400 km. You're going to have to have a tyre couriered to you at your (massive) expense. That's one of the primary reasons that you don't see many X3's and X5's in that area - there's just too much risk. Oh, that and the fact that they're not so good off-road.

[Sidenote: Subaru Foresters of all ages, on the other hand, are a dime a dozen. But that's just boasting ]

However, that's not the end of my story. Fetch a cup of coffee, sit back and relax...
Just this weekend passed, my daughter's godparents were travelling back from a rustic weekend away. Driving too quickly on all but the briefest stretches of dirt road punctured a run-flat on their BMW Touring. The tyre pressure warning light appeared and, with no spare, they had no option but to press on to the nearest town some 50 km away using the run-flat as it's intended: to run on, flat, for a limited distance without separating from the rim. They made it, just, but the tyre and rim were destroyed. Why?

BMW claims that with a fully deflated run-flat, you can drive for 80 km at 80 km/h to get yourself home or to a place of safety. This is only in the most optimal of conditions. Temperature, road surface and most importantly, load dramatically reduces the distance the tyre will last. With 3 up and their weekend's luggage, that run-flat was kaput in no time at all - probably within 30 km. Had that BMW come with a space-saver spare as standard they would've been far less compromised and inconvenienced.

The car had to be trailered to the nearest BMW dealership, 3 hours away from Johannesburg. They caught a lift back home with friends who had to turn back to fetch them. This, BMW, is what you call a product F*@k Up. Guess what, the driver despatched to fetch the car and return it to Jo'burg had, a... you guessed it, another flat.

So my colleague and good friend buys himself a tidy demo 320d Sport with 17" run-flats. He picks up a bolt, through the sidewall. Now such a situation renders any tyre irrepairable. But nothing prepared him for the price of the 17" tyre (not 19", not 20")! The price of the run-flat was double that of a similar sized, regular tyre with a higher speed rating - R 4,000.00! Ridiculous, really.

My advice to BMW is this: for cars in markets such as South Africa every BMW should be fitted with at least a space-saver spare as standard.

BMW love run-flats because they don't eat into luggage space and lower the product cost of the vehicle.

~~~

There are, of course, massive benefits to run-flat technology however. The primary one is that of personal safety in urban and sub-urban environments - particularly for women drivers. I'd be much more comfortable that my wife needn't stop at dangerous location to change a tyre and, instead, could drive safely home or to a service centre.

This is where the ultimate benefit of run-flat lies and in the end which would you rather have, the safety of your loved ones and a little inconvenience or the other way round?

In today's unsavoury urban environments run-flats are the best solution in my opinion.

 

[Zafiro]

BMW need to sell their cars with normal tyres as a standard and Runflats should be an extra option for those who want it. But they shall not force the customers to buy a BMW with runflats.

 

[Betty Swollocks]

Can you tell me the advantages of a normal tyre when it blow up because of some pot hole? Or a tyre blow at high speed?

Er....there aren't any. But I suppose BMW and their customers are happy to take that risk as the high performance vehicles (i.e. "M") come with normal tyres.

 

[Merc1]

I must say I'm surprised. I expected the BMW faithful to be singing the praises of runflats. I absolutely hate them. Novel idea, but not so well suited to the real world in most cases.

M

 

[MikeJ]

Normally the tyre deflates relatively slowly, and if your car is fitted with tyre pressure sensors, you'll notice it well before it becomes a hazard.

Sorry for quoting myself, but this is what happened to me today... A slow puncture caused by a nail, would have gone unnoticed for some time if it hadn't been for the pressure sensors (I was in the Skoda)... made it to the tyre shop and they were able to repair it quickly & cheaply. That's the second one this year!

 

[Zafiro]

Ok , after spending a couple of weeks without runflats you do feel the differences. It's hard to decribe it but the car feels more alive, feels like the car is floating above the road. When you take a sharp courve the tyres feel softer, you dont feel something hard from the tyres which you did with runflats.
The feeling is so much better with normal tires. It's perfectly understandable why the M3 is using non runflats.

Shorter brake distance is another positive thing, the car stops much quicker. Less noise from the tyres.

So my conclusion is, normal tyres are better. The car feels more alive. The feeling are much better with non runflats and I dont regret switching to it. Let the old people use runflats but if you are an active driver, normal tyres are the only way to go.