- #1902 of 2068
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Bridgestones
by silverbullet12
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Jun 18, 2008 (10:04 am)
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I didn't read all the posts, but I did not see where anyone has posted the correct information about the Bridgestone Turanza el42's. These tires had a feathering or scalloping problem that would cause abnormal roadnoise. This problem has been amplified by drivers not checking their tire pressure. We get cars in here every day with 15-20psi in them. Yes, the tires have a problem, but people need to learn to maintain their vehicle properly as well. BMW will replace all 4 tires free of charge from 0-10,000 miles, and will pay for 50% from 10-20,000 miles. BMW will pay the labor. The affected tires were built prior to the 22nd of 2007. They are the 205/55/16 el42 RFT's and the 225/45/17's built prior to 26th week of 2006. The newer versions are not supposed to have this problem, but personally I still prefer the Continental runflats as they seem to wear better and are cheaper to boot. As a side note, don't blame BMW for not repairing runflats, that is a tire manufacturer suggestion, and if BMW allowed tire repairs and a tire failed, they could be held liable .I highly recommend purchasing the road hazard policy from your selling dealer(or other source) to cover your tires in an event of a puncture.
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- #1903 of 2068
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Re: Bridgestones [silverbullet12]
by highlandpete
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Jun 18, 2008 (12:12 pm)
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Replying to: silverbullet12 (Jun 18, 2008 10:04 am)
I believe I've mentioned pressures on here, as my experience lead to running even higher pressures than BMW first suggested. Even BMW have increased some of their recommended pressures as time has gone by. I'll go along with the pressures are too low thinking/observation. Something else to note, if you don't do long trips, running correct/increased pressure is even more important as the tyres (tires) don't warm as quickly as GFTs and are slow to get to full working pressure. This adds to the 'toe and heel' wear.
Plus it is known in the UK that folks lower the pressures to try and get a better ride. But some of us who have been experimenting, find pressures at or above BMW's normal load rating are best, as the sidewalls don't then carry all the load . The crown of the tyre does, like a normal tyre.
HighlandPete
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- #1904 of 2068
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Re: Bridgestones [silverbullet12]
by blueroad
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Jun 18, 2008 (12:47 pm)
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Replying to: silverbullet12 (Jun 18, 2008 10:04 am)
While it is true that road surfaces and driving habits can cause tire failure beyond what BMW can be held responsible for, I don’t let BMW off the hook on the RFT issue. I bought a 325 for my wife partially because of the expectation BMW created that the car was as maintenance-free as technology could make it. The oil lasted longer, normal maintenance was free for the first 50K miles, and heck, you didn’t even need a spare. They forgot to mention that you might need $1500 in tires before you got to 50K, that any blowout would be ghastly expensive, and the noise would remove any pleasure the car might otherwise provide. They failed the good faith test that the added expense of the BMW would be justified because of the effortless, cost-free 50K of driving pleasure one could expect. Indeed, that is what I gifted my wife, but the gift was not as advertised. And they tried to blame the customer, claiming they (EG, my wife) were at fault for not checking tire pressure weekly. It’s a great car, but BMW failed at component testing, customer expectations, and customer relations. All tires fail in unpredictable situations. That’s different than putting a flawed design on their car that creates unexpected expense and aggravation for the customer.
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- #1905 of 2068
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Re: Bridgestones [blueroad]
by highlandpete
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Jun 18, 2008 (1:57 pm)
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Replying to: blueroad (Jun 18, 2008 12:47 pm)
I'll agree BMW has failed on this RFT issue. I have fitted Koni FSD dampers to try and get the RFTs to run better, but still no true BMW. I run on Goodyear F1 non run-flat rubber and now have a 'real' BMW. What really gets at me, we never had the option to have RFTs and/or a spare wheel in the 3-series. I'm a BMW kind of guy, but this issue has tested the limits, only my own solution means I enjoy this car. No thanks to BMW or Bridgestone (with whom I've had extensive debates and meetings) I might add.
HighlandPete
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- #1906 of 2068
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Re: Bridgestones [blueroad]
by silverbullet12
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Jun 18, 2008 (5:33 pm)
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Replying to: blueroad (Jun 18, 2008 12:47 pm)
I hope you didn't seriously expect to get 50,000 miles out of a set of tires on a vehicle designed to be one of the best handling cars sold.
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- #1907 of 2068
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Re: Bridgestones [highlandpete]
by circlew
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Jun 19, 2008 (3:58 am)
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Replying to: highlandpete (Jun 18, 2008 1:57 pm)
Thanks for representing our discontent with the manufacturers. They fail to listen and are staying with this technology.
It cost me $250 more than would have for the RFT in my 3 year lease so far (1 flat RFT). I just changed out the free set of Conti RFT's with new Conti's so there will be about 9K miles on them at turn-in with enough rubber for the new owner for about 20K miles.
Regards,
OW
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- #1908 of 2068
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Re: Bridgestones [silverbullet12]
by dannys1
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Jun 19, 2008 (6:00 am)
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Replying to: silverbullet12 (Jun 18, 2008 5:33 pm)
I leased a 330xi that came form the factory with Goodyear (go flat) tires. They lived up to their description. I had two flats in the first month. I replaced them with Michelins that got 40,000 and had plenty of tred at the end of the lease. I leased a new 328xi last week and only found out they were runflats when they tired to sell me the insurance for $800. The problem is, why don't they just give you a good tire instead of one a go flat or run flat that is prone to go flat. Please tell me if you were able to use you factory rims that came with run flat tires to put on go flat tires.
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- #1909 of 2068
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Re: Bridgestones [dannys1]
by silverbullet12
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Jun 19, 2008 (6:41 am)
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Replying to: dannys1 (Jun 19, 2008 6:00 am)
Yes, you can put non-runflats on a runflat rim. I recommend leaving the tires that are on it there. The car does not come with a spare and a runflat tire can get you home. Runflat tires are the wave of the future and most cars will be outfitted with them. Ck your tire pressure at least once a month(check by using a tire gauge,not just visual) and you'll get good mileage out of them. I recommend running 35psi front and 40psi rear. That's a little more than factory settings, but it seems to help them last longer.
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- #1910 of 2068
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Re: Bridgestones [silverbullet12]
by shipo
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Jun 19, 2008 (7:33 am)
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Replying to: silverbullet12 (Jun 19, 2008 6:41 am)
"Yes, you can put non-runflats on a runflat rim. I recommend leaving the tires that are on it there. The car does not come with a spare and a runflat tire can get you home."
Funny, I'd recommend just the opposite and suggest that the OP takes the RFTs off and saves them for lease end or resale. In their place I'd suggest a good set of GFTs and the following kit:
http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/conticomfortkit/index.jsp
"Runflat tires are the wave of the future and most cars will be outfitted with them."
Ummm, personally I think the jury is still out on that one, and given the significant backlash from owners of RFT equipped cars, I'm thinking that if anything, the trend is heading back to GFTs. Case in point, Honda has switched from exclusively equipping the Odyssey Limited with RFTs to making the RFTs an option. I predict that other manufacturers will follow that trend, and sooner or later all of this RFT silliness will just go away.
Best Regards,
Shipo
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- #1911 of 2068
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Re: Bridgestones [shipo]
by cdnpinhead
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Jun 19, 2008 (7:45 am)
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Replying to: shipo (Jun 19, 2008 7:33 am)
". . .sooner or later all of this RFT silliness will just go away."
Sure hope you're right, and sooner than later.
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