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BMW 3-Series Run Flat Tires

3108 messages,  Last post on Apr 21, 2013 at 1:52 PM

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What is this discussion about? BMW 3 Series, Tires

Messages Page 288 of 312

#2867 of 3108 Re: Press request [busiris] by boston303

Jun 06, 2011 (10:25 am)

Replying to: busiris (Jun 06, 2011 8:29 am)
Certainly goes to show how much of a status symbol the BMW has become. Those same drivers are likely driving automatic transmissions and would have gotten to wherever they were going in a Ford, but, of course that would not be driving a "beemer" (as opposed to "Bimmer"). Good for BMW a they have increased their market tremendously which of course is what they should accomplish. The Ultimate Driving Machine has been relegated to the "M" at stratuspheric prices. I saw a 2002 yesterday which looked small, but I remember the ads "The Ultimate Driving Machine built to cruise at 100 MPH" and it was affordable. Great flashback, bit clearly not a mass market car as they have today with an automatic, RFT shod 3 series.

#2868 of 3108 Re: Press request [busiris] by kirstie_h HOST

Jun 06, 2011 (11:51 am)

Replying to: busiris (Jun 03, 2011 1:41 pm)
These requests come to us from members of the press - only credible journalists/reporters. They don't use anything, including your name, unless you give them permission.
 
As for the other questions (GFT vs RFT), it wouldn't hurt to respond. The question would be sent to the reporter and they might want to follow up.

#2869 of 3108 Re: Press request [dohrmc] by busiris

Jun 06, 2011 (1:39 pm)

Replying to: dohrmc (Jun 06, 2011 8:54 am)
Lets face it. Those folks who dislike RFT really HATE them, and they aren't satisfied by simply saying they dislike them...They want EVERYONE to HATE RFT's.
 
From BMW's perspective, they are selling more cars than any time in their history, so, in that light, RFT's are pretty much a "success story" for the manufacturer. For many RFT antagonists, if GFT's were suddenly available once again, the complaint du jour would simply move to the next item on the list (and, for many, that list is a long one).
 
Personally, I see both sides of the issue.
 
RFT's usually are louder, ride rougher and don't get the mileage of GFT's. On the other hand, if your wife or daughter is in the "bad part" of a city or on the highway late at night and have a flat, RFT's are probably a good thing.
 
Like most things, its rarely a black .vs. white issue, but many shades of gray.
 
As a member of BMWCCA, I get the club magazine each month, and there are always letters bitching about how BMW has "lost its way" by straying from its history of manufacturing the "Ultimate Driving Machine".
 
An example...Most BMW's sold nowadays are automatics. That isn't due to BMW mandating them, but it is due to what the buying public wants. Like any successful company, BMW provides what the vast majority of buyers want, or at a minimum... will accept.
 
I say again, IMO it would be great if BMW offered an optional spare tire/tool kit. Of course, I feel sure that there are a few million other options that others would want if asked.
 
At this point, its really a non-issue. BMW is NOT going to return to GFT's regardless how many in the minority of owners (or "would-be" owners) scream and complain.
 
Just like I would tell anyone who suggests cars move away from drive-by-wire throttle back to cable/linkage throttle controls, it ain't gonna happen...
 
Time to move on...
 
If most drivers don't know what tire type they are running on their automobile, it really is a "non-issue".

#2870 of 3108 Re: Press request [Mr_Shiftright] by busiris

Jun 06, 2011 (1:52 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jun 06, 2011 8:39 am)
My wife has a 2005 MINI convertible, and even though it came with RFT's, it also came with a space-saver spare.
 
When it was time for new tires, she elected to stay with RFT's, even though I suggested otherwise.
 
Her reasoning was that, flats seldom occur in front of a tire store, but at the most inconvenient time and place... when she is alone.
 
Her $$$, and her choice.
 
She did change to Continental RFT's, and IMO they are much quieter that the OEM tires. Its a MINI, so ride quality really wasn't/isn't an issue with her.
 
I do agree with the noise level on the older RFT's....The Bridgestones on my 07 Z4 sould a lot like that 18 wheeler you spoke of earlier....
 
Good thing my radio has a lot of volume to it, coupled with my "less that perfect" hearing ability nowadays...

#2871 of 3108 Re: Press request [busiris] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jun 06, 2011 (2:50 pm)

Replying to: busiris (Jun 06, 2011 1:52 pm)
My personal view of RFTs is "a solution in search of a problem".
 
Prior to the introduction of the RFT on everyday passenger cars, the only vehicles that ran run-flats were armored limousines and combat vehicles---which should tell you their proper place in the world IMO.
 
To me, the RFTs on my MINI were as useful as bullet-proof glass and 1" armor on the floor pans.
 
So when I get a flat with regular tires, I have to stop and call AAA on my cell phone.
 
When I get a flat on my RFTs I can drive for 50 miles and pay for two brand new RFTs, because I've totally ruined one of them, for a mere $400.
 
OR---I could leave my car and take a taxi home for that kind of money and have plenty left over for the cab ride to the tire shop and the $15 repair bill waiting for me there.
 
I do believe you though, that newer RFTs are *much* better, but they still strike me as a kind of expensive overkill and, most ironically, a rather vulnerable piece of equipment.
 
I like $1.99 rubber gloves that are disposable, not $200 tires.
 
  
 

#2872 of 3108 Re: Press request [Mr_Shiftright] by busiris

Jun 06, 2011 (3:53 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jun 06, 2011 2:50 pm)
My personal view of RFTs is "a solution in search of a problem".
 
Agreed in total.
 
Unfortunately, we appear to be seeing a lot of those solutions in search of problems these days...
 
I will say this, though... I had a neighbor that got killed by a drunk driver while he was along side the interstate hwy changing a flat (he was well off the roadway, even off the emergency strip on the right side of the road). He might still be dead today, but if his car had RFT's then, he wouldn't have been on the side of the road waiting for that drunk driver to come along and hit him that particular day.
 
I feel confident his wife would see a lot of value in RFT's...

#2873 of 3108 Re: Press request [busiris] by cdnpinhead

Jun 06, 2011 (5:58 pm)

Replying to: busiris (Jun 06, 2011 3:53 pm)
Unfortunately, we appear to be seeing a lot of those solutions in search of problems these days...
 
Yeah, and many (if not most) of them come from BMW.
 
My primary beef with RFTs has to do with using them in the wide-open spaces out here in the West. I have no use for a tire that no one will repair, that few shops can even replace and that no one stocks out in the hinterlands. I won't trouble the board with yet another rendition of my flat tire story on a Sunday in way-north Nevada, but if it'd happened with an RFT-equipped car, I might be there yet.
 
Or, I could have spent $400 on the tire (including the express shipment from San Francisco or Salt Lake City), plus a few days added to my journey.
 
RFTs are for those who live in urban areas and never venture away. Period. Full stop. The end.
 
Happily (for BMW), that covers the vast majority of the people who drive the brand -- not the car, the brand.

#2874 of 3108 RFT by lehrer1

Jun 06, 2011 (7:40 pm)

I have 2006 325i with RFT. I feel uncomfortable going further than 50ML away from the city.

#2875 of 3108 Re: Press request [cdnpinhead] by busiris

Jun 07, 2011 (12:07 pm)

Replying to: cdnpinhead (Jun 06, 2011 5:58 pm)
RFTs are for those who live in urban areas and never venture away. Period. Full stop. The end.
 
In general, I agree.
 
But, as an exercise, I decided to call a few local (large, established) tire dealers to see if they had the GFT size tires to fit my 2010 328i (Sport Package).
 
I live in the upstate of SC, a fairly urban area.
 
After 5 calls, no one carried tha sizes in stock.
 
So, it's as much a "unique" tire size as it is a tire "type" issue.
 
The relatively "recent" explosion of specialty tire sizes and types over the last 1-2 decades has made it dramatically more challenging for tire dealers to carry complete lines of tires in stock.
 
So, if you are in the boonies and lose a tire that happens to fall into this category, and you follow the recommended maximum mileage guidelines, you're screwed... GFT (w/space saver spare) or RFT.
 
The lesson is no different for brand of car. Why buy a MB, BMW or MINI (at least, for a daily driver) if the closest dealer happens to be 200 miles away? You would be much better off in a vehicle with a dealership nearby.

#2876 of 3108 Re: Press request [busiris] by cdnpinhead

Jun 07, 2011 (1:11 pm)

Replying to: busiris (Jun 07, 2011 12:07 pm)
. . .if you are in the boonies and lose a tire. . .
 
I guess my biggest concern is with the need for special tire machines and the fact that almost no one will repair RFTs. Normal tires can be repaired more often than not, and outright replacement is rarely necessary, or at least that's been my experience.

Messages Page 288 of 312

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