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Run Flats
paulmw - 12/11/08 at 11:55 AM

I have a 5 series with run flats. I replaced the rears with normal tyres and have had no problems (and a can of foam)

This morning I got a puncture in the front (which are run flats). Option 1 was to get one new run flat (£250) or replace both fronts with good normal ones for £180. Guess whats being fitted tomorrow.

The point is I hate run flats. Whats peoples opinion on safety, costs etc on both options


Humbug - 12/11/08 at 11:58 AM

I can only talk for BMW runflats - SWMBO used to work as a service receptionist for a BMW dealer and people were always complaining about runflats - noisy, harsh ride and expensive. Most people replaced them with "normals" as soon as they could.

Also, the woman who lives across the road has had a couple of BMWs. When she bought the last one she got them to change the tyres before she would buy it!


Mr Whippy - 12/11/08 at 12:01 PM

Don’t they keep spare wheels in cars these days?!

If I had to drive on a long journey in bad weather I know what I'd rather have. Space savers too, what a waste of time they are, can't believe they are still legal

Then again going by the standard we’ve seen recently of modern car jacks you might stand more chance of staying alive with a weird flat tyre

last time I had a puncture it was off a cracked curb and there was a 2 inch chunk taken out the sidewall. Would runflat tyres still let me keep going?

[Edited on 12/11/08 by Mr Whippy]


adithorp - 12/11/08 at 12:05 PM

Haven't met anybody who liked them. Did have customer who wouldn't do anything about a puncture because "Its got run flats"!!!

adrian


trogdor - 12/11/08 at 12:18 PM

I must admit If my wife was driving on her own and she had a puncture i deffo wouldn't let her change the tyre. Those jacks are dangerous!

Was once changing a tyre on the M6 Toll on my parents 405 and the jack collasped. Luckily i was holding a wheel over the brake drum at the time so the drum hit the wheel and i quickly jacked it back up again. Would never trust one


andyharding - 12/11/08 at 12:22 PM

I have run flats on my Z4. Contrary to what BMW will tell you it is possible to repair a puncture so long as the tyre hasn't been driven flat which damages the side walls. I had a slow puncture and kept pumping it up until I could get to a garage and have a repair done. 1000s miles later and no problems and it's been up to 155Mph (off road of course) since the puncture was done.


flak monkey - 12/11/08 at 12:33 PM

My Cooper S has run flats, they arent too bad, but they do cause tramlining and they dont grip quite as well because they dont have any sidewall flex.

Certainly wouldnt fit them by choice, but the minis got 4 nearly new ones on...


Jubal - 12/11/08 at 12:38 PM

I had run flats on my 5 series and ditched them for standard tyres. I did notice more sidewall flex when pressing on but the 5 is hardly a sports car anyway. I have a spare so it was a no brainer for me.


oldtimer - 12/11/08 at 03:17 PM

I thought most tyre puncture repairs were considered a weakness? 155 mph?... I could be wrong.


andyharding - 12/11/08 at 05:05 PM

quote:
Originally posted by oldtimer
I thought most tyre puncture repairs were considered a weakness? 155 mph?... I could be wrong.


The repair is vulcanised so the tyre loses no strength as long as none of the internal webbing is damaged. In my case it was a small screw mid-tread.

When the limiter cuts in...


johnston - 12/11/08 at 05:47 PM

I always thought it strange one of the biggest most hard pushed bits advice from ANY book or course dealing with working on cars is always to use an axle stand and thats even when using a proper jack..

BUT the dealers get away with giving you a pishy wee thing that looks like an over grown tin opener, how do they get away with it.


Richard Quinn - 12/11/08 at 07:11 PM

I find my run-flats to be ok. Must just be me?!?


JUD - 12/11/08 at 09:26 PM

Auto Express car mag did a test on a 3 series and found changing to normal tyres from run flats increased the breaking distance. Something to do with side wall flex confusing the ABS or something.


bigbaz - 28/3/09 at 02:58 PM

hi mate i work for a tyer company and yes run flats are expensive but if you put gunge or that tyer fome in the tyers not meny pepole will fix a puncher in them i no my place wont


jlparsons - 30/3/09 at 04:06 PM

Nobody's mentioned the safety issue... i've heard they're safer as far as blow-outs are concerned as you're less likely to suddenly have no tyre at all at 80mph. I have no proof of this but it sounds sensible...?

For this reason I've not changed them on my 320d, plus I'm happy with the ride and noise levels. I have noticed a bit of tramlining though, particularly when the tyres are getting a bit old.


hughpinder - 12/5/09 at 04:46 PM

Just been speaking to someone at work who has a 320 with run flats, which his wife usually drives. He used it to come in today, got 50 yards from the house and thought the car was pulling to one side- got out and found one front tyre completely flat. When he asked his missus how long the cars been pulling to one side she said a couple of weeks!! About 6 weeks ago, one of my wife friends came to visit us in her mini with runflats and said the car had been making a thumping noise for a couple of days, so I was tasked to look at it. Again a front tyre completely shreaded - flaps of rubber striking the body was the noise! She'd driven from lincoln to Coventry the day before with the noise and was 'meaning to get it looked at'. Needless to say the tyre and wheel were both knackered and she was shocked that I wouldn't let her drive off get it fixed!
I wonder how it affects average safety with people driving around like this?
Hugh

[Edited on 12/5/09 by hughpinder]


JUD - 12/5/09 at 05:41 PM

Sounds like Darwin potential to me...


MikeRJ - 8/6/09 at 01:05 PM

quote:
Originally posted by johnston
BUT the dealers get away with giving you a pishy wee thing that looks like an over grown tin opener, how do they get away with it.


Hehe, that's a great description


iank - 8/6/09 at 02:43 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
If I had to drive on a long journey in bad weather I know what I'd rather have. Space savers too, what a waste of time they are, can't believe they are still legal



I was overtaken a few months back by a punto (I think) with a space-saver on the front doing well over 90mph.
Utter madness, they're only supposed to do 50mph tops IIRC and then only to the nearest tyre dealer.

Don't get me started on the jacks made from coathangers and plastic nuts. Death traps for anyone stupid enough to get under a car supported by one.

[Edited on 8/6/09 by iank]


jossey - 24/6/10 at 03:33 PM

i have a 525d without run flats.

i had runflats for alot of years and thought they was the best thing ever. then i got a few punctures and at the time they would not repair them due to euro laws.

anyway so i moved away from them.

i use my car for 1000 miles a week so its important to keep costs down.

i moved away from runflats and i havent looked back.

i have tried tons of tires to find good ones and then to get cheap ones.

i currently have the sunnew cheap tires.

£45 per tire. which are really good. not the best in the wet but i have took them on the track at cadwell and they handle well.

dont get me wrong they aint as good as the old goodyear sp1 non run flats i had but not a million miles off.

i would get them again cos they have lasted 27k miles and still have 4mm at front and 3 at back.

and i drive well lets say sensible but not slow.

my bmw is chipped too so blasts out over 200bhp and apart from hitting some ice they aint let me down.


i also went and bought a cheap spacer for the boot for £ 30.

david j


Ninehigh - 24/6/10 at 08:37 PM

quote:
Originally posted by iank
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
If I had to drive on a long journey in bad weather I know what I'd rather have. Space savers too, what a waste of time they are, can't believe they are still legal



I was overtaken a few months back by a punto (I think) with a space-saver on the front doing well over 90mph.
Utter madness, they're only supposed to do 50mph tops IIRC and then only to the nearest tyre dealer.

Don't get me started on the jacks made from coathangers and plastic nuts. Death traps for anyone stupid enough to get under a car supported by one.

[Edited on 8/6/09 by iank]


They're usually 30 or 50mph for a maximum of 50 miles. Oh and if you exceed this and have an accident you're gonna get bent over.. I'm sure there's a speed and distance limit to using those runflats while punctured


tombstone - 19/9/10 at 01:33 PM

Pirelli and Bridgestone both say you shold NOT repair a run flat, but most sensible tyre place will do a plug'n'patch type repair, but you should never repair a W,Y or Z rated tyre, as it will never be a speed rated repair! I have repaired many tyres over the years, and as long as it's done correctly, would never usually be a problem, I wouldn't drive over 130mph for sustained periods for long with a repaired tyre though...never know how the tyre was affected when it was damaged!


MikeR - 19/9/10 at 02:18 PM

quote:
Originally posted by iank
[
Don't get me started on the jacks made from coathangers and plastic nuts. Death traps for anyone stupid enough to get under a car supported by one.

[Edited on 8/6/09 by iank]


My dad taught me something when i first started to help him on our mini a good few years ago. Always put the tyre under the car. Means you've got something for the car to fall upon instead of you. We'd even leave it in with the axle stands in place if we could.


steven - 3/5/11 at 07:08 PM

I have run flats on my 1 series and think they're ok. I wouldn't fit them by choice but I value what limited boot space the 1 series has and wouldn't want a spare wheel or gup/compressor taking up more space.


SeanStone - 19/7/11 at 06:10 PM

My friend has a mini on run flats and pays £5 or £10 tyre insurance per month. If there is a blowout, the excess is £10 and if they're getting a little too close to the legal limit then a well placed nail will get you a new tyre for the cost of £10 excess


Pete - Kit Car Zone - 6/11/11 at 01:37 AM

Yep never been a fan of run flats... I've always relied on a spare tyre and saved the pennies. Done me ok so far (apart from the inconvenience of an alloy corroding onto the hub a few months back!)


sg_frost - 17/11/12 at 02:23 PM

Replaced my runflats on my 325d Msport touring with more Runflats, the cost was in excess of £800, luckily they were done as fronts/backs 6 months apart.

Managed to pick up a nail on a motorway at 70mph and got to where I needed to go, being a mechanic/ college lecturer I didnt want to change the wheel on the side of the motorway in the pouring rain.

The car handled very well with only a slight pull to one side. The tyre was repaired and is still running fine.

I have seen some horrors though of people who have had punctures and carried on. All BMW's have a light to tell the driver of a loss of pressure (all cars with runflats should) but some drivers ignore it, or simply reset it and keep going. Educating drivers is the key to things like this.

Also it does not work if all four tyres are deflated (over time and never checked) as it measures wheel speed from the abs system.

I would not swap them for normal tyres as it handles very well as is, and it saves me from getting dirty and wet changing wheels on the side of the road.

If only they would last a little longer!


Bare - 31/8/13 at 01:01 AM

Welll... for those unwilling to dirty their fingers and could care less about ride and handling. That! is why some makers fit runflats.
Simple/cheap can of 'Slime' would also give same result.
But where's the bragging rights in that?


Mr Whippy - 31/8/13 at 05:16 AM

Thread started in 2008!

[Edited on 31/8/13 by Mr Whippy]


Julian Thrussell - 12/11/13 at 10:22 PM

You would have to be a retard to do 155mph on a repaired tyre.
If you have a repaired tyre, retire it to a spare as quick as you can.


mark chandler - 12/11/13 at 10:34 PM

I cannot see where a tyre that has had a nail or screw puncture straight between the treads be dangerous if repaired correctly, it's hardly weakened the tyre.

If driven for miles flat that's a different matter, let's have some perspective on this please before calling everyone a retard!

[Edited on 12/11/13 by mark chandler]


Julian Thrussell - 13/11/13 at 08:10 PM

Mark, best you read Andy's funny byline in relation to the retard reference :-)


Ajoasika - 30/5/17 at 11:24 AM

I have a set of BMW 6793675 16" wheels on a 2011 E90 (320d), with Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 2
M+S fitted as standard. First set did 35k+ miles, and the second set look like they get closer to 40k (currently
38k) The ride is fine, and with the taller sidewalls, there's no drumming like it seems we get on Wife's 120d,
which has 18". There is also some protection for the alloys, which you don't seem to get on the 17/18".
It handles well enough, 60 mpg on a run, although they can be a bit noisy on some surfaces.
The tyres are classified as snow tyres, and work all year round (Lincolnshire), although we haven't had snow
in these parts lately to try them out.
No spare required, and if we do get a puncture, they can be driven at 40 mph to the tyre place, as we did
with the 120d once, and had the tyre repaired for £19.
No jack required either, and point taken about wives and jacks in bad weather.
So I'm very happy with these run flats, and wouldn't change anything.

Mark Hollands
Louth


Mr Whippy - 30/5/17 at 11:36 AM

brill a post from 9 years ago...