[Pinewood]

I always figured on replacing my 19" runflats when they wore out, now i'm not so sure.
Left Warrington at 3.30 and the X3 told me about the rear right having an issue within 3 miles of joining the M6 (southbound to London). I drove at 50mph for another few miles and stopped on a very wide off ramp that had a section coned off.
Checked the tyre and could see a big nail in the middle. Used my compressor to pump it up, but could hear the air coming out. Phoned the concierge service who sent me the cordinates of the nearest BMW dealer, and i asked the sat nav to take me there.
Rang them whilst driving....
Sorry sir we don't have a 275/40r19 runflat in stock.
Can you repair it as i need to drive 100 miles to Nuneaton. NO sir
Can you tell me if there is a national/kwik fit etc nearby? Yes a 1/4 from our location
Both tyres centres visited (time now 5pm), sorry we can't patch a runflat, but a cheapo tyre place nearby....
Backstreet guy says yes i will patch it for £15
Drove to my inlaws at a steady 60-70mph and i will replace the tyre in the coming days as there is minimal damage to the internal sidewalls having driven the car on it for around 20 miles.
Summary: the tyres did what they promised and got me to a garage, and in this case home. A normal tyre would have meant my journey was terminated.

[CT335xi]

If you can sacrifice a little space in the back pick up a space saver spare and do non runflats once there worn, it would probably be cheaper then 4 new runflats .
You would also be improving your ride comfort, not to mention I bet those 275/40/19 cost a pretty penny.

[Peter_R]

Originally Posted by CT335xi

If you can sacrifice a little space in the back pick up a space saver spare and do non runflats once there worn, it would probably be cheaper then 4 new runflats .
You would also be improving your ride comfort, not to mention I bet those 275/40/19 cost a pretty penny.

I bought a space saver for my f31 320d even in the early days whilst I had the run flats and it meant continually putting it in and taking it out of the boot (trunk). Ironically the time I needed it most would be on long journeys when the boot was full of suitcases and other things, so not much room with the space saver there.

[Tjalle]

Since there has been only negative criticism about run flats, I did not want to stir the pot, but.......
I have staggered 20" 310 with Pirelli run flats as summertires and 18" studded Contis non-RF during winter. Vehicle lowered with H&R.
After lowering I - naturally - got somewhat harsher ride - but still acceptable- both summer and winter.
Somewhat more sensitive to uneven roads/ripples with summer - but OK.

I am sensitive to steering precision and stability, but not harshness.

Bottom line is: I am happy with my Run Flats

[buze]

I've had 5 punctures total in my run flats. And yes, if you have a small compressor, just top it up and keep it well inflated, then go to the 'no name' garage and get it plugged.

Then go on trucking. Forget about the 'oh it has to be changed', it's not true, its a mix of ass covering and trying to sell new tires (a PAIR of new tires in most cases!).

The key thing here is to keep them inflated as much as you can, even if it requires you to stop every 10 miles to reach the cheapo garage.

[CT335xi]

Originally Posted by Peter_R

I bought a space saver for my f31 320d even in the early days whilst I had the run flats and it meant continually putting it in and taking it out of the boot (trunk). Ironically the time I needed it most would be on long journeys when the boot was full of suitcases and other things, so not much room with the space saver there.

I know what you mean Peter_R but you can't really compare the trunk of a 320 to the x3, I think with the x3 you would be ok but I understand your point.

[Peter_R]

Originally Posted by CT335xi

I know what you mean Peter_R but you can't really compare the trunk of a 320 to the x3, I think with the x3 you would be ok but I understand your point.

Well believe it or not, I kept the f31 space saver for a few weeks (not to try to use it) but to see how much room it took up and it takes up more space than I wanted. As you would expect you need to strap it to the floor of the vehicle and the straps stretched across became an inconvenience/took up more space.

I carry an electrical compressor the same as a poster above. I only had one slow puncture on my 19 inch staggered set up and had it plugged after 2 weeks.

My 18 inch winter tyres are also run flats. This is better for when my wife drives the car.

Ironically the winter tyres are more flexible and give a slightly better more pliable ride.

[gIzzE]

Problem for me is, over the last 250,000 miles I have had 5 flats in total, and all have been on run flats. They are on my cars for a matter of weeks, until I get a chance to swap them over to proper tyres. I would guess no more than 10k miles of that 250k has been on run flats, and all 5 flats have happened in that time, which makes me think run flats simple get flat more often than normally tyres.

Maybe is it because there is less play in the much firmer rubber that things puncture them easier?

[Rodion]

Well, with a non-runflat you would've had a mobile service guy driving to your car, patching up the tyre and you would've continued your journey without any detours.

[The X Men]

You should have a compressor and a bottle of slime in your trunk.

[Peter_R]

Well, I have only had one very slow puncture on run flats and 1 complete blowout on non runflats over a period of 12 years.

Not many NON runflat tyres are seen by dealers on the majority of cars. As my dealer says where run flats are specified for the vehicle, he can count on both hands when he has NOT seen them. In other words just about every car has run flats. I asked, because I am due new summer tyres this year.

Given the safety aspects, I would always specify run flats.

[Speedbird1]

Just adding in my own experience / views on run flats to the debate. I have them on my LCI X3 3.0d MSport on 19" rims and, after 20,000 miles, can honestly say the ride has never felt overly harsh, despite the millions of potholes in my county! (I had a MINI with them on before and that WAS harsh!).

As for the safety and convenience, as a member of the emergency services, my view is that they are fantastic. Not having to stop on a poorly lit stretch of road or on a busy motorway to attempt a wheel change, (particularly the one nearest the live running lane) is literally, in my sadly personal experience, a potential life saver.

As for continuing after a loss of pressure, BMW state:

[I]With run-flat tyres fitted, you can continue driving for up to 150 km at a speed of up to 80 km/h without any significant loss in vehicle stability.

This is probably quite a conservative figure so with care, and at a lower speed, a greater distance could probably be achieved without any increase in safety risk.

So most journeys can be continued uninterrupted, leaving plenty of time to source a replacement. In conclusion, I believe the advantages far out-way any minimal loss in comfort. I will certainly be replacing mine with a fresh set of BMW approved run-flat tyres in the very near future.

[Pinewood]

A mixed range of views I see, and expected tbh. I was 90% certain , that I would swap them out once they had worn out, but this incident has highlighted there safety aspect. If that was my wife on the motorway, I would certainly feel better knowing she can get herself and the children home without having to stop for anything but a major tyre disaster.

The fact this has happened so soon after buying the car(4 weeks), makes me wonder if the stiff tyre walls makes them more puncture prone than a normal tyre that deforms a little more when in contact with the road and a foreign body,such as the large nail I encountered.
I'll keep my mind open to both sides of the argument, as I haven't made my mind up either way as yet. The compressor did little to help on this occasion,as the air loss was so much.
I enquired about a new tyre and was quoted £244 from my trusted tyre fitter.

[Flipflop99]

It all depends on the type of puncture you have and what situation you're in when you find it as to how you feel about run-flats at the end of it.

Our 5 month old car has non run-flats on 17's. Washing the car on Sunday I found a nail in the front, near side tyre. Checked on board computer and it stated all was well with pressures so drove the car to local kwik-fit (as normal tyre place was closed) who repaired the tyre for £20. On this occasion I was pleased to have a cheap repair option instead of a new tyre but had I been on a motorway journey I'd have never known as the tyre was loosing no pressure. However, I have had run-flats in the past and there are definite safety and convenience aspects that make them a real boon in certain situations.

[tiggerii]

I ran my 120d M Sport on staggered runflats in the summer and symmetrical runflats in the winter for 80K miles over 4 years and that only had one puncture on the rear that was patched by my local dealer. I then had a 125d M Sport for a year running summer and then winter runflat tyres over 20k miles with no punctures. My X3 has the 19" staggered setup and was fine for 10k miles until I had a slow puncture on the rear which my local tyre place were happy to patch for me.

I will be continuing with the runflats and am about to replace all my tyres at 18k miles, they still have 3-4mm of tread but I've picked up a brand new set of Michelin Primacy tyres and BMW 622m wheels for less than the cost of new tyres

[Pinewood]

update: a week later and the tyre is absolutely fine. No need to spend £240 to change it. I have increased the tyre pressures to 34F/36R psi.
someone told me that the E60 skinny spare will fit the F25, and it's a lot cheaper than trying to find a F25 skinny spare?

[atrueb]

In 20 years of driving, I have never had a puncture! Knock on wood:-)

When I took delivery of my x3 in winter, I got run-flat 19" tires. They are not overly harsh, but they do pass on a lot more vibration from the road surface than non-run-flats. Therefore I have non-run-flat 19" in the summer and also a set of non-run-flat 20". Both sets are way more comfortable than the run-flats. The softer sidewalls seem to absorb small bumps, which makes the ride really great. Believe it or not: Even the 20" non-run-flats are more comfortable than the 19" run flats.

In my opinion, the only real advantage for an SUV-driving-tarmac-cowboy as myself is the added safety at high speed, if getting a puncture.

Nevertheless, when my winter run-flats are worn out, I will definetly replace them with non-run-flats. They make a world of difference, that you will only feel, once you swap them.

[Pinewood]

Do you still have the tmps sensors?

[Pinewood]

Originally Posted by tiggerii

I ran my 120d M Sport on staggered runflats in the summer and symmetrical runflats in the winter for 80K miles over 4 years and that only had one puncture on the rear that was patched by my local dealer. I then had a 125d M Sport for a year running summer and then winter runflat tyres over 20k miles with no punctures. My X3 has the 19" staggered setup and was fine for 10k miles until I had a slow puncture on the rear which my local tyre place were happy to patch for me.

I will be continuing with the runflats and am about to replace all my tyres at 18k miles, they still have 3-4mm of tread but I've picked up a brand new set of Michelin Primacy tyres and BMW 622m wheels for less than the cost of new tyres

I had a 218d active tourer for 4 days with Michelin Primacy tyres (225's), and they were pretty noisy compared to the P Zero's on my X3. Another point of interest.... I had my tyres pumped up to 34 psi front and 36 psi rear.
When i got it back, they had been reset to 32 front and 33 rear?

[Peter_R]

Originally Posted by Pinewood

I had my tyres pumped up to 34 psi front and 36 psi rear.
When i got it back, they had been reset to 32 front and 33 rear?

That is the pressures I use with 19" staggered on P Zeros and after having had the tracking done my tyre wear is very much even across all tyres.

[Pinewood]

32f and 33r with 3 occupants max?
What do you use with a heavily (4 up) loaded x3?

I wonder why they checked the tyre pressure, as it went in for a rear window seal and some minor paint correction. Glad they did :-)

[Peter_R]

Originally Posted by Pinewood

32f and 33r with 3 occupants max?
What do you use with a heavily (4 up) loaded x3?

There is just two of us most of the time. I would keep the same unless doing very extended runs with full loads. My loading and pressures are normally within 1 psi of that recommended on the door plate.

Originally Posted by Pinewood

I wonder why they checked the tyre pressure, as it went in for a rear window seal and some minor paint correction. Glad they did :-)

Beats me! Perhaps policy at the dealership or perhaps they looked over inflated?