BMW X3 Forum
BMW X3 Forum
Welcome to the ultimate BMW X3 community.
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      12-04-2014, 11:03 PM   #45
droftrah
Private First Class
United_States
61
Rep
182
Posts

Drives: '18 G01 X3 M40i
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Baltimore, MD

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
Quote:
Originally Posted by skru_fase View Post
I put on a set of 18" blizzak ws80 for winter, non runflat and can't believe how much better the car rides vs the summers (19" runflats). They are winters, and slightly bigger sidewall, but it feels so much smoother, and composed. I will be replacing my summers with regular rubber and carrying the slime kit. Total improvement to the car IMO.
Was there any negative effects? Is steering feel and response and handling still just as good, or has the car gotten soft with the 18 non RFTs?
Appreciate 0
      12-06-2014, 12:40 AM   #46
beats
Lieutenant
beats's Avatar
225
Rep
599
Posts

Drives: 2015 911 GTS
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (0)

They are a bit softer, but that's to be expected with winter tires.. I like a firm ride, but I think it actually feels better now than it did with the summer setup. It always felt really jarring over bumps.
Appreciate 0
      12-06-2014, 07:42 AM   #47
Marty in NY
Brigadier General
Marty in NY's Avatar
United_States
2628
Rep
4,259
Posts

Drives: 21 X5 40i, 18 GTi, Snowblower
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: NY

iTrader: (0)

I agree with Skru Fase, it's a softer ride, but that's what I personally wanted. Not a lot softer though but enough to take the fatigue out of a long ride/trip. Most new tires feel a bit squirmy at first. One reason is that you've become use to the hard ride that a worn out tire provides or that a run flat provides and when driving the very next time on a brand new non run flat tire, there's a bit of a diff. It's quieter, smoother and more of a luxo feeling. The other reason is that with brand new tread, a full 8mm, the steering is easier and that alone might translate into a mushy experience if you've been used to run flats. Hence why race car owners shave new tires and if I were racing, I would want a very stiff tire....but c'mon, if I were racing, it wouldn't be in my SAV!

However, after driving a bit on these DWS, the steering response is right there, no issue at all and with the stiffer suspension in the X3, it feels like the right combination for a happy relationship.

The other beauty is the DWS will lower the cost of ownership by a few thou over say five years. Not only are the tires half the price of the run flats I had, they should last three to four times longer in that I can rotate them, they're a harder rubber and I bought ones that are a slight bit narrower to reduce the cupping potential.

If for some reason you end up switching and don't like them, the DWS would be much easier to sell than the run flats and you can go back to what you like.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ch35iM View Post
Was there any negative effects? Is steering feel and response and handling still just as good, or has the car gotten soft with the 18 non RFTs?
Appreciate 0
      12-06-2014, 03:44 PM   #48
barcelona
Major
barcelona's Avatar
Canada
269
Rep
1,417
Posts

Drives: X
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by bagekko View Post
I havent used it in any of my BMWs and never would. Everyone says it ruins the TPMS sensor and maybe the valve too, since I have AAA, a tow is free vs $100 TPMS sensor replacement.



After seeing this thread lately, I began to think about the next set of tires on the wifes X3, I really want RFT, the snow Nokians are RFT. I can not believe what a poor selection there is of High Perf RFT tires for my 18" M Sport stock rims, and secondly those poor selections are outrageous in price!

When it comes time in 1.5 yrs I dont know what I will do. I cant have her driving on summer tires in Nov and Mar/Apr. Assuming the RFT for summer tires is better than all seasons.
I too, will stick with RFT. I may go with Pirelli Cinturato P7 A/S. Consumers Report 2013 gave it a top 4 rating. Others ahead of it may not be RFT.

http://www.moderntiredealer.com/blog...r-reports.aspx
Appreciate 0
      12-06-2014, 03:48 PM   #49
barcelona
Major
barcelona's Avatar
Canada
269
Rep
1,417
Posts

Drives: X
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Toronto

iTrader: (0)

Tire makers strive for comfort as OE fitments increase; consumers are still not buying replacements:
http://www.moderntiredealer.com/chan...es/page/2.aspx

MTD: Will run-flats ever become mainstream tires in the U.S. replacement market?

"Ewing, Pirelli: I believe run-flats will become much more mainstream in the U.S. replacement market. They are a win-win for OEMs and consumers. For OEMs, not needing to have a spare tire lowers the weight of the vehicle, increasing fuel economy. This will become more and more important as CAFE standards increase. For the consumer, there is also added safety and peace of mind. Not having to change a flat on the side of the highway is a big selling point."

"Margadonna, Michelin: It is difficult to say. It will depend primarily on what the OEM outlook is. From our research, we find consumers are delighted with the safety mobility aspect, but are surprised at the expense when they need replaced. It may take considerable time for run-flat tires to reach large mass appeal in the marketplace."
Appreciate 0
      12-09-2014, 02:54 PM   #50
droftrah
Private First Class
United_States
61
Rep
182
Posts

Drives: '18 G01 X3 M40i
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Baltimore, MD

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
I just put on Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3's non run flats, my god are they better than the ls2's
Appreciate 0
      12-09-2014, 06:36 PM   #51
xdriv3
Private
13
Rep
52
Posts

Drives: X3
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA

iTrader: (0)

Just wondering, how long do the OEM RFT's last? I have 2015 w/ 19" wheels (M-sport). Can't splurge on tires yet. So I'm going to go through this first set first...
Appreciate 0
      12-09-2014, 07:44 PM   #52
Want the thrill
Lieutenant Colonel
326
Rep
1,560
Posts

Drives: 2022 X4M40i, retired ‘11 X3
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: MI

iTrader: (2)

Garage List
2022 X4M40i  [10.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by xdriv3 View Post
Just wondering, how long do the OEM RFT's last? I have 2015 w/ 19" wheels (M-sport). Can't splurge on tires yet. So I'm going to go through this first set first...
Mine lasted 15,000 miles. If I lived in the South, I might have kept them on longer, but here in Michigan, they had to go.
Appreciate 0
      12-09-2014, 09:37 PM   #53
xdriv3
Private
13
Rep
52
Posts

Drives: X3
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Want the thrill View Post
Mine lasted 15,000 miles. If I lived in the South, I might have kept them on longer, but here in Michigan, they had to go.
Wow. Much quicker than expected!
Appreciate 0
      12-09-2014, 11:11 PM   #54
droftrah
Private First Class
United_States
61
Rep
182
Posts

Drives: '18 G01 X3 M40i
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Baltimore, MD

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
mine lasted 24k, probably had about 2-3k left on the tread, but with winter coming I had to get rid of them they would have gotten me stuck in a quarter inch of snow
Appreciate 0
      12-10-2014, 07:44 AM   #55
Mingstar88
First Lieutenant
Canada
78
Rep
390
Posts

Drives: BMW X3 35i
Join Date: May 2011
Location: GTA

iTrader: (0)

i gave them up at around 30,000km, however there's still treads left
Appreciate 0
      12-10-2014, 02:07 PM   #56
MetaX
Second Lieutenant
105
Rep
252
Posts

Drives: 2022 X3MC
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: San Francisco

iTrader: (0)

If you're not a fan of how the OEM runflats ride I suggest checking out the Bridgestone RE960AS RFT tires as a possible option. They employ a "3rd gen" fun flat technology that enables better ride compliance through less aggressive sidewall thickness. Evidently reducing the sidewall thickness was made possibly by building in cooling fins into the sidewall. I recently switched to them and can report back that they do indeed ride significantly smoother than the Goodyear runflats the car was originally equipped with. Subjectively I would say that they sit in between the Goodyear runflats and conventional tires. My basis for comparison is from my observations when we also recently switched my girlfriend's car from conventional tires to the Bridgestone Driveguard tires which also employ the same 3rd gen. runflat technology. Following the change we found that her car rode a bit more harsh although whether that can be entirely attributed to the RFT tire profile is debatable. The only real way to compare would be to switch between RFT and non-RFT versions of the same tire.
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:42 AM.




xbimmers
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST