[Alien z0mb13]

Hello All,
So after owning my new to me X3 for 2 week the wife hit the curb and popped the front right tire. She said she wasn't going very fast only about 20 MPH. When i talked to a BMW service (a tire shop guy also said this too) they said this happens a lot.
Also since i have the 17" rims (245/55-17) i guess my tires are not every common. So much so, that most shops i called in the area don't have them. One of the shops doesn't have it in stock but said they should be able to get the tire in a day or 2. But they are trying to sell me all 4 tires. Saying that if i don't this might cause issues to the x-Drive. So my questions are:

1) Are run flats really prone to popping when you hit the curb?
2) Should I replace 1, 2, or all 4 tires?

[Tjalle]

The curb had a sharp edge - scratched the rim and cut into the tire. No tire can resist that. X3 (and X4 ) is a fairly wide car with wide tires - look out for curbs!

RFT:s are reinforced, but that should not make them to be damaged more easily.

Replace tire with same size and type. Your other tires are- more or less - worn (1-5mm/ 1-3/16"), but it should not have an impact on AWD- other tires could.

[JohnAG]

Not sure what the manual recommends, but if it was me I'd only replace only both sides (fronts or rears wherever the tire is located) with the same tire brand, but not all 4 unless they are all worn out. Replacing all 4 sounds like a scare tactic to me more than anything else (unless recommended in the manual) so they can sell you more tires rather than for functionality or safety purpose.

I agree that since the rim is also damaged, if you hit a curb with that much force using any run flat tires with their stiff sidewalls, chances are you'll have the same result.

[Tjalle]

The reason for "changing all tires", would be to have the same radius on all, to avoid "system" having to work more than "normal", when driving straight ahead. That never happens, but difference between new tires should be 1% or less, due to: different tire pressure, difference in load and manufacturing tolerances.

With one tire new, we might be talking 1-3% difference in radius (unless you put less air in the new tire ), which the system can handle without being worn out. Different brand of tire could mean up to 3-5%, which probably system also could handle without wearing out - but that is an unnessesary risk.

BMW are running "a tight ship" i.e. they are recommending extremely conservative measures, sometimes, to my mind, for the benefit of the dealers.

[nyalpine90]

it looks more of hard impact..
i would replace 2 front tires.

tire rack has them

[pokerface]

Get an alignment done too. 20mph seems like a lot. Think of the amount of body damage at that speed...

[Tjalle]

In my opinion it is NOT a hard impact,- it just scraped the surface on the rim, and it should not be necessary to change the second tire nor alignment.

But if you do wheel alignment I would be very interested in the result i.e. was there a misalignment due to curb. The problem is to get a true answer from dealer/tireshop.

Sorry for being a bit aggressive, but I happen to have lots of experience in these matters, and I hate people (dealers/tire shops) taking avdantage of less experienced customers.

[nyalpine90]

Originally Posted by Tjalle

In my opinion it is NOT a hard impact,- it just scraped the surface on the rim, and it should not be necessary to change the second tire nor alignment.

But if you do wheel alignment I would be very interested in the result i.e. was there a misalignment due to curb. The problem is to get a true answer from dealer/tireshop.

Sorry for being a bit aggressive, but I happen to have lots of experience in these matters, and I hate people (dealers/tire shops) taking avdantage of less experienced customers.

+1


what is the tire depth of the other tires...i would go by that.
if they are less then 7/32, I would replace all 4 imo.

NY roads are not the best, during winter seasons potholes destroy tires/rims on daily basis. I never blown a rft

[Alien z0mb13]

Thanks for all the feed back.
Tires have I think the tire shop guy said 8/32
I currently have Michellin's MXM4 and a according to discount tire (where my car is located) they are discontinued, the normal oem perelli's are discontinued, So I'm going to have to go with Bidgestone Dueler... because the new Perelli's are a lot more.

I contacted 2 BMW dealerships and spoke with the service department. I asked them about X-drive, and tire replacement. This is what they said: the tires have to be replaced in sets of 2 unless tires are going to match (shaved tire or new ) brand doesn't really matter and new tires must go on the rear. Unless your tires are under 6/32 you dont have to replace all 4. So I'm only buying 2 Bridgstones. This wil be done today so I'll report any issues. WISH ME LUCK!!!!

[nyalpine90]

good luck!

[Tjalle]

Good luck!

Reason for installing new tires in rear: in e.g. heavy rain - I don`t think you get much of snow and ice in FW- you need best grip in rear, or you could do a 360 in no time when braking. Called aquaplaning, which is a lot of fun, in the right circumstances

[The X Men]

If the wife say she hit the curb at 20 MPH, its probably more like 30 MPH. I would check for a warped rim as well as front wheel alignment.

[ba ba boosh]

In my E90, I hit a curb going 15 MPH turning and it didn't blow up the tire, but the rim was severely bent. I could feel the shimmy in the steering wheel when I was going 50+ MPH. You should look out for that shimmy. The funny thing is the rims for our build were only available for about 1 1/2 years (2011 - Early 2012 models) since only Bridgestone and Pirelli (Only Run Flats) make tires for this specific size and wheel style. After that 18s were standard on the F25 starting late 2012. Which those 18s accommodate a wider variety of tire brands and versions (R/F or Non R/F). I guess alot of people complained that they could only buy R/F for our wheels and not regular tires.

[Alien z0mb13]

Sorry I've been off of this forum for so long. Long term update i never had any issue with replacing just the 2 tires. I just moved to Houston, TX and i don't know if it's where my wife drives but since we got to Houston we have replaced 3 run flats due to nails/screws in the tires. I highly recommend anyone who gets the tires replaced to go to place that offers a road hazard warranty this has saved my ass a lot.

[jross]

I really don't want to be mean, but why do wives always hit the curb when they park or turn the corner? This post really illustrates it. My wife has been doing it for 20+ years, about 5 times a week. Her tires always look it.