12-04-2014, 11:03 PM | #45 | |
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12-06-2014, 12:40 AM | #46 |
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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.
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12-06-2014, 07:42 AM | #47 |
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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. |
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12-06-2014, 03:44 PM | #48 | |
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Quote:
http://www.moderntiredealer.com/blog...r-reports.aspx |
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12-06-2014, 03:48 PM | #49 |
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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." |
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12-09-2014, 02:54 PM | #50 |
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I just put on Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3's non run flats, my god are they better than the ls2's
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12-09-2014, 07:44 PM | #52 |
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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.
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12-09-2014, 09:37 PM | #53 |
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12-09-2014, 11:11 PM | #54 |
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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
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12-10-2014, 02:07 PM | #56 |
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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.
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