[GTony]

oVeRdOsE,
My previous X1 for ride comfort I switched to Non R/Flats and because of occasional long distances on Freeways I carried a full size Spare. Definite ride improvement. My decision was based on my Overall Circumstances.
I have 20" RFT's at the moment and things are OK but in Sports Mode it starts me thinking Non RFT's. Again it's down to our circumstances.

Could you please tell me what is the Brand/Name/Model of that Air Compressor.
Thanks.

[Wgosma]

Viair makes good quality compact/portable compressors, variety of price points.

Safety Seal makes a nice quality plug kit, check them out on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[HPR]

Originally Posted by Wgosma

Viair makes good quality compact/portable compressors, variety of price points.
Safety Seal makes a nice quality plug kit, check them out on Amazon.

To echo Wgosma, I own a Viair compressor and can testify to the quality of the unit. It fits nicely in the driver's side cubby of the cargo area. Also, DynaPlug makes an excellent tire puncture repair kit.

[oVeRdOsE.]

Originally Posted by GTony

oVeRdOsE,
My previous X1 for ride comfort I switched to Non R/Flats and because of occasional long distances on Freeways I carried a full size Spare. Definite ride improvement. My decision was based on my Overall Circumstances.
I have 20" RFT's at the moment and things are OK but in Sports Mode it starts me thinking Non RFT's. Again it's down to our circumstances.

Could you please tell me what is the Brand/Name/Model of that Air Compressor.
Thanks.

all depends on people sensibility to comfort. i've always ride daily car on dropped suspension and lowprofile tire. I also owned a camagna t-rex, so having a small suv with RFT, it was enough comfy for me, and now having non-rtf is over my expectation.

Air compressor need to be chosen wisely. yes I had twice cheap on-sale plastic auto-part shop air compressor. Both broke, they just can't handle a complete tire inflate. The piston rod broke due to fatigue.

I went with one '' heavy duty'', mine is only sold on canada, but the real brand should be mastercraft.

see the look of it, it will gives you a good indication. Its also a good pressure maintenance device, it got auto-cutoff @ XXpsi.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/m...5032p.html#srp

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by HPR

To echo Wgosma, I own a Viair compressor and can testify to the quality of the unit. It fits nicely in the driver's side cubby of the cargo area. Also, DynaPlug makes an excellent tire puncture repair kit.

What model Viair? The one I purchased is too large to fit into any storage area in the car, ugh. It's in its case on the floor of passenger area, darn.

[HPR]

Originally Posted by Wgosma

What model Viair? The one I purchased is too large to fit into any storage area in the car, ugh. It's in its case on the floor of passenger area, darn.

Viair-00087-87P-Portable-Compressor

[Wgosma]

Thanks- a nice compact unit. Maybe the route I should have gone. Good choice👍

[Wildhund]

I just bought 4 Pirelli Pzero all season plus No runflat at Costco 245/50/R18 for 200$ CAD each, will see the difference with my used Pirelli PZeros RFT soon!
Check out these 2 videos too:
Justin Buice

And Crazy Scotty!

[randal.arilewis@gmail.com]

I too did not like rf ride. I could not find regular tires that fit my wheels. I wanted to go up an inch in diameter anyhow so I bought a set of used wheels and got regular tires. The ride is better, smoother, less noise, handles great. rimsntires.com is a good site to compare sizes and see what fits. I now have to carry a spare tire and jack but I am ok with that.

[GTony]

Thanks Guys for your info. on Air Compressors.

[MOWells]

Originally Posted by ZooMMM

Just switched over from RFTs to non RFTs. Even wife noticed the difference. Better ride/comfort, handling/grip. Never looking back.
... went with Contis

Same here. I just replaced the Pirelli P7 Cinturato’s with the Continental DWS06’s and could not be more pleased with the improvement in ride quality. I had put on a winter set of Non-runflat Blizzaks after only driving the X3 450 miles, and I was not happy with the prospect of swapping back to the Pirelli RFT set. Both my wife and I hated the “choppiness” of the run flats. I bought a Slime electronic compressor repair kit when I bought the Blizzaks. I had used Continental DWS’s for several years on my Infiniti M45 Sport and they are excellent tires. I’ll try to sell the Pirelli’s on Craigslist. My X3 is now a joy to drive, so the new tires are a small price to pay. Oh, and I should give a shout out to the Tire Rack: if you are in North America they are the best choice for tires. I have never had a problem with buying tires from them, and their prices are competitive.

[sharroun]

Switched to non-RF's shortly after buying the car used (26,000 miles / 2+ years old) and it's a huge difference. I got a good deal at Sam's Club on Pirelli's. Huge fan. Now that the Pirelli's are getting low on tread, I might get Michelin Defender LTX's next - I've heard great things about them, but I might stick with the Pirelli's. Undecided as of now.

[doru]

For emergency road side tire repair, I use the stop and go kit. This one. I already repaired 5 tires, the oldest repair being done about 2 years ago, and the latest end of fall. None of the repaired tires experienced any kind of air loss, and the repair process is trivial. Takes less then 5 min once the wheel is removed. I also have a scissor jack, and this lug nut wrench. Highly recommended - check the reviews (and the price). High quality and unbeatable. For tire repair, you also need a needle nose pliers (to pull out whatever punctured it) and you're all set.

[Daz X3]

Hi

if you do change to non runflats some insurance companies treat this as a mod so you need to inform them or they may not pay out after accident

[ketrab]

Can you run non run-flats with m package x3?

[TitanLH8]

Looking to replace my current run flats as well. Tire shop recommended that I stick with 102Y load rating but want to get DWS06 but those only come in 98Y. Any issues or concerns with going down in load rating for the F25?

[ketrab]

Originally Posted by TitanLH8

Looking to replace my current run flats as well. Tire shop recommended that I stick with 102Y load rating but want to get DWS06 but those only come in 98Y. Any issues or concerns with going down in load rating for the F25?

look no further

https://www.speedytire.com/tires/ach...zr19-MAB244519

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by TitanLH8

Looking to replace my current run flats as well. Tire shop recommended that I stick with 102Y load rating but want to get DWS06 but those only come in 98Y. Any issues or concerns with going down in load rating for the F25?

In my experience tire retailer will not sell a tire that does not meet car manufacturers minimum load rating- makes some sense from retailers liability standpoint. But I'm also in California and things in the Golden State can vary from rest of this country 😉

[Ejryan10]

Hey guys, I recently purchased a 2016 X3 and took it for an alignment and to have my local trusty BMW mechanic take a look at it to ensure I was all good for a big trip I have coming up. Well the mechanic had me take it to another local guy to have the alignment done first as their equipment at his shop isn't setup yet since they've recently moved to a new building. Upon having it aligned, a mechanic came out to me and told me I need to bring my car back to the dealer to have them fix my different tire sizes. My front two tires are 245/50 R 18s and the back to are 225/50 R 18s. The mechanic told me that I shouldn't even drive my car back home, nonetheless drive it an hour away to where I purchased the vehicle from without the risk of destroying my differential. I called the dealership I purchased it from and they are more than willing to fix the problem, they admitted they messed up, and are willing to fix it all, but I will have to make the drive to them. I've called and talked to my local mechanic that I trust, as well as a couple impartial BMW dealerships around the local area, and they all think it'll be fine to drive back to the dealership to have them fix it. I've been driving it on the daily since I bought it 10 days ago, and I haven't had any warning lights pop up nor noticed anything unusual while driving it. What do you guys think, will it be safe to make the hour trip as long as I'm doing my best to not gas it or hit any massive potholes?

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by Ejryan10

Hey guys, I recently purchased a 2016 X3 and took it for an alignment and to have my local trusty BMW mechanic take a look at it to ensure I was all good for a big trip I have coming up. Well the mechanic had me take it to another local guy to have the alignment done first as their equipment at his shop isn't setup yet since they've recently moved to a new building. Upon having it aligned, a mechanic came out to me and told me I need to bring my car back to the dealer to have them fix my different tire sizes. My front two tires are 245/50 R 18s and the back to are 225/50 R 18s. The mechanic told me that I shouldn't even drive my car back home, nonetheless drive it an hour away to where I purchased the vehicle from without the risk of destroying my differential. I called the dealership I purchased it from and they are more than willing to fix the problem, they admitted they messed up, and are willing to fix it all, but I will have to make the drive to them. I've called and talked to my local mechanic that I trust, as well as a couple impartial BMW dealerships around the local area, and they all think it'll be fine to drive back to the dealership to have them fix it. I've been driving it on the daily since I bought it 10 days ago, and I haven't had any warning lights pop up nor noticed anything unusual while driving it. What do you guys think, will it be safe to make the hour trip as long as I'm doing my best to not gas it or hit any massive potholes?

It's not potholes and road surface that is the potential harmful issue, it's the fact that on your car there is 0.7" difference in tire diameter from front to rear; large differences in Front/Rear tire diameter can definitely do harm to the car's driveline/transfer case on any AWD vehicle.

FYI: per BMW TIS (Tech Information System) they state that F/R TREAD DEPTH difference should not exceed 2mm, which is 4 mm (0.2") on the diameter. Your front/rears differ by 0.7".

My GUESS is you're probably OK to drive the car to get the tires replaced; but I'm no expert. Many owners would be hesitant to put any more miles on the car.

...After the Dealer fits proper tires, say goodbye to them for good. They should have never sold an X-Drive vehicle with mismatched tires. If you have not warranty, stick with a good independent mechanic going forward, or find another BMW Dealer.

Good luck/Bill

From BMW TIS:
36 12 ...Notes and specifications for tyre / wheel exchange
General:

The tyre size, manufacturer and tyre tread must be the same on one axle
To meet the BMW standards, the vehicle should be equipped with tyres from the same manufacturer and with the same tyre tread (tyres approved by BMW) on all 4 wheels
The difference in tyre tread depth on one axle must not exceed 2 mm (control quality of suspension control systems and wheel alignment requirement)
The tyres with the higher tread depths must be mounted on the rear axle
The DOT age difference must not exceed 4 years
The tyre pressure must be adjusted when the tyres are exchanged
Wheel exchange between the axles

The wheels may be exchanged between axles to achieve even abrasion. However, BMW does not recommend switching the front wheels to the rear or vice-versa.

The wheel exchange may lead to the following customer complaints:

complaints regarding acoustics
Risk of increased lane groove sensitivity
Compliance with the following requirements is required when exchanging wheels between the axles:

Assess the wear pattern
The tread difference between the front and rear wheels must not exceed a maximum of 2-3 mm
Exchange the wheels between the axles every 5000 Km



Additionally for all-wheel drive vehicles:

The tyre size, manufacturer and tyre tread must be identical on all wheels; different tyre sizes between front and rear axles are only permissible if mixed tyres are fitted.
The tyre tread difference between tyres in all wheel positions must not exceed 2 mm (normal quality of the wheel control systems and wheel alignment requirement)

[Ejryan10]

Originally Posted by Wgosma

It's not potholes and road surface that is the potential harmful issue, it's the fact that on your car there is 0.7" difference in tire diameter from front to rear; large differences in Front/Rear tire diameter can definitely do harm to the car's driveline/transfer case on any AWD vehicle.

FYI: per BMW TIS (Tech Information System) they state that F/R TREAD DEPTH difference should not exceed 2mm, which is 4 mm (0.2") on the diameter. Your front/rears differ by 0.7".

My GUESS is you're probably OK to drive the car to get the tires replaced; but I'm no expert. Many owners would be hesitant to put any more miles on the car.

...After the Dealer fits proper tires, say goodbye to them for good. They should have never sold an X-Drive vehicle with mismatched tires. If you have not warranty, stick with a good independent mechanic going forward, or find another BMW Dealer.

Good luck/Bill

From BMW TIS:
36 12 ...Notes and specifications for tyre / wheel exchange
General:

The tyre size, manufacturer and tyre tread must be the same on one axle
To meet the BMW standards, the vehicle should be equipped with tyres from the same manufacturer and with the same tyre tread (tyres approved by BMW) on all 4 wheels
The difference in tyre tread depth on one axle must not exceed 2 mm (control quality of suspension control systems and wheel alignment requirement)
The tyres with the higher tread depths must be mounted on the rear axle
The DOT age difference must not exceed 4 years
The tyre pressure must be adjusted when the tyres are exchanged
Wheel exchange between the axles

The wheels may be exchanged between axles to achieve even abrasion. However, BMW does not recommend switching the front wheels to the rear or vice-versa.

The wheel exchange may lead to the following customer complaints:

complaints regarding acoustics
Risk of increased lane groove sensitivity
Compliance with the following requirements is required when exchanging wheels between the axles:

Assess the wear pattern
The tread difference between the front and rear wheels must not exceed a maximum of 2-3 mm
Exchange the wheels between the axles every 5000 Km



Additionally for all-wheel drive vehicles:

The tyre size, manufacturer and tyre tread must be identical on all wheels; different tyre sizes between front and rear axles are only permissible if mixed tyres are fitted.
The tyre tread difference between tyres in all wheel positions must not exceed 2 mm (normal quality of the wheel control systems and wheel alignment requirement)

Follow up question about 2016 BMW X3 xdrive28i tire sizes! So my rear tires are relatively new on the rear. I just measured the tread depth in the rear tires and they're 8/32". I know the original tread depth on pirelli cintaruto p7 245/50R18 is 10/32". Is this too big of a difference between the two different sets? Or will it be ok if the back 2 are 8/32 and the fronts are 10/32? My local tire shop is suggesting I have all 4 replaced.

[Wgosma]

Tire shop wants to sell you 4 tires; buy 2. Put the (new) ones with 10/32 on the rear and your existing 8/32 tread depth tires on front, done.