Run Flat Tires
 

I have a 2013 X5 50i with the M package which has 19" wheels. I do have a spare. I would like any recommendations for a tire that will offer a more comfortable ride and less road noise. The current tires are Bridgestone HP run flats.

Any advice in this matter would be very much appreciated.

PaPa

Michelin Latitude Run Flats

Thanks for the advice, however I was hoping to get away from run flats.

If you want to stick with run flats, try the Michelin Latitude RFT's. I had two sets of those on my 19's and liked them a lot. IMO, for comfort and road noise, its a lot better than the Bridgestone's RFT's. But if you're open to non-RFT's, there are a lot of options (search this forum and you'll see a lot of member suggestions). I currently have Continental CrossContact UHP (non-RFT) for almost a year now and Im happy with this set.

Could you tell a big difference between the RFT's and the nonRFT's, particularly in ride comfort?
Thanks a bunch!

Why, are you buying the koolaid that all run flats are the same??

I read people saying "I have the RFTs" as if this is ONE specific tire. There are crappy tires and there are crappy runflats.

If I was going to ditch, I'd gte the mich non-rft.

I have 5 cars, Michelins on all- PS2s, LTX, Latitudes

I know all RFT are different and have different rides etc.. Over the years after having Corvettes and BMWs I have grown tired of the severe thuds on crappy roads caused by RFT's so now that I have a spare tire I am going to change my ride. So for choice of non RFT would it possibly be the Michelin Latitude non RFT?

Thanks!

Between the Michelin RFT and Continental non-RFT, the road noise is almost the same for me. They're both quiet. In terms of ride comfort, I'll pick the Continental between the two. Havent had a chance to try Latitude non-RFT, so I cant give any hands on comparison between Mich and Conti non-RFT.

Consider the Continental Extreme Contact DWS as well. Great wet performance and very good in the dry as well. Surprisingly good snow performance for an A/S tire, though that is probably less important to you.

This doesn't answer OP's question (more of an affirmation), but I've decided the Bridestones suck. I have almost 4K miles on mine, and I'm looking forward to replacing them when they get closer to 20k. I purposely got the spare kit when I ordered the car, as I will most likely go non-RFT. Either way, I can guarantee that I won't be getting more of what I have now. They are noisy, unforgiving over rough roads, and tram line much more than I am used to. It's too bad that BMW didn't use a better tire for a generally terrific vehicle.

I was happy with Michelin PS2 ZP's on my '08 Vette when I replaced the GY F1SC' RFT's , the ride wasn't better, just different, and quieter. But that could have been due to new tires vs old tires regarding noise.

That being said, I'll probably go non-RFT's when the Michelin's on my '12 X5 need replacing.

I agree, the Conti 4x4 contact SSR rides smoother than the mich latitude RFT... this was compared with the 19inch size on the X5 with sport sus delete. The ride was not that much smoother but it was noticeable, granted the Conti's had terrible balancing issues.

Side note (but an important one). It's great that you have the spare, but have you ever tried jacking the X5 up with the factory scissors jack? Do yourself a huge favor and try it this weekend in your driveway. Now imagine doing a tire change with this POS at night, in the rain, on the side of the road. At the VERY minimum you need to carry a 3' by 3' plywood pad. A floor jack would be even better, but who wants to drive around with a missile like that in the back?

Heck, just demounting the wheel can be a challenge when it freezes to the hub. How many of us carry a big enough mallet with us? And jack stands? I would NEVER risk whacking away on a frozen wheel if the X5 was supported by just the factory scissors jack. But how are you going to mount the spare otherwise?

In some respects, RFT's aren't such a bad idea after all.

Well I'd never break the frozen lug bolts with the car in the air... that's just asking for trouble.

Missed the point. It's not the frozen lug nuts, but when the center of the wheel freezes to the hub. By definition, the vehicle HAS to be in the air when you do that. And the factory jack is made of limp linguine, so you really should have jack stands in place before you bang on the wheel with your mallet.

If you don't have jack stands and/or don't have a mallet, you are SOL.

Agreed, first hand experience with that, My E53 X5 which at that time actually came with a full size spare, had a flat, jacked it up, could not for the life of me get the wheel off , afraid
if I pulled on the wheel hard enough , would have come right off the jack, had to call roadside assistance, had to use a rubber mallet to get the wheel off. I carried a rubber mallet from that point forward.

Are you sure about this?

.

Kick it. Put you back to the wheel, sharp kick with the back of your heel.

100% certain that that is my opinion

:thumbup:

tires
 

I have been very happy with Vredestein Tires on my 2012 X5 ... Quiet .Ride... Handling is second to none...13000 miles and very little wear.. I will buy another set ...

Just bought a 11 X-5 it has run flat tires.. Dunlop ...hard riding

Which Vredesteins and in what size?

If you have a spare, you can use the spare as the rubber mallet and strike the spare against the frozen wheel. With care of course. But no need to carry the rubber mallet.

Sent from my DROID Pro using Bimmer App

Thanks for the input, I don;t know that brand are they here in CA ?

Loosen the studs a little before you jack the car up, rock the car back & fouth tends to break the seal of the rim against the hub.

What he said :thumbup: