**Consolidated RFT Failures/Issues Thread**

Guys I was dismayed to find a bubble or protrusion in the sidewall of my RFT this morning. The sensor is not on in the vehicle and I cannot notice any performance degradation, but it is certainly visible. I don't have my digital camera otherwise I would include a photo. Recommendations welcome, do I keep driving it or take it in, from what i have read there is no repairing them, just replacing. Bummer...I felt a pothole last week but didn't think it was that bad?

Originally Posted by trevdean

Guys I was dismayed to find a bubble or protrusion in the sidewall of my RFT this morning. The sensor is not on in the vehicle and I cannot notice any performance degradation, but it is certainly visible. I don't have my digital camera otherwise I would include a photo. Recommendations welcome, do I keep driving it or take it in, from what i have read there is no repairing them, just replacing. Bummer...I felt a pothole last week but didn't think it was that bad?

get it swapped. it will get bigger and bigger. hope you have the insurance....

Argh! No insurance, thought it was a waste of money. Never had run flats before. What a bummer. 3500 miles. Can u replace one tire only without jeopardizing performance?

Originally Posted by trevdean

Argh! No insurance, thought it was a waste of money. Never had run flats before. What a bummer. 3500 miles. Can u replace one tire only without jeopardizing performance?

What's the tire size? 17"/18"/19"20"??

19 inch, m sport wheel.

Originally Posted by trevdean

19 inch, m sport wheel.

Replacement with a new tire is ideal....highly recommend an insurance after you fix it.

Originally Posted by trevdean

Argh! No insurance, thought it was a waste of money. Never had run flats before. What a bummer. 3500 miles. Can u replace one tire only without jeopardizing performance?

Check the DVD in your glove compartment. Yes, you do have insurance...comes with the car.

What brand is your tire? I think it happens to Good Years more than Michelins. You do have insurance if your tire is a Good Year - BMW will not replace it but a Good Year store will. I read the Good Year insurance someone posted a while back and it clearly states that road hazards are covered

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

Check the DVD in your glove compartment. Yes, you do have insurance...comes with the car.

what comes with the car? tire insurance?

Originally Posted by highyo

what comes with the car? tire insurance?

Yup.

Check your glovebox. There should be a CD in there. Each tire has some type of warranty. The Goodyear, for sure, covers road hazzards.

Originally Posted by Needsdecaf

Check the DVD in your glove compartment. Yes, you do have insurance...comes with the car.

Man, I should have looked in my glove compartment. What a scam the dealers are running with the tire insurance and playing dumb about the road hazard. I had my left front RFT replaced at about 4500 miles and paid full retail for it. The same tire now has a bubble in it AGAIN at 6200. Thanks for saving me from shelling out more $$! Either way, these tires are total garbage.

Originally Posted by goon29

Man, I should have looked in my glove compartment. What a scam the dealers are running with the tire insurance and playing dumb about the road hazard. I had my left front RFT replaced at about 4500 miles and paid full retail for it. The same tire now has a bubble in it AGAIN at 6200. Thanks for saving me from shelling out more $$! Either way, these tires are total garbage.

The GY hazard warranty is only for the first 6 months of use. The BMW insurance has saved my a$$. I have now replaced 7 tires in 7 months due to bubbles. I was at the dealer yesterday and the guy who checked me in outside commented "wow, I can't believe you have no bubbled tires". I told him I replaced two last week!!!

The problem is not based in the low profile nature of the tire. The low profile ADDS to the likelihood you will get a bubble but is not the root cause. The GY/Dunlop (same company/design) RFT design is the leading cause of the problem. It is exceptionally HARD to find someone who has a bubbled Michelin, even though they do come on the car. I have yet to hit one pothole that I would consider bad (And I have hit thousands over the years). I have driven with low profiles (with quite a few 19's) for years and these 7 bubbles are the first I have EVER HAD...

Originally Posted by trevdean

Argh! No insurance, thought it was a waste of money. Never had run flats before. What a bummer. 3500 miles. Can u replace one tire only without jeopardizing performance?

FYI: It is not a run flat tire issue. Rather, it is a low profile tire issue. When you selected the M sport package, you got the 19 inch rims instead of the 18 inch rims. The tires on both the 18 and 19 inch rims are low profile, but the tires on the 19 inch rims are low profile to a greater degree. Therefore, you are more at risk to road hazards. Several months ago, BMW updated its website and now advises that your are at risk to road hazards when using the low profile tires. No such warning is given for the 17 inch rims because the tires used on those rims are not low profile.

Originally Posted by CRMESQ

FYI: It is not a run flat tire issue. Rather, it is a low profile tire issue. When you selected the M sport package, you got the 19 inch rims instead of the 18 inch rims. The tires on both the 18 and 19 inch rims are low profile, but the tires on the 19 inch rims are low profile to a greater degree. Therefore, you are more at risk to road hazards. Several months ago, BMW updated its website and now advises that your are at risk to road hazards when using the low profile tires. No such warning is given for the 17 inch rims because the tires used on those rims are not low profile.

So, is spending money on tire/wheel insurance advisable when you have 17" all season RFTs? I plan to have them on 528i and wonder spending $1000 for 3 year is worth....I live in NYC so meeting pothole is a possibility at every block

Originally Posted by bfv

So, is spending money on tire/wheel insurance advisable when you have 17" all season RFTs? I plan to have them on 528i and wonder spending $1000 for 3 year is worth....I live in NYC so meeting pothole is a possibility at every block

In my opinion, it is not worth the money. We have a 2006 Three Series with 16 inch rims and non low profile tires, but they are fun flats. We have never had a problem in five years and that vehicle has been driven hard on some very bad roads. In short, the tires on the 16 inch rims are not low profile and they can take more of a beating on the roadway, unlike the low profile tires. The 17 inch rims on the Five Series do not use low profile tires and should not pose a problem.

Originally Posted by CRMESQ

FYI: It is not a run flat tire issue. Rather, it is a low profile tire issue. When you selected the M sport package, you got the 19 inch rims instead of the 18 inch rims. The tires on both the 18 and 19 inch rims are low profile, but the tires on the 19 inch rims are low profile to a greater degree. Therefore, you are more at risk to road hazards. Several months ago, BMW updated its website and now advises that your are at risk to road hazards when using the low profile tires. No such warning is given for the 17 inch rims because the tires used on those rims are not low profile.

it's very much a RFT issue. If you look at an RFT design, where the stiffer sidewall meets the lip is the weakest link on the tires. Normal high performance tires don't have this.

to the OP, a bubble forms essentially when there is a crack/split in the sidewall. It is unsafe to drive on it and I would have it replaced ASAP as the integrity of the tire is severely compromised.

Originally Posted by SANguru

it's very much a RFT issue. If you look at an RFT design, where the stiffer sidewall meets the lip is the weakest link on the tires. Normal high performance tires don't have this.

to the OP, a bubble forms essentially when there is a crack/split in the sidewall. It is unsafe to drive on it and I would have it replaced ASAP as the integrity of the tire is severely compromised.

I respectfully disagree. The inability for tires on 18 & 19 inch rims to hold up is rooted in them being low profile, not run flat. We have 16 inch rims with run flat tires on our 2006 Three Series. In the past five years that vehicle has been driven very hard on some very bad roads and we have never had a problem. We also had a 2004 Jaguar S Type with 17 inch rims with non run flat tires and never had a problem. On the other hand, we also had a 2008 Jaguar S Type with 18 inch rims and non run flat tires, but they were low profile. Once the first winter hit, we went through about 8 low profile non run flat tires in the first several weeks of January 2009. We changed to 17 inch rims with non low profile tires and never had another problem.

Originally Posted by GHOST PROTOCOL

FYI: It is not a run flat tire issue. Rather, it is a low profile tire issue. When you selected the M sport package, you got the 19 inch rims instead of the 18 inch rims. The tires on both the 18 and 19 inch rims are low profile, but the tires on the 19 inch rims are low profile to a greater degree. Therefore, you are more at risk to road hazards. Several months ago, BMW updated its website and now advises that your are at risk to road hazards when using the low profile tires. No such warning is given for the 17 inch rims because the tires used on those rims are not low profile.

That is absolutely correct. I have 19's and am just as frustrated. I have the coverage but you can't go into just any tire shop as everyone knows. I 'd like to know if anyone out there has increased their low profile RFT's to the the very next size up with any success? Does BMW
void the insurance. Seems to me that visually, the wheel wells on the 550 have enough clearance to handle it. Any opinion is welcomed.

How long after going over a pothole will the bubble form? Is it always on the outside of the tire or is it advisable to check the inside wall periodically?

Please reply if you know the answer; your response is appreciated.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree. My research into the tire failure issue (sidewall bubbles) leads to the conclusion that the issue has to do with the tires being low profile. BMW has "come clean" on the issue and now acknowledges the problems associated with low profile tires (look at BMW's web site and the foot notes that they have inserted regarding the risks associated with low profile tires). If the problem were rooted in the tires being run flats, rather than low profile, why would BMW issue warnings on their web site for the risks associated with using low profile tires, but not include warnings regarding the run flats? BMW is now, in all probability, issuing the warnings to avoid liability (they are notifying customers of the risks and if the customers choose the low profile tires they are now assuming the risks) and BMW is issuing the warnings to motivate customers to buy their tire insurance (again they are disclosing the problem). If in fact the problems with the tires had to do with the tires being run flats, rather than the tires being low profile, or if in fact the problems with the tires had to do with a combination of both factors (run flat and low profile), I would have to believe that BMW would issue warnings for both reasons. It just would not be logical for BMW to issue a warning on the low profile issue, but to omit a warning on the run flat issue. Think about it. If BMW is attempting to avoid liability by issuing a warning in connection with the low profile tires and make money on tire insurance, why would they not issue a run flat warning to potentially avoid further liability and to make even more money on the tire insurance (they could then target customers who purchase the 528 which comes with the 17 inch rims with tires that are run flats, but not low profile).

i think it will be tough to get insured after the initial month owning the vehicle...also this is def a run flat issue not sure what tire you have but they all pretty much either bubble due to being too rigid on tread or burst due to being to rigid on sidewall...i know they have their pros...but bmw is def using this to sell insurance and to make tons of cash of those who dont have it. Here in nyc the pot holes are deep enough to swim in. most people selling tire insurance get dropped because of the amount of claims generated in nyc.

I would have to agree more that its a Low profile issue

Several years ago I deciced to take the stock wheels of my small commuter import car and put on low profile rims and tires.
Within the first 30 days i hit a pothole bent a rim and bubbled a tire. For 3 years after that I bubbled 3 more tires.

I go to the point that i put the orignial rims and tires the car came with the car back on and ran over 60k miles on those with no issues.

I don't think its a RFT issue in fact RFT's are suspose to have thicker sidewalls its more to do with less sidewall on the tire.

Tire guy told what happens is when you hit a pot hole the tire gets pinched and you pop a crack on the interior sidewall.

Originally Posted by ddimit

I would have to agree more that its a Low profile issue

Several years ago I deciced to take the stock wheels of my small commuter import car and put on low profile rims and tires.
Within the first 30 days i hit a pothole bent a rim and bubbled a tire. For 3 years after that I bubbled 3 more tires.

I go to the point that i put the orignial rims and tires the car came with the car back on and ran over 60k miles on those with no issues.

I don't think its a RFT issue in fact RFT's are suspose to have thicker sidewalls its more to do with less sidewall on the tire.

Tire guy told what happens is when you hit a pot hole the tire gets pinched and you pop a crack on the interior sidewall.

It' a combination of a low profile tire and the very stiff sidewall on run flats that crack when going through a pothole so air escapes and you get a bubble. Bridgestone just released a 3rd. generation run flat that addresses a number of the problems of earlier designs like the Goodyear LS2, unfortunately they are not available in our size. Run Flat tires are still at a fairly early stage of development so you have more issues than you would have with other tires. I had the same size tire on my Audi S5 (245/40/19), they were Michelin Pilot Sport AS plus tires and over 3 years did not have a single issue with many trip into NYC, not one problem. I got my first bubble on the Goodyear LS2 run flats in 170 miles after going through a very small pothole. These are very fragile tires. The fact that they are low profile tires certainly doesn't help but these tires are far easier to damage than non run flats. The problem is made worse by the fact that you can't repair them if you pick up a nail, there are no other tire choices in the 19" size and they are very expensive.

Originally Posted by ddimit

I would have to agree more that its a Low profile issue

There is no question that all else being equal, a low profile tire is more susceptible to bubbles than ones with a higher aspect ratio. An 18" (45 aspect ratio) F10 tire has a sidewall of 4.34" while a 19" (40 aspect ratio) has a sidewall of 3.86". This is a difference of 0.5" and may be enough to reduce the likelihood of getting a bubble. Furthermore, the 19" LS2 is new this year and may have design deficiencies or perhaps it was specified incorrectly for the car. The 18" LS2 has over 100 pounds more load carrying capability than the 19" version. I don't know what other differences there are.

Originally Posted by radarguy

There is no question that all else being equal, a low profile tire is more susceptible to bubbles than ones with a higher aspect ratio..

And all else being equal, and RFT low profile is more susceptible.

But, all things are not equal here. The Goodyear Eagle LS2 tire is clearly showing atypical sensitivity to even the smallest road hazards. You simply cannot hit even the smallest pothole at 30MPH while driving on these tires without getting a bubble. This is not typical of RFT low profile tires. This is evidence of a defect in this particular tire.