Run Flat Tyres on 5 series GT 2010 model

I have a serious problem with excessive wear on the rear run flat tyres 20inch diameter.
After 10500 miles the inside edge of both rear tyre has completely worn down to the steel braiding.
I was told by the dealer that it was in their opinion a case of running under pressure.
Whilst under pressure can cause premature wear I am convinced that something else is causing this problem, like negative camber.
I suspect that this model was spec ed up on ordinary tyres, which can compensate for the negative camber,and then at a later date fitted with RFT'S, which due to their rigidity, can not compensate, thus excessive wear occurs.
Is there anybody out there with experience of this or has a solution to the problem,which is very costly. £330 /tyre.!!

Originally Posted by bmwman53

I have a serious problem with excessive wear on the rear run flat tyres 20inch diameter.
After 10500 miles the inside edge of both rear tyre has completely worn down to the steel braiding.
I was told by the dealer that it was in their opinion a case of running under pressure.
Whilst under pressure can cause premature wear I am convinced that something else is causing this problem, like negative camber.
I suspect that this model was spec ed up on ordinary tyres, which can compensate for the negative camber,and then at a later date fitted with RFT'S, which due to their rigidity, can not compensate, thus excessive wear occurs.
Is there anybody out there with experience of this or has a solution to the problem,which is very costly. £330 /tyre.!!

YES!, YES!, and YES! - I experienced the same issue, and tire pressure was not a problem. Like yours , the rear tires on my car car wore down to the steel braiding - more prominent on the left rear. The rest of my tires were fine, including the middle and outter perimeter of the rear tires. I would endeavor to say that I could have made it past the 15,000 mile mark on the stock Goodyear Excellence RFT's.

I was dismayed because I am one who is serious about tire maintenance, so to see the outside rear tire worn like that - was alarming.

I took the opportunity to swap all 4 tires - to non-runflat - high performance tires with plenty of grip. The INVO tires I chose are used by alot of the guys here in the states running high power V8 (LS1/LS2) engined cars.

Anyway, at the tire shop my alignment guy stated that it was unusual for only the rears to be misaligned as they were - the toe was out. In his opinion the car left the factory that way. He's been doing this for over 20 years on all types of cars so I respect his opinion. Since I performed the swap and installed the new tires and had the car aligned, I do not see any signs of premature wear.

Hi car-fan.
Thank you very much for info.
I have presented my dealer with your info, suggesting that BMW have a world wide problem, needless to say he has his head in the sand and doesn't want to recognizes this serious problem.
He is adamant that the reason for the excessive wear is due under pressure. New tyres have been fitted (at my expense) and I am monitoring them, and as soon as wear is evident the dealer is having the car to rectify!!
Kind Regards
bmwman53

Wonder if this is also a problem on the Xdrive models? We have a 2010 RWD and a 2011 X drive so will be looking for this issue on both! Thanks for the heads up.

I don't see why it should make any difference wheather it is rear wheel drive, or four wheel the rear suspention will be the same.
Can't really comment as the X Drive as is not available in the UK yet.
The four wheel alignment has been checked and is OK to spec. People outside BMW are of the opinion that the rear wheel camber is the cause.
I have had my tyres inflated with Nitrogen which helps the ride quality when running at full load pressures,and they don't loose pressure.
My advice is keep a close eye on tyre pressures and check the tread depth every few hundred miles,particularly on the inside.

Maybe it's the self-leveling feature?

This is definitely an issue with the tire, camber, and tire pressure. Since the GT 550i has an active TPM system, I will rule out the tire pressure at this time.

Expensive buggers for sure!! I am replacing a full set.

Bmwman53 - I have exactly the same problem with my GT tyres that you had & was wondering if you had any updates since your original post?

I took my GT in for it's first service yesterday at 15k miles & was told that I had 5mm tread depth on the mid section of my rear tyres however the inside of the tyres was badly worn with the off side showing cords. I got a similar amount of reasons why this had happened from the service desk & was advised to have the alignment & rear suspension checked as well as 2 new tyres fitted.

It would be interesting to compare notes on this costly experience.

Cheers. Rob

Same problem on my 530d SE GT, 19000 mile oil service today and bang, you need 2 new rears, despite the 5mm of tread across 95% of the tyre!

Looks as though this is a product issue so any responses from other owners on how they have tacked this with BMW would be useful. Interesting that when I questioned this the representative went straight to 'tyre pressure sir', i quizzed why it was not picked up by the sensors, especially as my wife's cooper does just that? It is only designed to pick up sudden loss like a puncture - hmmm

Look forward to any feedback and working together on this.

Gary

Gary

Can you PM me your email address? I've written to Tim Abbott, MD of BMW UK today & included mine, bmwman53 & another owners experience & would like to add your experience to the letter. Also, which brand of tyre are fitted to your car?

I'm in the same situation on my GT. At 14k miles and the rears are on steel. To make matters worse the 20" Goodyear Excellence are on nationwide backorder with no estimated delivery. The Only RFT thats available is the Pirelli P-Zero that is even more expensive. Looks like I will change out all 4 to standard tires. Looking at the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S+.

Originally Posted by avidude

I'm in the same situation on my GT. At 14k miles and the rears are on steel. To make matters worse the 20" Goodyear Excellence are on nationwide backorder with no estimated delivery. The Only RFT thats available is the Pirelli P-Zero that is even more expensive. Looks like I will change out all 4 to standard tires. Looking at the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S+.

Nice car you got there Once you make the switch to conventional performance tires, you'll be a happy camper

Originally Posted by avidude

I'm in the same situation on my GT. At 14k miles and the rears are on steel. To make matters worse the 20" Goodyear Excellence are on nationwide backorder with no estimated delivery. The Only RFT thats available is the Pirelli P-Zero that is even more expensive. Looks like I will change out all 4 to standard tires. Looking at the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S+.

The Goodyear Excellence is also on back order here in the UK. Is that because Goodyear have found a problem I wonder?

Interesting as there seems to be ground swell on this now. My dealer says it is all down to pressures not being checked but I have been on top of mine as has bickers1972 so I would watch this space as I have escalated this with my dealer and will be taking it up with BMW direct if the response is not realistic.

Keep in touch

Gary

Originally Posted by garystewartdms

Interesting as there seems to be ground swell on this now. My dealer says it is all down to pressures not being checked but I have been on top of mine as has bickers1972 so I would watch this space as I have escalated this with my dealer and will be taking it up with BMW direct if the response is not realistic.

Keep in touch

Gary

My alignment tech said it has more to do with the "toe" settings from the factory. Once I made the tire swap and got the car aligned the issue appears to have been resolved.

Funny: F10 owners are afflicted with sidewall bubbles, and F07 GT sport package equipped cars have the abnormal rear tire wear. Its been anything but a "Good Year" for Goodyear

Yikes - I was hoping that when Carfan first mentioned this problem many months ago, that the premature tire wear he experienced was an isolated event. Moreover, when bmwman53 initiated this thread last March, I did my best ostrich in the sand denial imitation. However, today, even given the small sample, the problem appears to be real and not isolated to US early production models. The description and circumstances of the problem as detailed on this thread, lead me to believe this is not random coincidence.

It is not clear if this is a problem endemic to OE 20" Goodyear Runflats, and/or an alignment issue, or some other hidden factor.

For the record, my tread wear appears to be normal - my 2010 550i GT has 11,750 miles on it, and is equipped with 20 inch wheels, OE RFT Goodyears, and adaptive sport suspension. I will monitor my tires closely. Thanks to all contributors - you have provided valuable info for all.

Originally Posted by avidude

I'm in the same situation on my GT. At 14k miles and the rears are on steel. To make matters worse the 20" Goodyear Excellence are on nationwide backorder with no estimated delivery. The Only RFT thats available is the Pirelli P-Zero that is even more expensive. Looks like I will change out all 4 to standard tires. Looking at the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S+.

with 19K on the tires and the rear insides showing belt, we changed out to Michelin Pilot A/S+ today........the difference in drive and responsiveness is night and day......less weight in tire, less rolling resistance......feels like we lost 200 lbs of weight on the car and picked up 50 hp.

I just ran into this problem yesterday. I have a 2010 with 16000 miles. Got a flat and went to my tire guy. He told me that the tire was flat because it had separated and did not understand why a tire with such low milage would have this problem. He called around and the tire was on back order everywhere with no projected delivery date. I dealer close to me had one in stock so bit the bullet and spent the 500.00 to keep my machine on the road.

I have the same configuration as others: Goodyear Excellence, 20"', run flats, right rear tire. I also have a bubble on my left front tire. The dealer stated it was probably a pressure issue.

I have a message into BMW NA. I will probably call them tomorrow. I am also going to call my dealer (Santa Monica BMW)..........I had the tire replaced at Sterling BMW in Newport Beach because it is closer to where I currently live and they had a rear tire in stock.

This is troubling. I am leasing my car and I do not want to spend a couple of thousand to replace the complete set.......I have another year on my lease.

Stay tuned.......

Wendell

BTW....

My tire guy also noticed that my right front tire had some "waves" in the tread area. He told me that this kind of wear is usually associated with Shock wear. He stated that he does not normally see this in situations under 50,000 miles.

Originally Posted by wwanthony

I just ran into this problem yesterday. I have a 2010 with 16000 miles. Got a flat and went to my tire guy. He told me that the tire was flat because it had separated and did not understand why a tire with such low milage would have this problem. He called around and the tire was on back order everywhere with no projected delivery date. I dealer close to me had one in stock so bit the bullet and spent the 500.00 to keep my machine on the road.

I have the same configuration as others: Goodyear Excellence, 20"', run flats, right rear tire. I also have a bubble on my left front tire. The dealer stated it was probably a pressure issue.

I have a message into BMW NA. I will probably call them tomorrow. I am also going to call my dealer (Santa Monica BMW)..........I had the tire replaced at Sterling BMW in Newport Beach because it is closer to where I currently live and they had a rear tire in stock.

This is troubling. I am leasing my car and I do not want to spend a couple of thousand to replace the complete set.......I have another year on my lease.

Stay tuned.......

Wendell

I feel your pain...

I also run 20" Excellence. A few months ago I discovered my right front was bubbled, just as I was preparing to depart with my fam on a trip to the mountains of WV.

My local BMW dealer had one tire in stock, but would not recognize the Goodyear warranty and referred me to a Goodyear dealer. Off to the Goodyear dealer but the Goodyear dealer did not have a tire in stock. After much searching, the Goodyear customer service rep found one, but it would take a couple of days for shipping. As I was pondering this dilemma, she went out to check the date of manufacture of my GT...well I was 13 months out...and out of luck. I was told that Goodyear only warrants the tire for one year which - unfortunately - commences from the date of manufacture, not purchase date - even though I bought the car new. Sooo...back to my local BMW dealer - and $500 later - I drive away with a new front right. I felt more than a little exasperated by the run around, but also lucky - the BMW dealer did have the tire in stock, and they did the installation while I waited on a Saturday.

Your situation is complicated by your lease. I purchased my GT and I have now driven 15K miles. I tend to drive in a spirited manner and my back tires are beginning to show some wear. I think I am going to take the plunge, and replace all four tires with non-runflats at roughly the same cost as replacing just the two rear runflats.

Does anyone know whether this is a Goodyear Excellence issue, a 20" size issue, or does this run true across the entire Goodyear RFT line? We're running the Goodyear Eagle LS2 RFT tires in both 18" (2010 GT) and 19" (2011 GT w/ Sport Package). I note everyone above has 20" sizing, and also looking at various sites, the comments seem to apply all over the board. Thanks for any input.

Originally Posted by magnumforc

Does anyone know whether this is a Goodyear Excellence issue, a 20" size issue, or does this run true across the entire Goodyear RFT line? We're running the Goodyear Eagle LS2 RFT tires in both 18" (2010 GT) and 19" (2011 GT w/ Sport Package). I note everyone above has 20" sizing, and also looking at various sites, the comments seem to apply all over the board. Thanks for any input.

It appears that this might be a Goodyear Excellence issue as all the GT drivers who have reported problems on this site & another forum have that brand fitted. Pirelli P Zero's don't seem to be affected in the same way. This is only a very small sample however so always best to check your tyres.

Thanks for the reply. We're running the LS2's and pray the same scenario does not play out with them. They are all weather rated and considering we have about 3K in tires on the two vehicles...OUCH if they go south on us.

All season tires are okay for a light snow, but if you experience any deep snow, or lots of cold weather, snow tires will both stop faster, corner better, and get you through when an all-season won't.

Originally Posted by jadnashuanh

All season tires are okay for a light snow, but if you experience any deep snow, or lots of cold weather, snow tires will both stop faster, corner better, and get you through when an all-season won't.

I was just mentioning the model tires we have on the cars. The Goodyear Excellence summer tires seem to be the problem tires and I haven't heard much about the LS2's so far. We're hoping they won't be ill fated as are some of the others with the sidewall bubble issues.

Out here in California, the M&S rated tires do fine in the small amount of snow we usually get, especially with the xDrive GT all wheel drive. You're correct though, that if show loads get significant, then snow tires would be proper. Issue for me would be placing them on all 4 wheels to gain equal traction so as not to stress the drive system. Or to simply drive the RWD 2010 GT we have with two snow tires. A nice quandary to be in. Third choice would be to drive 1/4 mile to the beach and say to heck with the snow anyway.

I have driven patrol cars in deeper snow with all season tires with pretty good success. Not to say I recommend that for everyone, but sometimes you end up in places you just don't expect to be and it snows instead of rains. This si a place of instant contrasts sometimes in the winter. One degree and it's snow in the hills.