Run Flats on LOADED demo 2012 335 is Conv

Hi everyone, SOO grateful for this forum already. I'd made agreement over wkend to lease this demo--335 is Convt sport suspension, M steering wheel w/ paddles, Convenience/cold weather/Prem pkg, everything; 19" alloy double-spoke wheels, 7-speed double clutch trans, and RFs.
I am buying 'NEW' (almost new here vs. 2-5 yrs old) to avoid hassles....the last 2 things I want are hassles with having to avoid every potential pothole AND an uncomfortable drive. I've driven ONLY BMWs for the past 35 yrs!
To hear you who have RFs say you don't even want to drive your car is heart wrenching. It won't be an option for me; this will be my only car.
I've run Michelins my whole life and been very satisfied; so do you guys think I should demand Michelin Sports for the 19" wheels here, or for some reason go to 18" wheeels. Since the 19" wheels cost more, I'm thinking the dealership MAY not feel so badly about giving me NON-RFs if I go to 18" wheels, as the car has 1200 miles on it; NOT new; i.e., they'll have to do something with the 1200 miles0on-them-RFs, now on the car. By the sounds of the comments here, they may need replaced soon! LOL!
Geez! This is the FIRST PROBLEM I've ever had BEFORE taking delivery of a BMW, yet I'm super glad to be addressing it NOW!
Thanks for any speedy replies, as I have to deal with this soonest; today was my delivery date!

When I had my E90, I wasn't thrilled with run flats at first, but it only took 1 incident for me to change my mind and become a fan.

I was driving on I95 once, and hit a real nasty pot hole doing 65 MPH. To this day, I am convinced I would have had a blow out with normal tires, and maybe even worse. It could have been a multi-car crash.

I still had to replace the tire the next day, but I was able to drive home.

They work as advertised. They aren't bad at all. I have no intentions at all of replacing the RFTs on my new 335.

I think you will find that there are couple people on this forum who are very vocal and very against RFTs, but most people are ok with them, and simply don't comment on these forums about them.

Here is the forum you'll want to ask you question on: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=99

This is for the F30 generation of cars.

Originally Posted by BeemerForLife

Hi everyone, SOO grateful for this forum already. I'd made agreement over wkend to lease this demo--335 is Convt sport suspension, M steering wheel w/ paddles, Convenience/cold weather/Prem pkg, everything; 19" alloy double-spoke wheels, 7-speed double clutch trans, and RFs.
I am buying 'NEW' (almost new here vs. 2-5 yrs old) to avoid hassles....the last 2 things I want are hassles with having to avoid every potential pothole AND an uncomfortable drive. I've driven ONLY BMWs for the past 35 yrs!
To hear you who have RFs say you don't even want to drive your car is heart wrenching. It won't be an option for me; this will be my only car.
I've run Michelins my whole life and been very satisfied; so do you guys think I should demand Michelin Sports for the 19" wheels here, or for some reason go to 18" wheeels. Since the 19" wheels cost more, I'm thinking the dealership MAY not feel so badly about giving me NON-RFs if I go to 18" wheels, as the car has 1200 miles on it; NOT new; i.e., they'll have to do something with the 1200 miles0on-them-RFs, now on the car. By the sounds of the comments here, they may need replaced soon! LOL!
Geez! This is the FIRST PROBLEM I've ever had BEFORE taking delivery of a BMW, yet I'm super glad to be addressing it NOW!
Thanks for any speedy replies, as I have to deal with this soonest; today was my delivery date!

There seem to have been more complaints about the earlier models of the E9x, particularly those with the sport suspension which is standard on the 335is. You will find very different opinions here and to a large extent they will depend on the area that people live in. I purchased my 2007 335i Convertible in Palm Beach Florida and it was fine on the relatively pristine Florida roads. After a few weeks and 2,000 miles I had it shipped to my home in Manhattan. I found the car to be for all practical purposes unusable in NYC and the surrounding area. The RFTs were gone after two weeks in NYC. That helped a lot but what really transformed the car was replacing the stock dampers with Koni FSDs. I am currently running Conti DWS non RFTs along with the Koni dampers and the car is what I thought I was buying in 2007. The suspension is firm but not harsh and I have not had anymore Pothole Explosions. I would strongly recommend going with 18s over 19s if you have a choice. A few years ago I test drove a 335is with 19s and then drove my car over the exact same roads. The 335is was a big improvement over my car in stock form but not as good as my car with 18s, the non-RFTs and Koni FSD shocks.

If you are buying used you probably are going to have to take the car as is. If that is the case drive it for a while and come to your own conclusions but be aware that if you are not happy with the ride quality it is possible to remedy the situation without degrading the handling. The only downside is the cost, which IMO it was money well spent.

I never had a blowout with the RFTs or the non RFTs but I destroyed 5 Rims and 7 (if I recall correctly) tires in 30,000 miles. I had one flat on the Sawmill River Parkway that left me stranded as there was a large cut in the sidewall and the sealant in the Conti Comfort Kit could not seal it. I had to call BMW assist and get towed back to Manhattan. Fortunately I was able to pull off the highway and park in a safe place while I waited for BMW Assist. It was not a pleasant experience but I will put up with one lousy morning as a trade off to the agony of driving the car in NYC in the condition it was delivered,

These two threads discuss the issue at length.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...ole+explosions

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...e+captain+back

Although RFTs would probably have helped me when I got stranded (I am not sure how far I would have been able to drive with a large sidewall tear) and I would possibly been able to drive to garage, RFTs are not a panacea. I have seen posts here by people who have badly damaged their rims and shredded their RFTs which has left them stranded. As it turned out I had to wait several days for replacement tires (UPS lost the first order) but at least the car was back in Manhattan. Regrardless of what you decide to do I would recommend that you supplement BMW Assist with AAA Premier service which will tow the car up to one 200 mile tow and three 100 mile tows per year. BME Assist will tow you to the nearest BMW Center which may not always be the most convenient solution.


CA

Welcome to Bimmerfest! I've moved your thread over to the E90 forum.

Tim

I have a 2007 E93 and have had Michelin Pilot Sports on my E93 for a few years and recently changed back to Michelin Primacy MXM4 RFTs. I had Conti'sw originally then the Michelin Pilot Sports. I have 17" wheels but bought and installed 19" M3 wheels and rims.
If I was in your situation I would buy a set of 17-18" wheels and tires on the classified forums for next to nothing and store your wheels and tires.
The Primacy's are quieter than the Sports but of course don't handle as well.

My question to you is what do you plan to do with this car? You said you are leasing it. If you turn it in at the end of the lease the tires and wheels have to be serviceable meaning you will need to either replace the tires on the wheels when they wear out of just use a different set and put the original ones on when you turn it in or if you keep it you have a set of great tires and wheels. Regardless don't expect more than 25K miles out of Pilot Super Sports, 20K out of Pilot Sports and maybe 40K out of Pilot Sport A/S/. I have run all 3 numerous times and that is about what I get each time.

All true about harsher ride with RFTs. The 3rd generation RFTs I have are much better than the 1st generation Conti's but not as good as the Pilot Sports. Very acceptable however regarding ride...

I use the Pirelli P-Zero Nero RFTs (I live in Philly area). Yea potholes are a pain, but keep a sharp eye and drive over them slowly (or avoid them).

I had some flats and the tires allow me to drive home and then the garage (I keep spare tires in the basement).

The only complaint is BMW leaks air from it's tires like mad. I am constantly putting air in them, and not sure if it's an RFT thing or just poor RIM design by BMW.

Originally Posted by furby076

The only complaint is BMW leaks air from it's tires like mad. I am constantly putting air in them, and not sure if it's an RFT thing or just poor RIM design by BMW.

You have bent/cracked rim and/or bubble on tire. Else there is no reason for loosing pressure.

So glad you're safe Krash; scary indeed. I'm embarrassed I hadn't focused on the tires before. I began thinking I'd get a used car, then began building one, and visited the dealership and they had a 2012 demo, with RFs.
I've driven in the snow with non-RFs for 35 yrs in NJ and PA without incident, yet it appears I'll need to buy winter tires and wheels for this 2012 to feel safe, even in slight snow. And it appears that the 19" tires aren't available everywhere, like Costco, so I'm thinking IF I get winter tires/wheels, I'll get either 18" or 17". Anybody have an opinion on the best WINTER tires? Again, my experience with Michelin Pilot Sport AS+ and + tires has been outstanding....

Originally Posted by krash

When I had my E90, I wasn't thrilled with run flats at first, but it only took 1 incident for me to change my mind and become a fan.

I was driving on I95 once, and hit a real nasty pot hole doing 65 MPH. To this day, I am convinced I would have had a blow out with normal tires, and maybe even worse. It could have been a multi-car crash.

I still had to replace the tire the next day, but I was able to drive home.

They work as advertised. They aren't bad at all. I have no intentions at all of replacing the RFTs on my new 335.

I think you will find that there are couple people on this forum who are very vocal and very against RFTs, but most people are ok with them, and simply don't comment on these forums about them.

More than a few - pre-2011, Potenzas were horrid.

Originally Posted by CALWATERBOY

More than a few - pre-2011, Potenzas were horrid.

I have seen very few (if any) posts by anyone who got rid of the RFTs and regretted doing it. There are threads complaining about RFTs in the 7 forum although I personally do not have an issue with them on the 750L.

CA