**Consolidated RFT Failures/Issues Thread**

Originally Posted by Diver624

Has anyone convinced their dealer to replace the 40 series LS2's with 45 series. I checked the 7 series forum which uses this size LS2 (245/45/19) on a heavier car and don't see anywhere near the problems we have.

I'm on my 5th. 40 series LS2 in less than a year (all bubble problems, no punctures) and I've had enough but I still want a RFT all season tire and don't want to deal with all the issues that come with switching to regular tires. The ride would be a bit softer too with a larger sidewall.

I might do it anyway even if they won't pay for it, I've really had enough. I'll check to see if the dealer will honor the tire insurance on this size.

Let's see, $1500 for tire insurance i shouldn't need and another $1600 or so to replace all 4 tires if BMW won't do it.

The "Ultimate Driving Machine", really?

On another forum there has been a discussion of keeping the 19" wheels but replacing the tires with Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus for an X drive in 245/45/19. It is a non Run flat so the goo and inflator is something you should have. It is my understanding that the combo works very well and no bubbles have resulted, even over rough roads. I will most likely do this myself very soon.

Originally Posted by eyesight1

On another forum there has been a discussion of keeping the 19" wheels but replacing the tires with Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus for an X drive in 245/45/19. It is a non Run flat so the goo and inflator is something you should have. It is my understanding that the combo works very well and no bubbles have resulted, even over rough roads. I will most likely do this myself very soon.

That is my solution except I bought the Bimmerzone compact spare. If you get a torn wheel (I had one this year) or a blowout or a sidewall failure, no goo will help you.

Originally Posted by eyesight1

On another forum there has been a discussion of keeping the 19" wheels but replacing the tires with Michelin Pilot Sport AS Plus for an X drive in 245/45/19. It is a non Run flat so the goo and inflator is something you should have. It is my understanding that the combo works very well and no bubbles have resulted, even over rough roads. I will most likely do this myself very soon.

I did that on my RWD 550i with the "regular" Sport package. I've also detailed a failure I had with the Michelin tire when hitting a pothole. It was interesting in that even though the tire suffered a tear, it was still drivable and suffered no pressure loss. Now I've got a bent rim.

if its a safety issue.
so is driving on bubbled tires.
what about bubbles on the inside wall that are not visible,and as a result not replaced?

what about bmw agreeing to install summer tires on an x drive car in the northeast?
that is not only a safety issue,but it contradicts their explanation for refusing to install traditional tires when they informed me that they would only install original equipment tires.

i wasnt forced to go to bmw .i was advised.i only followed their advice because when you want a company to honor their warranty you have to follow their instructions .i did only because i trusted the issue would be resolved to my satisfaction. it wasnt.

when first discovering i had a tire isssue i contacted good year.
they advised me to go to local good year tire center. i did.
tire guy saw my car and started laughing telling me im the 8th bmw owner hes seen come in in the last few weeks.he informs me he doesnt have the tire and he doesnt know anyone who does.

so i go home and call good year asking whats next.
they advise me to go to bmw they would take care of it.
when i did that bmw informed me good year would pay for 4 new tires.
i wanted traditional tires they wouldnt mount them.i just had them replace the bad tire,to get my car back.
you live and you learn. knowing this will happen again,and next time i now know to avoid bmw at all costs.


why hasnt bmw pressured good year to increase production?
these tires have been on national back order for months,with no word from anyone on if and when we can expect availability.

and is that how it works?
the problem only affects a limited number of our customers so lets just screw them over.

we can go back and forth all day over who is responsible and why,good year,bmw or both.
it really doesnt matter, because while we continue to debate that, it is us and not them who are paying the price.

Originally Posted by Diver624

Has anyone convinced their dealer to replace the 40 series LS2's with 45 series. I checked the 7 series forum which uses this size LS2 (245/45/19) on a heavier car and don't see anywhere near the problems we have.

I'm on my 5th. 40 series LS2 in less than a year (all bubble problems, no punctures) and I've had enough but I still want a RFT all season tire and don't want to deal with all the issues that come with switching to regular tires. The ride would be a bit softer too with a larger sidewall.

I might do it anyway even if they won't pay for it, I've really had enough. I'll check to see if the dealer will honor the tire insurance on this size.

Let's see, $1500 for tire insurance i shouldn't need and another $1600 or so to replace all 4 tires if BMW won't do it.

The "Ultimate Driving Machine", really?

good question.
i asked a similar question last week on F07 forum.

a couple of tire questions,i been thinking of,but dont have answers for.

has anyone here experimented with differant tire pressures,on the 19 inch ls2 ?
bmw recommends 35 front 39 rear.
variations in pressure will affect affect a number of things,but will it affect the probability of sidewall bubbles?
if so what pressure would it be better to run at?

also what about 535 gt with x drive and sport package.
i know their tires are sized differant then f10,and i believe they have staggered sizes .
but i think their fronts are 245 45 19. what make and model tire are o.e. on gt sport with x drive?
does the bubble problem also exist with gt drivers? and if it does is it on the same level or to a lesser degree?

would going from 245 40 19 to 245 45 19, have a minimal , significant, or no differance at all in regard to sidewall bubbles ?
since the 245 45 would require more air then the 245 40,it that a plus ?
does more air volume reduce the chances of bubbles?
if it does can adding a couple of more pounds then recommended pressure reduce the the chances of damage?
or would it have the opposite affect,making it more difficult for the tire to contract and expand on impact?

or is the amount of air volume in a tire a non factor and what is a factor is the increased height of the sidewall.

Originally Posted by alewifebp

I did that on my RWD 550i with the "regular" Sport package. I've also detailed a failure I had with the Michelin tire when hitting a pothole. It was interesting in that even though the tire suffered a tear, it was still drivable and suffered no pressure loss. Now I've got a bent rim.

Did you get the Pilot Sport AS Plus tires in the original equipment size (245/40/19) or in the next size wall size up (245/45/19).

Having lived and driven in NYC for many many years, any tire can bubble and any wheel can bend over a severe enough pothole. I have had bent wheels/bubbled tires on my current E60 550 which runs conventional tires. But like maybe one per year.

The issue with the Goodyear LS2 RFTs is the frequency of the bubbling which for one Manhattan colleague of mine is literally once every 2-4 weeks which is beyond unacceptable.

Originally Posted by pal joey

good question.
i asked a similar question last week on F07 forum.

a couple of tire questions,i been thinking of,but dont have answers for.

has anyone here experimented with differant tire pressures,on the 19 inch ls2 ?
bmw recommends 35 front 39 rear.
variations in pressure will affect affect a number of things,but will it affect the probability of sidewall bubbles?
if so what pressure would it be better to run at?

also what about 535 gt with x drive and sport package.
i know their tires are sized differant then f10,and i believe they have staggered sizes .
but i think their fronts are 245 45 19. what make and model tire are o.e. on gt sport with x drive?
does the bubble problem also exist with gt drivers? and if it does is it on the same level or to a lesser degree?

would going from 245 40 19 to 245 45 19, have a minimal , significant, or no differance at all in regard to sidewall bubbles ?
since the 245 45 would require more air then the 245 40,it that a plus ?
does more air volume reduce the chances of bubbles?
if it does can adding a couple of more pounds then recommended pressure reduce the the chances of damage?
or would it have the opposite affect,making it more difficult for the tire to contract and expand on impact?

or is the amount of air volume in a tire a non factor and what is a factor is the increased height of the sidewall.

Generally the taller the sidewall the less stiff it needs to be and the more give it has. This is why I run winter tires in my current E60 550 M Sport that are one sidewall size taller than normal -- less risk of bubbling/blowing out.

BMW put 245/45R19 winter tires on my car and I have had no ill effects.

Seems to me this car can run with this size, and even the Goodyear Eagle LS2s might be less susceptible to damage with the slightly higher profile.

For all we know these issues could be due to a manufacturing defect specific to the 245/40R19 size...

Originally Posted by RaveD

BMW put 245/45R19 winter tires on my car and I have had no ill effects.

Seems to me this car can run with this size, and even the Goodyear Eagle LS2s might be less susceptible to damage with the slightly higher profile.

For all we know these issues could be due to a manufacturing defect specific to the 245/40R19 size...

I won't run RFTs on this beautiful ride. Never. No how. No way.

Originally Posted by sdg1871

Did you get the Pilot Sport AS Plus tires in the original equipment size (245/40/19) or in the next size wall size up (245/45/19).

I've seen you mention that a few times, and it sounds like a good idea. I didn't though, as I had already purchased the tires before I had seen you mention that. Had I seen it I would have went up a size.

Originally Posted by alewifebp

I've seen you mention that a few times, and it sounds like a good idea. I didn't though, as I had already purchased the tires before I had seen you mention that. Had I seen it I would have went up a size.

I got the idea to upsized the sidewall from here. One of the members posted that BMW of Greenwich told them it would work. So I checked with my dealer who also said it would work. Given that it works beautifully on my E60 550i M Sport as well it seemed like a no brainer.

More sidewall=less bubbles/blowouts.

I had the original GY issue and had the tires replaced after a year when all the bubbles were found during my state annual inspection. I got 4 new Dunlop tires (Sport Maxx or something like that), no charge. I never bought tire/wheel insurance.

A few weeks back I get the tire pressure warning for the right rear. I figure the weather was going from very warm to very cold, so maybe that was it. Filled up the tire and off I went. Two weeks later, same warning. At that point it's clear I have a slow leak.

I do some searching and find the warranty link for the tire on Tire Rack, where the tire is pretty much 100% insured in the first year unless there is serious misuse or something like that. I called up the dealer, told him about the warranty (for some reason they had never heard about it) and say I wanted to get a replacement. I send him the link to the Dunlop DSST warranty page. Two days later I take it in and they find a nail in the offending right rear tire. They mount and balance the new tire, and off I go with zero charge again.

I point this out as I have a co-worker that just traded in his 650i because he kept getting blow-outs, most on tires less than a year old, and was sick of paying $500 a pop to replace. He didn't buy the tire insurance at time of car purchase. Had he been aware his tires had the warranty (they were all Goodyears) he'd still be driving it today.

Originally Posted by 550i guy

I had the original GY issue and had the tires replaced after a year when all the bubbles were found during my state annual inspection. I got 4 new Dunlop tires (Sport Maxx or something like that), no charge. I never bought tire/wheel insurance.

A few weeks back I get the tire pressure warning for the right rear. I figure the weather was going from very warm to very cold, so maybe that was it. Filled up the tire and off I went. Two weeks later, same warning. At that point it's clear I have a slow leak.

I do some searching and find the warranty link for the tire on Tire Rack, where the tire is pretty much 100% insured in the first year unless there is serious misuse or something like that. I called up the dealer, told him about the warranty (for some reason they had never heard about it) and say I wanted to get a replacement. I send him the link to the Dunlop DSST warranty page. Two days later I take it in and they find a nail in the offending right rear tire. They mount and balance the new tire, and off I go with zero charge again.

I point this out as I have a co-worker that just traded in his 650i because he kept getting blow-outs, most on tires less than a year old, and was sick of paying $500 a pop to replace. He didn't buy the tire insurance at time of car purchase. Had he been aware his tires had the warranty (they were all Goodyears) he'd still be driving it today.

What amazes me is that BMW does not inform the customers RE the warranty provided by GY! I had to teach my SA about the GY warranty.

Originally Posted by 550i guy

I called up the dealer, told him about the warranty (for some reason they had never heard about it) and say I wanted to get a replacement. I send him the link to the Dunlop DSST warranty page. Two days later I take it in and they find a nail in the offending right rear tire. They mount and balance the new tire, and off I go with zero charge again.

I had to do the same thing with my dealer. I printed it out so they would have a physical copy to show to the service manager.

I would suggest that everyone write a letter to BMW NA. I did so recently and got a call back very quickly. While they are still determining what to do, they are aware of the issues. The rep told me that she has dealt with plenty of complaints about the tires on the F10. While she couldn't point to anything that was going to be done about it, it does seem to be that they are formulating a response to the issue. The waves of bad press from major car mags can't be helping their image. Keep up the pressure on them directly. The more complaints they have documented at corporate, the more likely they will do something.

"What amazes me is that BMW does not inform the customers RE the warranty provided by GY! I had to teach my SA about the GY warranty."

it is decepive not to advise customers that they have that existing coverage.
of coarse if they were to inform you it would have a negative affect on their cash cow. tire and wheel insuarance.

but my dealer took it a step past deception possibly borderline fraud,when he informed me not only werent the good years not covered they also werent repairable.
when i was at home that evening and reviewed the good year warranty disc,i found out he was wrong on both counts.

i only mentioned borderline fraud because i dont know for sure if he either wasnt aware,or he purposely misled me. my guess is the latter.
in addition sales rep who sold me the car never informed me i had run flats on the car.

since most buyers expect or assume a jack and spare,and not all are gonna get them. dealers should be mandated to inform customers when a vehicle is equpped with run flats.
some drivers will only become aware when they are on the side of the road or when the tow truck driver informs them.
also when a dealer rep attempts to sell you any insurance for anything related to that sale,they should be mandated to inform you of any and all existing coverage you already have upon purchasing that vehicle.

I am thinking of replacing my RFT with non RFT. I have a 2012 535xi and live in Ohio so all season is important to me. Any suggestions on which tires to purchase?

I'am the wrong person to ask. I'am sticking with the 19 inch all season run flat because the tire warrenty will not cover other tires. So I will continue to get new tires every 1000 miles.

I just ordered the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S...reading through this thread seems like thats the best option...

Originally Posted by sdg1871

That is my solution except I bought the Bimmerzone compact spare. If you get a torn wheel (I had one this year) or a blowout or a sidewall failure, no goo will help you.

where in the trunk do you store the compact spare?

On Tirerack and the 245-40-19 LS2 shows in stock. Surprised, since it's been on back order for almost a year. Wonder if Goodyear made any changes to the construction?

Originally Posted by Crmgr

On Tirerack and the 245-40-19 LS2 shows in stock. Surprised, since it's been on back order for almost a year. Wonder if Goodyear made any changes to the construction?

My BMW dealer got one within 2 days! I really want to switch to 18 inch wheels, but GoodYear refused to help in any way in making a switch. So I guess I will get the new LS2 to get rid of the recent bubble and then see about switching and buying the 18" tires on my own.

I, too, wonder if GY redesigned the tire to make it better.

After reading all of this, and the continuing issues with the throttle delay, I remember why I didn't buy another BMW. I was set to get a 2011 528i, after owning a 2007 528i, and 2003 335, and I loved both of those cars. I love the looks of the new 5 series, but I drive over 25,000 miles per year, and I just couldn't justify the expense of the replacement of the run flats. That together with all these issues, convinced me I needed to look elsewhere. I miss the BMW, but I don't miss all the headaches I read about here. I hope BMW goes back to the good old days, spare tire.

Pulled outta my garage yest, saw the pressure like came on and found this. I dont even recall going over any major potholes, but forget the bubble, the sidewall just ripped open

I haven't gone through every post in this thread, but in case you guys are looking for the warranty information for your tires I've attached them to this post for your reference. Most of them state that if your tire is damaged due to road hazard and you still have at least 2/32" of tread and before the 1 year mark of your car purchase the tire will be replaced by the tire manufacturer.

Hope it helps.