**Consolidated RFT Failures/Issues Thread**

I wish they would come out with a tire that worked. Im now on my 8th tire in 14 months. This is such a bad situation. You buy a 80k car and you have to worry to tkae it out of the garage. The smallest pot hole or man hole cover and you have a bubble. Tire protection or not this is not what one would except driving a BMW

I have a 2011 535xi with the Goodyear LS2 run flats. Have bee n getting a lot of road noise over last two months, especially from front pass side so I brought it to a tire guy thinking it might be a balancing issue. He informed me that the front tires are "chopped" probably due to alignment issue. Overall, the ties still have reasonably good tread left on them but the noise is driving me crazy. A couple of questions: 1) I f I leave these ties on the car and run them out (suggested by the tire guy) will that cause any wear to the suspension? 2) I've been researching the merits of installing non- run flats vs. run flats. Car is at dealer today for 30K service. Service rep says they can only replace with run flats and were probably stuck with the LS2. He says if I install non run flats that car will not handle properly, especially on on ramps, off ramps, etc.. Is that true? Any one have success with non run flats? Suggestion? Thanks much!

The bit about not handling properly is pure BS. In all likelihood, your cars handling will improve dramatically by switching to conventional tires. Many have made the switch, including myself. You can find many threads on here dealing with this. What they may refuse is to fix or replace flats with conventional tires. You will also need to get a tire inflater kit or spare tire.

After having BMW replace my 2 front Goodyears due to bubbling last month, I decided I've finally had enough of those garbage tires. Got the Michelin Super Sports 245/40/19 installed yesterday and it is like a new car

I already have a set of M 18" wheels with Michelin Alpins on them for wintertime driving.

The difference between the Michelins and the Goodyears is HUGE. I can't believe I waited so long to do this. I would encourage all F-10 owners who don't already own these tires, or ones similar, to forget the Goodyears and just replace them. You are cheating yourself out of the real joy of driving your 5-car running those lousy Goodyears.

IMO, "all season tires" are for Buicks, not Beemers...

Just wondering...which Michelin did you put on? The "Sport" or the "Primacy HP". My 550i M Sport (build 3/12) came with Michelin Primacy HP. Harsh ride!
BW...The tire Mfr Warranty CD for Michelin clearly states that they would NOT cover road impact (ie form pot holes, curbs) and would not even cover installation, balancing, disposal fee. So, begrudgingly, I did buy the BMW Wheel/Tire insurance package. It was expensive $1950/ 5 years...yikes! But if I use it as much as other posters have said they had failed tires/wheels, I might just break even.
IF only the f10 had a spare, I would have not touched the BMW tire nsurance just replaced all my RFT Michelins with better, regular tires.

As I said, I put on the Super Sports. Cost me a little over $1K, trading in the Goodyears to Discount Tire. These are not run-flat tires, which means they handle very well and are lighter. I would not be held hostage to the BMW BS - they tried to give me those Primacy tires as well, but I wouldn't take them.

I keep a small compressor and a few cans of pressurized patching compound in the trunk - problem solved. I have yet to read where ANY Super Sport has ever bubbled, etc. Plus they are rated to 188 mph. Plus they stick like glue to wet roads as well as dry. The ride is also much smoother, quieter and WAY more responsive than the Goodyears.

Just my $.02. Good luck.

Hi all have been reading thorough the forum and am picking up a new 2012 535xi (Base, non-sport 18" wheels 245/45R18 BMW) tomorrow and I've been trying to determine if I need to get the Tire and Wheel Insurance on the 18's? I've obviously read about the many failures of the 19's on the Xi and Sport or 550 etc. I've driven 3x 12k miles a year in a 2010 528xi non RFT 225/50-17 without any issues, (bent a rim once on the NY highways here, but that was a very deep pothole/ more of a freak occurrence). I cannot really find any complaints on 18's here or at other forums. The EasyCare Tire and Wheel insurance is quoted at $1395. I figure I can 'self-insure' if 18's are not as much an issue. I've asked and been told they are the Goodyear LS2's (but on 18's). Are bubbles still an issue? Any quick opinions? TIA

All the post i've read, the Goodyear IS THE WORST RFT on the BMW, the 19" in particular, maybe not so much with the 18". Car and Driver magazine did a sidebar on the long term 5 series they in their fleet and all the problems they had with the Goodyear RFT...google it for more info.
Suggestion:
1) BUY the BMW/Safeguard insurance NOW as you can cancel in 30 days for a full refund. That will buy you some time to research and consider it. You need to consider how you'll be driving and what type of roads you'll encounter.
2) Or, ask if the dealer will swap the 18" tire/wheel for another brand that is on the same optioned car that he might have on the lot...you might luck out with some Michelins.
3) Or, if your plan is to change wheels and use non RFT anyway, skip the insurance.

bimmers&benzs - I switched from 19" LS2s to 18" RFT Conti's and went from 800 mi per failure to no failures in 7,000 miles. I have no experience with the 18" LS2s, but others on this forum have reported no problems with 18" LS2s. My opinion is that by avoiding the 19" tires you will be in good shape. Also, remember that Goodyear gives you a one year road hazard warranty.

Thanks HDEddie1 for your advice. 1) Its a good idea that I didn't think of. 2) I already asked and got resistance 3) Is another option, but mine's a lease so at some point I would have to switch back and give them back the unused new tires... eh. But Thanks for replying.

Thanks radarguy for your comment- there's then some hope and what I thought was a trend on the 18 LS2's not having as much of an issue. I just couldn't find someone specifically saying it. It's also good to know that the 18" RFT Conti's are a good option.

Thanks! I'll update here if I experience otherwise with the 18" LS2's

I recently experience a side wall bubble on an 18" LS2. This is a recently leased 2012 BMW 535 xi, driven in NJ, and just under 5,000 miles. Cant recall going over any significant pot hole either.
Disappointed that the BMW Dealer does not seem to be aware of the Goodyear Road Hazard warranty. And when I contacted the Goodyear service center, they asked me to go back to the BMW dealer. Is there a nexus going on between the two? Appreciate any guidance on how to get some resolution...

If under 1 year, its legally on Goodyear warranty, but I was able to get BMW to replace my 2 front tires. I would suggest you either try another BMW dealer or call your BMW regional office to get them to step up. Some BMW dealers are better than others, as you probably already know. I happen to now have a good one, although I bought my car from a BAD one. Live and learn....

Thanks, fplanner2000.
I'll definitely try calling the BMW Regional office. And a couple of other dealers in the area.
But I guess I need to go and get the replacement done asap - before the tyre blows up on the road? The bump is quite visible and seems to be increasing by the day! On hindsight, I am regretting not taking the Additional Wheel & Tyre Insurance. They refused to add it, since its been a month since I leased the vehicle. Will keep the forum posted on any developments. Pls keep the advice coming!!!

I had the Goodyear tires on my 19" wheels, I told the dealer to keep them and trade me for a set of taller non-RFT tires and throw in some wheel locks. I got the Michelin Pilot A/S 245/45/19 on my 550i xdrive. They work great! In the city they've been abused by massive craters and keep on tickin. I had a screw in one - causing a slow leak, which cost me $20 to remove and plug at Mavis. I haven't had any problems otherwise. I keep a compressor and 2 cans of fix-a-flat in the trunk. If you're really worried, you can buy a spare wheel/tire online with some tools. Ditching the run flats is the way to go!

Originally Posted by Adasbom

Appreciate any guidance on how to get some resolution...

The BMW dealer should replace it under the Goodyear warranty. It seems that most will not. However, Goodyear is very cooperative as long as you meet the time and wear limits stated in the warranty on the DVD in your glove box. You must call Goodyear Headquarters at the number in the warranty. They will assign a case number and send you to the nearest Goodyear dealer that is authorized to work on RFT tires. I suspect that the Goodyear dealer that you talked to was not RFT authorized. See the attached 2011 warranty.

radarguy
Thank you for the input. Let me try calling Goodyear direct number.
As an update, for now, I had to replace the tyre with BMW. They are going to send the faulty tyre to Goodyear and get reimbursed; upon which, I will get reimbursed. Pro rata. Only for the tyre. Not for the installation and alignment. My long term plan is to do what djsilo suggests; and switch to Michelin Non Run flats.

djsilo
Which year is your 550? And will BMW cause any problems with Warranty support, if you switch to non run flats?

2012 550i xdrive msport. They did the swap for me. I asked them about the warranty support and they said, since they did the install it won't affect my warranty. Worst case, if I have any problems at another bmw service center, I'll just take it back to them.

The 2013 535 M-sport I just picked up a few days ago had 19" Pirelli Pzero RFT's on it if anyone cares, so perhaps BMW is pulling the plug on the crappier ones. These have been fine......so far.

im guessing those are not all season.
i would like to see what changes if any are on m sport x drive models.
last time i looked it was only the good year ls2 all season being made in that specific 245-40-19 run flat size.

Last visit to dealer mentioned Pirelli rft. Ever heard of these?

I am curious if there is any correlation to the M sport 351 wheels and bubbles.

The 351 spoke design (or lack thereof) would appear to be much weaker from what I have read on other forums.

If the 351's are not true forged M wheels, spacing the spokes out on a cast wheel would seem to be a silly thing to do with run flats.

I have a few friends with F10's, only those with 351's have had issues, but this is not very scientific. It just got me thinking.

All 2013 535Xi M sport at my local dealer have LS2.
Has anyone gone with the Pirelli P7 Cinturato all season RFT in the 245/45/19 size?

They are rated pretty high on consumer reports, are standard on the X3 also. I would imagine they are way better than the Ls2 both in wet, snow and overall handling, but not quite as good as Michelin A/S which is not RFT

Considering a CPO 535xi with the 19" LS2, they show a little wear, 11k miles, but no apparent bubbles, or exterior rim surface dents

All 2013 535Xi M sport at my local dealer have LS2.
Has anyone gone with the Pirelli P7 Cinturato all season RFT in the 245/45/19 size?

They are rated pretty high on consumer reports, are standard on the X3 also. I would imagine they are way better than the Ls2 both in wet, snow and overall handling, but not quite as good as Michelin A/S which is not RFT

Considering a CPO 535xi with the 19" LS2, they show a little wear, 11k miles, but no apparent bubbles, or exterior rim surface dents

Just joining the thread. I've had all four of my 19" RFT on my 535i xDrive replaced in less than one year. It was so frustrating, I complained to GoodYear. The rep told me that it was typical (shouldn't have said that) but they said if you get bubbles, the tire warrantee should kick in and they will prorate the thread and replace the tire.

So, for those of you that have these, remember to keep your paperwork and when there is a bubble, just go back to the dealer and get them to replace them.