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Rip Rft

1K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  mullman 
#1 · (Edited)
Sorry for the delay in getting pics up as several have asked after my mentioning of it.
Upgrading laptops, then being out of town kept me from getting these up.

Pics from my little problem July 1st when I was forced to buy a new RFT...

RFT woes
 
#4 ·
mullman said:
Since you are so enthused, care to split the $390 with me?:p
mullman, shawny is a
, and I think was looking at the pics in your sig. Probably marveling at the speedo pic. IMHO.

:hi: shawny, Welcome to Bimmerfest! :beerchug:
 
#5 ·
np, welcome shawny to the 'fest! :thumbup:
 
#6 ·
A few months ago I debated about taking a road trip with my Michelin PS2s or puttingn the original 124s and RFTs back on. I decided to put the RFTs back on fo rthe nearly 1,000 mile road trip. When I got home I changed back to my Style 125s with PS2s and don't you know I found a large screw inn the tread of theh right rear RFT. It held pressure until I removed the screw, which was about 1.25" long. Now I have to replace the tire. I am planning to sell the set of 124s with RFTs in place, but my "profit" just took a $400 hit. I feel your pain!
 
#7 · (Edited)
DD694-

I hear you.

Annually in mid August we spend a week with my wife's extended family on the Maine coast.

For 6 years now I have driven the 1050mi (NC to ME) through the night. Past cars used for this trip have been a VW Cabrio, Volvo V70T5, VW Passat Wagon (2), 540i6, & ML500. Up, riding around, and back it comes to almost a 2600mi trip in 9 days. To be honest I am a little nervous of taking the trip in this 530i6 as originally planned solely due to the RFTs. And I am sure that I am not going to drop $1xxx on a set of tires right now on a car I just leased.

I can't believe I have a car I am a little affraid to drive on the long trips.

Drive it or take the wife's car, what would you do?

FWIW, if your screw is in the tread, the dealer will probably patch it for you on the inside.
My dealer said they would do that no prob, only the corner and the sidewall they would avoid.
 
#8 ·
Mull, act like you got a pair, Man!! ;) :rofl:

FWIW, I took out my 2005 545i on a trip from San Francisco to Vancouver, the northern tip of Vancouver Island, ferry ride to Prince Rupert, BC, and then across BC and Alberta to Calgary, and back home again, 4,000 miles, on the Dunlop RFs. Zero problems. :thumbup:
 
#9 ·
mullman said:
Sorry for the delay in getting pics up as several have asked after my mentioning of it.
Upgrading laptops, then being out of town kept me from getting these up.

Pics from my little problem July 1st when I was forced to buy a new RFT...

RFT woes
I took a different approach when I found a screw in my left rear run flat: I kept driving on it.

Since the screw was in the tread and not about to come out I was only concerned about a leak, not a catastrophic failure. When no leak developed I decided to just keep driving on it. I probably got another 4-5k miles on it before I got the tires replaced by BMW for wear and noise. If it had leaked, well, it's a run flat.

Okay, so don't do what I did, I don't recommend what I did, your results may vary.
 
#10 ·
Ågent99 said:
Mull, act like you got a pair, Man!! ;) :rofl:
As someone who has taken xxx mi trips on vintage BMW motorcycles and wrestled flat tires off rims with 6" tire irons by the side of the road only to patch a tube and reinstall, I assure you I "got a pair" :p

Solo "adventure" trips are one thing.
Dragging my family into a situation in the middle of the night is different...
 
#11 ·
5 Rakete said:
Okay, so don't do what I did, I don't recommend what I did, your results may vary.
I absolutely would do this also esp for around town driving.
 
#12 ·
mullman said:
I absolutely would do this also esp for around town driving.
And it's around town/freeway commuting driving that I do, exclusively. Given that I also have a spare I probably would have still done a trip, well maybe not a cross-country one.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Before my E60 I had a 2005 Porsche 997S. It came with no spare at all and a can of fix-a-flat and a tire pump. Not very reassuring at all for long trips. I invested in a collapsible spare, but that consumed most of the front storage comparment. In the end for this and variousj other reasons I opted to replace it with the E60, which I much prefer. It has size, comfort, incredible handling and with non-runflat tires I feel confident I can go anywhere I want. I do have the Conti safety pack with goo and pump available from Tire Rack. I have driven a lot of miles cross country and otherwise over 50 years and have been very fortunate about getting stuck with a flat. Road awareness is important. I know many high end cars are foregoing the spare to save on gas mileage. I am not yet convinced that the runflat tires of today are up to the task. I tried a Lexus SC430 and the run flats on it were a total tirn-off. Harsh ride and like driving with cement shoes. It of course has no trunk to speak of anyway. My wife and grandkids love the E60, as do I.
 
#14 ·
I just had to replace a non-RFT tire with only 1800 miles on it. Same kind of puncture, in the crown of the tire.

I went to Discount tire - had to wait for 3 days for tire to come in, but it was only $250 installed.


It is a pain having to replace "new" tires!
 
#15 ·
mullman said:
DD694-

To be honest I am a little nervous of taking the trip in this 530i6 as originally planned solely due to the RFTs. And I am sure that I am not going to drop $1xxx on a set of tires right now on a car I just leased.

I can't believe I have a car I am a little afraid to drive on the long trips.
Two comments:

First, wasn't the whole rationale behind the RFT's supposed to be that they would make you feel more secure, not less? (E.g. not worrying about changing a tire on the side of the Maine Turnpike at 2:00 AM). Am I the only one who sees the irony in this?

Second, you are "probably" going to have to replace the tires at least once during the term of your lease (prolly more). Why not drop the $1xxx now, buy a good set of non-RF performance tires, enjoy your trip Down East, and store your RFT's till you get ready to turn the car in at lease end? That approach really won't cost you any "more", it will just cost you a little "sooner".

And yes, after seeing the photos of your garage and your boat project, I realize finding the right place for the RFT's to spend the next 2 1/2 years might be a pain.... but for us less-OCD folks it might be okay. :D
 
#16 ·
mullman said:
As someone who has taken xxx mi trips on vintage BMW motorcycles and wrestled flat tires off rims with 6" tire irons by the side of the road only to patch a tube and reinstall, I assure you I "got a pair" :p

Solo "adventure" trips are one thing.
Dragging my family into a situation in the middle of the night is different...
I had the wife 'n kid in tow...but we stayed in motels during the night/evenings...you got that one on me. :D
 
#17 ·
It just seems to me that there's some risk in just about anything we do. It seems more likely to me that the chance of picking up a nail in a tyre is far more likely around town than on a trip on the Interstate Highway. A hundred other things could go wrong as well, but most of the time they don't. I'd go.
 
#18 · (Edited)
quackbury said:
Two comments:

First, wasn't the whole rationale behind the RFT's supposed to be that they would make you feel more secure, not less? (E.g. not worrying about changing a tire on the side of the Maine Turnpike at 2:00 AM). Am I the only one who sees the irony in this?
Yeah, funny huh.
I'm the guy with dirt under my nails who would rather have a full size wheel with tire ;) and doesn't mind changing the tire. On the way to the hospital to deliver my second daughter I hit a BRICK in the road in my '00 540i6 and stopped and changed the tire (with wife approval, it only takes 5 mins) and did not have to deal with it until a few weeks later - all the while running on a full wheel tire.

I am not apprehensive about the RFTs themselves, but getting a shop who can replace it without destroying my rim since it seems only few places can do this. As I noted in my other post in my town of 1M+ peeps the only place who can remove, replace a RFT is the BMW dealer. Would hate to get stuck in a tiny New England town and Click & Clack can't fix my tire without chewing up my rim.

My grandkids will laugh when I tell them the first dozen cars I owned (OK, or leased) had a full size wheel and tire, not a donut, fix-a-flat kit, or RFTs...

:rofl:
 
#19 ·
What would I do?

mullman said:
DD694-

I hear you.

Annually in mid August we spend a week with my wife's extended family on the Maine coast.

For 6 years now I have driven the 1050mi (NC to ME) through the night. Past cars used for this trip have been a VW Cabrio, Volvo V70T5, VW Passat Wagon (2), 540i6, & ML500. Up, riding around, and back it comes to almost a 2600mi trip in 9 days. To be honest I am a little nervous of taking the trip in this 530i6 as originally planned solely due to the RFTs. And I am sure that I am not going to drop $1xxx on a set of tires right now on a car I just leased.

I can't believe I have a car I am a little affraid to drive on the long trips.

Drive it or take the wife's car, what would you do?

FWIW, if your screw is in the tread, the dealer will probably patch it for you on the inside.
My dealer said they would do that no prob, only the corner and the sidewall they would avoid.
Take the BMW. But check BMW roadside assistance support first and make sure your BMW Assist works, so you know what to expect if that happens. I think if you are on a trip, then BMW will offer some assistance and compensation to get you on your way.

Honestly, if having my family stranded in the middle of the life is the worst thing that can happen to you, I say you're well ahead of the game. I don't think you bought the car to have it sit in the garage - so just drive it.

Good luck!
 
#20 ·
Check out the girls' new tire swing.
No doubt the most expensive on the cul-de-sac at $390 + rope + my time...

:cry:



:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
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