Anyone replaced their BMW runflat tyres with non-RF winters?

Sorry for another car tyre thread.

Anyone done this? Front summer tyres are goosed on the beemer and I have a float of about £500 in the car account from work mileage money to sort stuff like this out.

Got a decent quote from my local tyre place for some Hankook winters @ £100 a boot. However this is non RF compared with the current summer RF’s… Quote for RF winters was £150+ a corner

Anyone done this? I’m going to get a compressor/goo kit and a jack in case of puncture..

I just went with RF Pirelli Sottozeroes on mine, just purely because changing a flat, even with goo, is horrible in the cold.

However, over on pistonheads the consensus is that non-RF tyres on a BMW make the roads come alive etc.

What car is it? Are there any issues with removing and replacing RF tyres repeatedly that could damage them? I went with a spare set of alloys from a guy on eBay for mine so I never need to remove the tyres themselves.

Roads come alive… Brilliant!

It’s a 325i on 17″ 225/45 (Bridgstone Potenzas) so a decent amount of sidewall. Not sure if this is a factor in damaging them taking them off.. But tbh the fronts are shredded anyway so going in bin. Guess the tyre place will tell me if there’s difficulties here.

No issues, buy a can of goo and an Audi compressor from that well known action site ;o)

Just fitted spare wheels with non-runflat Good Year Winters, and the ride quality is Miles better than the Runflat Contis

Cheers for the info. Glad other people have had positive results.

Just spoke to insurer and as long as tyres are same size doesn’t if non RF still no extra charge..

I chap I know has a 530d tourer and he went to non RF tyres over a year ago due to the cost and he’s had no issues.

In fact, he commented that the car actually seems smoother since the change.

The car will be a huge improvement to drive, runflats are very hard, dont grip very well and wear out funny. I would recomend a spare wheel wedged in somewhere though. A squirty can of stuff is ok for a nail in the tyre but no good if you have a blow out. Also, if you fill the tyre with goop, most places wont repair it.

Yep I do this. I still use RFs in the summer, but really should ditch them, as they’re an absolute PITA, and don’t offer any real benefit.

If you get a blow-out with a RFT, you’re still screwed. If you get a puncture, you can drive a limited distance at a restricted speed, so you still need to find a garage if you’re a decent distance from your destination. Not much of an improvement on calling a recovery service.

I do usually carry some goop, but I’d probably call a recovery service first.

I have a 3series Saloon M Sport with 18’s.

I switched from a full set of run flats to a full set of non run flat michelin pilot sport 3’s approx 2 years ago.

A Full set of run flats where costing approx £1000, non run flats £700, but i got a set from costco for £560 (20% off offer)

Conpressor & Foam combo in the boot should I have any problems.

I would say the improvement in ride quality is marginal, not a big as people make out. Also looking on the net the recommended pressures to run non run flats seem to varies greatly!

I would personally recommend the switch to non run flats but remember to get tyres which are XL rated sidewalls.

Edit: I just improved my AA cover for worst case scenario of a blow out.

Run-flats are poop, go non-rf and the ride will feel better. I believe the new F10/11’s don’t seem to suffer as much as the suspension was designed with them in mind (so I’m told). I took my RF’s off as soon as I got the car, so summers and winters are all non-rf.. Goo and compressor in the boot.

good point timc!

once you have driven on a run flat with zero pressure its scrap anyway

Thanks for the info everyone. Whats this XL rating all about then? For heavier cars or something?

Non- runflats summer & winter on my 320d. Pump & can of spooge in the boot. All good.

Buy an M car, avoids all the run flat hassle.

Very telling that BMW’s performance division don’t use them.

nickewen – Member

Thanks for the info everyone. Whats this XL rating all about then? For heavier cars or something?

Stronger sidewalls

I have a spare set of BMW 16″ wheels for sale if someone wants them to put their winter tyres on. Just swap wheels when you want rather than faffing getting tyres swapped over each time

If you get a blow-out with a RFT,you’re still screwed

Not sure what you mean there, I had a tyre go flat at 90mph on a motorway (IN a 5 series touring), & didn’t even notice until the run-flat warning light came on. Yes the tyre was scrap (I’d run over a sharp piece of metal I thought) but I didn’t have a brown pants moment – something I was really glad of!

I’ve just bough a new 3 series with runflats. They seem to have sorted the handling problems/ harshness now.

They’re expensive though!

nickewen – Member
Thanks for the info everyone. Whats this XL rating all about then? For heavier cars or something?

Stronger sidewalls
Weirdly it’s not that simple. There isn’t necessarily any actual difference in the tyre construction, it’s simply that XL tyres are tested and rated up to higher loads and the correspondingly required higher pressures.
The XL tyres won’t necessarily have stiffer sidewalls. They might, but it’s not a given.

OK so I’m well confused with this XL thing now… Is this a standard thing for bigger cars? The tyre place never mentioned this..

My old passat was a fair bit heavier than the 3 series but can never remember XL tyre walls being mentioned. Is it a run flat thing when you replace them with non-RF’s?

If your car originally had them, you’ll need the replacements to be XL. If it didn’t, you can use them or not, depending on availability.
If you are replacing runflats then no harm in it, but better to find out if the car model was available with non runflats and simply match the load rating of those.
I wouldn’t bet on an old Passat being heavier than a new 3 series (unless you specifically know the weights), but it’s not just a big car thing.
The important thing is to get tyres with at least as high a load rating as the old ones.

I have a spare set of BMW 16″ wheels for sale

what did they come off?

I recently got a full set of Nokian WR A3 225/50R17 run flats for my 520. I’ve been very happy with them. They grip very well in the greasy damp conditions we’ve had recently.

I got the full set for £500 delivered from Funky Tyres on Facebook. Delivered direct from Nokian Europe within 3 days of ordering. They also had great prices on most other brands.

If you fit non-run flats you will need to notify your insurer or risk invalidating your cover in the case of an accident.

When BMW first started using RF’s the ride was universally slated and switching to none RF’s was a vast improvement. Later cars had suspension designed to take the RF characteristics into account and were apparently much better and switching to normal tyres not so beneficial. Never owned one myself.

A mate had a mini on RF’s which felt like a heavy, wallowing beast and when he ditched them for some none-RF’s it was transformed. It felt so much more light and agile. At the time I likened it to shaving loads of weight off your bike wheels. Which we all know improves everything!

what did they come off?

Replaced them with wire wheels on this

which became this (BMW alloys still fitted on this shot obviously)