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BMW 5-Series (G30) Forum Wheels | Tires | Suspension | Brakes | Chassis does anyone else think the run flat pirellis suck?

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      10-31-2017, 03:53 AM   #1
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does anyone else think the run flat pirellis suck?

i got my 540ix recently with the basic 18" wheels. i wanted the smallest possible rims with decent thickness tires. this way i would avoid curbing the rims while getting a smoother ride on bad pavement. that didn't pan out so well. turns out i forgot to tell my dealer that i want standard tires when i ordered this car and ended up with run flats. they make the ride harsh and have been totally worthless in heavy rain. i never had to wrestle my steering wheel in any of the cars i've previously owned to keep it on the road when it's pouring rain. i'm assuming the tires are at fault because i can't imagine BMW's all wheel drive system being THAT much worse than Benz or Audi.

any one else feel this way or is it just me? i'm not considering buying a different set of tires. possibly Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+
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      10-31-2017, 03:58 AM   #2
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I test drove the car with 20" Run-flats and it was great, thats what I have ordered, and UK roads are sh*t.
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      10-31-2017, 04:17 AM   #3
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In general, run-flats do suck. I have had them on cars since 2009 and usually change them to normal tyres for a big improvement.

But talking specifically G30, the 20" RFT on this car are the best implementation of RFT I have seen. To the point that I don't feel the need to change to normal tyres. I test drove on 20" RFT and thats what I ordered as I was that impressed.

Maybe with 18"s, I would expect more cushion from the tyres and RFT will not be able to deliver that, so perhaps that stiff taller sidewall makes for the worst of all worlds.

But on 20"s, expectations are different and they handle much better than I would have imagined whilst being much smoother than I remember any RFT tyres I have had before.
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      10-31-2017, 06:43 AM   #4
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not perellis but my opinion on RFT has changed with the G30

I've moved from a F10 with Msport suspension and 19 in ch wheels with Primacy tyres to a G30 with VDC and 20 inch wheels on Goodyear Eagle F1

So certianly not apples with apples, but I find them much better. Ride better (VDC may account for most if not all of that) , no tramlining, (F10 would tramline quite badly)
Grip feels the same to me, can't tell the difference.

Wear, don't know yet far too early to tell.

But I'm pleased so far.
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      10-31-2017, 07:49 AM   #5
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      10-31-2017, 08:10 AM   #6
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Solomon - I'm running mine on 18's with non-RFT Uniroyal Rainsport 3's and I'm very pleased with both ride comfort and wet grip. Can you get those in the States ?

Edit - looks like you want all seasons, so maybe not the right tire for you anyway.
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      10-31-2017, 08:43 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by morellomax View Post
Solomon - I'm running mine on 18's with non-RFT Uniroyal Rainsport 3's and I'm very pleased with both ride comfort and wet grip. Can you get those in the States ?

Edit - looks like you want all seasons, so maybe not the right tire for you anyway.
we do get regular tires here. this is my 1st BMW and i didn't realize that they strap run flats on by default. my brother just got a 2018 E400 coupe, and his car came with regular tires and a spare without having to specifically ask for it. all of my previous cars were also factory orders and all came with standard tires. this is not something that even crossed my mind.

the pirellis on my car are allegedly all season (they are P7, not P zero) but do not feel like they are all season tires.
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      10-31-2017, 01:19 PM   #8
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through a friend, i found a tuning shop in NYC that has a few sets of new 648 rims with p zero tires they took off some 7s they were customizing. they are willing to part with each set for only $1500. less than 50 miles on each set. seeing as how people seem to like them, i'm thinking about trying those out. if i don't like those either, i'll put the tires of fleabay and get some proper 20" rubbers as mentioned previously. when i say proper, i mean non-runflat
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      11-01-2017, 12:06 AM   #9
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I had test driven a G12 7 Series and I found the ride not as soft as I would have imagine .When I got out of the car after test drive was completed , I checked the tires and they were Pirelli 19" Run Flat Tires .
So,I think I have provided enough response for it whether Pirelli sucks or not
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      12-29-2017, 08:15 AM   #10
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I had Continental 18s on my 330e and have the Pirelli P7 19" runflats on my new 530e. I agree with the other commentators that the newer runflats seem better.

So far (all of a week of ownership) the car runs smoothly over most surfaces whether in adaptive or sport individual mode (the only two modes I generally use).

BUT...I live where it rarely rains and never snows. So my environment is very different from the op's. I suspect that the ability to handle wet conditions may hinge on a number of factors of which runflat vs. non runflat tires may be a minor factor. Tire tread design has a major impact on performance in wet conditions.
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      01-31-2018, 12:50 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mobilejo View Post
In general, run-flats do suck. I have had them on cars since 2009 and usually change them to normal tyres for a big improvement.

But talking specifically G30, the 20" RFT on this car are the best implementation of RFT I have seen. To the point that I don't feel the need to change to normal tyres. I test drove on 20" RFT and thats what I ordered as I was that impressed.

Maybe with 18"s, I would expect more cushion from the tyres and RFT will not be able to deliver that, so perhaps that stiff taller sidewall makes for the worst of all worlds.

But on 20"s, expectations are different and they handle much better than I would have imagined whilst being much smoother than I remember any RFT tyres I have had before.
In the past I have always replaced the RFT's on my previous BMW's with ordinary tyres because the RFT's were just so awful - the difference was staggering. My G31 on 20" RFT's arrives in a few weeks, so I really hope that this time around I will be happy with the RFT's...!!
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      02-15-2018, 08:13 AM   #12
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I am a very cautious driver and take care of my cars very well. I have had my G30 for 1200 miles and already blew out two run flat Pirellis. My f10 had run flats, and over 3 years i popped 6 tires.

I had a 2015 M4 that had Michelin PSS (non runflat) and i didn't pop one tire for the entire 40k miles i had the car.

SO YES ALL RUN FLATS SUCK!!!!!!!
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      02-15-2018, 08:35 AM   #13
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My new 540i M S has come with Michelin's, so happy as these are really good.
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      03-21-2018, 04:35 AM   #14
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I think i have the same problem with the same Pirelli's. Yesterday i picked up my brand new G30. I hear a shaking sound when i brake (like a drum). I will check it a few more days and go back to the dealer if it stays.
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      04-19-2018, 07:12 PM   #15
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I have the Pirelli P7 summer RFT on 19 inch wheels. They were very comfortable and quiet first, but got much noisier later.
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      04-19-2018, 11:43 PM   #16
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My car came with 19" Continental all-season RFT's, and now I'm running 20" Pirelli P-Zero summer RFT's.

IMO, they feel about the same and both feel good on the road. Good grip, quiet, and zero vibration at freeway speeds.

The only thing I don't like is that the P-Zero's have a tread wear rating of 220 and the Continental all-season tires are 400, so it's going to get expensive changing out those 20" tires more often.
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      05-06-2018, 02:14 AM   #17
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I'm running Goodyear runflats in summer and pirelli runflats winters. Both on staggered 19" wheels.

No problems at all. Very smooth and quiet. The comfort setting takes away the harshness from potholes I haven't managed to avoid. But even in sport the car just takes it - in our other car (toyota) it feels like someone has just slapped the dash really hard at those points.
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      05-21-2018, 05:35 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ZigmundUK View Post
I'm running Goodyear runflats in summer and pirelli runflats winters. Both on staggered 19" wheels.

No problems at all. Very smooth and quiet. The comfort setting takes away the harshness from potholes I haven't managed to avoid. But even in sport the car just takes it - in our other car (toyota) it feels like someone has just slapped the dash really hard at those points.
Actually I'm selling one set of goodyear 19" staggered runflats 7mm tread all round: http://g30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1495259
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      07-20-2018, 05:33 AM   #19
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FWIW...

I have covered 600 miles now with these tyres, I am a perennial RFT dissenter...I hate the things.

The G31 chassis, suspension and adaptive drive had me fooled initially! Last car I ran had MPSS's - 2 years to forget the horrors of RFT and I really did forget, I had an open mind when I realised there was no 20" non RFT option for the G31...the first few hundred miles suckered me in, I thought that Pirelli had miraculously solved the problem....wrong!

First time I inadvertently hit a decent sized pot hole I thought the wheel was done for! The feedback and noise on impact was as bad as I had ever heard - suspension was soaking up the majority of the issues only to reveal the true nature of the RFT when the chassis / suspension hit their limits.

Not once did I have this experience with the MPSS's, I lost two tyres due to pot holes over the winters during ownership (I live in a very rural area of the UK, roads get worse by the week - I have friends who have switched to SUV's simply because of the conditions of our roads). In both cases it was clear that the tyre giving way saved the wheel, in essence it acted as a fuse; before any criticism, I watch for holes like a hawk - I got caught out in both instances on familiar roads where holes had appeared overnight.

RFT's transfer the full force of that kind of impact into the wheel via the sidewall. I am dreading buckling a 759 rim, it really does though feel like one good bang will either bend or crack a rim. You could argue that the 5 increases the chances of this because the car has such a phenomenally supple ride at all other times. I have found my brain switching off to the dangers of pot holes because of it.

I am likely to swap out the RFT's for some PS4's and a tube of glue (cough cough, BMW assist, cough). Will add in a space saver for the trips to Europe.

RFT's can do one
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      07-16-2020, 12:41 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by culprit View Post
FWIW...

I have covered 600 miles now with these tyres, I am a perennial RFT dissenter...I hate the things.

The G31 chassis, suspension and adaptive drive had me fooled initially! Last car I ran had MPSS's - 2 years to forget the horrors of RFT and I really did forget, I had an open mind when I realised there was no 20" non RFT option for the G31...the first few hundred miles suckered me in, I thought that Pirelli had miraculously solved the problem....wrong!

First time I inadvertently hit a decent sized pot hole I thought the wheel was done for! The feedback and noise on impact was as bad as I had ever heard - suspension was soaking up the majority of the issues only to reveal the true nature of the RFT when the chassis / suspension hit their limits.

Not once did I have this experience with the MPSS's, I lost two tyres due to pot holes over the winters during ownership (I live in a very rural area of the UK, roads get worse by the week - I have friends who have switched to SUV's simply because of the conditions of our roads). In both cases it was clear that the tyre giving way saved the wheel, in essence it acted as a fuse; before any criticism, I watch for holes like a hawk - I got caught out in both instances on familiar roads where holes had appeared overnight.

RFT's transfer the full force of that kind of impact into the wheel via the sidewall. I am dreading buckling a 759 rim, it really does though feel like one good bang will either bend or crack a rim. You could argue that the 5 increases the chances of this because the car has such a phenomenally supple ride at all other times. I have found my brain switching off to the dangers of pot holes because of it.

I am likely to swap out the RFT's for some PS4's and a tube of glue (cough cough, BMW assist, cough). Will add in a space saver for the trips to Europe.

RFT's can do one
What an excellent post.

I have just collected my 12 month old 540i M Sport which is on 20" individual rims and Michelin RFTs.

It is fine a lot of the time but on bad roads it is shocking and feels exactly as you say, that it is going to bend or crack a wheel. The first opportunity I get i will be putting normal tyres on the car. On bad roads i can actually feel scuttle shake like the car is a cabrio, that is how much energy is being put into the wheel and then the body.
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      07-17-2020, 03:14 PM   #21
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Not all RFTs suck. I have 668M 20's on my M550, with the new Michelin PS3ZPs on them, and I love them. Smooth, quiet, with similar handling characterisics to the PS4S non-runflats I had on my previous M4. Now the Goodyear F1 Asymmetrics which came on the car were terrible. I popped two of them on relatively minor potholes early on, and replaced all four with the Michelins. Very happy now. Not sure they come in all the sizes mentioned here, though.
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      07-17-2020, 07:04 PM   #22
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Not all RFTs suck. I have 668M 20's on my M550, with the new Michelin PS3ZPs on them, and I love them. Smooth, quiet, with similar handling characterisics to the PS4S non-runflats I had on my previous M4. Now the Goodyear F1 Asymmetrics which came on the car were terrible. I popped two of them on relatively minor potholes early on, and replaced all four with the Michelins. Very happy now. Not sure they come in all the sizes mentioned here, though.
preach lol my mom changed the Goodyear for a road trip to NY and it bubbled both tires on long Island streets. she's recently switched to those Michelin pilot sport 3ZP and its grips so well that the rear eagle F1, make it fishtail.
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