Time for New Tires?

BayMoWe335 · 08-21-2011, 05:09 PM

Gents, these are the stock Bridgestone Potenza RFTs on my 2010 335i w/ 10,XXX miles. The rears are fine, but the front sides look like this. I guess this is from cornering too quickly. Tread is good inside, but basically bald on the sides.

I really don't feel like I drive or corner fast, so I am quite disappointed in the durability of these. I see three options:

1. They are fine, no need to switch until there is more significant wear in the middle of the tire. This wear is just on the 2 fronts.
2. I need to fix this. Get 2 new stock RFTs for the front and just drive slower.
3. Get 4 new non-RFTs...this feels like a waste since the rears are perfect.

I live in an extremely dry climate with little or no rain. However, it will rain on occasion and I don't want to have unsafe shoes.

duB-Side · 08-21-2011, 05:13 PM

nah brah

BayMoWe335 · 08-21-2011, 05:14 PM

Sorry guys. I meant to put this in the Wheels/Tires forum.

pruettfan · 08-21-2011, 05:33 PM

There is always a difference between what is legal and what is safest. Looks like they are legal and are probably safe for another 5,000 miles or so. The RFT's have very short tread life and they are expensive so you may want to consider dumping RFT's. I did and will never go back. I bought a AAA membership with 100 free miles of towing on the chance I would get stranded. I had a sidewall failure on a RFT so I was stranded anyway so now I have better handling and riding tires that cost less and last twice as long. Long story short I think you are fine for a while.

username604 · 08-21-2011, 05:52 PM

2 non RTF in the front, and use the back tires till they're done too. Then replace those with non RTF tires. Your car is not AWD, so having slightly staggered tires (front back, not side side) is no big deal.
I'm currently running RTF in the back and normal tires up front. Just carry a can of "fix-a-flat". It wipes off, and it does not harm the tpms sensors.
Just make sure you drive straight to a tire shop to repair the tire because if the fixaflat dries on the inside of the rim (in a couple of hours) then you're gonna have a nasty mess to clean.

pruettfan · 08-21-2011, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidkneiber

2 non RTF in the front, and use the back tires till they're done too. Then replace those with non RTF tires. Your car is not AWD, so having slightly staggered tires (front back, not side side) is no big deal.
I'm currently running RTF in the back and normal tires up front. Just carry a can of "fix-a-flat". It wipes off, and it does not harm the tpms sensors.
Just make sure you drive straight to a tire shop to repair the tire because if the fixaflat dries on the inside of the rim (in a couple of hours) then you're gonna have a nasty mess to clean.

Good points. I sold my RFT's for a pretty good chunk of what it cost for conventional tires which is a consideration also.

Hooy · 08-21-2011, 06:27 PM

The solution is simple. Go to a local tire shop and get 2 used RFT's for next to nothing and go about your life.

When all 4 need replacing, switch to non-RFT.

BayMoWe335 · 08-21-2011, 07:52 PM

I have roadside assistance with BMW through 50,000 miles, correct? They would tow, right?

bmw325i · 08-21-2011, 09:20 PM

You could most likely find some cheap used runflats on eBay. Rotating your tires will help as long as they aren't staggered. And I doubt roadside assistance would cover a tow if you get a flat with non runflats but honestly I have no idea what roadside assistance covers.

BayMoWe335 · 08-21-2011, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmw325i

You could most likely find some cheap used runflats on eBay. Rotating your tires will help as long as they aren't staggered. And I doubt roadside assistance would cover a tow if you get a flat with non runflats but honestly I have no idea what roadside assistance covers.

335i is staggered.

chromisdesigns · 08-22-2011, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmw325i

You could most likely find some cheap used runflats on eBay. Rotating your tires will help as long as they aren't staggered. And I doubt roadside assistance would cover a tow if you get a flat with non runflats but honestly I have no idea what roadside assistance covers.

You are right, you have no idea. They will tow the car with or without runflats.

edirtaynine · 08-22-2011, 10:28 PM

id just swap out all 4 to non-rft and try to sell the rears

BayMoWe335 · 08-22-2011, 11:11 PM

Do these really look that bad? The picture is of the worst one...the othe rside isn't so bald on the sides.

Blue Streak · 08-22-2011, 11:25 PM

I would just leave them on. They look fine. Mine wear heavily on the inside because of the (stock) negative camber. I replaced only my rears at first with non rft and left the stock rft on for a while. Don't mix them! It was horrible... The driving dynamics were all off, even after am alignment. Once I matched front to rear with all non rft's, then it was nice again. So it's all or nothing when going from rft's to non-rft's. Maybe wait at least until December when it may start raining again and then swap all 4 at one time. Or do it now if you feel like it, bit I don't think those tires are ready for replacement, unless you're having traction issues already.

flip4335 · 08-23-2011, 12:43 AM

You will have slicks in no time.

I waited and waited to change my tires until I got into an accident (ice on the road and a guardrail).

Go non-RFT ASAP and avoid the potential for more harm, tramlining, and loss of traction.

BayMoWe335 · 08-23-2011, 06:25 PM

I guess it's hard for me to swallow that these things only lasted 10,000 miles. Wow.

edirtaynine · 08-23-2011, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BayMoWe335

I guess it's hard for me to swallow that these things only lasted 10,000 miles. Wow.

RFT's suck.

BayMoWe335 · 08-23-2011, 08:13 PM

Man, I don't even drive aggressively, like at ALL. An occasional quick corner, but I am such a grandpa generally unless I'm passing on the highway or merging on the highway from an on-ramp.

Hooy · 08-23-2011, 09:37 PM

Check your alignment. Mine lasted well over 25k and even then I burned them off.

BayMoWe335 · 08-23-2011, 10:34 PM

Given the unusually quick wear, would this be something my dealer might check for me? Alignment, etc?

flip4335 · 08-23-2011, 11:34 PM

Mine lasted 30K, but I also swapped out my summer and winter wheels, which probably helped them last a bit longer.

By the time I swapped the RFTs for non-RFTs, they were practically slicks. Typically, RFTs usually last anywhere from 10K to 20K, judging from forum member experience, which is why RFTs really suck. You will realize that when you finally let them go for non-RFTs.

E30M3Driver · 08-24-2011, 01:45 PM

Mine looked like that but only after several days of track time.

I'd definitely have your alignment checked. It is much more common to have rears wear out before fronts on a car driven on the street.

Your center tread depth looks ok, I'd pick up some used RFTs to replace these and then replace all 4 with non-RFTs when the rears are done.

08-21-2011, 05:09 PM	#1
BayMoWe335 Colonel 1211 Rep 2,132 Posts Drives: 2010 E92 335i 6MT Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: US iTrader: (0)	Time for New Tires? Gents, these are the stock Bridgestone Potenza RFTs on my 2010 335i w/ 10,XXX miles. The rears are fine, but the front sides look like this. I guess this is from cornering too quickly. Tread is good inside, but basically bald on the sides. I really don't feel like I drive or corner fast, so I am quite disappointed in the durability of these. I see three options: 1. They are fine, no need to switch until there is more significant wear in the middle of the tire. This wear is just on the 2 fronts. 2. I need to fix this. Get 2 new stock RFTs for the front and just drive slower. 3. Get 4 new non-RFTs...this feels like a waste since the rears are perfect. I live in an extremely dry climate with little or no rain. However, it will rain on occasion and I don't want to have unsafe shoes. Last edited by BayMoWe335; 08-21-2011 at 05:15 PM..
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08-21-2011, 05:13 PM	#2
duB-Side Enlisted Member 0 Rep 49 Posts Drives: 2016 .:R OW DCC/NAV DSG Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: VA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 BMW 335i [10.00]	nah brah
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08-21-2011, 05:14 PM	#3
BayMoWe335 Colonel 1211 Rep 2,132 Posts Drives: 2010 E92 335i 6MT Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: US iTrader: (0)	Sorry guys. I meant to put this in the Wheels/Tires forum.
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08-21-2011, 05:33 PM	#4
pruettfan Brigadier General 1627 Rep 3,402 Posts Drives: 2017 M2, LBB, DCT, Exec Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Chandler, AZ iTrader: (0)	There is always a difference between what is legal and what is safest. Looks like they are legal and are probably safe for another 5,000 miles or so. The RFT's have very short tread life and they are expensive so you may want to consider dumping RFT's. I did and will never go back. I bought a AAA membership with 100 free miles of towing on the chance I would get stranded. I had a sidewall failure on a RFT so I was stranded anyway so now I have better handling and riding tires that cost less and last twice as long. Long story short I think you are fine for a while.
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08-21-2011, 05:52 PM	#5
username604 Colonel 127 Rep 2,554 Posts Drives: bmw Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: repair shop iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 BMW 335i [10.00]	2 non RTF in the front, and use the back tires till they're done too. Then replace those with non RTF tires. Your car is not AWD, so having slightly staggered tires (front back, not side side) is no big deal. I'm currently running RTF in the back and normal tires up front. Just carry a can of "fix-a-flat". It wipes off, and it does not harm the tpms sensors. Just make sure you drive straight to a tire shop to repair the tire because if the fixaflat dries on the inside of the rim (in a couple of hours) then you're gonna have a nasty mess to clean.
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08-21-2011, 06:27 PM	#7
Hooy Colonel 205 Rep 2,770 Posts Drives: E92 328i, E92 M3 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (12) Garage List 2008 E92 328 [5.00]	The solution is simple. Go to a local tire shop and get 2 used RFT's for next to nothing and go about your life. When all 4 need replacing, switch to non-RFT. __________________
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08-21-2011, 07:52 PM	#8
BayMoWe335 Colonel 1211 Rep 2,132 Posts Drives: 2010 E92 335i 6MT Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: US iTrader: (0)	I have roadside assistance with BMW through 50,000 miles, correct? They would tow, right?
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08-21-2011, 09:20 PM	#9
bmw325i Major General 237 Rep 5,118 Posts Drives: 2006 BMW 325i Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: United States iTrader: (8)	You could most likely find some cheap used runflats on eBay. Rotating your tires will help as long as they aren't staggered. And I doubt roadside assistance would cover a tow if you get a flat with non runflats but honestly I have no idea what roadside assistance covers.
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08-22-2011, 10:28 PM	#12
edirtaynine Major General 84 Rep 6,088 Posts Drives: e92 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	id just swap out all 4 to non-rft and try to sell the rears
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08-22-2011, 11:11 PM	#13
BayMoWe335 Colonel 1211 Rep 2,132 Posts Drives: 2010 E92 335i 6MT Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: US iTrader: (0)	Do these really look that bad? The picture is of the worst one...the othe rside isn't so bald on the sides.
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08-22-2011, 11:25 PM	#14
Blue Streak Gunny 31 Rep 623 Posts Drives: '07 E90 335i 6MT, 2016 F10 535 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: San Diego, CA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 E90 335i [9.00]	I would just leave them on. They look fine. Mine wear heavily on the inside because of the (stock) negative camber. I replaced only my rears at first with non rft and left the stock rft on for a while. Don't mix them! It was horrible... The driving dynamics were all off, even after am alignment. Once I matched front to rear with all non rft's, then it was nice again. So it's all or nothing when going from rft's to non-rft's. Maybe wait at least until December when it may start raining again and then swap all 4 at one time. Or do it now if you feel like it, bit I don't think those tires are ready for replacement, unless you're having traction issues already. __________________ 2007 E90 335i 6MT, ZSP, Nav, PDC, CA, Montego Blue, Terra Dakota leather, CDV, clutch-stop, E46 M Shift Knob, Logic HVI, JB4 PnP, MS 3" downpipes, Koni Yellow adjustable sport shocks, RE 12mm(f)/BMS 15mm(r) spacers, Blacklines, LUX 5.0 LED halo ring lights, DAEOS (Vista) harness, GP Thunder 7500k fogs, 35% sides-20% rear tint, matt black kidney grill, matt black 335i trunk badge
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08-23-2011, 12:43 AM	#15
flip4335 General Nuisance in a Private Conveyance 77 Rep 1,907 Posts Drives: like it's rented Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: behind the wheel iTrader: (1) Garage List 2007 BMW e90 335i [7.30]	You will have slicks in no time. I waited and waited to change my tires until I got into an accident (ice on the road and a guardrail). Go non-RFT ASAP and avoid the potential for more harm, tramlining, and loss of traction. __________________ BMWCCA Member # 414198 \|E90\|SGM\|6MT\|Premium\|Cold\|Sport\|Tint\|LCI MSport Conversion\|MTech\|Blacklines\|219M\|PSS\|Quaife\|Helix FMIC\|M3 Suspension\|Megan Racing\|GC Camber Plates/Coilovers\|Eibach 440/800#\|AR Catted DP\|Cobb AP\|StopTech Drilled/Slotted\|SS Brake Lines\|DWS Quaife Review: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=311570
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08-23-2011, 06:25 PM	#16
BayMoWe335 Colonel 1211 Rep 2,132 Posts Drives: 2010 E92 335i 6MT Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: US iTrader: (0)	I guess it's hard for me to swallow that these things only lasted 10,000 miles. Wow.
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08-23-2011, 08:13 PM	#18
BayMoWe335 Colonel 1211 Rep 2,132 Posts Drives: 2010 E92 335i 6MT Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: US iTrader: (0)	Man, I don't even drive aggressively, like at ALL. An occasional quick corner, but I am such a grandpa generally unless I'm passing on the highway or merging on the highway from an on-ramp.
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08-23-2011, 09:37 PM	#19
Hooy Colonel 205 Rep 2,770 Posts Drives: E92 328i, E92 M3 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Houston, TX iTrader: (12) Garage List 2008 E92 328 [5.00]	Check your alignment. Mine lasted well over 25k and even then I burned them off. __________________
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08-23-2011, 10:34 PM	#20
BayMoWe335 Colonel 1211 Rep 2,132 Posts Drives: 2010 E92 335i 6MT Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: US iTrader: (0)	Given the unusually quick wear, would this be something my dealer might check for me? Alignment, etc?
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08-23-2011, 11:34 PM	#21
flip4335 General Nuisance in a Private Conveyance 77 Rep 1,907 Posts Drives: like it's rented Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: behind the wheel iTrader: (1) Garage List 2007 BMW e90 335i [7.30]	Mine lasted 30K, but I also swapped out my summer and winter wheels, which probably helped them last a bit longer. By the time I swapped the RFTs for non-RFTs, they were practically slicks. Typically, RFTs usually last anywhere from 10K to 20K, judging from forum member experience, which is why RFTs really suck. You will realize that when you finally let them go for non-RFTs. __________________ BMWCCA Member # 414198 \|E90\|SGM\|6MT\|Premium\|Cold\|Sport\|Tint\|LCI MSport Conversion\|MTech\|Blacklines\|219M\|PSS\|Quaife\|Helix FMIC\|M3 Suspension\|Megan Racing\|GC Camber Plates/Coilovers\|Eibach 440/800#\|AR Catted DP\|Cobb AP\|StopTech Drilled/Slotted\|SS Brake Lines\|DWS Quaife Review: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=311570
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08-24-2011, 01:45 PM	#22
E30M3Driver Captain 37 Rep 794 Posts Drives: 2021 M2C, 97 M3 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Here, there iTrader: (1) Garage List 2007 BMW 335i [8.00] 1989 BMW M3 [8.20]	Mine looked like that but only after several days of track time. I'd definitely have your alignment checked. It is much more common to have rears wear out before fronts on a car driven on the street. Your center tread depth looks ok, I'd pick up some used RFTs to replace these and then replace all 4 with non-RFTs when the rears are done. __________________ Performance Center Delivery, June 21, 2013: 2013 E92 335is \| Le Mans Blue \| Gray Leather with Black \| 6MT \| 19" Style 313's \| Michelin Pilot Super Sports \| BMW Carbon Fiber Rear Spoiler \|
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