[Mole]

Hi guys.

Apologies in advance as I'm sure this subject has been covered & deliberated often on the forum.

I am new to the forum and seeking some help and advice please.

I currently have Bridgestone Potanza 255/30 R19's on the rear of my 330d. The drivers side is not holding air and the onboard tyre sensor has picked this up.

I would welcome any feedback on your experience and opinions.

1. Should I stay with run flats at £370 a pop (ouch)?
2. Replace with regular tyres?
3. Which regular tyres would you recommend?
4. The benefits of run flats v regular tyres? (I have googled this)

Many thanks in advance for any support!

Cheers,
Huw

[m1bjr]

First you need to establish if the air leak is a puncture or a cracked alloy wheel.

The rest simply requires some effort on your part to click on the search button....
As you guessed, its been done EXTENSIVELY on here.

Welcome!

[parapaul]

What he said ^^^

Which 19s do you have? The 225 style are notorious for cracking, so this could well be your problem rather than the tyre.

1. & 2. Definitely change to non-runflats. Only downside is you'll have to change all 4, you can't mix the 2 types.
3. Depends on budget. Continental 5P or Michelin PS2 are the outright best, but in terms of value for money, Vredstein Ultrac Sessenta or Falken 452 are half the price, but certainly not half as good.
4. The ONLY benefit I can see is the potential for safety if you have a blowout at motorway speeds... It's never happened to me, nor to anyone else I've ever talked to though. Most punctures are slow (or slow enough) that the DDS will pick up the pressure drop before it causes a problem.

But search, there's TONS of threads about everything you've asked

[lemans 330d]

looking at the size its more likely to be a cracked wheel as its a rear with 255/30/19 unless you dont have staggered

[Kerr]

Get the wheel checked out before buying a replacement tyre.

At £370 for a Bridgestone is too much too if you only need one replacement.

[BIGTIME]

Another advantage of run flats is if the alloys are cracked the dealer will find it harder to wriggle out of a warranty claim.

[Mole]

Bloody hell! Thanks guys. Appreciate the update. The roads in glos are rubbish so will look into that one. Thanks again. Huw

[Mole]

Thanks again all.

The conclusion is I have a cracked alloy.

I have a friend who works for BMW who can get me a replacement alloy at cost.

However I was wondering if there are any forum members who sell wheels/parts etc?

Huw

[EddyH]

You can get the wheel welded and if you switch to non-runflats at the same time they are unlikely to crack again.

[MB London]

I recently made the change to non run flat tyres and could not reccomend it enough

EDIT: just noticed this is my 1000th post, do i get a medal or something?

[BIGTIME]

Originally Posted by Mole

Thanks again all.

The conclusion is I have a cracked alloy.

I have a friend who works for BMW who can get me a replacement alloy at cost.

However I was wondering if there are any forum members who sell wheels/parts etc?

Huw

Loads of people have had these changed under warranty FOC. You should be able to, especially if you have a friend that works at BMW.

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by MB London

I recently made the change to non run flat tyres and could not reccomend it enough

EDIT: just noticed this is my 1000th post, do i get a medal or something?

No, but you do win a set of worn run flats

[MB London]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

No, but you do win a set of worn run flats

Excellent, just what i need

[Mole]

Quick update

New alloy courtesy of Dick Lovett - £399
Replacement Bridgestone Potanza 255/30 R19 courtesy of Kwik Fit - £289

I am putting a claim together for the Gloucester Highways Authority to claw back the costs due to the rubbish state of my local roads.

Thank you again to everyone for your help.

This is a great forum

[m1bjr]

Should have waited.

My pal welds hundreds of these inner edges

Can I have the old rim?

[ALBEE]

Sounds familiar!
Have just changed mine for new rims with Falken 452 staggerred set-up, the car now drives as it should! You will not regret ditching the run-flats! Just remember, a couple of cans of 'tyre-weld' and a small compressor (all for about 20 quid!)
Enjoy your car as it should be!!!

[sattapaal]

Originally Posted by parapaul

What he said ^^^

4. The ONLY benefit I can see is the potential for safety if you have a blowout at motorway speeds... It's never happened to me, nor to anyone else I've ever talked to though. Most punctures are slow (or slow enough) that the DDS will pick up the pressure drop before it causes a problem.

its happened to me. was in a spin and hit the side barriers twice before eventually stopping.

i would definitely be using RFT as a result.

the accident would never have happened should i be RFT.

[Mike in Hampshire]

[QUOTE=sattapaal;
the accident would never have happened should i be RFT.[/QUOTE]

I'm no tyre expert, but why are RFT's less likely to blow out than non-RFT's? I thought the point of RFT's was to avoid deflating if you suffer a minor puncture, not a catastrophic one?

AFAIK the blow out scenario is no different between RFT's and non-RFT's.

Or am I talking rubbish?

Here's another point - about 50 miles after I got my Conti 5P's I got a nail in the front left side tyre. The repair cost me £15 and the guy said he couldn't have attempted a repair had it been a RFT. I really cannot see any advantages to RFT's, unless perhaps you want the car to be as OEM as possible.

Mike.

[sattapaal]

I don't know mike, maybe its because I'm shit scared of having that kind of accident again with a child at the back that I would rather be safer than not.

In theory, if you can drive your car with a flat wheel, you're less likely to spin out of total control. Who knows, maybe a complete blow out is slowed on a RFT because its made of heavier tougher rubber.

I for one, wouldn't like to find out!

http://www.bridgestone.com/sc/runflat-system/

[Falmouthboy]

Originally Posted by Mole

Quick update

New alloy courtesy of Dick Lovett - £399
Replacement Bridgestone Potanza 255/30 R19 courtesy of Kwik Fit - £289

I am putting a claim together for the Gloucester Highways Authority to claw back the costs due to the rubbish state of my local roads.

Thank you again to everyone for your help.

This is a great forum

I assume you read the Cracked Alloy 'stickey' thread - you really should have pressed the warranty claim.

I think you will find trying to claim off highways a total waste of time unless you can show the pot hole that caused the damage, that pot hole will also need to have been reported before but not fixed in a reasonable time and not highlighted with a sign of some sort, be over a certain size and depth etc.

[gIzzE]

Also, why did you buy a tyre if you had worked out it was a cracked rim that was at fault??

You won't get a penny from the Highways Agency, and BMW are replacing these under warranty so why didn't you push BMW UK to replace this one?

I feel it will be an expensive lesson learned.


Come on to forum, ask some advice, get factual answers, ignore answers, spend loads of money with a view to claiming off someone whose fault it wasn't, and..............FAIL!


Sorry, harsh but true.

I just don't get why people ask for any info, get given everything they need and then ignore it.

[bnasim]

I had cracked alloys on the rear of my car over a year ago and BMW refused to replace them under warranty then...I of course had to buy a new set.

Any idea if i can claim the money back retrospectively from BMW?

cheers