mini "I'm done with RFT's" rant

hdrewh · 12-10-2010, 02:51 PM

long story pretty short, one RFT wasn't holding air at all, personal logistics had me at the dealer since they were the only local shop with the tire in stock, there was a screw or nail or something else that must have first been embedded, then worked itself out, leaving a small hole big enough to let air escape pretty quickly.

The hole is dead center in the contact patch of the tire as far as possible away from the sidewall - so obviously patchable from the inside in any other tire.

Dealer said BMW wouldn't allow them to do so, structural integrity of the RFT sidewall concerns, etc. (I don't know if a regular tire shop would have patched it or not). So I needed to replace the tire. At $259 + mount/balance/old tire disposal, etc. Over $325 later I was out the door.

When these wear out, I'm not going back. Regular tires, that doughnut spare from the 5-series that I know fits, and a jack. I'm perfectly willing and able to take the 20 minutes to change a rare (hopefully) flat tire.

F32Fleet · 12-10-2010, 03:01 PM

It's liability issue for some, but RFT's can and have been plugged/patched. My 330 had both rears done.

hdrewh · 12-11-2010, 02:18 PM

don't know why I didn't think of this sooner...went back to my dealer today and retrieved my old tire. Gonna patch it myself so I can have a spare at hand if it happens again. He even gave me another of the same tire, about the same tread left, with a small screw in it - again, dead-center of the tire, a small hole and no reason it cannot be patched and used as a spare until the rest of my RFTs wear out and I replace them.

12-10-2010, 02:51 PM	#1
hdrewh Lieutenant 71 Rep 441 Posts Drives: '09 E90 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New York iTrader: (3)	mini "I'm done with RFT's" rant long story pretty short, one RFT wasn't holding air at all, personal logistics had me at the dealer since they were the only local shop with the tire in stock, there was a screw or nail or something else that must have first been embedded, then worked itself out, leaving a small hole big enough to let air escape pretty quickly. The hole is dead center in the contact patch of the tire as far as possible away from the sidewall - so obviously patchable from the inside in any other tire. Dealer said BMW wouldn't allow them to do so, structural integrity of the RFT sidewall concerns, etc. (I don't know if a regular tire shop would have patched it or not). So I needed to replace the tire. At $259 + mount/balance/old tire disposal, etc. Over $325 later I was out the door. When these wear out, I'm not going back. Regular tires, that doughnut spare from the 5-series that I know fits, and a jack. I'm perfectly willing and able to take the 20 minutes to change a rare (hopefully) flat tire. __________________ 2009 E90 328i Montego Blue, Black Leather, 6MT, ZPP, Logic 7, HD radio, CA, fold-down seats, PDC. ED pickup 6/12/2009 mods: Koni FSDs, Eibach Pro's, Sport/Heated Seats, BMW Perf. short shifter, M-tech shift knob/e-brake handle/steering wheel, split armrest, black grilles, 50% tint, 3M clear bra.
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12-10-2010, 03:01 PM	#2
F32Fleet Lieutenant General 3905 Rep 10,601 Posts Drives: 2015 435i Join Date: May 2005 Location: Southeastern US iTrader: (0)	It's liability issue for some, but RFT's can and have been plugged/patched. My 330 had both rears done.
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12-11-2010, 02:18 PM	#3
hdrewh Lieutenant 71 Rep 441 Posts Drives: '09 E90 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: New York iTrader: (3)	don't know why I didn't think of this sooner...went back to my dealer today and retrieved my old tire. Gonna patch it myself so I can have a spare at hand if it happens again. He even gave me another of the same tire, about the same tread left, with a small screw in it - again, dead-center of the tire, a small hole and no reason it cannot be patched and used as a spare until the rest of my RFTs wear out and I replace them. __________________ 2009 E90 328i Montego Blue, Black Leather, 6MT, ZPP, Logic 7, HD radio, CA, fold-down seats, PDC. ED pickup 6/12/2009 mods: Koni FSDs, Eibach Pro's, Sport/Heated Seats, BMW Perf. short shifter, M-tech shift knob/e-brake handle/steering wheel, split armrest, black grilles, 50% tint, 3M clear bra. Last edited by hdrewh; 12-12-2010 at 10:46 AM..
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