[tomgwuyn]

On my 06 330i, found a tear in my Bridgestone Driveguard RFT (225/40/18) which expanded and lost all the air. Is there any way to repair or do I need to replace the whole tyre ? (comes to 290$ with installation) I've driven almost 40 miles . Is it okay to drive another 15 miles to the closest shop . Will this cause any mechanical problems?

And is it okay to buy this tyre from discount tire shops (Mavis/ Discount Tire/BJ's) or to buy/install from BMW dealer?

Will there be any change in quality of the tyres? I live in Albany, NY. After repairing the tyre, was planning to do a Active Steering Wheel alignment and a Oil change . For all this, the BMW dealer quoted 610$. Is this normal?

[tlow98]

Any tire that's the right size will work.

The dealer will be the worst value in automotive repair and maintenance.

The dealers sell you on a comfy leather chair and free coffee, but that coffee actually costs 50% of your repair bill and the leather chair is everyones whore.

[john231]

Mavis Tire 225/40R18 Bridge. RFT $169.00
Discount Tire $190.00

These are NJ Pricing

[norsairius]

I don't have any experience with Mavis or BJ's, but Discount Tire is great. I recently had all four of my OE Continental runflats replaced with Bridgestone Driveguards at one of their store locations in my area.

The price came out to ~$190 per tire, but that includes mounting and balancing and what basically amounts to a road hazard warranty that covers the tire for 3 years or down to 3/32" of tread for any required repairs or replacement down the road.

If you want, you can opt out of that warranty and it looks like it'll cut out $22 per tire.

[robthewrench]

There is no way to repair the tire. If tire does not appear to be ripping apart or fraying badly, driving another 15 miles at slower speeds should not be a problem.

You may buy a tire and get it installed from anyone, but I highly suggest name brand shops with a good reputation in order to get good service.

The dealer is charging you higher costs for parts and labor than you would get from a non-dealer. The quality can be very close between the two, it is your choice about whether to pay the higher cost at the dealer. If your tires are wearing evenly, you don't need an alignment. If they are wearing un-evenly or some other issue is occurring an alignment is not a bad idea.

You don't mention how many miles on the other rear tire that is not being replaced. If that tire is more than ~70% worn, you might want to replace both rear tires. You will get traction differences in rain / snow if one tire is heavily worn and the other is new. This can cause instability.

[tomgwuyn]

Thanks guys. I am thinking of buying it from Mavis Discount Tires in NJ. The Bridgestone Driveguard RFT comes to around 209$. I was also thinking about putting the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZP Run Flats replacing my existing Bridgestone Driveguard.

Is it okay if I run three tires on Bridgestone Driveguard and one on Michelin? This new tyre will be going in the Passenger front area. Will there be any difference in ride quality/performance?

[OP3NAIR]

Tires should be replaced in pairs (same axle).

Where you buy is not a critical decision. Buying tires is no different than buying a car. Call, get quotes, find cheapest price, then call the shop you want to use and see if they'll meet/beat the price. If yes, go there. If not, go to cheap place.
If you care about the rims, then make sure they have a touchless machine.

[tomgwuyn]

Originally Posted by OP3NAIR

Tires should be replaced in pairs (same axle).

Where you buy is not a critical decision. Buying tires is no different than buying a car. Call, get quotes, find cheapest price, then call the shop you want to use and see if they'll meet/beat the price. If yes, go there. If not, go to cheap place.
If you care about the rims, then make sure they have a touchless machine.

Oh. If I change just one and do not replace in pairs(axle), what problems would I be facing?

[tcphoto]

This may be a good opportunity to change over to standard tires, the ride will improve and less road noice.

[OP3NAIR]

Originally Posted by tomgwuyn

Oh. If I change just one and do not replace in pairs(axle), what problems would I be facing?

A brand new tire and a used tire will have different diameters so the ABS goes berserk because the wheels don't rotate at the same speed


You can also get some funny handling from the different tread patterns.

[GoRomeo]

Originally Posted by john231

Mavis Tire 225/40R18 Bridge. RFT $169.00
Discount Tire $190.00

These are NJ Pricing

Are these prices on NEW tires? I eventually like to go back to RFT Bridgestones potenzas. I replaced with non RFT and my car does not feel the same ever since

[r4dr]

Originally Posted by GoRomeo

Are these prices on NEW tires? I eventually like to go back to RFT Bridgestones potenzas. I replaced with non RFT and my car does not feel the same ever since

Something a lot of people don't mention is that switching to go-flats exposes the "squishiness" of a lot of the E9X suspension bits, which were likely softened up to compensate for the car coming on RFTs from the factory.

That being said, I'm a proponent of putting proper go-flats on these cars and getting firmer bushings. Gets it closer to what the E46 and previous felt like, which is an improvement.

[norsairius]

Originally Posted by tomgwuyn

Thanks guys. I am thinking of buying it from Mavis Discount Tires in NJ. The Bridgestone Driveguard RFT comes to around 209$. I was also thinking about putting the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZP Run Flats replacing my existing Bridgestone Driveguard.

Is it okay if I run three tires on Bridgestone Driveguard and one on Michelin? This new tyre will be going in the Passenger front area. Will there be any difference in ride quality/performance?

I'd recommend keeping all four tires the same. I've tried replacing just one axle before and the different tires messed a bit with the handling and I noticed the stability control/traction control activating in situations where it hadn't previously. This was on dry roads, but I'm sure others have had different experiences.

As for whether you want to switch to a non runflat tire as has been suggested in this thread, that's not a bad idea as many have done it before. I tried it on an E92 I used to have and found that the non-RFTs made the car feel pretty squishy though.

I personally think the Driveguards are probably one of the best options out there now that balance non-RFT and RFT characteristics pretty well. They aren't the best option for particularly aggressive driving though. I wrote a review in the wheels and tires forum not too long ago if you want to read my ramblings about the Driveguards:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1383901

[tomgwuyn]

Thanks. So I am going to replace two Bridgestone Driveguard RFT's to my front axle alone. With my remaining driver side tyre, I am thinking of creating a spare.