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[Delnari]

Finally got a new set of non-RFTs on the 335i tonight! Yippie

No surprise, the shop said three out of the four wheels where bent. They really should outlaw those heavy sons of bitches RFTs. The car rode like a tank compared to the new regular tires. Wasn't sure how much a difference they were going to make so I went cheap with Kumho ASX tires (under $600 for the complete set). Now wishing I spent the money on a set of Michelin SP2s instead.

The ride is sooo much smoother now. Loss a little turn-in, but its the Kumho's ASX tires not because they are conventional tires for that. I knew one of the rims was bad as identified by BMW shop on my last visit, and I purchased a new one from Tischer for this tire change out. So now I need to decide whether to get the wheels fixed (straighten and balanced) or buy new wheels. The shop had great equipment that measured the roundness of the wheels to let me know exactly what was what. They did managed to balance out the tires on the wheels so at least no vibrations on my 189 wheels.

If you are still running RFTs, and you can afford to switch out to non-RFTs, this is a must do! It will make the car ride great and possibly save you a bent wheel or two. Oh, I took off one of the bent fronts that was replaced with a new wheel and wrapped it in a BMW tire tote. Have it sitting in the trunk with a cargo net over it to hold in place. Purchased an E46 jack and tire iron off EBAY for $65 shipped, so I good when AAA or BMW Assist is not an option.

[CollinsE90]

Originally Posted by Delnari

Finally got a new set of non-RFTs on the 335i tonight! Yippie

No surprise, the shop said three out of the four wheels where bent. They really should outlaw those heavy sons of bitches RFTs. The car rode like a tank compared to the new regular tires. Wasn't sure how much a difference they were going to make so I went cheap with Kumho ASX tires (under $600 for the complete set). Now wishing I spent the money on a set of Michelin SP2s instead.

The ride is sooo much smoother now. Loss a little turn-in, but its the Kumho's ASX tires not because they are conventional tires for that. I knew one of the rims was bad as identified by BMW shop on my last visit, and I purchased a new one from Tischer for this tire change out. So now I need to decide whether to get the wheels fixed (straighten and balanced) or buy new wheels. The shop had great equipment that measured the roundness of the wheels to let me know exactly what was what. They did managed to balance out the tires on the wheels so at least no vibrations on my 189 wheels.

If you are still running RFTs, and you can afford to switch out to non-RFTs, this is a must do! It will make the car ride great and possibly save you a bent wheel or two. Oh, I took off one of the bent fronts that was replaced with a new wheel and wrapped it in a BMW tire tote. Have it sitting in the trunk with a cargo net over it to hold in place. Purchased an E46 jack and tire iron off EBAY for $65 shipped, so I good when AAA or BMW Assist is not an option.

good to hear man, oh and aftermarket wheels FTW

id do some VMR's which you can get for about 1k-1200

[Delnari]

A co-worker has a new set of CSL from his M3 he is selling, they are 19". I'm thnking the offset might be too much for my 335i. Are 19" wheels too harsh riding with a 35 or 30 profile? We have a lot pot holes and road ruts in the area this season.

[Verbiage]

Yeah. That snow/salt combination from our horrible winter really took chunks out of our streets. Just gotta be careful

[SocalMike]

ditching the dumb flats
for conti extreme dw

[pruettfan]

Getting rid of my runflats was an excellent upgrade to ride and handling.

[nukezero]

Kumho ASX ??? I have those on my Acura TSX. They're all-season and they are great for going to work and school. Great treadwear, terrible off-the-line grip even for a 160ft-lb TSX. These tires don't belong on any sports car, let alone a 335i with 300-ft-lb of torque.

why didn't you atleast shoot for the Hankook Ventus V12 K110 max performance summer tire? They're not even that expensive.

[MCMLXXXIX]

Originally Posted by SocalMike

ditching the dumb flats
for conti extreme dw

thats what i did. ExtremeContact DWS tho, no summers for me. the car feels so freakin light!

[Jonny550]

you could have got a whole set of Generl uhp's for your car for like $500 and its way better tire than the one you got. I dont know why everyone hates on the RFT so much their actually decent iam putting 390 wtq to the floor with nothing but slight traction loss in 1st and 2nd. I hated the ride in them but for the safety their good to have, i mean unless your on a track how much grip do you really need, 98% of the time were all doing the speed limit lol i hope.


http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

[chromisdesigns]

Originally Posted by Jon335iFL

I dont know why everyone hates on the RFT so much

Maybe, because they slam over the slightest road irregularities, and over potholes they shake the fillings loose from your teeth?

Could that be it? Oh, plus they wear like crap and cost half again as much as decent conventional tires? Hard to find somebody to patch them? Trashed if you actually DO run them with no pressure for much distance at all?

Nah, nobody could have a problem with any of those. I dunno, why DO people ditch 'em?

[Kolyan2k]

Run flats are for safety, not performance or anything else for that matter. There is a vid of what might happen is a regular tire blows on high speed vs run flat.

I would gladly get rid of my run flats but tires are too expensive

[alloy]

My 335i is my dd and I couldn't take the slamming every time I hit an irregularity in the road be it a pothole or frost heave. The rft's were set at the pressure BMW said. I had Conti Extreme Contact DWS installed. After 2,000 miles, the BS rft's were wearing the inside of the tires. The ride is sooooo much smoother with the Conti's. It's like night and day. The turn in is not as sharp, but these tires grip and if I hit a frost heave in the middle of a turn, my 335i doesn't jump a half foot sideways anymore.
They were $774 from Tirerack (including shipping). But to have the rft's taken off (which was a BIG headache) and the Conti non-rft's installed was $196.00 and took 2.5 hours to do it.
But it's done and I am very happy with these tires!

[335BBS]

Originally Posted by SocalMike

ditching the dumb flats
for conti extreme dw

Please let us know how those new Contis are.

[Christos]

Originally Posted by Takashi

You know, if you stop running over potholes your rims will not be bent. Some people just don't seem to be able to grasp the simple concept.

Why would I want to go out of my way and change my run flat tires to cheap tires like your Kumho ASX tires? It's like driving a Caddy Limo with steel rims. The least you can do is put on something better before you start bragging about it.

Run flat tires are installed for a reason, and I wish they are mandatory for all motor vehicles. Not only it is dangerous for someone to change tires on the side of the road, it also blocks traffic and create road hazards.

Did you get yourself a spare tire yet as you will be needing one. Don't say nobody warned you! If you blow your tire on the side of the road, you are going to be wasting time to get your car towed. Don't blame BMW for not including any spares because OEM equipment does not require a spare tire.

+1, I am one of the very few who really like RFTs. yes they run harder, but I love quick sharp turn ins and the high level of safety they provide. Every time I see someone on the side of a busy highway, cars zipping by at 60+mph, the family haphazardly milling about on the shoulder and the shoulder strewn with junk from all the crap people carry in their trunk today, just to get the spare tire out. I realize how lucky I am to have the RFTs.

[Strongmad]

Originally Posted by Takashi

You know, if you stop running over potholes your rims will not be bent. Some people just don't seem to be able to grasp the simple concept.

Yeah, Ill have to agree with this, your rims are bent because of road conditions, not because of the tires. If anything the RFT's will protect your rims from severe potholes, if it weren't for the hard sidewalls you may be looking at shredded tires and split rims.

Originally Posted by Takashi

Why would I want to go out of my way and change my run flat tires to cheap tires like your Kumho ASX tires? It's like driving a Caddy Limo with steel rims. The least you can do is put on something better before you start bragging about it.

This statement is just misinformed, Kuhmo makes great tires at a price that is hard to beat. I have had Kuhmo's on previous vehicles and they have great dry and wet performance. You are going to lose some turn in on any non-RFT due to the difference in sidewall stiffness. I currently have Sumitomo HRT Z III's on my 335 and they are terrific. Just because something is inexpensive doesn't make it suck. Keep in mind that Bridgestone and Michelin have to pay for their marketing and racing budgets.

Originally Posted by Takashi

Run flat tires are installed for a reason, and I wish they are mandatory for all motor vehicles. Not only it is dangerous for someone to change tires on the side of the road, it also blocks traffic and create road hazards.

Run flats are installed for many reasons, the biggest one is that a full size spare will not fit in the 3-series anymore due to the suspension geometry. A RFT can leave you stranded on the side of the just like a non-RFT. Just because it can run with zero air pressure, does not make it immune to a severe structural failure.

Making RFT's mandatory for road cars is plain stupid, why limit choice for people who prefer the performance of non-RFT's just because some people are too stupid to get off the interstate to change their flat tire? I have had one flat on the interstate in the last 10 years, when it occurred I drove the care to the nearest exit to change it. Yes it resulted in complete tire failure and I had to purchase a new one, but I am smart enough not to change it on the side of the interstate. I call that natural selection.

Originally Posted by Takashi

Did you get yourself a spare tire yet as you will be needing one. Don't say nobody warned you! If you blow your tire on the side of the road, you are going to be wasting time to get your car towed. Don't blame BMW for not including any spares because OEM equipment does not require a spare tire.

Yes, I purchased a 17x7.5 rim and put a 225/45/R17 tire on it. This is the excact same wheel/tire combo that comes standard on the 335. I also purchased a jack and cargo net to put in the trunk. The aforementioned spare/jack kit/ and set of four tires still cost nearly 800 dollars less than a set of OEM runflats and in my opinion far outperform them. Sometimes, it's smarter to spend less money, not more.

Remember, you get great turn in because of the insanely stiff sidewalls, but for my money I much prefer to turn on DTC and swing the rear end around a corner.

[dreamingat30fps]

Originally Posted by Christos

+1, I am one of the very few who really like RFTs. yes they run harder, but I love quick sharp turn ins and the high level of safety they provide. Every time I see someone on the side of a busy highway, cars zipping by at 60+mph, the family haphazardly milling about on the shoulder and the shoulder strewn with junk from all the crap people carry in their trunk today, just to get the spare tire out. I realize how lucky I am to have the RFTs.

Well I must have gotten the "special" run flats on mine. I had just received my new set of none runflats when on my way home from work one of my runflats goes completely flat. Car starts pulling hard to the right (it was the right front) so I get off on the next exit to see wtf is going on. Try to put some air in it to see if it will hold some. Nope. So then I'm like well they ARE runflats I guess I'll just drive home where I have my new tires. Once I started driving I was like hell no! There is no way this is safe or good for the car. There is no way I would of made it home on the highway for 50 miles at 50mph without totally messing something up.

I have never had any issues with the good old spare tire. That plus road side assistance and I'm set. The hell with these useless "runflats".

[Qunadry]

Originally Posted by Christos

+1, I am one of the very few who really like RFTs. yes they run harder, but I love quick sharp turn ins and the high level of safety they provide. Every time I see someone on the side of a busy highway, cars zipping by at 60+mph, the family haphazardly milling about on the shoulder and the shoulder strewn with junk from all the crap people carry in their trunk today, just to get the spare tire out. I realize how lucky I am to have the RFTs.

I also find nothing to fault with RFT's except that the choice is limited. I would love to see Toyo make a Proxes 4 in the size for my 135i.

[captainaudio]

Originally Posted by Takashi

You know, if you stop running over potholes your rims will not be bent. Some people just don't seem to be able to grasp the simple concept.


.

And if you avoid cold weather you don't need a heater, and if don't drive in the rain you don't need windshield wipers, and if you never hit anything you don't need airbags or seatbelts.

CA

[pjm]

Originally Posted by Strongmad

Yeah, Ill have to agree with this, your rims are bent because of road conditions, not because of the tires. If anything the RFT's will protect your rims from severe potholes, if it weren't for the hard sidewalls you may be looking at shredded tires and split rims.

I think just the opposite will happen - the stiff sidewalls of a RFT will transfer the energy of an impact to the wheel. A softer sidewall will do a better job of absorbing that impact.

[Strongmad]

Originally Posted by pjm

I think just the opposite will happen - the stiff sidewalls of a RFT will transfer the energy of an impact to the wheel. A softer sidewall will do a better job of absorbing that impact.

It may go either way. But if you hit a pothole hard enough you can shred your non-RFT which then offers no protection to your wheel.

I have non-RFT's, I just don't hit potholes. And yes, there are plenty where I live. But I normally drive the same roads and know where they are.

[Christos]

Originally Posted by dreamingat30fps

Well I must have gotten the "special" run flats on mine. I had just received my new set of none runflats when on my way home from work one of my runflats goes completely flat. Car starts pulling hard to the right (it was the right front) so I get off on the next exit to see wtf is going on. Try to put some air in it to see if it will hold some. Nope. So then I'm like well they ARE runflats I guess I'll just drive home where I have my new tires. Once I started driving I was like hell no! There is no way this is safe or good for the car. There is no way I would of made it home on the highway for 50 miles at 50mph without totally messing something up.

I have never had any issues with the good old spare tire. That plus road side assistance and I'm set. The hell with these useless "runflats".

interesting, I've never had a flat with the RFT so I don't know what to expect

[cruise_bone]

Originally Posted by Christos

+1, I am one of the very few who really like RFTs. yes they run harder, but I love quick sharp turn ins and the high level of safety they provide. Every time I see someone on the side of a busy highway, cars zipping by at 60+mph, the family haphazardly milling about on the shoulder and the shoulder strewn with junk from all the crap people carry in their trunk today, just to get the spare tire out. I realize how lucky I am to have the RFTs.

+1. Love my RFTs.