[bnasim]

My rear tyre ( 255/30 R19) Bridgestones Potenza appears to have a puncture. The pressure keeps falling to zero despite the fact Ive put air in it three times now.

Ive taken it to Kwik Fit and National and although they cant find a nail or anything, they say its possible the nail has become dislodged and its probably a puncture.

Ive asked them to check for a cracked alloy too but they say the alloy is ok.

Im seriously thinking of replacing my tyres with Falken 452's but worried that if it is a cracked alloy that is causing the pressure loss, then BMW wont entertain free replacement of the alloy if I have non-RFT's fitted to it.

Any suggestions?

[Kerr]

Surely the guys at Kwik fit would put the wheel into water to work out where the air was escaping?

That's what you need to work out before buying a tyre or otherwise.

Have a look at the inside on the rim yourself. The cracks I've seen are noticeable by looking at the wheel.

[bnasim]

he sprayed some water over the tyre but didnt show up much

I had a good look at the alloy and it seemed ok to me...

Perhaps its worth a trip to the BMW garage to have it checked properly?

On a side note the tyre set up I have on my car is:
back: 255/30 R19
front: 225/35 R19

Would this size of the following tyre do. Any other suggestions?
Falkens 452's:
back: 265/30 R19
front: 235/35 R19

Thanks

[bnasim]

Just had a look at availability of Falkens and they are out of order.

dont seem to be available in the rear size: 265/30 R19.

Might go for VREDESTEIN ULTRAC SESSANTA instead.

Are they similar in performance, comfort and longevity?

[Dr Dave]

Suggest you take it to a tyre shop that actually knows how to look for a puncture!

[parapaul]

in a word, yes

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by Kerr

Surely the guys at Kwik fit would put the wheel into water to work out where the air was escaping?.

Don't expect to much...



Falken, like many others, have been affected by the Japanese tsunami.

[gaza01]

Its not necessarily a puncture! If the tyre wasnt seated properly on the rim and there's dirt trapped betwen the rim and tyre then as u drive air can leak out from there. Have the tyre re seated on the rim ensuring the check and clean alo g the edge. This may help!

[bnasim]

Originally Posted by gaza01

Its not necessarily a puncture! If the tyre wasnt seated properly on the rim and there's dirt trapped betwen the rim and tyre then as u drive air can leak out from there. Have the tyre re seated on the rim ensuring the check and clean alo g the edge. This may help!

That maybe true but i fitted the tyre over a year ago. Never any problems until now.... Can it still be an issue between the tyre and the rim?

I hope so...

[bnasim]

Ok an update

I went to a 'proper' tyre place.
The pressure was zero again, despite topping it up day before!
They took off the wheel and placed it in some water: found a dirty big hole. No nail inside so must have been dislodged.

The guy repaired it the RFT. He said he has repaired loads and it should last for the lifetime of the tyre....

I know its not recommended by the manufacturer to repair RFT's but is it ok to repair? I guess I could keep an eye on it with the pressure monitor..

thanks for all the advice

[gaza01]

depends on where the hole is? Same rules that apply to no RFTs apply to RFTs

[bnasim]

The puncture is on the flat tread.

[m1bjr]

Its fine.
The only reasons tyre shops shy away from repairing RFTs:

1. They don't know if you drove it around 'flat' and therefor have compromised the structure

2. More margin in selling you a new one

[BIGTIME]

Sounds like it has been driven on whilst flat though.

[F104]

Originally Posted by bnasim

Just had a look at availability of Falkens and they are out of order.

dont seem to be available in the rear size: 265/30 R19.

Might go for VREDESTEIN ULTRAC SESSANTA instead.

Are they similar in performance, comfort and longevity?

re the sessanta's, good tyre but the thread design is not everyone's cup of tee.
re Falkens; said on here before, they don't have (much) rim protection

I ended up with Michelin PS3 for €900 locally fitted (excl alignment). Lowest web price i could find for Falkens was €652, excl fitting, and needing to drive to germany to get them fitted. I also had alignment done, the guy spend one hour on it - he felt a bit bad when i pointed out (before he started) he had selected the wrong model (E93 instead of 92 M-sport) in the program, and just did his best to get it 100% while explaining every adjustment he made.

[bnasim]

Originally Posted by F104

re the sessanta's, good tyre but the thread design is not everyone's cup of tee.
re Falkens; said on here before, they don't have (much) rim protection

I ended up with Michelin PS3 for €900 locally fitted (excl alignment). Lowest web price i could find for Falkens was €652, excl fitting, and needing to drive to germany to get them fitted. I also had alignment done, the guy spend one hour on it - he felt a bit bad when i pointed out (before he started) he had selected the wrong model (E93 instead of 92 M-sport) in the program, and just did his best to get it 100% while explaining every adjustment he made.

What influence does the thread design have on the tyre? Is it merely cosmetics?
I dont think I get much rim protection with my bridgestone RFTS anyway...
Out of interest do the M3, M5 cars have RFT's. If not then do they carry a spare wheel?

cheers

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by bnasim

What influence does the thread design have on the tyre? Is it merely cosmetics?

I dont think I get much rim protection with my bridgestone RFTS anyway...
Out of interest do the M3, M5 cars have RFT's. If not then do they carry a spare wheel?s

Tyre tread patterns, in principle, have different functions. Some are cosmetic, but typically the tread designs are chosen to assist straightline stability, braking, water dispersion, etc.

M-cars along along with Alpinas come without a spare, E60 models have room for a space saver spare. Most will come with just a mobility kit. So BMW have had quite a few years now, without spare wheels in many cars.

This is now typical in lots of cars, even when RFTs are not being fitted. Some have the option to "buy" and space for a space saver, but not many cars have a full size spare these days, or a big enough wheel well to fit one. Yes, even many bread and butter family cars don't have a spare, just the mobility kit.

HighlandPete

[bnasim]

Thanks for your reply guys, been really helpful.

I think im gonna go ahead and change all 4 tyres on my car when I get a chance.

Ive been mindful of the fact that I have been driving around on zero pressure on my RFT for a bit and this could have caused irreversible damage to the tyre. If im driving mainly in the city, im not too bothered but I do travel to Yorkshire twice a month so would not be comfortable driving over 500 miles at high speeds on a compromised tyre.

Ive had a look at tyre reviews on :
http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Vr...Sessanta_3.htm

I think I will go for the Vredestein's as they have got far superior reviews compared to the Falkens (which arent available at this moment in time for the rear anyway)
Common complaints being soft side wall, poor in the wet and snow, noisy etc...

cheers

[bnasim]

Just got off the phone to Camskills who say I have to get written permission from my insurance company to confirm it is ok to go from Run Flats to non RFT's!! A verbal ok is not good enough!! Dont know why the guy told me this though??

He also said police can stop and fine you for this....Fine you for what?? lol

personally I think this is a load of bull****

waiting to hear otherwise...

[bnasim]

Just got off the phone to Camskills who say I have to get written permission from my insurance company to confirm it is ok to go from Run Flats to non RFT's!! A verbal ok is not good enough!! Dont know why the guy told me this though??

He also said police can stop and fine you for this....Fine you for what?? lol

personally I think this is a load of bull****

waiting to hear otherwise...

[magic77]

yep load of bull, as long as your new tyres have same or higher speed rating as OEM tyre you will be fine, I suggest looking up eventtyres can be cheaper and if you on facebook, their facebook group offers extra discount codes.

look like camskill are just trying to get extra money as the rfts cost more

[briers]

Originally Posted by bnasim

Just got off the phone to Camskills who say I have to get written permission from my insurance company to confirm it is ok to go from Run Flats to non RFT's!! A verbal ok is not good enough!! Dont know why the guy told me this though??

He also said police can stop and fine you for this....Fine you for what?? lol

personally I think this is a load of bull****

waiting to hear otherwise...

Disappointed in camskill - always held them in high regard - what they told you is rubbish.

Since the dawn of time you have been free to choose what tyres go on your own car providing they are the same load and speed rating... and of course size.