BMW 535 M Sport Touring - Run Flats do fail and are not always drivable

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Mon 12 Oct 2015 18:27
BMW 535 M Sport Touring - Run Flats do fail and are not always drivable - redwheels

Just to let folk know that run flats can fail so badly, they need instant replacement as they are not fit to drive. My passenegr side rear went on the motorway yesterday and I ended with a whopping bill. I thought I could limp home but the inner wall shredded (a smaller version of last seasons F1 tyre disasters) and the drivers side looked as though it might follow suit. Plenty of tread left on the tyres but not on the inner shoulder which is not visible until you have removed the wheel. Do check yours carefully!

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Mon 12 Oct 2015 18:41
BMW 535 M Sport Touring - Run Flats do fail and are not always drivable - Railroad.
Run flats are a complete waste of money. And they're generally not repairable if they get punctured or damaged. Although they may be safer to drive on you have to weigh up the cost of them against the likelihood of suffering a serious blowout. In 35 years of driving I've never had one, and neither is anyone likely to have one if you use good quality tyres and keep them in good condition.
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Mon 12 Oct 2015 18:44
BMW 535 M Sport Touring - Run Flats do fail and are not always drivable - galileo

Plenty of tread left on the tyres but not on the inner shoulder which is not visible until you have removed the wheel. Do check yours carefully!

HJ has pointed out many times that if speed humps are straddled the inner shoulder suffers, he recommends one wheel straight over and one through the gap.

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Mon 12 Oct 2015 18:59
BMW 535 M Sport Touring - Run Flats do fail and are not always drivable - RobJP

Plenty of tread left on the tyres but not on the inner shoulder which is not visible until you have removed the wheel. Do check yours carefully!

HJ has pointed out many times that if speed humps are straddled the inner shoulder suffers, he recommends one wheel straight over and one through the gap.

Which is what I always do. However I regularly get tooted at by drivers who want to straddle the humps and minimise the time taken over speed bumps.

Ahh, the perils of being a BMW driver who actually drives responsibly - at this rate I'll even be using indicators !

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Mon 12 Oct 2015 21:02
BMW 535 M Sport Touring - Run Flats do fail and are not always drivable - skidpan

Run flats are not indestructible.

What they should do is prevent an instant deflation (which in your case they did) and allow you to either complete your journey or drive to a place of safety before getting the tyre sorted.

But you should reduce your speed once allerted by the TPMS. Presumably to end up with a tyre that was shreaded you drove either too fast, too far or both.

Once a Run Flat has ben Run Flat its scrap. Our local indy repaired me 2 run flats on a Mini and BMW but neither had run flat and thus could be repaired like any normal tyre that had not been run flat.

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Mon 12 Oct 2015 22:41
BMW 535 M Sport Touring - Run Flats do fail and are not always drivable - Simon
Is the OP saying that his tyre went flat because it wore through to the carcass on the inside edge? Or that it is coincidence that both tyres are worn on the inner edge?
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Tue 13 Oct 2015 13:19
BMW 535 M Sport Touring - Run Flats do fail and are not always drivable - Peter.N.

They also give a terrible ride.

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Tue 13 Oct 2015 13:44
BMW 535 M Sport Touring - Run Flats do fail and are not always drivable - RobJP

They also give a terrible ride.

They used to give a terrible ride.

The first generations of RFT were truly horrible. However later ones are a lot better - so much so that I'd challenge any normal driver to say if a car is/is not running on RFTs or normal tyres.

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Tue 13 Oct 2015 14:33
BMW 535 M Sport Touring - Run Flats do fail and are not always drivable - skidpan

The first generations of RFT were truly horrible. However later ones are a lot better - so much so that I'd challenge any normal driver to say if a car is/is not running on RFTs or normal tyres.

Had Run Flats on a Mini and a BMW 1 Series.

On the Mini the ride was firm but no worse than the Ford Puma it replaced. They were 195 55 16 Dunlops.

On the 1 Series the ride was firm but not terrible. They were 205 50 17 Goodyear. But when I fitted winter tyres in 205 55 16 non run flat there was a noticable improvement. When I sold the car it was ready for new tyres and following discussions with Aviva I planned to use 205 55 16 non run flats year round on a set of rims I had just acquired. It was not just the ride, it was the fact that run flats were virtually twice the price.

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