Sponsored by The Tire Rack

[My135]

Today, my low tire warning light came on and it was cold and raining outside, so I thought it might be the cold weather caused the tire pressure to drop outside the pre-set threshold and triggered the warning.

So, I kept driving to work and waited until I got home from work to check. Holly cow, the driver side front tire had less than 10 PSI; and I drove around 60 miles averaging 80 miles on the highway and I did not notice a damn thing except the steering kind of slighty pull to the driver side which was a good indicator of low tire pressure.

My conclusion is our RFT does work to my satisfaction. So next time when I decide to ditch the RFT, I have to give it a second thought. Hopefully, the 3rd generation of RF will improve such that I don't have to switch.

[FactoryFast]

Im with you man. RFT's are for me! I caught a flat the day before Thanksgiving. Drove 70 miles at my normal pace (80-130) to the bar and picked up my drunken siblings and significant other...I filled the tire up once on the way. I then drove another 10 miles from the bar with 3 passengers. The day after Thanksgiving I had the tire plugged on which I easily drove another 300 miles. It lasted me up to today where I used my tire/rim protection to have the tire replaced. In seemingly typical fashion to my BMW experience the paperwork had not yet been filed and they wanted me to pay almost $400 for the work. After a few minutes I agreed to give a credit card in case the claim was denied. It was the first time a BMW employee actually fixed a situation for me.

[My135]

"You migth want to change that tire asap. As far as I understand these tires are only good for 50ish miles when they are flat (thats what the dealer told me)"

This is not true. They only said you supposed to drive not to exceed 50 mph when it is flat. After I refill the tire, it drives normal and no viusal damage.

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by My135

"You migth want to change that tire asap. As far as I understand these tires are only good for 50ish miles when they are flat (thats what the dealer told me)"

This is not true. They only said you supposed to drive not to exceed 50 mph when it is flat. After I refill the tire, it drives normal and no viusal damage.

actually if you run them when flat at all, they need to be replaced, you cant visually see the damage, at least that's what they told me

I"m not sure if 10 psi is enough to run them on without needing to replace them.

who put the plug in btw?

[My135]

If we have to replace the RFT after it got a flat, then it did not worth a shit.

[imported_mega]

Originally Posted by My135

If we have to replace the RFT after it got a flat, then it did not worth a shit.

correct, that's why I took them off, and bought AAA, we also have that bmw assist button, the m's dont even have runflats or a spare tire

they are better if you have a slow leak though


It's great, they ride better, grip a LOT better, holy crap do they grip better, and I have not seen that stupid yellow traction control light in ages

[jeremyc74]

The lack of understanding about run-flat tires is dangerous IMO.

They're an EMERGENCY measure. Not "I know there's no air in it but it's a RFT so I'm going to just drive on it anyway."

It scares the hell out of me to think about how many people are completely ignoring the low tire pressure indicator and driving around on these things flat for miles and miles.

This is why the system GM uses is better. It tells you the actual tire pressure instead of just telling you it's low. The BMW system is so prone to false alarms, people ignore it. You wouldn't do that if you saw the tire only had 10PSI in it instead of just being a couple of PSI low.

[oasis3582]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

The lack of understanding about run-flat tires is dangerous IMO.

They're an EMERGENCY measure. Not "I know there's no air in it but it's a RFT so I'm going to just drive on it anyway."

It scares the hell out of me to think about how many people are completely ignoring the low tire pressure indicator and driving around on these things flat for miles and miles.

This is why the system GM uses is better. It tells you the actual tire pressure instead of just telling you it's low. The BMW system is so prone to false alarms, people ignore it. You wouldn't do that if you saw the tire only had 10PSI in it instead of just being a couple of PSI low.

+1 on all accounts.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

This is why the system GM uses is better. It tells you the actual tire pressure instead of just telling you it's low. The BMW system is so prone to false alarms, people ignore it. You wouldn't do that if you saw the tire only had 10PSI in it instead of just being a couple of PSI low.

Since (for our own good, one assumes) we are shielded from distracting info on battery/charging system condition, water temp, oil pressure, etc., etc., why would we be trusted to interpret complex data such as tire psi?

Tom

[My135]

If BMW can display each tire's PSI, then we can make a better informative decision whether you should continue to drive as is (say you are only 4 PSI low which may due to outside temperature) or the problem require immediate attention (as in my case if the PSI drop more than 20).

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Since (for our own good, one assumes) we are shielded from distracting info on battery/charging system condition, water temp, oil pressure, etc., etc., why would we be trusted to interpret complex data such as tire psi?

Tom

I guess we can't, according to BMW.

It's a little bit sad that GM considers its customers smart enough to deal with such things, and BMW doesn't.

Also, on some newer GM cars the multifunction display will give you actual water temps, battery voltage, and some other stuff.

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by My135

If BMW can display each tire's PSI, then we can make a better informative decision whether you should continue to drive as is (say you are only 4 PSI low which may due to outside temperature) or the problem require immediate attention (as in my case if the PSI drop more than 20).

The sad part is, the system they're using is completely capable of that. The information is being passed to the ECU for interpretation, and they just choose not to allow us to see it.

[imported_mega]

dont you dare doubt the german engineering it knows better than you what you should know

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

I guess we can't, according to BMW.

It's a little bit sad that GM considers its customers smart enough to deal with such things, and BMW doesn't.

Also, on some newer GM cars the multifunction display will give you actual water temps, battery voltage, and some other stuff.

Glad to see GM is coming around. IIRC, they were one of the first to substitute idiot lights for oil pressure & gen/alt gauges back in the late 50's.

I usually request a subcompact loaner when either of my cars is in for service & recently the small Hyundai or Kia I was given was handling quite badly. A couple of button pushes & it was simple to discover that one tire had only 13 lbs. of pressure.

Maybe I could order a Korean spec model for my next BMW.
Tom

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by imported_mega

dont you dare doubt the german engineering it knows better than you what you should know

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Glad to see GM is coming around. IIRC, they were one of the first to substitute idiot lights for oil pressure & gen/alt gauges back in the late 50's.

I usually request a subcompact loaner when either of my cars is in for service & recently the small Hyundai or Kia I was given was handling quite badly. A couple of button pushes & it was simple to discover that one tire had only 13 lbs. of pressure.

Maybe I could order a Korean spec model for my next BMW.
Tom

I think they really are coming around. Some of these companies are realizing that enthusiasts like to know what's going on with their engines. Most cars today that have gauges have them dumbed down and buffered to the point that they're not even useful.

I think putting the information in the multi-function display is a pretty good solution. It lets us see what's going on when we want to, and it prevents all the dumbasses from bringing the car in every time a needle fluctuates during normal operation.

[bimmer billy]

I drove from NYC to NJ with a 1/2inch gouge so big you could see the inside of the tire.

[ptack]

According to BMW and Bridgestone you should replace that tire after using it in a runflat state. How safe is it really? I don't think anyone knows which is why the official word is to replace it. At about $300 (not including mounting and balancing), it aint cheep.

[My135]

"According to BMW and Bridgestone you should replace that tire after using it in a runflat state."

I think you have to consider the replacement option on a case by case basis. In my case, the tire was not deform and showed no sign of damage, so I am going to patch it first and see how it goes instead of replacing it now.

[crzy4135i]

Originally Posted by My135

"According to BMW and Bridgestone you should replace that tire after using it in a runflat state."

I think you have to consider the replacement option on a case by case basis. In my case, the tire was not deform and showed no sign of damage, so I am going to patch it first and see how it goes instead of replacing it now.

They say 50miles at 50mph max because the sidewalls heat up when you're driving on it with no pressure. If you keep driving on it, at higher speeds or longer distance, the tire could heat up enough to fall apart. The worst situation is you could weaken it but not enough to fall apart and it still looks good.. then it blows out later after you have it patched.

I agree; If you don't want to replace the tire it would be wise to keep putting air in it until you can have it patched. Don't drive the hell out of it with no air pressure.

[Yuzi]

It costs BMW $676CAD to replace a brand new rear RFT on my BMW and I was warranty covered =)

[WhiteOne]

RFT's SUCK! End of story.
(your opinion may vary)