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[Viper]

I parked my 135i in the airport parking lot and had to leave it there for a week. I didn't realize that the tire pressure was extremely low (15 psi) when i had left it because the tire sensor was not working. I came back from my trip and drove it about 10 miles to the nearest gas station to fill the tire so i would be able to get to the nearest place to put an interior patch on the tire. The gentlemen who was placing the patch on told me to come take a look at the tire. the inside of the tire had grated rubber sloshing around in it because i had weakened the tire while letting it sit so long and then driving it. so now my main dilemma is what should i do. my car only has 4,000 miles on it so the tires are brand new. to purchase 1 new rear RFT will cost my $350 plus tax and installation.

my main question is whether i should just suck it up and buy 1 new run flat and wait another 20k before i buy new rims and tires, or should i look at spending

Any advise (Gill)?

[esses]

Depending on how you drive your RFT tread might not last 10K miles. Food for thought.

[morscode]

I'd look at purchasing a non RFT set of tires and phase out the fronts later if you're on a budget.

I'm personally not happy with the RFT's and the constant worry about riding them flat. If I get a flat, I'm most likely calling AAA regardless of which tire I choose.

[Viper]

well i really do not drive like a maniac, but i do usually track my car once a year.

someone else told me about putting two non RFT in the rear and leave the stock RFT up front. it doesn't sound like a good idea to me, but i have never upgraded tires/rims on any of my previous cars. has anyone else done this? sounds strange, but i guess it is an alternative.

i am planning to call Gill at tire rack tomorrow to see what he has to say.

[m7ammed]

I don't think you are suppose to mix RFT and non RFT on the same car.

[ptack]

You may have to consider it a $350 penalty, unless you're willing to go to $1000 and get all new, non-rft rubber which you will have to do at some point anyway.

The only other option you might have if you can wait is to check ebay and see if any other 1 owner is selling the same runflats at a discount.

[BrokenVert]

You cant patch a runflat anyway. So the moment it started leaking it was like a hourglass pouring its soul away.

That sounded a lot more poetic in my head...

[UF135i]

Plenty of people sell their relatively new RFT's because they upgrade to nonRFT's well before the RFT's run out of tread. Try to pick one up from one of those people for cheap and replace all the tires when the RFT's go bald.

[KeithLM]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

You cant patch a runflat anyway. So the moment it started leaking it was like a hourglass pouring its soul away.

That sounded a lot more poetic in my head...

Some punctures on RFTs can be repaired, it's not always fatal.

That said, I damaged two from running over something hard, I guess, I'm not really sure. Ended up with bulging sidewalls and had to replace them. However I had purchased a warranty from my local Firestone dealer so it didn't cost me to much to replace them. If you want to stick with RFTs, buy a road hazard warranty. It's worth it.

[imported_mega]

one of my rear rf's has a nail in it, but it's only leaked one time and has held air fine sense, and was never driven while low on air

the nail is still there, still looking for somewhere that will plug it, it's right in the center of the tire so it's patchable but nobody wants to do it

[deeb]

I have one brand new stock front tire (215/40/18) from the 135i I will sell you a lot cheaper than anywhere on the net!

[Sansnoetic]

Originally Posted by imported_mega

one of my rear rf's has a nail in it, but it's only leaked one time and has held air fine sense, and was never driven while low on air

the nail is still there, still looking for somewhere that will plug it, it's right in the center of the tire so it's patchable but nobody wants to do it

I just found a screw in my front right RFT. I've heard mixed emotions about trying to patch them. What's the consensus out there? Should I remove the screw with the risk that it might leak, or should I leave in place?

[135forthewin]

My advice to all is to not patch runflats unless temporarily until a new tire arrives. I have read BMW has gone as far as voiding suspension warranties because of people patching their runflats, it's not worth it.
I'll do a search in the next couple days, but it was either here or on the e90post section where this situation happened to someone. If you choose to move away from runflats but not buy new fronts, buy new tires for both wheels on the rear axle.
I believe a pair of 245/40/18 Dunlop Direzzas will cost you $370 or so, so take this oppurtunity to upgrade if you want!

[rcracer_tx]

Originally Posted by 135forthewin

My advice to all is to not patch runflats unless temporarily until a new tire arrives. I have read BMW has gone as far as voiding suspension warranties because of people patching their runflats, it's not worth it.

It's illegal to void the warranty if it was not related to the failure... People need to learn their rights as consumers so they don't get ripped off....

I would patch the tire and order a new set of non runcrap tires....

[135forthewin]

Originally Posted by rcracer_tx

I would patch the tire and order a new set of non runcrap tires....

Agreed. Also, I did some reading up. Supposedly it depends on the distance you drove on the runflat while at low pressures. If you drive for too long relying on the sidewalls, they become weakened and the tire's safety is compromised.

[Artmasterx]

I just had a similar situation when I damage a front tire on my 128i in a pothole. I just went with a new set of General Exclaim UHPs in 225/45r17 all around. It was about $550 for the new tires compared to $325 for one new front runflat. If I can make a few dollars selling my other three used runflats, it will be even better.

I bet you could sell your rear tires for a reasonable amount if they have a lot of tread left.