BMW and M Power Owners

thewanted said:
Michelin Pilot Super Sports are available in that size if you decide not to get runflats. Phenomenal tyres.

If you do want runflats (:confused:) then you can get Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric 2s which are probably the next best thing. You'll have to change all 4 tyres though if you don't stick with runflats. I assume you have 225/40/18s on the front?
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Yes, 225/40/18 on the front.

I don't know, I guess i'm not sure why I wouldn't want runflats at this moment. Most of my miles are at motorway speeds, a blowout at those speeds isn't funny, I don't find the ride harsh, I don't need 4 tyres right now, I expected the tyres to cost a bit more. :o
 
[TW]Fox;27575053 said:
Run flats are not blowout proof. They don't stop blowouts they simply allow you to drive on for 50 miles with a conventional puncture.
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I know, but those 50 miles will get me to a tyre fitter and save me being stuck on the side of a motorway farting about with repair kits.

If i'm honest I don't get why they are hated so much. I'm not unwilling to change my opinion but searching only seems to reveal rage against them and I'm suspicious that the silent majority just like them, if they are so bad why are they so widespread amongst the BMW range now?
 
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spoonz said:
Having owned a E92 M3 manual, I left it for a Cayman S, then a 996 C4S and I am now buying another E92 M3, this time DCT.

That is also after considering a 997 Turbo, 97 GTS and a new M3.

Sitting in, experiencing and owning an E92 M3, is not comparable to a the same of a 320d.
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What did you think of the E92 M3 manual vs 996 C4S? I've always wondered about going to a 996 C4S (used to have an E92 M3 manual). If I were to get another M3 I'd definitely get the DCT gearbox. I had it in my Z4 and it was hands down the best gearbox I've ever used.
 
peige said:
I know, but those 50 miles will get me to a tyre fitter and save me being stuck on the side of a motorway farting about with repair kits.

If i'm honest I don't get why they are hated so much. I'm not unwilling to change my opinion but searching only seems to reveal rage against them and I'm suspicious that the silent majority just like them, if they are so bad why are they so widespread amongst the BMW range now?
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They offer less grip, less feel, give a harsher ride and are more expensive than even premium non RFT tyres. If they were so good, they'd be standard fit on BMW's performance models (they aren't).

They are widespread in the BMW range because it allows BMW to put only 4 wheels and tyres in the car, thus gaining a weight saving, reducing emissions and improving quoted performance figures.

They have one advantage: you can drive for 50 miles at up to 50mph with four punctured tyres to get you to a tyre fitter.
 
peige said:
I know, but those 50 miles will get me to a tyre fitter and save me being stuck on the side of a motorway farting about with repair kits.
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Thats the theory. But the reality is rather different - if you are on a long trip, perhaps of an evening, the only place you are really going is home on a flatbed lorry as the tyre depots are shut and the range on RFT's is insufficient for a journey of any real length.

My girlfriends Mini got a puncture a few months ago. But no bother, her office is opposite a tyre depot. So she pumped the tyre up and drove quite literally to the other side of the road. Where they wouldnt repair it - because its an RFT - and they didnt have another in stock. She drove to another. Same story.

So she gave up and drove home - the tyre is now fit only for the bin so the fact she had runflats has cost £130.

Had she not had RFT's the first place she went to would have repaired the puncture for £10 and she'd have been on her way.

They are much better in terms of noise and ride quality than they used to but they still carry a large price premium and still do not ride like a non RFT tyre.

I hate them.
 
panthro said:
What did you think of the E92 M3 manual vs 996 C4S? I've always wondered about going to a 996 C4S (used to have an E92 M3 manual). If I were to get another M3 I'd definitely get the DCT gearbox. I had it in my Z4 and it was hands down the best gearbox I've ever used.
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If you are buying a Porsche, it needs to be a manual IMO, and preferably with an OEM short shift kit. The PDK, although slick, doesn't have the character of DCT. It makes for a bizarre driving experience, very unconnected. That is of course, unless you are buying a 991 GT3.
 
[TW]Fox;27576343 said:
Thats the theory. But the reality is rather different - if you are on a long trip, perhaps of an evening, the only place you are really going is home on a flatbed lorry as the tyre depots are shut and the range on RFT's is insufficient for a journey of any real length.

My girlfriends Mini got a puncture a few months ago. But no bother, her office is opposite a tyre depot. So she pumped the tyre up and drove quite literally to the other side of the road. Where they wouldnt repair it - because its an RFT - and they didnt have another in stock. She drove to another. Same story.

So she gave up and drove home - the tyre is now fit only for the bin so the fact she had runflats has cost £130.

Had she not had RFT's the first place she went to would have repaired the puncture for £10 and she'd have been on her way.

They are much better in terms of noise and ride quality than they used to but they still carry a large price premium and still do not ride like a non RFT tyre.

I hate them.
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I, on the other hand, see the benefits, but for me the drawbacks outweighed the positives.

Had your girlfriend got a puncture driving on country roads in the rain, in the middle of the night, RFT would have meant she stayed dry, she stayed safe and could get home. The vast vast majority of the average driver's trips will be well within 50 miles of their home address or a place of safety, and many people, including a lot of females, do not feel comfortable messing around with tyres in the dark. So from the safety and peace of mind side of it, I can definitely see why someone would want to stay with runflats.

The downsides were that no one apart from dodgy car tyre places would repair RFTs, they were expensive and they gave a harsh ride and you could only get about 3 different tyres with RFT, all of which were about 10 years old in design, and double the price of a regular tyre.

However, I was having a look earlier and Goodyear F1A2 RFT's are available for £106. This means you can get a very good performing modern RFT tyre, for no more than a regular tyre and one which is likely to be much more compliant than the 1st generation runflats.

With this in mind, if I had RFTs, I'd probably look to keep them as now, the only drawback I can see is slightly harsher ride and can't repair them in the event of getting a puncture.
 
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My throttle control processor broke and required a restart to get the EML light to go out, called bmw emergency assist and they sent a bloke over to my works car park. 2 error codes were up so they replaced it, tightened my handbreak and gave the car a health check including video email, and washed it, all in 48 hours whilst they gave me a diesel 5 series for the time being. Excellent service on the used approved front.
 
Feeling the love for runflats here ;)

The advice seems to be change all four, so I'm looking at £500 + a mobility kit that seems to be £100. My fronts are fine atm but the rears are I think weeks away.

Real gamble as to which is going to cost me more in the long run, the reasons to change aren't really that compelling right now.
 
Do you have the adaptive suspension option on your F20? I drove an F20 with runflats and adaptive suspension a few months ago, and I couldn't even tell until I looked at which tyres the car had.

Maybe stick with RFTs and by the time your new rears are worn down the fronts might be ready for a change too.
 
Runflats.... my personal opinion....


I had RFTs on my 335i - I HATED them, made the ride extremely harsh and they were very heavy tyres. I changed them for decent normal tyres and the ride was better, it handled better, it went better round a track. I got a puncture once, repaired for a tenner.

I have RFTs on my X6. The ride is harsher than it would be if they were normal, but not overly - and also the price to change all 4x 20" tyres is a lot - so I won't be changing them until I actually have to change 2 due to wear, then I'll bite the bullet and do all 4.


I had runflats on the Z4 I bought the other day, 2 had really low tread so took the opportunity to change all 4 to decent normal tyres - much like the 335i, the improvement is all round, noise, comfort, handling.
 
thewanted said:
Maybe stick with RFTs and by the time your new rears are worn down the fronts might be ready for a change too.
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You know what, thats what I will do. New set of RFT's for now on the rear, by the time they are gone I will probably be looking at all four, then I make the call :cool:
 
spoonz said:
If you are buying a Porsche, it needs to be a manual IMO, and preferably with an OEM short shift kit. The PDK, although slick, doesn't have the character of DCT. It makes for a bizarre driving experience, very unconnected. That is of course, unless you are buying a 991 GT3.
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I drove a 997 S with PDK (early version with the buttons on the steering wheel) and it wasn't a pleasant experience. I just have a yearning for a grey 996 C4S with the PSE. I'm going to be buying a new car soon as I love BMW's but the 996 is on the short list. Due to a house move though my budget has been slashed dramatically so £15k is my max limit I think.
 
Evening chaps.

I've tried to read around and stuff, but I wanted some insight from you guys. Is the BMW M5 E60 worth the money it's going for (around £20k for a good one)?

Idealy, sub 70k miles, 2010 for the lovely V10.

Thoughts?
 
agnes said:
Evening chaps.

I've tried to read around and stuff, but I wanted some insight from you guys. Is the BMW M5 E60 worth the money it's going for (around £20k for a good one)?

Idealy, sub 70k miles, 2010 for the lovely V10.

Thoughts?
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Make sure you do all the sums before seriously considering one. Even with a BMW warranty they are expensive to run. Without a warranty it's a case of when not if something breaks, and when it does it will hurt your wallet.
 
[TW]Fox;27588436 said:
You will want one with under 60k on it as the warranty over 60k is something stupid like 250 quid a month I think?
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Oh really? Wow... Surely it's likely cheaper to stay out of warranty then lol.

Damn this car for digging under my skin! I won't be able to purchase until October anyway so I'll do some more research :(
 
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