What will happen if I put Non-run flats on my 335i?

[harryu]

I have a chance to buy a nice set of Blizzak snow tires and wheels (non runflats). Will my tire sensor go nuts? I don't really know how it works. Any help would be appreciated

[greenie99]

No Problem Harry. The sensors will work with both RFTs and non-RFTs. With Blizzaks, youll be driving across Lake Michigan!

[PeterC4]

Greenie's right, those Blizzaks are good.

[harryu]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm guessing performance in snow is optimized by putting a few sand bags in the trunk?

[PeterC4]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm guessing performance in snow is optimized by putting a few sand bags in the trunk?

Don't know. I opted for AWD as did Greenie. :D I'd say careful driving is most important. The Blizzaks are very good though.

[Beer Goggles]

RWD is fine in the snow, lots of computers help you.

[iwant500hp]

blizzaks are good but definitely take them off when the seasons change. They will shred at highway speeds in warm weather, had it happen..

[PStech]

The main thing to think about when switching to non-rft's, is that the suspension was designed softer to compensate for the stiffer sidewall. So it might feel kind of floaty with regular tires on.

[Beer Goggles]

Correct, but a few people who did switch said it felt fine. Maybe go to 19s and get more sidewall stiffness :)

[greenie99]

The main thing to think about when switching to non-rft's, is that the suspension was designed softer to compensate for the stiffer sidewall. So it might feel kind of floaty with regular tires on.

So THATS what Im feeling! Im running Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S non-RFTs and the car does feel "floaty". It seems as though the steering is over-boosted.

[PeterC4]

The main thing to think about when switching to non-rft's, is that the suspension was designed softer to compensate for the stiffer sidewall. So it might feel kind of floaty with regular tires on.

That is worth knowing. Without a doubt, the RFT are very firm and noticably so when you go over potholes.

[Beer Goggles]

So THATS what Im feeling! Im running Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S non-RFTs and the car does feel "floaty". It seems as though the steering is over-boosted.

I think the steering is a little light, and if you're still getting used to the car it will feel floaty. Non RFTS should NOT make it drive floaty.

[greenie99]

I think the steering is a little light, and if you're still getting used to the car it will feel floaty. Non RFTS should NOT make it drive floaty.

BG, it does feel floaty but it is a relatively new feeling that has occured within the past 2 months or so. I had Blizzak non-RFTs on 17s during the winter and the steering was "spot on" which I would describe as normal BMW feel. In April, I changed to Dunlop DZ101 performance non-RFTs on 18s and it was still spot on through the summer. Sometime in Aug, with 5k on the tires, I noticed a change. Last week, I scrapped the Dunlops in favor of Pirelli P-Zero Nero M+S non-RFTs and to my chagrin, there is NO CHANGE!!! It almost feels as though the steering is over-boosted.

[Beer Goggles]

I'm having a little trouble following, but if tires changed they were worn. IF you changed brands maybe they just were a bad choice? Not all tires are the same.

[greenie99]

I'm having a little trouble following, but if tires changed they were worn. IF you changed brands maybe they just were a bad choice? Not all tires are the same.

I bought the car last December and immediately mounted Blizzaks on the car. These were non-RFT and the car handled very well. I changed out to summer performance tires(non-RFT Dunlop) in April and the handling was still good. Sometime in late summer, with 5000 miles accumulated on the Dunlops, the handling seemed to change. It became loose and lost some of that BMW road feel that these cars are known for. I figured that it was the tires so I swapped them out with the Pirelli NON-RFTs. There is no appreciable change! Are these suspensions really tuned to RFTs and if so, is anyone else experiencing this going from a RFT to a NON-RFT?

[fshull]

Why does BMW force run flat on us! They can keep their run flats - just give me a sparel.

[sleeeper]

Ill take your runflats!

[mryakan]

Why does BMW force run flat on us! They can keep their run flats - just give me a sparel.
That is what they offer and you take it or leave it. They have designed their cars around RFTs and they are not the only ones. It's not just the safety/convenience issue which by itself is worthy, but also what the engineers can do with the saved storage space for the space. I guess the days of BMW and spare tires are behind us for good, I doubt they will bring em back.

[StigNV]

That is what they offer and you take it or leave it. They have designed their cars around RFTs and they are not the only ones. It's not just the safety/convenience issue which by itself is worthy, but also what the engineers can do with the saved storage space for the space. I guess the days of BMW and spare tires are behind us for good, I doubt they will bring em back.


You said earlier that the runflats are lousy on the snow, like hockey pucks, and the ideal situation is to go with 17" tires with all seasons for the smaller surface area which maes sense for winter. Are these run flats capable of decent snow running, or do a slip and slide number. Will the smaller all seasons cause the floating phoenomenon discussed earlier?

[greenie99]

You said earlier that the runflats are lousy on the snow, like hockey pucks, and the ideal situation is to go with 17" tires with all seasons for the smaller surface area which maes sense for winter. Are these run flats capable of decent snow running, or do a slip and slide number. Will the smaller all seasons cause the floating phoenomenon discussed earlier?

My Blizzaks are RFTs and perform extremely well in the snow.

[DTownBMW]

Going back to the original question. If you switch from RFT to non-RFT snows, do you need to get additional the pressure sensors? As I understand it, the sensor are in the tire, not on the car. So if you swap out the entire tire/wheel combo, you won't have the sensors unless you install new ones. Is that correct? What happens if you don't have the sensors? Is it only that a light on the dash will light up? That might be worth it to save the $200 it would cost to get new sensors.

Thanks.

[greenie99]

Going back to the original question. If you switch from RFT to non-RFT snows, do you need to get additional the pressure sensors? As I understand it, the sensor are in the tire, not on the car. So if you swap out the entire tire/wheel combo, you won't have the sensors unless you install new ones. Is that correct? What happens if you don't have the sensors? Is it only that a light on the dash will light up? That might be worth it to save the $200 it would cost to get new sensors.

Thanks.

You may use the original sensors or buy new ones. personally, i do not rely on them. I use a professional gauge and check the tires once a month. Now THATS reliable!!!

[mryakan]

You said earlier that the runflats are lousy on the snow, like hockey pucks, and the ideal situation is to go with 17" tires with all seasons for the smaller surface area which maes sense for winter. Are these run flats capable of decent snow running, or do a slip and slide number. Will the smaller all seasons cause the floating phoenomenon discussed earlier?
Man you hugely misread, I said summer tires are lousy in snow, has nothing to do with them being RFT or non-RFT. It is all about the tread and compound used not the sidewall reinforcement.

P.S. I just bought a set of snow RFT Contis.

[mryakan]

You may use the original sensors or buy new ones. personally, i do not rely on them. I use a professional gauge and check the tires once a month. Now THATS reliable!!!
+1. The sensors are there to detect a flat not to keep you up to date on how well inflated your tires are :stickoutt. I am going to start a new thread on what I ran into for ignoring that rule of checking pressure manually esp. when the temps start to drop significantly. I should know better right :nono, being lazy I guess.

[greenie99]

+1. The sensors are there to detect a flat not to keep you up to date on how well inflated your tires are :stickoutt. I am going to start a new thread on what I ran into for ignoring that rule of checking pressure manually esp. when the temps start to drop significantly. I should know better right :nono, being lazy I guess.

Actually, when temps. are high, the expanding air inside the tire has a tendency to look for an "escape route" so its more critical to check those pressures during the summer months. With that said, I check monthly regardless of temp.

[StigNV]

Man you hugely misread, I said summer tires are lousy in snow, has nothing to do with them being RFT or non-RFT. It is all about the tread and compound used not the sidewall reinforcement.

P.S. I just bought a set of snow RFT Contis.

Sorry, for the confustion, and thanks for the clarification. Good to know that you can get snow RFT's. So the Bliizaks and Conti's are decent, huh?

[mryakan]

Sorry, for the confustion, and thanks for the clarification. Good to know that you can get snow RFT's. So the Bliizaks and Conti's are decent, huh?
Can't tell you yet, I will update you in Dec/Jan, but my previous experience with ContiWinters has been good. I had a set on my previous e36 for 8 consecutive years without complaint (non RFT though).

[StigNV]

Can't tell you yet, I will update you in Dec/Jan, but my previous experience with ContiWinters has been good. I had a set on my previous e36 for 8 consecutive years without complaint (non RFT though).


By Conti, you mean Continentals right. Sorry, I'm very new to the Forum, and not familiar with the phraeseology yet. Just looking for clarification. Please bear with me for a short.

[mryakan]

By Conti, you mean Continentals right. Sorry, I'm very new to the Forum, and not familiar with the phraeseology yet. Just looking for clarification. Please bear with me for a short.
correct. The snow tires are called ContiWinterContact.

[Grumpa72]

Are these NEW tires? If not, remember that Blizzaks snow capabilities are seriously compromised once about half the tread is gone. I did some checking on them and found that once your tread depth goes, you lose quite a bit. After that, they become good snow tires but not great. Has to do with the compound in the outer tread.

Gary

[mryakan]

Are these NEW tires? If not, remember that Blizzaks snow capabilities are seriously compromised once about half the tread is gone. I did some checking on them and found that once your tread depth goes, you lose quite a bit. After that, they become good snow tires but not great. Has to do with the compound in the outer tread.

Gary
Your best bet for winter compound all the way to the wear mark is to get Nokians, but you'll have to look around to find them. Most others as you mentioned become somewhat all seasons after certain tread wear, but I am not sure about the Contis. I didn't notice degredation in performance till the last year of use when the tread was really low.