F11 530D RFT or non RFT?

[Badgertron]

Hi All, I have a query on the age old RFT vs non RFT debate. I currently have an F11 530d which I love dearly and have usually stuck with RFTs any time I have needed to replace tyres. I've just had the car serviced and require two new tyres soon, with two more in the near future. I have been considering jumping ship to non RFTs for some time (a mixture of alleged ride/handling improvement with lower cost being an added benefit!) and now seems like a good time. Have any other F11 owners done the same and have any recommendations? I'm currently running 245/40/r19 front and rear.

Thanks!

[danb79]

Go non RFTs, get a decent tyre repair kit for the boot and enjoy the quieter, smoother, comfier ride

I run non RFTs on our F31; ran them on my F01 and my dad-in-law ran them on his F10 530D; they make a good difference

[Billy_Whizzzz]

Just done this on my G31 and is like night and day.

[48Valves]

I went non run flats on my F11 535d and G31 540i as soon as the tyres needed replacing.

Both cars are much much better riding with them.

[Badgertron]

Thanks for the responses all, non RFTs it is.

[MissChief]

In case there's any confusion, non RFT's. Quieter & better ride on my F36 428i GC.

Edited by MissChief on Monday 11th November 22:45

[rottenegg]

It's not quite as B or W as "Non runflats are best, the end".

It depends entirely on the tyre brand, wheel size and expectations as not all run flats are created equally.

When I ran 19s, I ditched the P Zero runflats for ContiSport 7s and the grip difference was night/day, but at the expense of steering feel. Runflats give a certain steering feel the car left the factory with, which you lose when ditching them. I like hard side walls personally, so didn't get on with non runflats.

I sold those wheels and dropped to 18" 400Ms which came with the god awful OEM S001 Bridgestones.

Switched those out for BMW * Pilot Sport Zero Pressure and what a difference. Grip for days (even in single digit temps) and much, much more comfortable and quieter than the crappy OEM Pirellis and Bridgestones.

[S2Andy]

I changed to Michelin PS5 non RFT tyres after having 6 Goodyear RFT's fail on me. Tyres are excellent as others have said. Would echo the comment that the steering is a bit woollier presumably due to the softer side walls, cured with a few extra psi in the front. Done about 10K miles with no issues and not much wear apparent

[danb79]

S2Andy said:

I changed to Michelin PS5 non RFT tyres after having 6 Goodyear RFT's fail on me. Tyres are excellent as others have said. Would echo the comment that the steering is a bit woollier presumably due to the softer side walls, cured with a few extra psi in the front. Done about 10K miles with no issues and not much wear apparent

^^^ This

I 'upped' the PSI on the summer 18" Style 405Ms on our F31 by 2 PSI front and 4 PSI rear and the car drives superbly on them; straight set of 235/45/18s all round. Excellent grip; takes the local rough country lanes and B roads with ease (albeit I have done a FULL suspension overhaul in Jan this year with Bilstein B4S shocks and Eibach pro kit springs in there as well)

On the winter Style 397s with Goodyear all-seasons, I run them at factory PSI as the tyres are that bit softer, but also the wheels are nearly 5kg heavier a corner compared to the 405Ms!

[AlexGSi2000]

I'm in the same position... f11 with RFTs

I've only recently purchased the car, but will need tyres in the next few months.

Was going to go for RFTs, but after the other comments I'm considering going for non.

My only real reason for going RFT is that I have a young family and dont fancy being stranded if I get a flat, dont want to carry around a spare in the boot either. May just get a can of tyre weld and take my chances.

[danb79]

We've got this in both our F31 and my E81 - never needed to use them touch wood; but they're there for that very reason

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slime-50129-Tyre-Repair/d...

[malks222]

I was thinking about changing to non RFT’s, but after 2 fairly recent issues of- 1 x puncture and 1 x loss of pressure/ don’t know what…. I decided to stick with RFT.

I’m now on 4 brand new bridgestone turanza’s and so far they have been brilliant. much better than the pirelli cinturato that were on before. I don’t really notice any issue with road noise and considering 99% of all my driving is motorway commute or ferrying family about, I figured any loss of feel/ performance isn’t really gonna be noticed.

but the up side of knowing if anything happens that I can keep going to a destination/ safe place is worth any down sides

[Badgertron]

Belated thanks to all for the replies and recommendations. I ended up going with a new set of continental premium contact RFTs, the main reason being my pregnant wife and young son have been using the 530 quite a bit more than usual, especially on trips to my rural based in laws. The RFTs added a bit of piece of mind that they wouldn't be stuck at the side of the road should misfortune strike. If anyone is considering changing I would take a look at kwikfit, 20% off most tyres at the moment. I've only done about 150 miles since the change but they certainly seem a bit quieter and more grip than the previous pirelli RFTs I had. Thanks again for the replies.