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[Otto Feather]

Took a few potholes in the last couple of weeks with my 335i Sport Coupe with 19s. The right rear started not holding air so I investigated a bit. I found two bubbles on the outer sidewall. Stopped at the local tire shop looking to replace the four tires (not bad for 20000 miles) and took a peak on the inside of the right rear. I can't believe this is pot hole damage. The RFT still held air!! I'm hoping to get the city to pay up for the damages to the tire and possibly the outer wheel.

[Coolieman1220]

this is the first thread of its kind!

[Thrasher]

Pothole? Looks more like bad camber and worn inside edge.

[jlspeed29]

potholes +19's can do some serious damage..i just replaced 2 19'' 230's in the rear =(

ouch, it hurts man

[BTTGMan]

Originally Posted by Thrasher

Pothole? Looks more like bad camber and worn inside edge.

gotta agree, actually. good eye. potholes don't wear down the inside edge of your tire all the way around.

[Ink330]

You are going to need an alignment. I had the same issue. Inside rear driver wore just like that (just not as bad). I won't drive on anything but rfts on my car. I have no issues with them. Good luck getting anything from the City!

[SantaMonica335i]

I have to agree on the tire wear. Almost looks like the tire is rubbing on suspension parts.

As far as the sidewall bubbles I have to mention that if they weren't run-flats they probably wouldnt have bubbled at all. I did both passenger side RFT's going through a pothole after only 7500 miles. I replaced them with Goodyear asemetric's that cost less to reshoe the entire car than to replace the two RFT's. Havent had a problem since and there are some nasty potholes here in LA.

[jackson29]

its bad camber for sure, i have the same exact problem and i got an alignment after i got my new set of tires.
hopefully it'll fix the uneven wear...

[JayKay335i]

It also has to do with you not checking your tires and wearing the insides down to the chords.

[Otto Feather]

Good to know...I'll definitely get them aligned after the new rubber goes on all around. BTW, last I checked....it's cords...not chords.

[burton727]

im one of the few but, i love my rfts

[grimlock]

Loving rfts for this is like wearing concrete shoes to avoid stepping on thumbtacks
If you had proper tires on, you would have noticed your alignment was totally outta wack

[VTECaddict]

actually, i've only seen the run flats wear like that on these cars.

[RaceBlood]

The camber on a 335i is already set out a few degrees, so its natural for the inside of the tire to wear like that, regardless of RFT or Non RFT. 19's just make the problem worse.....

Bulges in the sidewalls, are a common issues/weakness of the RFT tire, especially Bridgestone. One more reason to never get a RFT.

Pot Holes can cause the camber to go off specs, and also cause the sidewall to fail, creating the bulge.

Lastly, get some nice summer performance tires and see what the BMW can really feel and handle like, not to mention they last longer, ride smoother and are cheaper to replace.

RFT's are for soccer moms...

DO NOT drive the car with tires like that, or with bulges, as you are asking for a major blowout, and over 50mph, is damn dangerous.

When you get the 4 wheel alignment, use BMW or a shop with the same machine, and get the print out of the specs prior, and after.

[Dark_Knight_335]

Originally Posted by grimlock

Loving rfts for this is like wearing concrete shoes to avoid stepping on thumbtacks

HAHA!
Excellent analogy though.

[Norcal_335i]

What bubble? looks like you should have replaced them 5k miles ago. You either need a alignment or stop taking corners at a high rate of speed.

[mave198]

I was originally going to swap out my RFTs to get summer performance tires when I got my car last year, until one day on the way to the Holland Tunnel on the Jersey side I hit a brick laying in the lane on a drawbridge (and no I wasn't able to swerve and avoid it without colliding with on coming traffic).

After the dash went ape shit with lamps going off, the tires held up until I got the car to the sevice center in Brooklyn.

Any other tire and I still would be in NJ reading e90post via a mobile.

I will however swap out the Bridgestone RFTs for the Michelin PS2 ZP when the tread wears down.

[chromisdesigns]

Originally Posted by mave198

I was originally going to swap out my RFTs to get summer performance tires when I got my car last year, until one day on the way to the Holland Tunnel on the Jersey side I hit a brick laying in the lane on a drawbridge (and no I wasn't able to swerve and avoid it without colliding with on coming traffic).

After the dash went ape shit with lamps going off, the tires held up until I got the car to the sevice center in Brooklyn.

Any other tire and I still would be in NJ reading e90post via a mobile.

I will however swap out the Bridgestone RFTs for the Michelin PS2 ZP when the tread wears down.

Not worth the rim damage, expensive tires, short life, and horrible ride vs. the one-in-a-blue-moon event like you describe. That's why the auto gods made tow trucks!

[Mr. ///M3 RD]

I have to agree with the general condenses ... RFT are not ready for our cars, so ditch them ... get normal tires and enjoy the ride. Before you do ... I recommend

A) Check and adjust your camber
B) Check your wheels for cracks after a good wash
C) Road force balance your wheels

Lastly ... do try to avoid loading too much into your trunk and avoid potholes ... no pun intended my friend (I last 2 rear wheels to cracks on my Z4 35i and similar inside wear due to chamber issues and the retractable roof in the trunk [too much weight] that caused the advance inside wear of my tires ... oh ja the RFT that's another story all together). Glad to be in a ///M3 again ... forged wheels and conventional tires, I expect nothing else from the M3 fellows

[bludragon]

I hit a pot hole recently without run flats and it put a 3 finger sized hole in the sidewall. 45 miles from home late on a Saturday night so was not much fun without a spare (I had a tire repair kit). With a run flat I assume I would at least have been able to limp home even if the tire was toast. Still, I'm not going back - the ride is much better on 18in rims with normal tires, and the taxi home and new non RFT were about the same price as a new RFT :-) I am however, keeping a compact spare in the trunk from now on, unless I'm doing a short trip and really need the space. Even with a run flat, I'd still consider carrying a spare. What happens if I'm 100 miles away from home, and hit a pot hole late on a Friday night? Would the run flat get me through the weekend and then back home?

[mave198]

Originally Posted by chromisdesigns

Not worth the rim damage, expensive tires, short life, and horrible ride vs. the one-in-a-blue-moon event like you describe. That's why the auto gods made tow trucks!

Still plenty of tread left after 10 months, and I have rim and tire insurance so it doesn't cost me a dime.

And tow trucks don't get me to work on time when I get a flat.

[ChrisJadesFireF82]

i need to change my tires im sick of my rfts...any reccomendations for a inexpensive good performance tire...and where to get a spare lol