..dumb question, but i have to :)

[Ecc0]

..all right..officially i'm ashamed to ask this but i just couldn't stop my curiosity..I have Z4, very nice one, well maintained and extremely low mileage..so its all fine..before Z4 i had Z3, so I remember my Z3 had spare tire in case you got flat one on the road..so, i actually never checked that on my Z4, since i thought its there, roughly at same place where was on my Z3, but on my surprise, I couldn't find any spare tire..jjeezzz... so im wondering is that case with rest of you guys (Z4 fellas) and if so how you deal with eventual flat tire on road if happen..Sapura auto fellas told me its like that, no spare tire and this is first car i have that no spare tire included...isnt that a bit...weird??? Hmmm

 

[Sr20]

Ecc0 morning ...

the run flat tire got advantange and disadvantage la ..

if punture at the middle of the road u still can drive at 150km at 80KM/H lo...imagine ur wife dirving one day how la...

safty mah...

bad thing --- a bit hard lo then expansive ...

those ppl dont tell customer 'is llike that' la not pro at all !!!
can c the bmw M webside more detail ...
bmw.com.my the insight colum...a lot thing can learn oh

 

[Ecc0]

..well..im sort of disappointed..i mean..i have to call lori to pick me up because of flat tire?? wtf..thats sucker big time..if i knew that when i was buying car, ill think twice..

 

[evilnickwong]

You won't need to call a tow, as Sr20 mentioned, if a run-flat tire is punctured, it will still last you at a good distance, enough for you to get to your tire shop and get a new tire.
And as he mentioned, downside is higher cost of replacement and also harsher ride, altho newer RFT tech has improved this.

If you got the car second hand tho, you might wanna check and make sure the previous owner didn't change to normal tires.

 

[Ecc0]

..well..I have changed tires/rims myself(filled with some gas/not air), since i really never ever liked those originally came with car, rims are original BMW and tires are michelin, but i have no idea about that durability in case of puncturing, since rims and tires are not anymore original one i have got with car..i still dont understand how original rims/tires are connected with durability in case of puncture..

 

[XXX]

...When you bought the car, the original tyres came with the latest technology in tyres called RFT's short for RUN FLAT TYRES...this SPECIAL tyres that came with the car ORIGINALLY, even when PUNCTURED can still be driven at up to a certain speed limit to get you to safety...thats why there is no need for spare tyres...but if you go and change it to normal non RFT tyres which is not what the car came with ORIGINALLY ...then you will not have this special feature that RFT's provide.....

 

[Sr20]

Hi bro,

or the other way round u can purchase those mobility kit but remember those thing only 1year life time.

still preferable RFT la...if u r fast driver.

SR20

 

[stanleycck]

Agree with XXX......safety first........RFTs may not be cup of teas to many but can safe lives of our loved ones........I am sticking to my RFTs for the meantime............I am on 18inch Michelin PS2, staggered front and back........

 

[Ecc0]

..i see..so is there any sort of identification on tire itself, so i can check current one and if not RFT then i can go and look for RFT-able tire and plug it instead of current one..so, what sort of mark, id or whatever i have to look at, in order to be sure that im bying correct RFT tires..im using 18 inch rims. And one thing more..how the heck you know that tire is punctured, if it is not going to release gas from within?? I mean, if it is not loosing air, then..how you know that tire is damaged?

 

[XXX]

..i see..so is there any sort of identification on tire itself, so i can check current one and if not RFT then i can go and look for RFT-able tire and plug it instead of current one..so, what sort of mark, id or whatever i have to look at, in order to be sure that im bying correct RFT tires..im using 18 inch rims. And one thing more..how the heck you know that tire is punctured, if it is not going to release gas from within?? I mean, if it is not loosing air, then..how you know that tire is damaged?

Cars that come originally with RFTs have sensors that will let you know when your tire has a puncture...thats why it is not advisable for cars that do not come with RFTs originally to fit this tyres becos it can be more dangerous than safe...why? because one will not know that there is a puncture and you continue to drive above the allowed speed on a deflated RFT...."If tyre does not loose air..how you know that tire is damaged?"....this is where God almighty created the eyes for....as for markings and what not Im sure its on the side wall....but normally the price itself will tell you if its normal or RFTs bcos they cost almost double of normal tyres....new.

 

[Ecc0]

..God almighty did it well..however, not much use for eyes during speed drive, right..so, in case of puncture during drive, how you know that tire is actually punctured, while still 'behave' as normal?

 

[XXX]

...sensors that will trigger warning lights on your dashboard that you have a puncture....this is where the eyes again come to play ,the eyes are also for checking when tyre is not loosing air as you said..because when tyre not loosing air and is damaged it can only be seen eg. crack, blister.....tyres when totally damage, first symptom is lost of air and will trigger the sensor!

 

[Ecc0]

..i see..thats clear now..i have googled a bit and found more details about that type of tyres..according to some sites, punctures on RFT's are more often than normal one..and it seems some different structure inside tyre, around rims..my car absolutely doesnt have it..funny..majority of folks here, are for normal tyres with spare one, so I think Ill have to buy one..here is link
http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/03/12/reasons-to-have-run-flat-tires-on-your-bmw/

 

[stanleycck]

..i see..so is there any sort of identification on tire itself, so i can check current one and if not RFT then i can go and look for RFT-able tire and plug it instead of current one..so, what sort of mark, id or whatever i have to look at, in order to be sure that im bying correct RFT tires..im using 18 inch rims. And one thing more..how the heck you know that tire is punctured, if it is not going to release gas from within?? I mean, if it is not loosing air, then..how you know that tire is damaged?

Ecco........try looking into some of the tyre websites in Malaysia......they are helpful. The best is to visit a tyre shop and ask.....U will get to know better about tech of tyres nowadays.......That's what I did. I do make a physical check on my tyres once a week and will send for checking before I depart on longer trips. As my E90 comes with the iDrive, the loss pressure indicator will trigger the alarm on my iDrive when the tyre is loosing a large amount of air.

 

[Ecc0]

..thanks guys..its all clear now..only thing a bit weird is fact that originally i havent got car with installed such tyres, because, when i use to change rims/tyres, i havent seen any of structure inside my old rims, related to RFT , I saw on few web sites I did google, including BMW sites..but, like many folks from BMW forum i have visited yesterday (link in my previous post), i have no idea what is the big deal with those RFT's .. obviously, according to that site and few other in Germany i have visited, not many people like those RFT's..just too much problems and very expensive, while doesnt come even at same lifecycle with regular ones..so..whats the point then? I have changed tyre on my range Rover within 25 minutes and its over 3 tons heavy car, loaded..so, i see no problem doing same with Z4..sorry for 'troubling' posts..I just dont get all this RFT thing, obviously, like many other fellas..

 

[Sr20]

..i see..so is there any sort of identification on tire itself, so i can check current one and if not RFT then i can go and look for RFT-able tire and plug it instead of current one..so, what sort of mark, id or whatever i have to look at, in order to be sure that im bying correct RFT tires..im using 18 inch rims. And one thing more..how the heck you know that tire is punctured, if it is not going to release gas from within?? I mean, if it is not loosing air, then..how you know that tire is damaged?

Morning,

if u wish confirm wether u r using the RFT tire not ...the tire wall there normally got a 'star' sign or may b with the wording RFT.

let say u got a tire punture indicator on, u have to hoist up the car and check which tire are loosing air and get it fix.

saize recomendation ?? can check from driver's door entrance area - got a sticker for the various saiz and air pressure requiredment.

SR20

 

[fugowitz]

Just changed my RFT to tubeless last week. The ride is much smoother.
Couldn't decide to get a "can" of those instant inflator & sealant ($25-$50)..... or the mobility kit from BMW ($6xx) or just the air-pump inflator ($120-$200).
Mean time, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[NewbieZ4]

A towing might cost u much more less than actually owning one eventhough my one is running on run flat heheh

 

[winsonchew]

mazda rx-8 owner here ~ all the rx8 model also no spare tyres same like z4 .. mine vehicle also no spare tyres as well.. ~ when my car puncture half way on the road... i also no idea with that.. i just called aam to pick my car and take to tyres shop fix / change it.. ~

anyway.. i come here to do research for the bmw z4.. i might interest to get a z4 and sell my current rx8 ~ becoz it's too troublesome on rotary engine ~~

 

[astroboy]

Many cars now don't come with spare tyre to maximise boot space and lighten the ride for more pickup and fuel efficiency. The latest Honda Stream model also no spare tyre liao. They provide a set of mobility kit though, because they don't provide RFT. Passat CC lagi best, prefill all tyres with sealant and market it as "Self healing" tyres.. :stupid: