[d3mon]

Originally Posted by bj96

Need a quick help guys!

One of the Bridgestone Alenzas on my X3 was approved for replacement under BMW Secure warranty in December. Thanks to the ongoing tire import issues, replacement wasn't available. Have waited for over two months. Now, the dealer has managed to procure one Pirelli Cinturato 245x50R19 (stock size) and suggesting I go for it.

Is it advisable to mix one Pirelli with three Bridgestones considering car has done only about 6200 kms and other tires have life for over 20,000 kms more? The damaged tire is usable (no air loss after repairing puncture) therefore, I can wait for few more weeks for possibly same brand replacement to arrive.

tia,
-BJ

Please insist on same brand replacement. Xdrive requires all 4 tyres to be matched up within 2-3mm of tread depth, so replacing just one tyre with a different make would be a big No. In fact I'm surprised BMW is not recommending changing at least both the tyres on the axle with the damaged tyre. If there is too much tread wear delta, it can wear out your Xdrive hardware prematurely, as the system will not be able to detect if there's continuous slip, or mismatched tyre sizes. Search the web to find lots of discussion like this below:

https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/r...issues.618970/

[itwasntme]

Okay folks, last week my 330i Sport with 225/50/17 Bridgestone Turanza T005 RFTs ran over a massive metal spike barely 1.5 km from my house. Was doing good speeds, and the spike destroyed my rear LHS tyre and deflated it within 500 metres.

The Unused Tread Depth (UTD) of the damaged tyre (run ~9K km) is ~3.5 to 4 mm averaged across multiple center-of-tread readings. The rest of my tyres are in the same state of course.

Please refer pictures below:

Damaged tread:







The perp:



My options:
1. Claim BMW Secure but BLR dealers have only the same crappy Turanzas. MRP is ~23K with GST and I can maximum expect 50% to be borne by Secure as my UTD is >3 & <5. I estimate ~16K out of pocket including deductible of 2K + mandatory wheel alignment / rotation charges.



Caveat: This is my first claim with Secure so please correct this understanding if wrong.

2. Buy a single Michelin 3ZP in the open market as stocks have started to come in now. Cost ~18K but tyre shops are saying they ideally need to sell at least 2. Trying to work around that. Advantage of this strategy is that I can replace the other 3 after 5-7K km, as the UTD is already low and the ride is getting harsher. Ideally, the 4ZP would have been great but Michelin India says it is unlikely in India soon.

3. Buy a single Pilot Sports 4 normal tubeless tyre (~13K) and fit on the same rear axle. This would let me 'upgrade' the other 3 to tubeless later on BUT BMW and all forums strongly warn against mixing RFT & non-RFT on same axle as ride/handling characteristics are totally different.

4. Change all 4 now itself to PS4 tubeless (13x4= ₹52K). Upside is brand new modern tyres, but downside is the unplanned spend with zero resale of the 3 remaining T005s.

5. Try and get the tyre repaired which is very dicey given the damage.


The 3 is currently on the Space Saver Tyre (SST) and is a hilarious sight: Show this picture to your better half, and they will freak when you plan your next long drive with a full family + fully loaded car :-)

SST vs regular RFT:


With deflated RFT:


With SST: Pressure was at 42 psi which I bumped up to the recommended 60 psi. My local fuel bunks could manage only 50 psi max so found a truck stop.


Thankfully, given the terrible infection spread, I don't expect much driving for some time now, plus have a second car as a backup. I CAN wait for some time is the good news. The bad is I don't WANT to.

Any advice would be highly appreciated!

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

1. Claim BMW Secure but BLR dealers have only the same crappy Turanzas. MRP is ~23K with GST and I can maximum expect 50% to be borne by Secure as my UTD is >3 & <5. I estimate ~16K out of pocket including deductible of 2K + mandatory wheel alignment / rotation charges.

File a claim the BMW secure. 2K deductible, I am not sure if this applies to secure or not as this is normally for regular insurance. Ask for the policy fine prints. Same way, tell them to just mount the tyre and No, you don't need alignment/ rotation just because the tyre is damaged, If they insist, ask them to show you where it's mentioned on the policy or the BMW manual.

I hope, you know that any claims on the BMW secure, do not affect your NCB on the main Insurance policy.

So, I will not bother about anything else and go for a claim unless, you don't mind the loose change and want to swap all of your tyres to PS4S

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

File a claim the BMW secure. 2K deductible, I am not sure if this applies to secure or not as this is normally for regular insurance. No, you don't need alignment/ rotation just because the tyre is damaged...

I hope, you know that any claims on the BMW secure, do not affect your NCB on the main Insurance policy.

Thank you Turbanator. The 2K is mandatory from the clause itself. WA & WB I will avoid.

I will proceed similarly - just waiting to see what lockdown measures KA imposes from midnight.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

The Unused Tread Depth (UTD) of the damaged tyre (run ~9K km) is ~3.5 to 4 mm averaged across multiple center-of-tread readings. The rest of my tyres are in the same state of course.

I would suggest you following

Option 1: See if the damaged RFT can be repaired like normal tubeless tyre. Looks difficuly given the diameter of foreign object.

Option 2: Since tread left is only 3.5 mm on most tyres, you would anyways be replacing the tyres before rains since 1.8 mm is minimum tread depth.

So it would be advisable that you replace both rear axle tyres with new tubeless tyres.

New 1 Nos RFT is Rs. 16,000.
New 2 Nos Tubeless Rs. 26,000.
For extra 10,000 you have two new tyres.

Lastly RFT wear faster and are expensive to replace with availability an issue with ongoing tyre import restriction.

Plus tubeless give better ride quality in comparison to RFT.


If you go ahead with option 2, you could also do following; install the 2 new tubeless tyres on front axle and move the front old RFT to rear. Since 330i is RWD, you may enjoy them to last bit of tread and get new tubeless later.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

4. Change all 4 now itself to PS4 tubeless (13x4= ₹52K). Upside is brand new modern tyres, but downside is the unplanned spend with zero resale of the 3 remaining T005s.

This would be my choice. Its better than having a single tyre 9k kms newer than the rest, and also not too much more expensive than changing 2 tyres to new RFTs which would be the other ideal thing to do. With this you get better ride, better grip and a better driving experience overall.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

So, I will not bother about anything else and go for a claim unless, you don't mind the loose change and want to swap all of your tyres to PS4S

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

I would suggest you following

Option 1: See if the damaged RFT can be repaired like normal tubeless tyre. Looks difficult given the diameter of foreign object.

Thanks, took it to a couple of big shops - they declined to try and fix it saying even mushroom patches may not be able to handle the stress from a powerful car like the 330i.

Option 2: ...install the 2 new tubeless tyres on front axle and move the front old RFT to rear. Since 330i is RWD, you may enjoy them to last bit of tread and get new tubeless later.

Am seriously exploring this as I have clarified with BMW, and the Turanza is 21,113 + 28% GST making it an astronomical 27K. Even if I get 50% off and add the 2K deductible, I will still need to pay 15.5K out of pocket after insurance.

Even if I buy 2 x Pilot Sport 4 tubeless for the rear axle, I will spend ~26K. This sounds better and I can even retain the undamaged RFT as a 'spare'.

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

This would be my choice. Its better than having a single tyre 9k kms newer than the rest, and also not too much more expensive than changing 2 tyres to new RFTs which would be the other ideal thing to do. With this you get better ride, better grip and a better driving experience overall.

Akshay, thanks but see above.

Overall, I am not enthused with Secure - in my opinion it's great only for tyres within 5-7K km only and /or for alloys. For me, even with only 9K km & 9 months, I am effectively getting only ~43% of my new tyre cost.

[neerajdan]

So may be a silly question,

I have a 2015 Mini Cooper Countryman with 4 RFTs and NO space saver tyre.

I will be replacing the 4 RFTs with Tubeless tyres so my question is can/should I buy a Space Saver tyre and if so which brand?

Thanks

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by neerajdan

I have a 2015 Mini Cooper Countryman with 4 RFTs and NO space saver tyre.

I will be replacing the 4 RFTs with Tubeless tyres so my question is can/should I buy a Space Saver tyre and if so which brand?

I doubt any brand in India sells space saver tyres.

Your best bet be getting one from BMW/Mini India.

If you are using car within city limits, then you may skip on space saver tyre. But on highways, you got to have one.

Keep a tyre inflator and puncture repair kit handy in boot always.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by neerajdan

I have a 2015 Mini Cooper Countryman with 4 RFTs and NO space saver tyre.
I will be replacing the 4 RFTs with Tubeless tyres so my question is can/should I buy a Space Saver tyre and if so which brand?

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

Your best bet be getting one from BMW/Mini India.

Your best bet is the dealer:

Refer this:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...re-bmw-x1.html (Space Saver Spare Tyre for the BMW X1)

[neerajdan]

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

I doubt any brand in India sells space saver tyres.

Your best bet be getting one from BMW/Mini India.

If you are using car within city limits, then you may skip on space saver tyre. But on highways, you got to have one.

Keep a tyre inflator and puncture repair kit handy in boot always.

Thank you for the suggestion. Yes its driven only in the city and so I will keep a portable air compressor in case of an emergency.

Also thanks itwasntme, I will keep this in mind if ever I do decide to buy a space saver.

Thanks all.

[Sail]

Hello friends,

Need your expert advice here with my RFTs.

I own a BMW X3 30i, 2.5 years old (having BSI & BRI), clocked around 22K and with stock tires. 90% of the time she is driven on highways, and on long routes like Gurgaon-Kolkata etc. In future she will continue to do so. Specially after Covid-19, I try to avoid public transport as much as possible.

My stock tires are Bridgestone Alenza 245-50-R19.

Approx 2 years back front left tire had 2 back-to-back punctures in different locations, which was repaired at a normal tire shop like we do for tubeless tires. No issues with side-walls yet.

Last one year or so, while cruising at & above 80 kmph, I notice a very peculiar vague noise coming from front which is difficult to explain. Something like “dug” “dug” “dug”….. Above 110 kmph or so this noise disappears. Or maybe suppressed by engine, road & wind noise.
Same was reported to BMW work-shop in Kolkata during her 2nd annual service last year (I was worried if any problem with air intake). As usual same was being neglected by them, as nothing of concern.

During my last Gurgaon-Kolkata-Gurgaon trip, at around 110 kmph, mild vibrations noted (complete car) along with above noise.

Recently this vibration started at even 90 kmph.

My next Kolkata trip coming in 7 days, yesterday I took the car to Bird for a check-up. After combined test drive & inspection, following was noted: 1. No damage to rims. 2. No issues with wheel hub bearings. 3. All four tires having different tread depths. 4. Most importantly all tires having un-even wear. 5. Also suspect, they are out of alignment.

Being a 4 x 4, I don’t want to replace only one or two tires. After discussion with Bird SA, it was decided 3 tires can fetch some savings from BMW secure (2 @ 50% & 1 @ 25%) and I have to buy one tire. Total blast to my pocket will be around 80K.

FYI: One tire price is 24K + 1K for Valve + labour + alignment = close to 28K on car.

This tire size is another pain. Normal tube-less tires of this size are not available in our market. Have contacted local big tire dealers today. They are not sure, they will revert. On the other hand, where BMW quoted me 24K for the above tire only (exclusive of v/v, alignment, fitting, FNU etc), online platforms showing 28K for the same tire.

By the way, tires were never rotated. It came to my mind last year, but due to pandemic, it was avoided. (Feels like a big & expensive mistake).

What should be the course of action now. 1. Pick up the RFTs from BMW with above discussion. 2. Take the car out from Bird, get it aligned & rotate out-side at a tire shop. 3. Take the car out & fit tube-less if local dealers can manage a good tire brand.

I am in two minds. One says to get the new RFTs due to my long highway drives and now the tires are available in numbers, not sure about availability after 6 months (FYI, last year these tires had waiting periods of up to 5 to 6 months). Two, get the tires rotate + balanced and after one more trip change to tube-less tires (if available) or RFTs.

Appreciate your valued advice / inputs as I have to take the call on Monday morning.

Best Regards
Sail

[sidwadia]

Originally Posted by Sail

Hello friends,

Need your expert advice here with my RFTs.

I own a BMW X3 30i, 2.5 years old (having BSI & BRI), clocked around 22K and with stock tires. 90% of the time she is driven on highways, and on long routes like Gurgaon-Kolkata etc. In future she will continue to do so. Specially after Covid-19, I try to avoid public transport as much as possible.

My stock tires are Bridgestone Alenza 245-50-R19.

Approx 2 years back front left tire had 2 back-to-back punctures in different locations, which was repaired at a normal tire shop like we do for tubeless tires. No issues with side-walls yet.

Last one year or so, while cruising at & above 80 kmph, I notice a very peculiar vague noise coming from front which is difficult to explain. Something like “dug” “dug” “dug”….. Above 110 kmph or so this noise disappears. Or maybe suppressed by engine, road & wind noise.
Same was reported to BMW work-shop in Kolkata during her 2nd annual service last year (I was worried if any problem with air intake). As usual same was being neglected by them, as nothing of concern.

During my last Gurgaon-Kolkata-Gurgaon trip, at around 110 kmph, mild vibrations noted (complete car) along with above noise.

Recently this vibration started at even 90 kmph.
Best Regards
Sail

Hi Sail,
I have faced the same issue in the last two weeks with my X3 20d and have been asked by BMW (Bird motors) to replace three tyres. My car has clocked 19k kms so far.

What’s really confusing is that the rear tyres have lost significant and uneven tread , with the inner section becoming completely bald and the middle and outer section still going strong. The front tyres are in great shape with another 20k kms worth of life left and does not have any uneven tread loss.

I suspected that the Rear suspension might be the culprit, however bird motors are adamant that the suspension is perfectly fine.

The vibrations felt are quite significant and I have stopped using the vehicle as I was trying to ascertain more information on which tyres to buy.

I am not a fan of the run flats, however don’t want to loose the warranty on account of tubeless tyres. Also, I am not sure if the I can fit a full size tubeless (R19) tyre in the tyre well space provided for the donut tyre and can’t risk driving on tubeless tyres without a full size spare being available.

Let me know if you have made the decision on the tyres and reasons behind it so that I can make an informed choice as well (RFT vs Tubeless , and brand chosen).

Request more knowledgeable members to weigh in as well.
Thanks
Sid

[Sail]

Originally Posted by sidwadia

Hi Sail,
Let me know if you have made the decision on the tyres and reasons behind it so that I can make an informed choice as well (RFT vs Tubeless , and brand chosen).Thanks Sid

Hi Sid,

I am done & dusted.

All four tires was changed, car started behaving like new, back to her own glory, most importantly I got the confidence back with the car.

The "Dug-dug" noise was from the puncture repair, which started coming after 1 year of repair.

My mistake was, I listened to them and did not rotate the wheels.
Mine was also with rear tires.
Tread depth at front was 5 mm at rear between 2.5 - 3mm, but all four tires tread was uneven.
I always kept little higher pressure at rear (34-35), due to lots of luggage carrying during highway drives. I was thinking that may be a contributor to my case. But, as you said, suspension may be an issue here.

I used my bmw secure, so charges was 50-50 sharing.
Each tires will cost you 27.5k including fittings.

X3's 245x50x19, is a rare in our market, I tried, but nothing.

I went with RFT due to my 90% highway drives, at least I can scroll to a safe point.

By the way, Bird is having lot of stock of X3's Allenza, after last year's dry stock.
If your rear tires are partially gone, please replace them.
Out in our market, you can get 245x45x19 tubeless easily, but no 245x50x19.

Have the car checked at a good tire shop, I was in a hurry to come to Kolkata, so could not waste time.

Any doubts, please feel free to PM me.

brdgs
Sail.

[Pseud]

Right now, I am in a spot of bother.

My 4 month old X1 has been losing tyre pressure efter filling it till 38PSI. The service advisor has advised to go for a replacement.

Unfortunately, the dealer (Navnit) has some software upgrade so not giving any service slots till next week.

I have a trip planned for Thursday. So wanted to check the options in case if I am not getting a replacement in the next day or two:

1. Go to a tyre service centre (Need recommendations, I am assuming not all guys are able to replace a RFT). Another assumption, is that its a puncture that can be repaired.
2. Keep filling air, but not an option due to the risks esp. with family
3. Some way to arm twist Navnit motors or anyone else to get it done.