greetings....looking for some feedback on tires.

currently driving a 2012 bmw 535 with runflats,

245 40 19 good year ls2.

the tires seem to be a weak link,

sidewall bubbles much greater then average.

i replaced a few, i dont want to replace any more.

i can switch out to traditional tires or just give up the car.

its close to 3 years old and im considering porsche.

any tire issues specifically sidewall bubbles with any porsche factory installed tires?

any tires that are more prone to failure that i should look to avoid?

dont want to give up one car with that problem and move into one with a similar problem if i can avoid it.

 

You're considering a $100K + car and worried about tires?

 

im not worried, im looking for some information.
and from your post it appears you have none to contribute.
why step into a potential problem, if you can reach out and a potential problem can be avoided.

but since you commented on my post,il comment on yours.
it doesnt matter how much the car cost, or even how much money i have .
bottom line is i dont like burning it .

 

I am aware of the issues you speak of, but it doesn't seem to be prevalent in the case for porsche. Not sure if it's due to the lower population of bimmer owners vs porsche. But my theory is that, the F10 was just too heavy for those oem tires. Add bad roads on top of that and it's just a bad situation. The porsche stock tires are not run flats, but don't expect to be impervious to the NYC potholes even if the car is lighter. So to answer your question, no you aren't going to be going into the same situation. I would say you should be concerned with tire issues no more than you would for any other car in nyc.

The other thing to note is that, I don't believe there are all season offerings for the porsche. You either have to go with summer or winter tires. My advice is go test drive one and see if you like it.

 

I feel your pain pail joey


during my first 200 miles of owner ship I had to replace 1 front tire.
at 5000 miles...I have a slow leak on a rear tire...no nails or screw or side wall bulge...just tire is failing. now I'm getting ready to replace both rears...or just get new wheels and tires completely.

 

while some suggest its a cost factor, its not . its a cost and convienance factor.

my car has the m sport package option with xdrive.
the only company that makes an all season runflat tire in my size, is the good year ls2. there is no competition ,and the tire is a weak link.

despite the fact they have a high failure rate, i cant say if is strickly the tires fault. as you mentioned the car weights over 4,000 lbs. but i also fault bmw for choosing a tire that has no competition,and to make matters worse is continually on back order.

the first time my tire bubbled good year had none available.
they advised me to go to bmw who would have a better chance to locate one.
my car was in bmw service for 3 days while they found a tire in a depot in ohio. by the time it was shipped and installed i was without my car for 3 days. i dont know how many are o.k. with giving up their car 3 days for a tire but i wasnt.

got another bubble recently, and good year informed me they are again on back order. i have little to no confidence taking this car on the road any significant distance from home. i could just purchase new tires,but im having some other disappointments with the car .

it has been years since bmw and good year partnered on this car tire combo. in the beginning they might not have been aware how problematic the combo was. but they are well aware now and are both continuing to use that combo.
so all i can say is, later for bmw, later for good year, and later for runflats.

 

I can't say I've had any issues beyond standard road hazard problems. The tires have performed well and have not encountered any defects. I do have the tire/wheel warranty and utilized a few times now. I hope this little bit of data helps.

 

The OEM 245-40-19 tire, for your BMW 535 is XL rated.
You are right that other tires in that size are not XL rated.
That forces you into the OEM tire.

I suggest you upsize to 255-40-19 and then you have Continental, Pirelli & many others available to choose from.
They just are not Run Flats, but most people are happy to get away from Run Flats.

Do that, and your sidewall bubble issues will be a thing of the past.
Plus your car will ride and handle better.
Just carry a compressor and a plug kit and/or a AAA card.

Porsche gives us a compressor and a can of fix-a-flat.

 

This is a reasonable question considering the OP lives in the northeast where the roads are extraordinarily crappy now and is a former F10 owner. First, Porsche cars do not wear run flats so bubbling should not be nearly as frequent an occurrence. I've had my Panamera 4S for almost 2 years with absolutely no tires problems or issues on 19" wheels. I'm running 20" PZeros on my 991 C4 and I've been quite careful on the roads here considering that I got the car on February1st and have had to drive it on some streets that more resemble the surface of the Moon; but, so far, no problems. As for the OP's tire problems, I agree with what has been suggested here that the Goodyear run flats were/are a poor match for the F10 because those tires cannot adequately support that vehicle's weight. Curiously, I had those tires on my `11 F01 and never experienced any problems...this could have been a combination of luck and having 19" wheels. The other thing is that I believe that it is beyond foolish to not purchase road hazard insurance for wheels and tires if one lives in the northeast

 

Good years seemed to have had more of a problem than Michelin which you can also get in that size. My 550 came with Michelin and I never had the bubble problem that all the good years had. I am planning on losing the run flats very soon and going with regular tires which I have heard handle and feel much better. Check out Michelin as I said, these came stock on my 550.

 

thanks....some good info..... but im not gonna replace the tires.
they still have good year warranty coverage for roadside hazard ,and the car will soon be 3 years old.

i purchase rather then lease so my plan was to keep the car 4 years until warranty expired. if i liked the car that much i would have ,but overall im disappointed with the car, so letting it go a year earlier wont be that difficult.

the only thing that is holding me up is at this time im not sure what to replace it with. but as soon as i am i will make the move .at this time im considering porsche,m.b.,and audi.

i havent heard of any issues with m.b. or audi tires. the only thing i heard about the 911 is because of its rear engine the rear tires seem to wear quicker. i also read the 911 comes with staggered 19s or 20s, so you cant rotate front to rear . my car doesnt have staggered ,but bmw wont rotate them.

my aspect ratio is 40, not that much sidewall.
911 aspect ratios are equal too or lower. 40, 35 ,and 30.
without knowing i would think that would increase their vulnerability.

 

I have never seen anyone make a decision on a car due to tires, my BMW tires are also staggered, but trying to compare a 911 to a 535 is like comparing a formula 1 car to a cady, these are completely different cars. You may need to first decide if you want a sports car or a full size car. Then start deciding, going good against the BMW is a Audi, going good against a 911 is well. Not much. If you are worried about tire ware, then by a full size car of any style and by some good 70K tires and you should be happy.

 

Numbflats suck. Porsche doesn't have them.

 

I'm aware of the tire bubble when the rfts hit a pot hole etc. not the case in 911 as it's not rfts...the pzeros are holding up pretty well...after almost 13 months ...sometimes I wonder why I paid so much on wheels and tires insurance ... Hilarious

 

am not making a decision based soley on tires,its one factor. but to me its one of concern.
if you ever experienced owning a car that could only be fitted with one,and only one only tire ,and that tire on your car had a much higher then average fail rate,combined with the fact its never readily available,and when it is at very limited locations,you might view it more like i do. walk a mile in my shoes, better yet car shoes.
with all due respect,i didnt post for some to understand or question why i have tire questions and concerns .the fact is i do, and thats what matters. and thats why i posted here.

to those who took the time and posted helpful advice on solving my existing tire problem, thank you im grateful, but im not looking to improve my current tire setup . im looking to move out of this car for reasons in addition to the tires. so the reason i posted and im here is really only to find out about porsche factory equipped tires.just trying to get feedback from porsche drivers who would know best if any specific tires were problematic,and look to avoid.

to the poster who suggessted im comparing a bmw to a porsche,i dont know what i said that might have given you that idea. im 60s years old, been driving many years, had a good number of cars including 2 porsches. i know the differance. in fact i know a lot, but i dont know it all. and when i dont i ask questions and try to learn. thats why im here.

i will ad this brief history..
close to 3 years back when i purchased this car. it was not my first choice in fact it my third choice. and i was in a situation where i suddenly needed to get a car within a few weeks . my first stop was to porsche.
i hesitated and then passed for two reasons. one was size. at 6-2 240 it took some effort getting in and out and when i was in it was confining. when i saw the numbers i couldnt commit to something i wasnt sure id be comfortable in. but thinking back it was more the price.and i say that because i was coming out of a larger car,and it would have been just a matter of time to adjust to the new dimensions,as well as finding the easiest way to slide in and out of the drivers seat.a dd to that the 997 was at the end of its run,and i never buy cars that are ending their run,i always go with the new generation.

i then visited m.b.,it was early in the 2012 model year and there was no local inventory on color ,and packages combo i sought. i didnt have time for a factory order. then drove on to bmw ,without doing any homework,and thats on me. i went strickly on the bmw rep. but they have morphed from performance more to luxury,and i wasnt aware.t est drives give you a very limited feel for the car.

i test drove a car that was my color and equipment. loved the looks of the car and price was easy to accept. i went with the 5 because the 3 was too tight,yet the 5 feels in excess, i was originally looking at a 3 conv. the 5 is now about what a 7 used to be. since then they now make a 4 which might have been just right.,and that is also their conv . the 5 its a big heavy cruiser. its at its best on the open road on,best seats i ever had.probem is i do little highway driving. i do mostly city,and i appreciate agility,more road feel,and performance. this was my first experience with run flats,and i now know i dont like or want them again.
i also know i dont no longer want a big heavy cruiser. and so the search has begun for a replacement.