My attempt here is to "help" as many people as I can and hopefully receive some "help & advice" in return. I bought some beautiful wheels from an aftermarket company for my new 2013 BMW X-5 50i. The vehichle comes with "run flat tires". Here's where the story gets really interesting. The tires from the factory are huge. On the front "275/40R/20" and on the rear they are "315/35R/20". OK, I take my X-5 to the BMW dealer where I purchased it in Omaha on friday for my 11am appointment. These tires have to be reversed mounted and centrically hub balanced. But because "run flat tires" are so hard and very little flexibility the dealer is having an incredible time getting the OEM tires on my new wheels. Its not the wheels fault. The tires are just extremely hard and not very flexible. The dealer has had the car half a day yesterday and as I write this this morning at 10AM CST they have mounted just "one tire" and still have 3 to go!!!!!!!!! They told me a little bit ago they work till 5PM on saturday but it would probably be monday at the earliest. They have two guys working on this!!!!!!! If this isn't a "TRULY UNBELIEVABLE EXPERIENCE" THEN WHAT IS???????? The kicker is these tires are only good for about 20,000 miles and then I can do it again!!!!!! If you have any ideas I would love to hear them. THANK YOU TO ALL.

 

Why not ditch the run flats and put regular ole tires on the car? If they're having that much trouble mounting, my guess is your new wheels are prolly going to be f'd up...... I'd check b/f you leave the dealership.... Good luck

 

To LRDog; First of all your car is "Absolutely Beautiful". Now, on to your comment. Yes, that is a real possibility. But there is a "but". These tires are incredibly expensive. Because of their size they are a ton of money to throw down the drain. I believe the dealership said something like around $500 a tire. But it might come to that. THANK YOU for your comment. KCChief

 

Thanks. Perhaps you could sell the OE tires on craigslist or eBay to recoup some of the diff toward new tires? Prolly ride better too.... Also, as I'm sure you already know, the dealership prices per tire are more than you could get them elsewhere? Good luck and I really hope your new wheels aren't messed up.

 

sounds like the dealer doesnt have the correct mounting equipment. i have a shop i use that mounts up to a 34" rim and the tires have rubber bands for sidewalls that dont flex at all. tons of lube and a proper machine and they do it all day every day with no damage to the rims

 

To "32Krazy"; Thank You for your reply. I love your car. Its "awesome". The dealer tried to tell me that they do have the proper equipment because some of their new 7 series Beemers come with 21" wheels and run flats as well. Worse case scenario is I go some place else and end up with different tires I guess. Obviously that was not the answer I was looking for buy we'll see. The dealer is bringing in a so called "expert" tomorrow on monday who deals with aftermarket 3 piece wheels. So we'll see what tomorrow brings. Please say a little prayer for me. Thank You again. KCChief

 

look for a specialty wheel shop in your area. they should have a "touchless" mounting machine and the knowledge to mount the runflats.

remember just because they have the equipment doesnt mean they have the "knowledge" to use it