Nokoff said:
Oh that reminds me... the car came with non-runflats... apparently the guy didn't know that it's supposed to have RFs -_-
I'm guessing the debate could go on about runflat vs. non-runflat but right now I'm driving without a spare...
What's the cheapest place to find 225-50 RFs?
Okay, I gather the car is out of motorplan based on the mileage? So therefore you are not restricted to use BMW Approved tyres (the ones with the star on them). The correct tyre size and spec for your car is actually 225/45R17 (91W load and speed rating). Best value for money, Hankook Ventus S1 EVO RFT's which are available in this size - had them on my car before I knew about the BMW Approved thing and they were really good! Stay away from Continental Sport Contact 2 RFT's - they are terrible!! Had them on my car from day 1 and besides being noisy, they suffer from tramlining extremely badly, making the car feel very twitchy and nervous on the open road! The car felt sweet and predictable with the Hankooks. Currently have a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE050 RFT's with 50% tread left which came off another car and they are so much better than the Conti RFT's.
Other tyres I would personally recommend aside from the Hankook Ventus S1 EVO RFT's are the Pirelli P Zero RFT's, the Bridgestone Potenza RE050 RFT's and the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 RFT's. The Hankooks are as already said, generally the best value for money, unless the price has increased, but should be less than R2k each. The Bridgestones and Pirellis are in the R2k - R3k price bracket at most places (can also try the agents). Michelins, if you can find any, are usually the most expensive from what I have seen, and they tend to wear out fairly fast.
Personally I would stick to RFT's, but still try and get a space-saver for that extra peace of mind, especially when going on long trips. Also reason for RFT's, should you have a puncture you have the added safety of being able to find a safe spot to stop and attend to this, plus you have the benefit of still having good control of the car due to RFT technology when a tyre is flat.
A side note, be very careful when you have tyres and especially RFT's fitted on your wheels - most of the time these monkeys don't work carefully and end up scratching or chipping the rim! So make sure they know not to damage your wheels, and take the manager around your car before hand to show him the state of your wheels - they are very quick to suggest that the wheels were scratched beforehand!
Been down this costly road - honestly I cannot believe that BMW approves of the Conti RFT's, they are really not worth the money I have wasted on them!
