PSA: New Owners of Vehicles with OE Pirelli Tires

[Ravenseal]

I learned this the hard way after one of my tires developed a sidewall bubble in just 400 miles. Something which Pirelli Runflats are infamous for. The cost to replace it would have been $356 - until I looked at the Pirelli warranty documentation more carefully. It took some work with the service manager at my dealership, but they finally agreed to honor it.

The Pirelli RunFlat Tires equipped on new BMW vehicles (Cinturato P7, P Zero, etc) are covered for 1 year against road hazard damage. You can find the full text at the following URL: https://www.pirelli.com/tires/en-us/.../tire-warranty

The image below is a summarized version of the terms and conditions. Hope this helps many of you in the future.

View post on imgur.com

[UPSROD]

M3's don't have runflats!

[Ravenseal]

Originally Posted by UPSROD

M3's don't have runflats!

Big if true

[DanG]

Originally Posted by Ravenseal

Big if true

No real M cars have come from the factory with run flats.

[Ravenseal]

Originally Posted by DanG

No real M cars have come from the factory with run flats.

Large if factual

[UPSROD]

Originally Posted by Ravenseal

Large if factual

BEFORE you continue to spout off, do some research! Runflats are not a performance tire. Most BMW dealers even think that M cars have them, they never have. My 2013 still has the original tires and they are NOT runflats.

[Ravenseal]

Originally Posted by UPSROD

BEFORE you continue to spout off, do some research! Runflats are not a performance tire. Most BMW dealers even think that M cars have them, they never have. My 2013 still has the original tires and they are NOT runflats.

Hi UPSROD. I know reading is hard. Before you continue to spout off, do some research. This forum is called "General BMW News and Cars Discussion". Meaning, it's not specific to your very very special 10 year old M3. What is factual, is that other BMWs do come with runflats.

Have a nice day

[UPSROD]

Originally Posted by Ravenseal

Hi UPSROD. I know reading is hard. Before you continue to spout off, do some research. This forum is called "General BMW News and Cars Discussion". Meaning, it's not specific to your very very special 10 year old M3. What is factual, is that other BMWs do come with runflats.

Have a nice day

I apologize, I did see that you had a M240I but also saw an E93 DCT, didn't read well enough to see a 335. Fact is real M3-M4's DON'T have runflats....all we were saying.

[Ravenseal]

Originally Posted by UPSROD

I apologize, I did see that you had a M240I but also saw an E93 DCT, didn't read well enough to see a 335. Fact is real M3-M4's DON'T have runflats....all we were saying.

I never implied that M cars had runflats. The language of my post is very specific. Owners of new BMWs with Pirelli Runflats. If M cars don't come with Pirelli run flats, then it's none of your concern.

[UPSROD]

Originally Posted by Ravenseal

I never implied that M cars had runflats. The language of my post is very specific. Owners of new BMWs with Pirelli Runflats. If M cars don't come with Pirelli run flats, then it's none of your concern.

I already apologized....can't do more!!!!!

[Coi]

Originally Posted by UPSROD

BEFORE you continue to spout off, do some research! Runflats are not a performance tire. Most BMW dealers even think that M cars have them, they never have. My 2013 still has the original tires and they are NOT runflats.

If your car has 9 or 10 year-old tires on it they need to be replaced due to age! They won't perform properly and could eventually blow out, even if the car's been in a climate-controlled garage.

[UPSROD]

Originally Posted by Coi

If your car has 9 or 10 year-old tires on it they need to be replaced due to age! They won't perform properly and could eventually blow out, even if the car's been in a climate-controlled garage.

WOW, thank you! Mostly propagated by tire manf. and dealers!

[JoeyDDD0919]

Originally Posted by UPSROD

WOW, thank you! Mostly propagated by tire manf. and dealers!

life of rubber product is 5-10 years. Some kinds could be 15-20 years. It's physics and chemistry...

[Coi]

Originally Posted by UPSROD

WOW, thank you! Mostly propagated by tire manf. and dealers!

Possibly, but not worth the risk to save like $1k in my opinion. Paul Walker case highlighted this but I've also seen it personally in a way less extreme way. I bought some used oem take-off wheels that had low-mileage 9-year-old tires and there were small cracks forming between the tread. Obviously not that safe to drive on, let alone drive aggressively. They were stored with tire covers in a garage in a very temperate climate in California where it never gets extremely hot or snows. I wasn't planning on using the tires anyway, but still makes a point.

Lots of independent automotive publications and other sources say to replace tires when they're old and I don't think it's all a big conspiracy. Many say tires can deteriorate from the inside or loose elasticity without showing visible signs of age. I'll agree that some manufacturers quote very short expiration times like 5 years to get more sales, but 10 years is really pushing it. Relatively normal things like ambient conditions (hot, cold, wet, dry), UV radiation, and ozone will cause them to age. At the end of the day rubber is a material that breaks down when exposed to light and air.

Having the original tires doesn't add value to the car. Also it's still possible to buy Star BMW P Zeros or Pilot Super Sports for those who want everything including tires to be factory for some reason. Personally I would rather keep the PS4S on my M Roadster than have some Star PSS. I could put in a snippy comment about barely driving the car and not driving it hard enough (when I had my E93 a set of 400tw tires would only last me about 7k miles) but I'll refrain.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by Binford

Facts

It is a fact. They all come with an M Mobility kit to help with flats.

[Westside Guy]

Fact: a close friend of mine just turned 80 and took delivery of an M240i two months ago. He specified runflats on his build as he didn't want to deal with having to change a flat if it ever happened.

Ravenseal, I thank you for informing us about the Pirelli warranty which I am now sending to him!

[Tyga11]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but no real M cars have runflats...thanks.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by UPSROD

My 2013 still has the original tires and they are NOT runflats.

2013 tires? Yikes. 6 years max, replace this safety hazards.

[BeEmVe]

Slightly OT but related to the OE Pirelli RunFlat Tires equipped on new BMW vehicles that we experienced. After driving on ours for about two years we swapped wheels and tires. When the shop took the tires off they asked us when did we have a flat, I said never. He noted that on two of the four tires there was "marbling" which is a sign they were run flat. I found that odd given we bought it new and picked it at the factory (Euro Delivery). I was not sure what to make of it but it gave me pause about the tires.

At that point it did not mater as the tires were going to another person for their lease return. So BMW got them back.

[P1]

Originally Posted by KevinC

2013 tires? Yikes. 6 years max, replace this safety hazards.

Naah, not six years. Just keep an eye on them and you'll be just fine.

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

guys i just walked outside and my M3 doesn't have runflats

guess i have to cancel my bank robbery

[1WickedE90]

Originally Posted by Ravenseal

I learned this the hard way after one of my tires developed a sidewall bubble in just 400 miles. Something which Pirelli Runflats are infamous for. The cost to replace it would have been $356 - until I looked at the Pirelli warranty documentation more carefully. It took some work with the service manager at my dealership, but they finally agreed to honor it.

Ravenseal Thanks for the heads-up & sorry you had to go through that. Did yours come w/ the staggered PZ4 run-flats (that's what my 330i came with)?