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[burgemaster]

Hi all,

I took my 57 plate 320i M-Sport with 225 19" wheels for "four wheel tracking" today and was also shown that my front tyres are completely ruined!!

The inner and outer edge of both front tyres are worn right down. They are so identical in wear on both sides and both wheels that I thought that this is how they were supposed to be!!!!

They are the factory 255/35/19 Bridgestone RE050A RFT tyres on the front. I have 7MM still on the back tyres and they are wearing correctly. My question is, instead of buying runflats again for £600, can I replace the front tyres with Non-Runflats now, and then later replace the rears with Non-Runflats when they need replacing?

I am a little reluctant to buy the same tyres and they shouldn't have worn like this UNLESS they have been run with low pressure
Can anyone please advice me?

[RupertPupkin]

Originally Posted by burgemaster

Hi all,

I took my 57 plate 320i M-Sport with 225 19" wheels for "four wheel tracking" today and was also shown that my front tyres are completely ruined!!

The inner and outer edge of both front tyres are worn right down. They are so identical in wear on both sides and both wheels that I thought that this is how they were supposed to be!!!!

They are the factory 255/35/19 Bridgestone RE050A RFT tyres on the front. I have 7MM still on the back tyres and they are wearing correctly. My question is, instead of buying runflats again for £600, can I replace the front tyres with Non-Runflats now, and then later replace the rears with Non-Runflats when they need replacing?

I am a little reluctant to buy the same tyres and they shouldn't have worn like this UNLESS they have been run with low pressure
Can anyone please advice me?

I just had the OEM runflats on front and Nexen N3000 non funflat in rear. The car had unpredictable handling and rode a little awkward. If only for a little while its not that big of a deal. Got 4 brand new DWS and the car is like a different car. Rides very smoothly, quietly, and handles very well. I think you should be fine doing what youre saying.

[VMRWheels]

It's not recommended to mix tires like that. Is it driveable? Yes, but unpredictable. Low tire pressure could be one culprit, or it could possibly be an alignment issue.

[burgemaster]

Thanks for the replies,

Well ive stuck with runflats BUT, I found some new unfitted 2nd hand Pirelli P Zero Runflats at nearly half price..

So i will be on runflats front and rear but the rear still will have Bridgestones and the front will have the P-Zeros.

I hope this is a "better" solution to my original question, I dont drive fast and rarely go on the motorways, I have read that the P-Zeros are better than the bridgestones so will be replacing the rears for these when they need replacing

Do you think I have dont the right thing being on a original budget of £0 thinking my front tyres would be fine for another 8 months!!

[driverman]

When we get a new set of tires, all four tires will respond about the same to handling and braking forces, wet and dry. But when we mix and match RFT's and non-RFT's or different brands of either or different models in the same brand, the front end will probably respond differently than the rear end, which will upset the handling balance of the car.

It seems to me that mixing RFT's and non-RFT's is clearly a bad idea since the RFT"s are much stiffer. Mixing different brands or models of RFT's or non-RFT's is certainly not ideal, but how bad it is depends on the how big the difference is between the handling and braking characteristics of the two types of tires. Compounding that is that tires tend to behave differently under different conditions. So one combination might be fine in the dry but terrible in the wet.

I even notice a difference when I replace the rear tires before the fronts, even though all 4 tires are the same brand and model. The rears are noticeably softer, especially during break in. I usually increase pressure in the rear to compensate until break in is complete.

[burgemaster]

Thanks again for replies.

I will see how it goes, I dont race or drive fast and only commute to work and back. I will see how it goes. I guess I could look for a deal on some rear Pirelli P-Zero`s and when I find them sell the rears as part-worn.

I am completely broke and expected the tyres to last a long time yet!

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by burgemaster

Thanks again for replies.

I will see how it goes, I dont race or drive fast and only commute to work and back. I will see how it goes. I guess I could look for a deal on some rear Pirelli P-Zero`s and when I find them sell the rears as part-worn.

I am completely broke and expected the tyres to last a long time yet!

Just drive very, very cautiously on wet surfaces until you can afford to "re-sync" your tires.

Tom