OK, I have decided to go for it and ditch the OEM Bridgestone RFTs as the are terrible! Currently sat in the Q at Micheldever Tyres to have Falken 452s fitted having read so many good reports on the 452s on the forum. Micheldever also matched Camskills price allowing £10 per wheel fitting so £326 all in - not bad I think. I will report back to let you know how I get on with them!
Here goes - Ditching RFTs for Falken 452s
- Thread starter ginkster
- Start date
about the same as i payed for mine.
ditched the runflats and went to falkens. they are a fairly good tyre for the money. i find they are a little softer (sidewall difference probably) and they get much more grip. now i feel like i can chuck it into a corner if i want to, not that i do often, but its always nice to feel a little safer.
the car used to feel like it was skimming over the road when it got a little rough but now it feels more planted. the only thing i dont like about them is the lack of rim protection for my 108's incase of a little accident.
ditched the runflats and went to falkens. they are a fairly good tyre for the money. i find they are a little softer (sidewall difference probably) and they get much more grip. now i feel like i can chuck it into a corner if i want to, not that i do often, but its always nice to feel a little safer.
the car used to feel like it was skimming over the road when it got a little rough but now it feels more planted. the only thing i dont like about them is the lack of rim protection for my 108's incase of a little accident.
The price sounds a little too low??
Can you confirm they are for the staggerd set up 18" with 255/35's for the rear. In general the best prices are £90 for a front and £100+ rear. and Camskills are at £392 plus shipping today.
Can you confirm they are for the staggerd set up 18" with 255/35's for the rear. In general the best prices are £90 for a front and £100+ rear. and Camskills are at £392 plus shipping today.
That would make a lot more sense as a 17" is nearer £70 a corner, so add delivery and that gets in the ballpark of ginsters figure.
As an aside I can now get Falkens trade so if anyone is near me and serious about buying let me know. It's a lot less than the internet suppliers
, but I won't embarass my contact just calling and shopping prices.
So ginster assuming you didn't slide off the first corner on the mould release agent how are they???
As an aside I can now get Falkens trade so if anyone is near me and serious about buying let me know. It's a lot less than the internet suppliers
, but I won't embarass my contact just calling and shopping prices. So ginster assuming you didn't slide off the first corner on the mould release agent how are they???
A
Anonymous
Guest
Thinking of ditching the the RFT's as well. I run on continental sport contacts, Alot of the time i feel like im driving on flat slicks, hard to take away from junctions even on a dry road without the traction control going mental. :headbang: Just always worried about getting a flat as i don't want to carry a spare. Guess a couple of cans of tyre weld should solve that. Judging by what other members are saying i think Falcons seem to be the favoured tyres.
WOW!!
Sorry to take so long to come back but I have been out driving.
What a difference, why didn't I get rid of the run-shites ages ago?!
Should have said at the beginning that the price was for 17" but the observant amongst you noted that anyhow
I think I got a pretty reasonable deal as Camskills was £284 delivered plus it would have cost me about a tenner a wheel to get them fitted - a total of £324ish. In the end it cost me £321 as I kept my old RFTs to put back on when it comes to trade in time therefore didn't have to pay the disposal charge. Now keeping the old tyres, that leads to another story!! Anyone tried getting 4 tyres in a Z4? Well this is how I did it:
As you can imagine I took it pretty steadily going home so anyone who spotted me doing 50 in the slow lane along the A303 and M3 now knows who it was holding everyone up - sorry. It also stopped me having any 'release agent' problems and finding the first ditch! Sorry to disappoint you CJ
The guys at Micheldever were excellent and really efficient and even helped out by giving me some stuff to tie the boot lid down. Before anyone says that I should have thought of that I had gone there on a whim as I was passing on the way back from a business trip so was totally unprepared!!
OK so what about the tyres? Well I am really very impressed even though it is early days and I have only done a few miles without the tyres in the boot! Though all of that is on local roads that I drive often so is a good comparison with the old tyres. With the RFTs the car tramlined something rotten to the point that I had little confidence placing the car close to curbs etc in case it decided to pull violently. It was a real handfull if the road was anything other than totally smooth. Well that has gone - totally. The car goes as straight as a dye with no tugging on the wheel whatsoever - brilliant. Instantly I feel much happier and faster :driving: The ride is also much improved though it could never be described as limo like (I wouldn't want it to be it's a sports car after all!!) but it is much more compliant and again allows you to drive harder and faster. It also does not crash into potholes like before. As for the grip, well that seems far better but I have not really pushed it yet. And all of that is before I have even tinkered with the pressures!
Overall - very impressed so far. A good deal and great service - to Micheldever. No tramlining at all. Smoother more compliant ride. Let's see how they wear and what they are like in the wet. To those who are contemplating the swap - DO IT NOW YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.
Sorry to take so long to come back but I have been out driving.
What a difference, why didn't I get rid of the run-shites ages ago?!Should have said at the beginning that the price was for 17" but the observant amongst you noted that anyhow
I think I got a pretty reasonable deal as Camskills was £284 delivered plus it would have cost me about a tenner a wheel to get them fitted - a total of £324ish. In the end it cost me £321 as I kept my old RFTs to put back on when it comes to trade in time therefore didn't have to pay the disposal charge. Now keeping the old tyres, that leads to another story!! Anyone tried getting 4 tyres in a Z4? Well this is how I did it:As you can imagine I took it pretty steadily going home so anyone who spotted me doing 50 in the slow lane along the A303 and M3 now knows who it was holding everyone up - sorry. It also stopped me having any 'release agent' problems and finding the first ditch! Sorry to disappoint you CJ
The guys at Micheldever were excellent and really efficient and even helped out by giving me some stuff to tie the boot lid down. Before anyone says that I should have thought of that I had gone there on a whim as I was passing on the way back from a business trip so was totally unprepared!! OK so what about the tyres? Well I am really very impressed even though it is early days and I have only done a few miles without the tyres in the boot! Though all of that is on local roads that I drive often so is a good comparison with the old tyres. With the RFTs the car tramlined something rotten to the point that I had little confidence placing the car close to curbs etc in case it decided to pull violently. It was a real handfull if the road was anything other than totally smooth. Well that has gone - totally. The car goes as straight as a dye with no tugging on the wheel whatsoever - brilliant. Instantly I feel much happier and faster :driving: The ride is also much improved though it could never be described as limo like (I wouldn't want it to be it's a sports car after all!!) but it is much more compliant and again allows you to drive harder and faster. It also does not crash into potholes like before. As for the grip, well that seems far better but I have not really pushed it yet. And all of that is before I have even tinkered with the pressures!
Overall - very impressed so far. A good deal and great service -
to Micheldever. No tramlining at all. Smoother more compliant ride. Let's see how they wear and what they are like in the wet. To those who are contemplating the swap - DO IT NOW YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.Medium Dave
Member
Two weeks ago I changed to Falken 452s from Micheldever. Mine are the 18" (108s) and I paid just under £430 for the set.
I wish I'd done it earlier. Not only does it sort out the ride and handling, it also eliminated every rattle that I've been trying to track down. I guess the harsh ride was shaking the car to bits!
I wish I'd done it earlier. Not only does it sort out the ride and handling, it also eliminated every rattle that I've been trying to track down. I guess the harsh ride was shaking the car to bits!
Sounds like another happy Falken customer
Will BMW tyre insurance only cover the standard runflats? Starting to regret getting that insurance now. firstly I probably won't keep the car the full 3 years, and secondly I can already appreciate the comments about tramlining etc so would be tempted by non-RFT as soon as they needed changing.
what are you using for puncture protection?
what are you using for puncture protection?
Luck!
No really, I have gone for a can of Holts Tyreweld and a plug in tyre inflator. If that doesn't do the trick then I will be calling the RAC! I went for Holts as the guys at Micheldever said it was the only one that could be cleaned out so that a puncture can be repaired. I have heard that from several sources now.
Just been outside and it is raining
. In the name of science I may have to go for another drive to see how the 452s go in the wet Ginkster, well done mate.
I have 4 brand new RFTs (18 inch) Michelins on and the tram lining is atrocious.
Did you get all 4 tyres replaced as I can only see two tyres on the photos (boot and passenger seat)? Also I live near Micheldever near Romsey/Salisbury and was wondering were your where as I wouldn't mind seeing how your now feels by comparison?
I hope you don't mind the question mate?
I have 4 brand new RFTs (18 inch) Michelins on and the tram lining is atrocious.
Did you get all 4 tyres replaced as I can only see two tyres on the photos (boot and passenger seat)? Also I live near Micheldever near Romsey/Salisbury and was wondering were your where as I wouldn't mind seeing how your now feels by comparison?
I hope you don't mind the question mate?
Sherlock
Yes it was all 4. 2 on the passenger seat and 2 in the boot (1 right in the boot, the other sat on top sticking out!). Should have seen me trying to work out how to get them home - pure comedy!! :lol:
I am near Woking in Surrey if you want to see what the non-RFTs are like. Given the strong praise of the Michelin ZPs from Gannet (& others) I wonder if your alignment might be out - did you have it checked when you had the tyres fitted? My car was verging on dangerous at one stage due to tramlining until I had the alignment sorted, after that it was 'just' terrible (but at least less dangerous!!!!)! I am almost certainly in a minority here but I think the 18"+ wheels compromise the handling of the car due to the low profile. When I was looking to buy the Z4 I drove several Zs and found that the 17" wheels gave a more composed ride and therefore made it easier to keep the pace up. OK they may not have the outright grip (but who uses that often on the road?!!) and don't fill the wheel arches quite as well, but for everyday driving I feel they are a better compromise. Standby for abuse :lol:
:driving:
