Has anyone used Bridgestone Potenza S001 run flats?

LexDiamond

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I need new tyres for my X3 and just spoke with the dealer. They currently only have the Bridgestone Potenza run flats. I googled them for reviews and the some reviews seem to suggest these tyres will kill you while others suggest they are amazing.

Was wondering if anyone on here had any real life experience of them?
 
Had them on our old 520d Tourer and no complaints, decent in the wet from what I can remember.
 
I was all set to go and then saw Pirelli P-Zeros on Kwik-Fit for under £200 a tyre fully fitted whereas BMW want £275 a tyre fully fitted for the Bridgestone. As much as I don’t want to use Kwik-Fit I may just have to as the price difference is huge.
 
Are the P-Zeros run flat though?
I've switched runflats on our Mini for Michelin Cross Climates - the ride is better, but I got some grief from the supplier (Blackcircles) and the fitter about using non-runflats on a car that came with them out of the factory.
I checked with our insurer (Aviva) who confirmed if the tyres are the correct size for the wheel then there's no problem and I had them note that on the account in case it became an issue during a claim.

FWIW the Mini came with Bridgestone something or other from the factory and there was nothing "wrong" with them - I did get annoyed when a minor puncture was deemed to be "too dangerous to risk repairing in case the car had been driven with a fully flat tyre" (it hadn't). No one would touch it so the next time I needed new tyres I went for standard. The better ride was a bonus as I was expecting it to be a load of BS but I noticed it on the first speed bump out of the trading estate :)
 
The P-Zeros are run flats. Those are the tyres I have on at the moment and have been happy with them. It’s an X-Drive so I want to ideally stick with one of the few BMW star marked tyres as from what I have read there isn’t conclusive proof that non star marked/non run flats will not do long term damage to the X-Drive system.
 
I'm so stupid, I also have them on my current 420i GC that I've had for 2.5 years.
 
If you like the tyres and you like the price I think you've made your choice!

I would have gone for the Bridgestone tyres had the price difference not been so huge as I ideally wanted the changed at BMW. Dreading having to deal with Kwik-Fit and already thinking they will probably turn up with the non star versions!
 
Are run-flats a must have? A lot of people ditched them for non-run-flat tyres, which opens up for choice of tyres.
 
I’ve done some reading on this and it looks like run flats (by default as all star marked tyres are run flats) are needed for x-drives to avoid potential damage to the transfer box.
 
I’ve never owned an x-drive (and never plan to) but some of their other cars come from the factory without run-flats as well. Wonder if the new M3 x-drive comes with run-flats?
 
M135i doesn't have run flats
 
My understanding of this is very basic as I just don’t have technical knowledge around how the system works. My basic understanding is that the x-drive system is just constantly transferring power between the drivetrain in order to keep traction. The tyres play a part in this because they are one of the reasons traction between front and back/side to side will differ.

Therefore BMW will have certain sets of tyres that they test and star mark as working with their x-drive system. This is particularly important with the staggered wheel sizes as the mass of the wheel also plays a part in how x-drive reacts to difference in traction so the user of a car with staggered wheels needs to be sure on whether the wheels being used are compatible with x-drive otherwise the difference in circumference and mass will lead to over use of x-drive and lead to transmission issues.

I’m not too sure on what other cars in BMW use. I believe that there are non run flat star marked tyres out there but not sure if that is the case in the U.K.. I do know that in the U.K., specifically on the SUV side, the staggered set up is common, and that the only options for star marked tyres are all run flats. I personally have the 20” staggered and I have read up on that and most of the forums out there are not conclusive on what the impact on non run flats would have. With the staggered set up there are also issues around tyre wear. All 4 are supposed to be changed around the same time as uneven wear front to back will also cause x-drive issues according BMW and a few specialists (although I believe other manufacturers like Volvo on the XC90 are also saying the same).

In all honesty it’s a world of pain as I’m having to replace rears before they are anywhere near 3mm and also this is picked up in any transmission warranty claims by both BMW and the independent specialist I used.
 
Exactly why i'm not interested in x-drive!
 
For SUV drivers I don’t think there is any getting away from x-drive if they want one of the larger engines in the BMW range. I looked at all the similar models from other manufacturers out there like the SQ5 etc and IMO the 35d engine just was miles ahead of anything for my budget at that time.

But totally agree with you. If I was going for something like a 435d or 535d I would avoid x-drive as it takes a huge complexity out of ownership.
 

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