The M3 does not come with Run-Flat tires.

5stones wrote

RuN FlAtS SuCk...period, the end! Unless your on a tricycle.

generally that is correct !

The run-flats that were on my viper srt-10 were not bad at all ... but they were like 800 a tire i think lol thank god I never had to replace them

6spdg37s wrote

okay lol it does come with a fix a flat thing that was my question... I have non run flats on my z06 that im getting rid of I bought a tire foam inflation kit thing i figured if i ever needed it but knock on wood never got a flat !

Yes there's a kit in the trunk in the smugglers hold (thats what I call it). It's a tire pressure kit and also a can of sealant foam. Put the pieces together and plug it into ur cig lighter. Its probably better to just call a flat bed though, most flats are not repairable with the foam (like any blowout obviously not gonna work, if there's a nail or something that does a good job of slowing the leak if you leave it in, glass will cause a gash that the foam won't fix etc). that's my opinion but I got a year of free roadside & the tire/wheel warranty so i don't care.

Do any of you keep a old school tire repair kit with plugs in the trunk or is the BMW tire repair kit sufficient?

Savage_M3 wrote

Do any of you keep a old school tire repair kit with plugs in the trunk or is the BMW tire repair kit sufficient?

The last thing you want to do is spray the goop in the tire. Here are links to a couple of quality patch kits:
http://www.stopngo.com/categories/Tire-Pluggers/
http://patchboy.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=P&Product_Code=12-210&Category_Code=ki
Here's a link to a thread on a compact spare solution: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=253769&highlight=spare+tire

Thanks for the great info! I've never used those mushroom type plugs before. They seem a lot easier to used than the old school strips with rubber cement...

This year my salesman told me if the M3 had no spare then my M3 had run flats. During sales contract, I was assured again this was the facts. I found the correct information here at this website later after the sale. A month or so later, I even asked the general manager and he admitted he really did not know either. The parts department guy did not have the answer. So, its up to the folks that work at the dealership as to how knowledgable they want to be. I have learned more here than talking to the dealer. The folks at my dealer are very nice and try to be helpful. I just hope the mechanics know what there are doing if I need something mechanical repaired.

Port Canaveral M3 driver wrote

This year my salesman told me if the M3 had no spare then my M3 had run flats. During sales contract, I was assured again this was the facts. I found the correct information here at this website later after the sale. A month or so later, I even asked the general manager and he admitted he really did not know either. The parts department guy did not have the answer. So, its up to the folks that work at the dealership as to how knowledgable they want to be. I have learned more here than talking to the dealer. The folks at my dealer are very nice and try to be helpful. I just hope the mechanics know what there are doing if I need something mechanical repaired.

after hearing all the horror stories i have this same fear every time i take my car in for any type of service

just found out today lol from bmw

LOL, I had the BMW sales guy tell me they were run flats. I laughed and said "XL" does not mean run flat, it means extra load. The look on his face? Priceless?

Good to know – I was not aware they weren’t on M3’s. Definitely would not have known until I saw this thread. I had a blow out on my 335 and it held up until I limped it to my dealer about 15 miles away… time to get a mini spare – and tools too, or may be fix-a-flat.

Thanks for the info. I didn't know until today.

crazy how many people including dealers are unaware of this.

I was under the impression they were run flats too. Thanks for the correct info

Wow count me as another one informed by the Sticky. I just made a deal on 2013 M3 and the business manager pushed me to include the tire and rim protection because of the run flats on the car and how they can't be repaired. Now where I live and the fact I am getting 19's I feel the rim coverage is good, but am still choked that I was misinformed about the tires.

SKFlatlander wrote

Wow count me as another one informed by the Sticky. I just made a deal on 2013 M3 and the business manager pushed me to include the tire and rim protection because of the run flats on the car and how they can't be repaired. Now where I live and the fact I am getting 19's I feel the rim coverage is good, but am still choked that I was misinformed about the tires.

Of course the "can't repair run flats" is mostly BS too. The issue is if you actually drive the RF tire without significant air in the tire (i.e. at least 20psi or so) for a significant distance (greater than a couple of miles). On our E90 330i, we've had four flats since it was new, and each time as soon as the warning goes off, we've stopped, checked which tire it was, and put air in it. All four of those flats were repaired just like you would a normal tire. Oh, well, three of them. The fourth one was a big sidewall gash that happened on I-85 at ~75+mph when hitting some nasty pavement in a repair zone near Charlotte a few years back. That was one time a RF sure was nice to have as a "regular" tire would have instantly deflated.

"Dealerships" love the "you can't repair runflat tires" BS since they get to offer you a hugely marked up price on said "required" new tire. The flip side of the coin is that they do not want to assume *any* liability by fixing a RF flat on the off chance that the tire was driven without any air long enough to do sidewall damage (and hence actually needing a new tire).

Your car comes with Michelen Pilot Sport tires.
They are not Run Flats. IDK how there is confusion unless you plan on never buying your own tires and pulling in and out of the dealer for a $1600 tire change... crazy

just for an update. Last 3 service advisors I've had to replace two flats and a new matching rear ALL said i have run flats. ALL OF THEM. and two even argued for several minutes back and forth. PISSES me off.

well! anybody recommend me using the RFT in my e36 s54 M?

Just purchase a compact spare and leave it I'm the trunk...the trunk still has plenty of room around the spare...I live in the tristate area and commute to and from the city all the time and I wouldn't be caught dead driving these awful NY roads without the spare in my trunk.

My dealer in Germany told me when they deliver the car in the States they'll say your car will come with RF but don't believe them. And sure enough they did say the car has run flats and the deer in the headlights look I got when I corrected the salesman was priceless....

Crazy. Good info! My m3 came with P zero tires. Doesn't say run flat on them...

My rear PS2's are due for replacement. Called around for quotes including BMW Bellevue. The SA told me the tires were special run-flats that only dealers sell. Bullsh*t.

Glad this sticky exists.