Replacement Tires for our '09 X5 35d

[FunfDreisig]

At just under 37k we're ready to replace the Bridgestone run flats that came on our stock '09 X535d. We had planned to switch from run flats at this juncture. But even though we have the optional spare, we've decided to stick to run flats. The 35d is my wife's daily driver. She feels safer knowing that in case of a flat, she doesn't have to pull over to the side of the road. She can just slow down and drive to the nearest tire dealer.

The OEM Bridgestones have not been bad tires. But they haven't been great ones either. So we want to switch to Michelins. We have always been happy with Michelins. The 2 sets of MXV4's on our previous X5 (E53) were quiet, comfortable and good in the wet. My wife still speaks wistfully of how much safer she felt in the E53 because of how much more sure footed it was on the 2 lane twisty/turny roads, here in the hill country.

The Michelin site lists 3 different 255/55/R18 Michelin Latitude Tour HP tires that would fit a 35d:
255/55R18/XL 109 H (Part # 29309) BMW OEM 717RPM 45.6lbs ZP (run flat)
255/55R18/XL 109 V (Part # 89039) Porsche 717 RPM 34.7lbs
255/55R18/XL 109 V (Part # 26669) Porsche 742RPM 34 lbs
I called the Michelin help line and confirmed that the latter two are not run flats.

So as far as I can tell the Michelin Latitude Tour HP 255/55/R18/XL 109H (part # 29309) is the only Michelin run flat that will fit a stock '09 X535d.

Does that square with what you folks know about the Michelin run flats for a 35d?

BTW here is the pricing I've gotten over the phone.
BMW dealer - over $400/tire….
Costco - $332+15M&B w/ $70off coupon on 4 tires
Discount Tire - $302+16.50M&B w/$70 rebate on 4 tires

Funf Dreisig

p.s. Despite my best intentions, after that 1st early DIY oil change, I've fallen into the habit of letting the X5 tell me when and what needs attention.

This 35d has been an awesomely reliable vehicle. We just treat it as a work truck. Drive it on any roads. Tow heavy loads. Occasionally run it through the gas station touchless wash. It has never failed to start and run flawlessly.

Early on, that air valve thingy required replacement, we've had the steering wheel trim replaced and the battery replaced; all under warranty. That's it! Everything else has been taken care of during normal maintenance service visits. If I didn't read the service tickets I'd have never know that they replaced one of the DEF tanks, etc..

This set of tires will be our first out of pocket expense on this 35d since we bought it in Aug of 2009.

[ard]

I love my mich ZPs... IMO, you rarely read people curseing their RFTs when their car has michelins on it from the factory..lots of dunnies, brigestone.

I picked up some crazy cheap PS2s at Tire-easy.com $200 per tire, everyone else was $375. Their stock and prices vary, check them out.

GL

A

[ard]

Ignore this...but I am posting it, as it may be helpful to others in general:

I am not sure, but there are a few 255/55-18 tires that might work..
The 109H you found which is "BMW rated" and should have a star on the sidewall; two 105H with part number 18158 (MB rated) and 98728 (AC rated?)

then two 109V rated tires, part numbers 89039 (N1 rated) & 26669 (N0 rated)

Prices seem to vary too. Interestingly the two porsche rated, N0 and N1 are higher speed, same load and $50 less msrp.


Now, why ignore all this????

The BMW rated tire is the only ZP and only has a 30k mileage warranty.

Michelin.com

A

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by ard

....
then two 109V rated tires, part numbers 89039 (N1 rated) & 26669 (N0 rated)

Prices seem to vary too. Interestingly the two porsche rated, N0 and N1 are higher speed, same load and $50 less msrp.
....
A

That's what I discovered too.

BTW if our 35d wasn't my wife's daily driver, we would probably get the 89039 N1 (Porsche) non-run flat. It has the same rolling radius 717 revs per mile (keeps the speedo, tranny, etc. std.) and lower rolling resistance (Green X in Michelin parlance) as the "BMW" run flat part number 29309. And as you point out, the msrp is $50 less with a warranty of 55k instead of 30k.

But if my wife had a flat on her way to/from the nearest Costco (50+mi round trip) she would have to pull over on the side of a two lane road and wait for me to get to her. She's been there, done that; and says it isn't going to happen again.

Funf Dreisig

[ard]

I hear ya...

(In the 'old days' of spare tires...what would she have done? )

I tell my wife, the warning comes on, pull over and check the tires with the pressure gauge- if one is below 20, call AAA and they'll change the tire for you. I want to be able to repair that RFT.

Agree on the non-rft. I wonder if the N0 might even be cheaper that the N1, as it is an older spec now superseded by N1


GL

A

[Penguin]

My X5 has given me some respect for runflat tires.

A couple of years ago I got a low tire warning driving to a BMW motorcycle swap meet. I was on a secondary highway with little shoulder, i.e., to stop there I would have to had parked at an angle partway in the large sloping ditch, close to the road. Since I had runflats, I just drove at a moderate speed five miles to the next small town and parked in a convenience store parking lot. Without too much difficulty (although it was cold), Found a big nail in the tread, pulled it out, plugged it, inflated it, and continued onto the swap meet. It would have been a real pain to fix it if I had to stop immediately on that road.

Then last Friday I drove 20 miles to a small ski place and went skiing. Upon starting-up to leave that evening, I got the low tire warning. A Check showed 15 PSI in the tire. Being only 20 miles from home, and planning on stopping in five miles at a small bar to have dinner with a couple of other people, I pumped the tire-up and went for dinner. Upon coming-out, the tire was down to about 10 PSI. Knowing I had a runflat, I just pumped it up again and drove moderately 15 miles home. At home, in the convenience of my driveway, I saw the tire was again down to 15 PSI. Quickly found a screw in the tread and put a Dynaplug in it.

It's now time to replace the tires after 35K miles. I always assumed I would replace them with non-runflats; however, I'm having second thoughts, as trying to find a leak and plug it under Winter conditions in my ski clothes in a snowpacked gravel parking lot, or on the side of the road with no good shoulder, would have been a real PIA. It sure was convenient to pick the time and place to fix the leaks.

In the end, I'll probably decide to go for the non-runflats, as I did on my Z4, but I'm still debating it as the advantage of picking your place to stop is quite useful.

[alexmish]

I went run flat back in 2004 on Honda odyssey (Michelin PAX system), and I will never go back. I will suffer for ride quality, but safety it brings beats down all negatives.

To OP - I am amazed you got 37k out your tires. I had same on my 2008 4.8, and they had to be changed at around 22k.

[FunfDreisig]

Originally Posted by alexmish

To OP - I am amazed you got 37k out your tires. I had same on my 2008 4.8, and they had to be changed at around 22k.

The majority of those 37k miles were driven by my wife on 40+ mile round trips into town on 2 lanes roads at speeds between 55-70mph. To her the 35d is a comfortable safe vehicle with enough cargo space for a trip to Costco & Whole Foods &.... The rest of the miles were driven by me, frequently towing building materials (including rock, sand, gravel etc.) in our 5x9 trailer on the same roads and speeds.

I'm ashamed to admit, the tires were never rotated. Maybe the dealer checked/adjusted the tire pressure during regular maintenance but I only check the tire pressure ONCE in all those miles.

This 35d is ruining me. I use to enjoy lavishing over the top maintenance attention on our vehicles: check tire pressure, oil levels, weekly hand washing, etc... Now I just expect it to run flawlessly even if it only gets the attention it demands via dashboard requests.

Funf Dreisig

p.s. We once shared a table with a couple in a small left bank cafe in Paris. During dinner they explained the fundamental difference between the Germans and the French. A German will get up on a beautiful Satruday morning and promptly wash his BMW. A Frenchman will jump in his deux chevaux and pick up his girl friend, some wine and a baguette on his way for a drive/picnic in the country.