Given
29%
while driving a
BMW 530d F10
(225/45 R17) on
a combination of roads
for 10,000
spirited miles
As a long time driver of BMW cars I am used to a spirited drive with lots of feel and precision. This is the first set of run flat Tyres I have driven for any period of time. Hopefully they will be the last.
Grip in the dry is poor and under fast cornering there is no give in the tyre at all, it is difficult to get a feel for the grip because the feedback through the steering wheel is constantly hard and harsh. This sucks confidence and leads to driving, for me, being dull.
In the wet the Tyres are like driving a Lego car - the grip is pathetic and the lack of feedback and feel makes the problem I have in the dry even worse.
At the first hint of a bump, with any steering or cornering at all, the car steps out. Not much, but enough to kill confidence.
The ride is bumpy, harsh and noisy - I don't expect perfection, my car is on 19 inch wheels, but the harsh ride equates to constant white noise through the seat and steering wheel making it very difficult to have any precision, or anything approaching a delicate touch. The road noise is ridiculous.
When BMW are known for making drivers cars it is telling that bulk standard cars come fitted with these junk Tyres while cars from the M Sport division have non-run flat Tyres. I think fitting run flats allows a saving on a spare wheel and tyre at the expense of the ride in a car that is meant to be known for the quality of the drive.
BMW - wake up to what your customers want and stop fitting thee tractor Tyres to performance cars.