BMW, Bridgestone Potenza RE050 and Turanza EL42

In my main BMW evaluation, I ranted about the decline of the Ultimate Driving Machine as softening of performance themes produced a more conservative Lexus-like product.

BMW's first big US debacle, the Bridgestone Potenza and Turanza EL42 run flat tire problem, illustrates this process of upscaling to the detriment of performance.

Everybody hates flat tires. If you've ever been caught in the rain or dark of winter with a flat, you know the frustration. One of the greatest fears of an 18-wheel driver is squashing a tire changer in the dark. You will see the big trucks moving left half a mile away from a car in the breakdown lane with people around it.

The shoulder of a busy highway is one of the most dangerous places in the world. On the Ranger pickup, my wife's commuter, I run Michelins and maintain them fastidiously, resulting in zero flats in the last 100K miles. But my car, a 1993 fox-body Mustang, gets the cheapies from Sam's club.

I recently had one of these $70 tires blow. Westbound out of Houston on bustling Interstate 10. Rather than change the tire I drove 3 miles to a conveniently located Sam's. By the time I pulled in front of the service bay, I was riding on the rim. The I-10 shoulder is a shooting gallery for sitting ducks.

One solution to this dilemma is the run flat tire (RFT). Traditional tires are now called GFT's (go-flat-tires).

Designed to keep running 50 to 125 miles after all the air is gone, run flats are marketed as a safety advance.

The new skins allow manufacturers to eliminate the spare tire and jack, freeing up some trunk or drive-line space. And skimming off some cash.

Run-flat tires first appeared as a standard item on the 1997 Corvette.

RFT's work best on performance cars where space and weight are at a premium.

These tires are a luxury feature, some say "security blanket."

When J.D. Power and Associates surveyed people about wants for new 2001 cars, 87 per cent asked for run-flat tires. Hey, just your marketing dollars at work.

In my opinion there are four main problems the RFTs, which were magnified by BMW's choice of the Bridgestones.

Lack of a spare restricts the car to urban areas and a 50 mile radius from the BMW or Bridgestone dealer. Forget Yellowstone, Moab, and Glacier.

This is a no-deposit-no-return tire, you break it you bought it. There is no easily available flat repair.

Apart from issues of durability and cost there is additional unsprung weight, which degrades performance. Heavier RFTs store more energy when rotating, and require more braking force. Dodge Viper dropped the stiff run flats for 2008, improving the V-10 powered monster's ride and handling.

Run-flats have changed the nature of the problem, not solved it. Now you don't sit by the road with a flat, you use the fifty miles to find the nearest BMW dealer. Once there, many owners learn why I always say luxury and sports cars are for people who can actually afford them.

RFT's benefit the automaker far more than the consumer.

About 40 vehicle models globally are rolling on RFT's. Manufacturers including Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, Honda, Mini, Dodge, Saturn, Jeep, Audi, Rolls-Royce, and Cadillac have joined the experiment.

Run flat technology is standard on Toyota Sienna AWD, where all-wheel-drive was implemented in the space formerly occupied by the spare tire.

Bimmer Bummer

BMW embraced the run-flats wholesale, reingineering the 3-series suspension to accept the heavier, stiffer Bridgestone summer Potenza and all-season Turanza EL42 run flat tires.

This effort was well underway when problems began to surface with RFTs.

Users noticed the harder ride quickly, and complaints about loud road noise, fast wear, and dealer price gouging began.

The Bridgestones had rapid wear and failures with very few miles, some in the first 1000. From reading hundreds of forum posts I estimate average life ot the 3-Series RFT's was 16K miles. Suddenly, thousands of bimmer buyers discovered the throw away nature of these luxury items. Get a simple flat, buy at least one new tire. Demand for the Potenza, and especially the EL42 Turanza, made replacements scarce.

Run-flat tires cost more than twice as much to replace as GFTs. True costs of upscale cars are often hidden, especially from lease buyers reaching up for a car they can barely afford. Lease terms specified the cars be returned with four matched tires. Bridgestone Turanza/Potenza RFTs. Try $450 each.

One forum poster claimed to have driven 29K miles while purchasing 11 new tires. Damaged rims, not cheap either, were a frequent result of driving to the dealer on the flat. Of course, all low profile tires lend themselves to rim damage. Old fashioned tires scrubbed the curb with sidewalls, now rims get the brunt.

Independent tire shop owners avoided investing in machinery required to service run-flat tire technology. This was the problem with the Michelin version.

Bridgestone

Bridgestone Potenza and Turanza EL42 employ reinforced sidewalls that allow a car to be driven after a puncture.

Bridgestone corporate officials say that run-flats should wear just as well as conventional tires and that problems are often caused by owners neglecting proper inflation.

With their short sidewall, all low profile tires are difficult to eyeball for a flat. RFT's compound this as the sidewalls don't flex. This was the problem in the Ford Explorer/Firestone SUV rollover debacle. Many people drove on those six-ply sidewall tires without enough air pressure.

The stability and smoothness of the Potenza and Turanza RFT's without air has been tested at the track. Air pressure monitors are mandatory with run-flat tires.

But this warning message on the dash often malfunctions and is widely ignored. Just yesterday I was leaving my Houston apartment when a neighbor drove by in a new Lexus. A sharp looking shiny-black freshly washed and buffed ES350 sedan. As I pointed and murmured my approval to my wife, I noticed the right front tire was flat. Whaaat?

The car exited the gate, and efforts to catch it were futile. The slightly imperfect Lexus was last seen heading East toward the Galleria Mall. Who is training these car detail guys? Don't they know today's consumers cannot be personally responsible for having air in their tires?

With the Bridgestone Turanza EL42 and Potenza RE050A back-ordered, stranded owners sought repairs. Dealers would not fix the tires once they were run while flat.

Some exasperated owners began treating the RFT like a GFT. They stopped and fixed the flat without driving on it to keep from buying a new tire.

Bridgestone has reportedly changed the compounds used in the second generation Turanzas, fixing the problems of noise and premature wear on the EL42s

Customer Service

BMW made a big comittment to this technology, and got punished for the gamble.

But it is important to see that BMW and Bridgestone have a customer service issue, not a safety issue. Nobody has been seriously injured, the run-flat Turanzas and Potenzas have succeeded in their primary design task. It is easy to see why there hasn't been much interest in heading off a consumer backlash.

Stonewalling and lying at dealerships happen at every brand, when there are problems with product. BMW is no exception. With headquarters backpedaling, dealer response was irregular.

Eventually there was a replacement program in which BMW offered customers aid on the defective tires. Tires with less than 20K miles were replaced at 50% of the list price. Often the half off price was higher than the Bridgestones were selling for down the street.

Dealers kept quiet about the problem, allowing customers to build miles.

Complaints were met by stonewalling, aggressive buyers got better service. Yawn, the car business as usual.

Folks who bought tire warranties were surprised to learn that accelerated wear was not covered.

Many forum posters swear they will never buy another BMW. These people are not a captive audience, they have the money to vote with their feet.

JD Power's 2006 Original Equipment Tire Satisfaction study found that experiencing even one problem with new car tires can have a considerable impact on overall customer satisfaction. Customers who experienced a single tire problem in the first 12 months of ownership gave satisfaction scores 11% lower.

RFT Class Action Suits

The run flat experiment was a failure for several automakers. BMW took a big plunge and got wet. Customers who paid full price for replacements for the Bridgestones got soaked.

A class action by Toyota Sienna owners against Toyota and Goodyear-Dunlop resulted in a settlement.

Honda and Michelin are defendants in another suit.

Today it takes a class action to get any builder to do anything. BMW and Bridgestone could have been more forthcoming, now the trial lawyers are circling.

Lessons from the Run-Flat Experiment: "Spare Me"

How many BMW buyers researched the Bridgestone Turanza EL42 and Potenza tires before buying a new 3-Series?

Few consumer products are more important than our tires, which slam against potholes and road hazards, endure high temperatures, and are expected to protect our family's safety for a period of years.

RFT means paying for a new tire after every flat. Do not drive on a RFT without air pressure, unless you want to purchase a new one.

The Feds have mandated tire pressure monitors across the entire product line. Will this make consumers even more complacent about properly maintained tires?

For non-sport models a spare tire remains a good thing.

Long term, I think the RFT will succeed.

In my opinion, Michelin's run flat concept, using a core support and locking beads, is superior to the Bridgestone Turanza EL42 and Potenza stiff sidewall design.

BMW has disappointed thousands of customers. This seems like a mistake. BMW management may feel with that with their substantial financial commitment they can't go back to previous tires. They may feel compelled to ride out the storm until the RFT problems are resolved.

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