kleef

ycp, thanks for that great info. I'll check out Costco. Do you mean that they can remove the runflats and put on the non-run flats and be able to deal with the sensors?

sc430uk

dealers are rip off, i sent my car in for warranty work few months ago, car came back with 60 miles plus on the clock 2/3 of the fuel gone, dent on the bonnet, and scuff marks on the leather, i went balistic, they put it all right, oh and they removed the luxlink on the car without asking me, they paid for everything to be put right, i charged them near enough $1100 to put the luxlink right, plus all the other repairs

ycp

kleef,
talking to Costco tire center in NVa. they can do it without extra charge. I would talk to live person and make sure they are comfortable doing it. In my area lexus is pretty common along with mb and bmw so they probably deal with runflats and sensors before.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

there shouldn't be extra charge putting and taking off runflats. it's more about how skillful those people are

talk to them and make sure they agree that if they break anything or scratch the wheels, they pay for it

spyderdude

i had a flat on one of my run flat wheels, and discount tire was able to fix it. It took about 4 guys to try to take it off the wheel, and then master dude came out later to actually do the work. I used to use discount tire for my previous car, so they didn't charge a penny for fixing my flat. I have costco membership, but i think i will prolly use discount tire to replace my tires. And based on what i read here, i will replace it with the normal tire. How many miles are the tires supposed to last?

Thanks,

kleef

My tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE040) lasted about 19,000 miles. I haven't priced Discount Tire yet, but Costco will install the michelins for $1030. And after reading a number of posts, I notice that not one person has said they wished they could go back to run flats!

Does anyone know: Are the stock wheels any different for SC430's that come with run flats vs non-run flats? Meaning, there is no problem putting non run flats on wheels that had them before, right?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

haha on the other hand, you can search and find a lot of people saying they wish they got away from runflats sooner

no problem on the wheels, they take any tires. don't stress man, this is no rocket science

dlrshort

I went to a 'franchise' tire shop in my area and the sales person told me that I needed to purchase new rims when I swapped out of the run flats. Needless to say I took it to a tire shop which had been in business many years. They did a great job no problems I got BF Goodrich G-force245/40ZR18's. The car runs and tracks like a different car.

clubaddict

i think i want to get rid of my runflats too...
for all the times ive gotten flats(live in ny) the tires have ALWAYS failed me before the 50 mile mark..
(sidewalls start ripping apart/seperating from the rim... even though the local firestone dealer/lexus dealer denies it and says its impossible)
(oh yea and that 'road hazard warranty' in the sc430 supplement book is totally useless too.. the dealer basically said its not their problem and to contact bridgestone, and the firestone dealer gave the runaround too...)


and as always, im out of a car for a few days and at the mercy of the dealers pricing(cost me $375 last time) or a local tire shop(special order everywhere and still $300+)

i think it would be best to have a spare tire kit put in, so that way I could still use the car while waiting for a new tire... i dont trust the runflats anymore... and i think ive read that they cant be patched once run in 'runflat' mode, which is can get pretty costly...

when this set runs out, i think ill be ordering a set of non-runflats from discount tire direct. they have a great road hazard warranty program that covers for the life of the tire, instead of pro-rated after a certain period of time...

sc430uk

run flats ae a waste of time, really hardens the drive gor for the Michellins or dunlop sp9000

kleef

Thanks for all the good information. I started out asking about alternative run flats and ended up putting on conventional Michellin Pilot Sport PS2's today. What a difference! BTW, I had it done at Discount Tire. However, the first store I called was totally unprofessional. I told them of my intent to swap out the run flats and the first thing the guy said was "Why would you want to do that? They must be on there for a reason..." So I quickly hung up and called a store that was further away but that I knew had better service. There, they were completely familiar not only with swapping them out, but knew about the SC430 itself. I was very impressed, and they told me that about 30% of there business involves run flats, and that i had nothing to worry about, including harming the sensors. They said it was rare, but possible, to break a sensor. So, I have driven on the new tires today and WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Just as I'm sure you've read in other threads, these tires are great and now FINALLY the car handles the way I'm sure it was intended. I am actually looking forward to crossing those railroad tracks that have seemed like such a road hazard on my daily commute!

rominl

iTrader: (4)

hey congrats! so now all you need to look out for is flats, otherwise, you have completely made your ride silky smooth

kleef

Thanks, and you're right,now it's time to avoid flats! I figure I'd just have it towed if need be.

dlrshort

My partner know someone who has a BMW roadster convertible with runflats. He wanted to replace them with standard tires and was told by the dealer that as long as he was leasing the car he had to purchase new runflats. Does that make sense?

tfischer

We can't tell from here.

He'd have to read the lease agreement to see what he is allowed to do with somebody else's car. Since tires would have some impact on the value of the car at any given time (especially the date of the end of the lease) it could be covered by some provision that states that replacement items need to be "comparable" to original equipment (look for that word).

For example, if the battery died and he replaced it with a really cheap, undersized battery, he would be de-valuing the car, which the lessor must sell on the used market, so lesors probably have some provisions in the lease to prevent that kind of thing.

I've never leased a car, so I'm unfamiliar with the detailed language of auto leases, but I would not be surprised if there were provisions relating to replacing some items. I do not know how specific they get, but my guess is that they set out some general guidelines.

In this instance, however, it may be a matter of interpretation as to whether good non-runflats are comparable (if that is the limitation in the lease) to the original runflats, and the dealer may be giving his interpretation of language that may not be so clear as he is implying. So we go back to my starting point -- he needs to read the lease to see what his rights are -- and he should know enough to do that on his own. If he does not, then maybe he deserves to be pushed around by the dealer.

PS: isn't "roadster convertible" redundant? I thought all roadsters were convertibles.