[blitzjb]

Pirelli "run flats" are terrible. I will be filing a complaint with the NHTSA
about the dangerous and defective nature of the tires that are included with many BMW cars. Anyone else having major issues with Pirelli?

I have had to replace 4 in less than a year for various reasons.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by blitzjb

Pirelli "run flats" are terrible. I will be filing a complaint with the NHTSA
about the dangerous and defective nature of the tires that are included with many BMW cars. Anyone else having major issues with Pirelli?

I have had to replace 4 in less than a year for various reasons.

Had about 50 Pirelli tyres on various vehicles over the past 20 years, never had a single problem. Your issue may be more related to low profile runflat tyres and bad roads, as opposed to the manufacturer.

[KjPerry]

I just replaced this tired last weekend. It's the front driver side. Thought nothing of it and figured I just tore it on something.

As I got my car washed the other day, there is another tear on the rear driver side.

Was curious if other people were having issues as well.

[Shovelman]

Are you having ex girlfriend issues?

[SteveInfante]

They are so bad that I have 3 slightly used ones for sale for almost nothing. I had a sidewall separation after hitting a huge pothole. I went non-run flats. I am tired of feeling like I'm riding on a set of metal wheeled roller skates.

[XutvJet]

I've always found it a bit funny and ironic that run flats have monumentally more blow outs and total failures than standard non-rf tires on the BMW forums. Stiff rf sidewalls, low profile tires, and bad roads are a terrible and unreliable mix. RFs are a waste. You're much better off with standard tires.

[blitzjb]

Originally Posted by KjPerry

I just replaced this tired last weekend. It's the front driver side. Thought nothing of it and figured I just tore it on something.

As I got my car washed the other day, there is another tear on the rear driver side.

Was curious if other people were having issues as well.

Everyone !! I am sending the next one to the NHTSB to investigate. Pirelli has a secret road hazard warranty as there tires are terrible.
Complain to Pirelli and post it on there facebook and twitter!

https://www.facebook.com/PirelliUSA/
https://twitter.com/Pirelli

[msej449]

What particular type of Pirelli do you have and what's your wheel and tyre spec'?

This problem with Pirellis seems to be very much a US thing. The Pirelli PZero is used as OE and retro-fit sets by BMW in the UK and I've never seen anything like the level of issues you seem to have in the US, if forum feedback is anything to go by. The PZero comes in various versions as well, so even knowing it's a PZero isn't necessarily definitive.

What I have noticed is that BMW use the P7 in the US and this is definitely not recommended for the 2 Series either by BMW or Pirelli in the UK. I've also noticed that US owners tend to fit lower-profile combinations (i.e. profiles not sold by BMW) much more than we do, so I wonder if this is a factor?

Having your full wheel and tyre spec' might shed some light on this.

[liebetrau88]

Originally Posted by msej449

What particular type of Pirelli do you have and what's your wheel and tyre spec'?

This problem with Pirellis seems to be very much a US thing. The Pirelli PZero is used as OE and retro-fit sets by BMW in the UK and I've never seen anything like the level of issues you seem to have in the US, if forum feedback is anything to go by. The PZero comes in various versions as well, so even knowing it's a PZero isn't necessarily definitive.

What I have noticed is that BMW use the P7 in the US and this is definitely not recommended for the 2 Series either by BMW or Pirelli in the UK. I've also noticed that US owners tend to fit lower-profile combinations (i.e. profiles not sold by BMW) much more than we do, so I wonder if this is a factor?

Having your full wheel and tyre spec' might shed some light on this.

In the US, the Pirelli P7 is the BMW factory optioned all season tire for the 2 series. Those are the ones that are failing often in standard 225/40R18 wrapped around the 18x7.5 non-staggered rims.

[aerobod]

I don't think this is a Pirelli specific issue, I think this would apply to all low profile all-season runflat tyres. I think this is a combination of several factors:

- potholed roads
- run flat tyres that have to have a stiff bead area of the sidewall to retain the tyre on the wheel.
- all-season tyres that have a weaker sidewall outside of the bead area to give a level of expected ride comfort with the RFT that isn't needed with summer RFTs
- low profile tyres that have a short transition between stiff bead area of the sidewall to tread area, allowing pinching on potholes any deeper than about 40mm, leading to failure.

[x233]

Originally Posted by KjPerry

I just replaced this tired last weekend. It's the front driver side. Thought nothing of it and figured I just tore it on something.

As I got my car washed the other day, there is another tear on the rear driver side.

Was curious if other people were having issues as well.

I'd say there is a clear impact mark on the rim. Which means you still hit something even if you didn't notice it.

[x233]

I guess some tires are more prone to this kind of damage than others, and it doesn't necessarily have to do with being a runflat tire. I used Pirelli P Zeros (actual P Zeros) on different cars including m235i, never really had a problem. Then I had SottoZero 3 non-flats which were great but I kept getting bubbles and sidewall damage and had to replace several tires in just one incomplete seasons. Then I had SottoZero II runflats for 2 winter seasons and didn't have a single bubble or any other sidewall damage. Same roads, same tire sizes. So I guess it depends.

[Rolf14]

Running Pirelli P7 RFTs on stock wheels (Style 436, 18x7 ET 45). I have put in a little over 30K miles on the P7 tires with only 1 issue: a nail on the contact patch that I plugged on the road, inflated and continued on my way. I even used them through a heavy snowstorm out of Albuquerque NM late December. Absolutely no complaints, no issues. I do constantly check the inflation pressure so it stays per the book (easy with the iDrive), perhaps that helps. I read with curiosity the various complaints and incidents being reported. I will grant you that the roads in the south east (and south west) are generally smooth, even around Atlanta. Good luck with the NHTSA as I do not see such a complaint progressing. I also have the Bridgestone RFTs on staggered wheels (Style 461) with no issues either after 8K miles. If you are giving away your P7 RFTs and are close to me, please PM me.

[blitzjb]

Originally Posted by KjPerry

I just replaced this tired last weekend. It's the front driver side. Thought nothing of it and figured I just tore it on something.

As I got my car washed the other day, there is another tear on the rear driver side.

Was curious if other people were having issues as well.

Looks familiar. Typical Pirelli problem. The tires are crap

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by Rolf14

Running Pirelli P7 RFTs on stock wheels (Style 436, 18x7 ET 45). I have put in a little over 30K miles on the P7 tires with only 1 issue: a nail on the contact patch that I plugged on the road, inflated and continued on my way. I even used them through a heavy snowstorm out of Albuquerque NM late December. Absolutely no complaints, no issues. I do constantly check the inflation pressure so it stays per the book (easy with the iDrive), perhaps that helps. I read with curiosity the various complaints and incidents being reported. I will grant you that the roads in the south east (and south west) are generally smooth, even around Atlanta. Good luck with the NHTSA as I do not see such a complaint progressing. I also have the Bridgestone RFTs on staggered wheels (Style 461) with no issues either after 8K miles. If you are giving away your P7 RFTs and are close to me, please PM me.

The Bridgestone RFT on the 2020 340 in 19-inch seem very good.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

The Bridgestone RFT on the 2019 340 in 19-inch seem very good.

The Bridgestone RE050A summer RFTs BMW factory fitted to our E90 and E82 were some of the worst tyres I've every used, especially for uneven wear (bad cupping, even with perfect alignment), noise and poor grip for a summer tyre. Hopefully they have improved their technology with the latest tyres.

[chichi2er]

Originally Posted by KjPerry

I just replaced this tired last weekend. It's the front driver side. Thought nothing of it and figured I just tore it on something.

As I got my car washed the other day, there is another tear on the rear driver side.

Was curious if other people were having issues as well.

Originally Posted by KjPerry

I just replaced this tired last weekend. It's the front driver side. Thought nothing of it and figured I just tore it on something.

As I got my car washed the other day, there is another tear on the rear driver side.

Was curious if other people were having issues as well.

Same, this is the third replacement this year, yesterday front left, nothing crazy in driving, just routine DD

[KjPerry]

Originally Posted by chichi2er

Same, this is the third replacement this year, yesterday front left, nothing crazy in driving, just routine DD

It's painful. I replaced just the one tire that went flat. Just going to push thru these and plan on replacing with michelin tires. worried if I do get another flat, how to get it to the shop if they aren't run flats.

[Mb73288]

Ive also had some issues with pirelli run flats. I live in NJ so a pothole is a pretty common occurrence but I never had this happen before. I noticed it yesterday after work. I think I got just about 20,000 miles on the front 2 tires

Originally Posted by blitzjb

Pirelli "run flats" are terrible. I will be filing a complaint with the NHTSA
about the dangerous and defective nature of the tires that are included with many BMW cars. Anyone else having major issues with Pirelli?

I have had to replace 4 in less than a year for various reasons.