Bubble in my sidewall

[jschottenfeld]

I recently noticed a bubble in the sidewall front tire of my 645. I have about 30,000 miles with decent wear still left.

Normally I would replace the tire in a heart beat if it was not run flat. Since the tire is a run flat and I do have a blow out am I correct to assume it won't deflate immediately, (and cause a very unsafe situation)?

[cobradav]

Yea, you can have inches of tire blown out and continue at reduced speed for many miles (~50). But at 30k you have done very well for OEM RFTs and even though you may have some life left I would consider a four tire replacement. Rears have more neg camber so may be wearing on inner side and harder to see. Get down and check out. Are you on sports or non-sport tires?
_______
US '05 645 Coupe|Silver Grey|Chateau|Sport|Logic 7|HUD|Cold Pkg|SAT|AUX|BT w/ snap-in adapter|MP3|V1|CIP 25.02


www.bimmerdrivers.com

[r.merkle]

why take the chance even with rft of a accident. change the tires.

[jschottenfeld]

Cobradave, they are the sport Dunlops that came with the car in '05. I've been running snows in the winter. I figure the snows probably have 10K and the OEM 30k. They could probably go another 7k to 10k or so, but I don't want to be pennywise and pound foolish. They still have some decent tread left, but I will check under the car at the inside part of the tire. Thanks for the advice!

[aalonso]

I have a similar condition. I have a 2006 BMW 650i convertible with 39,800 miles. About a month ago, I noticed a small bubble on the front passenger side. The bubble is on the outside sidewall and it is about 3/4 inch in diameter and it raises about 1/8 inch. My service advisor and tech looked at it and they recommned to continue to ride until the bubble grows. I never really hit any potholes hard on that side. However as the tire ages and wears out, the inner structure of the sidewall begins to loosen and/or loose its structural rigidity (that is how the bubbles originate and/or after hitting hard). You will need to be extra careful as you drive with that tire. At some point you will have to replace both front tires to match.2006 650i Convertible - Black Saphire Metallic, Red Chataeu/Ruthenium, SMG, Premium Sound, Logic7, Sports Pkg., Cold Weather Pkg., HUD, Active Steering, HD Radio, Sirius-[Howard Stern All Day ] 3M ClearBra, Blue Angel I-Brights , AUX connector, Progman v25.1, Apple IPhone, DINAN6 Package, Eisenhaus GT-Racing Meisterschaft Exhaust, M6 Bumper kit, M6 Mirrors & M6 sideskirts -

[sachristman]

If your run flats are Goodyear, I understand they use an aluminum ring in the sidewall. If it hits a pot hole, it may 'dent' the ring, leaving the appearance of a bubble (1/8 inch rise over about one inch). Happened to me, and I drove on it for a few months, with the bubble never changing. Probably safe for normal driving. But then with safety inspection coming (tires are checked --> flunk?), I replaced it. (Rim was OK.)