Patching a run flat? Advice needed...

padders

Am I right in assuming this isn't the Archer M2? I wouldn't have thought that S001 RFTs were an appropriate tyre choice for that anyhow, more a sporting touring tyre rather than SuperSports design. They work fine on lower power models though, I had them on a 125d.

S.H.

Bean counting when you own a beemer doesn't make much sense to me; like skimping on maintenance when you own a high end watch. When you buy these things, you know right from the start that maintenance may be costly and done within the manufacturer's network, period; it is a package. So puncture = new oem tire, as simple as that.

edit : maybe not strictly oem, but at least validated by the manufacturer. Reminds me of a guy I know who boasted about low cost chinese tires on his porsche: I found it strange.

BlackTalon

I would pull the wheel, remove the screw and plug the hole. And since it's the wife's, if the plug seems to be holding air and there do not appear to be any other leaks I'd then take it to a repair shop you have good experience with (as opposed to a Firestone tire shop, etc. who's business is to sell new tires) and have them pull the tire off and install a patch. If they look at the inside of the tire and declare it too dicey to fix then spring for a new tire. But I suspect this one is very repairable.

I've had to install many plugs over the years, and I've driven on the track with tires that I plugged and that mechanics plugged knowing full well the car was being driven on a track. And I have seen many others drive at speed on plugged tires.

As with anything, some common sense is needed such as monitoring the tire pressure periodically. Since this car is only street driven a tire pressure check every day or two for the first week should be okay to know the repair seems successful, and follow that up with checks at increasingly long intervals.

Archer

Well this turned into an interesting thread. People accusing me of being cheap, arguments about safety, people showing the state of their marriages, etc. I'll just say this wasn't about the money - the cost of this tire isn't going to make or break me that's for sure. It was about assessing the true need to replace, or if could be repaired. I try not to be a wasteful person, so that is why I asked.

In any case, I sent a photo to my long time mechanic, who is a Jaguar Master technician (how I met him initially when I had my Series 3 Vaden Plas way back), and has the equivalent level certification for BMW also. He has been working on our cars for 30+ years, and I trust him implicitly. He has always steered me right when determining what should be done right away, and what can wait. He's basically said it's too close to the side wall, and should be replaced. That is what we will do.

Thanks to all who contributed useful comments.

MTROIS

I was just saying that it should not come as a surprise that people include the topic of Safety in a thread on patching tires. That's all. 👍

MTROIS

I agree, but I am not a cat person so, instead, here is a Bimmer at Watkins Glen 🥰

wagudc

Ultimately you have to ask something you know and trust, not a bunch of random watch nerds. However, I did enjoy the thread.