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[E90T]

I have a set of 18's for winter on non RFT Blizzaks. Can you install RFT inticators in them so you will be alarmed of tire preasure etc?

How does the whole RFT indicator work.

I know search search, bla bla. here is a funny pic for your troubles.

[BK]

You have an E90, so the flat tire monitor, which works off your ABS system, will work for both RFT and non-RFT tires.

Is the photo real or Photoshop?

[txusa03]

^ +1 what he said.

[LarryK1000]

The tire pressure monitoring system on the 2006 BMW 3 Series, and I believe the 2007, also, is really rather low tech and works with all tires and wheels.

The car merely monitors the relative rotational speed of all four tires. When one of the tires rotation differs from the other tires, the computer treats this as a flat tire because tires with less air have a different size (less inflation changes the size of the tire) than the other tires and rotates at a different speed.

That's when the warning lights up on the dash.

When cars have real monitoring systems that actually are CONNECTED to the tire, itself, and give an actual PRESSURE READING, then the wheels are going to have to be capable of connecting to the car's computer system. Some cars have this system. But, it is my understanding the 3 series does NOT have this system yet.

Hope this helps.

Larry


P.S. I removed my RFT and have Pirelli Nero P-Zero regular tires and the car is now fantastic.

[gary328xi]

Easy way to know what system you have is to look at the valve stems. If you have rubber (flexible) valve stem you don't have the sensor in the wheel.If the valve stem is rigid then you do have the sensor in the wheel.

[KL2DC]

Yes as others have chimed, the US spec MY06 E90s have a simple Flat Tire Monitoring (FTM) system not an active Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

[BK]

And to fill out KL2DC's thought above, the E92 has the TPMS.

[KL2DC]

Originally Posted by BK

And to fill out KL2DC's thought above, the E92 has the TPMS.

So does MY07 US spec E90s, I believe. This is to comply with future DOT requirement. Canadian E90s do not get the TPMS.

[MBrown1003]

Originally Posted by LarryK1000

The tire pressure monitoring system on the 2006 BMW 3 Series, and I believe the 2007, also, is really rather low tech and works with all tires and wheels.

The car merely monitors the relative rotational speed of all four tires. When one of the tires rotation differs from the other tires, the computer treats this as a flat tire because tires with less air have a different size (less inflation changes the size of the tire) than the other tires and rotates at a different speed.

That's when the warning lights up on the dash.

When cars have real monitoring systems that actually are CONNECTED to the tire, itself, and give an actual PRESSURE READING, then the wheels are going to have to be capable of connecting to the car's computer system. Some cars have this system. But, it is my understanding the 3 series does NOT have this system yet.

Hope this helps.

Larry


P.S. I removed my RFT and have Pirelli Nero P-Zero regular tires and the car is now fantastic.

My understanding is that the E90 (sedan) has the indirect system, which works off the ABS sensors; the E92 (coupe) has the direct system, with pressure sensors installed in the valve stems.

I have the indirect system on my M5, and it works reasonably well. When I had a slow leak (bent wheel), it did a good job of screaming before the tire got low enough to do damage. (The compressor in the ///M Mobility Kit was invaluable -- I could add air regardless of where I was at the time.)

I'm thinking about doing the same as you -- putting non-RFTs on the 335 for winter tires. I am, however, considering buying a mobility kit for the car, so I'll have the compressor and tire goop if needed.

[BK]

Originally Posted by KL2DC

So does MY07 US spec E90s, I believe. This is to comply with future DOT requirement. Canadian E90s do not get the TPMS.

I don't think 07 E90s have TPMS. Per Gary at Tire Rack, they still have the FTM system. Probably will be in the 08.

[KL2DC]

Originally Posted by BK

I don't think 07 E90s have TPMS. Per Gary at Tire Rack, they still have the FTM system. Probably will be in the 08.

Oh ok, thought I read it somewhere

[rjm]

I have a 2007 E92 (328i) with runflats and the TPMS is in the wheel. The valve stem is metal.

[misterng]

What if I install the wheels from E92 (335i with TPMS) to my E90 (330i), would the TPMS work in my 330i indirect system or do I need to upgrade the software as well?

[BK]

Originally Posted by misterng

What if I install the wheels from E92 (335i with TPMS) to my E90 (330i), would the TPMS work in my 330i indirect system or do I need to upgrade the software as well?

No, it won't work. You need different hardware and software in the car to read the TPMS transmitters in the tires.

FTM will continue to work with those tires on your E90, though, so IMO it's no big deal. I've heard (on other cars) of more problems with the TPMS-type systems than the FTM-type systems, anyway.

[rjm]

Originally Posted by misterng:
"What if I install the wheels from E92 (335i with TPMS) to my E90 (330i), would the TPMS work in my 330i indirect system or do I need to upgrade the software as well?"

Originally Posted by BK

No, it won't work. You need different hardware and software in the car to read the TPMS transmitters in the tires.

FTM will continue to work with those tires on your E90, though, so IMO it's no big deal. I've heard (on other cars) of more problems with the TPMS-type systems than the FTM-type systems, anyway.

You sound like you are knowlegable in this area. Will my '07 E92 with TPMS in the wheels work with NON runflat tires? In other words, if I mounted different tires on the existing wheels, would the TPMS continue to work OK?

[xyz123]

Originally Posted by MBrown1003

My understanding is that the E90 (sedan) has the indirect system, which works off the ABS sensors; the E92 (coupe) has the direct system, with pressure sensors installed in the valve stems.

I have the indirect system on my M5, and it works reasonably well. When I had a slow leak (bent wheel), it did a good job of screaming before the tire got low enough to do damage. (The compressor in the ///M Mobility Kit was invaluable -- I could add air regardless of where I was at the time.)

I'm thinking about doing the same as you -- putting non-RFTs on the 335 for winter tires. I am, however, considering buying a mobility kit for the car, so I'll have the compressor and tire goop if needed.

Have you thought of what it would be like to get out by the roadside in a blizzard when it is say, 20 below, to use the compressor and goop? In my opinion, winter is the very time when you want runflats the most. Also, the viscosity of the sealant is no doubt temperature dependent and probably will not flow as well in extremely cold weather.

I use runflats full time on my E90 but I also carry an M Mobility System . My reason is that, in Canada at least, there are places where you can get a flat and the nearest replacements are out of the recommended driving range with damaged runflats. I reckon that if a leaking runflat can be sealed, it can be driven much longer distances, maybe indefinitely (and at higher speeds) in order to get to an independent tire dealer or BMW dealer that carries replacements. The reason of course is that a tire containing air pressure does not stress the sidewalls as much as flat tire does. Fortunately, I do probably 95% of my driving within range of a dealership so I will probably never need the M-mobility but I have had flats in previous cars in locations where I would have been in trouble with runflats.

In my humble opinion, the external pressure monitoring system (as used on the E90) is a much better idea than the system that attaches to the valve. I'll bet that BMW changed not because they wanted to but because they had to in order to comply with US regulations.

[cruizin01]

Originally Posted by rjm

Originally Posted by misterng:
"What if I install the wheels from E92 (335i with TPMS) to my E90 (330i), would the TPMS work in my 330i indirect system or do I need to upgrade the software as well?"



You sound like you are knowlegable in this area. Will my '07 E92 with TPMS in the valve stems work with NON runflat tires? In other words, if I mounted different tires on the existing wheels, would the TPMS continue to work OK?

Yes the TPMS is not effected as to whether the tires are runflats or not.

[MBrown1003]

Originally Posted by xyz123

Have you thought of what it would be like to get out by the roadside in a blizzard when it is say, 20 below, to use the compressor and goop? In my opinion, winter is the very time when you want runflats the most. Also, the viscosity of the sealant is no doubt temperature dependent and probably will not flow as well in extremely cold weather.

You raise a good point, but here in the metro Boston area, it's rare that the weather is that dreadful. Not unheard of, just rare.

Originally Posted by xyz123

I use runflats full time on my E90 but I also carry an M Mobility System . My reason is that, in Canada at least, there are places where you can get a flat and the nearest replacements are out of the recommended driving range with damaged runflats. I reckon that if a leaking runflat can be sealed, it can be driven much longer distances, maybe indefinitely (and at higher speeds) in order to get to an independent tire dealer or BMW dealer that carries replacements. The reason of course is that a tire containing air pressure does not stress the sidewalls as much as flat tire does. Fortunately, I do probably 95% of my driving within range of a dealership so I will probably never need the M-mobility but I have had flats in previous cars in locations where I would have been in trouble with runflats.

In my humble opinion, the external pressure monitoring system (as used on the E90) is a much better idea than the system that attaches to the valve. I'll bet that BMW changed not because they wanted to but because they had to in order to comply with US regulations.

One of the challenges I'm finding now that I've really started looking for the winter tires is that it seems to be impossible to find a tire that is...
1. Winter tread/compound
2. Run-flat
3. V speed rated

I had H-rated winter tires on the 540i/6 that preceded my M5, and I hated driving the car with them. It was fine in crummy weather, but the performance was WAY worse than what I was accustomed to in dry weather.

Has anybody got any suggestions for a tire that meets all three requirements?

[BK]

Originally Posted by MBrown1003

One of the challenges I'm finding now that I've really started looking for the winter tires is that it seems to be impossible to find a tire that is...
1. Winter tread/compound
2. Run-flat
3. V speed rated

I had H-rated winter tires on the 540i/6 that preceded my M5, and I hated driving the car with them. It was fine in crummy weather, but the performance was WAY worse than what I was accustomed to in dry weather.

Has anybody got any suggestions for a tire that meets all three requirements?

Nope, not all three, at least from what I've seen. You can get non-RFT winter tires that are V rated, though.

FWIW, I'm running Dunlop M3 DSST RFTs, which are H speed rated, and you're right that the performance is a noticeable drop-off from the summer tires on dry pavement. They just aren't quite as "confidence-inspiring" through corners as the stock summer tires. But I figured that was a result of the tread, smaller rims, and thinner rear tires, not so much the speed rating. 130mph (H) should be enough, shouldn't it? V is 150mph. It's not like I'm driving anywhere close to 130mph anyway.

That said, I can't complain much about dry performance of the Dunlops. Have you tried them? They're pretty good, it's just that sometimes they just feel like they are about to skip over the pavement through a turn rather than stick to it. But so far, they've stuck. They are winter tires, after all, so my expectations were relatively low and IMO they're better than I expected. Not as loud as I thought they'd be, and in general they seem comfortable at any speed. I can't imagine that a V rating would make them much better. Then again, I'm driving a 330i and not an M5.

[xyz123]

Originally Posted by MBrown1003

You raise a good point, but here in the metro Boston area, it's rare that the weather is that dreadful. Not unheard of, just rare.



One of the challenges I'm finding now that I've really started looking for the winter tires is that it seems to be impossible to find a tire that is...
1. Winter tread/compound
2. Run-flat
3. V speed rated

I had H-rated winter tires on the 540i/6 that preceded my M5, and I hated driving the car with them. It was fine in crummy weather, but the performance was WAY worse than what I was accustomed to in dry weather.

Has anybody got any suggestions for a tire that meets all three requirements?

I am happy to see that cost is not on your list. I find it absolutely amazing that tons of people in this group spend 50k plus on a car and then worry about spending a few bucks extra per corner for proper tires.

When I bought my car last year, there were only two manufacturers producing winter RFTs for the E90 that were available locally. Bridgestone (Blizzak) and Pirelli (Sotto Zero) so the choice was limited. I think Contis were available in Europe. I got the Bridgestones by default, the Pirellis were out of stock at the distributor at the time.

The story I heard was that when BMW decided to specify RFTs as standard, they had to commission Bridgestone to make them tires, probably because the development costs would not otherwise make it worth a tire manufacturers while to cater to the tiny market that BMW represents. If true, Bridgestone probably worked probably worked fairly closely with BMW on the technical requirements for their tires. I seem to recall that the only cars before BMW with OEM runflats were the Corvette and the Honda Oddessy.

[Batmobile]

I have a 2007 bmw 323i, and in the manual it says that TPM is inactive if you have wheels without TPM electronic... Does that mean i have direct TPM?

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

I have a 2007 bmw 323i, and in the manual it says that TPM is inactive if you have wheels without TPM electronic... Does that mean i have direct TPM?

You have the more basic "rotational" system (sensor-less).