Any Alfa owners out there?

[James]

Either way they are run-flats.

As far as I can tell everyone hates run flats if they care about driving.
Wondering why you didn’t go electric or hybrid??

 

[dbostedo]

As far as I can tell everyone hates run flats if they care about driving.
Wondering why you didn’t go electric or hybrid??

Range anxiety somewhat, availability somewhat... if there were all electric versions of all the cars I was considering, I might have had a tougher choice. And the hybrid version of the BMWs is a very mild hybrid, and doesn't make too much of a mileage difference. (I couldn't get the 16 miles to work on electric, for instance.)

 

[bbbradley]

Range anxiety somewhat, availability somewhat... if there were all electric versions of all the cars I was considering, I might have had a tougher choice. And the hybrid version of the BMWs is a very mild hybrid, and doesn't make too much of a mileage difference. (I couldn't get the 16 miles to work on electric, for instance.)

I have a feeling this purchase might be my last ICE vehicle given our typical car purchase cycle.

 

[James]

18" wheels, and the only options were all-weather vs. summer. Either way they are run-flats. So I went with all-weather. They do sell winter ones too, of course, if you want to pay for them.

Was kidding about electric.
Could you not order a spare tire and normal tires?

 

[dbostedo]

Could you not order a spare tire and normal tires?

Not as an option. Just as an addition - just like I could go someplace and buy another set of tires and wheels. And you can get a donut spare I think, but I'm not certain.

 

[Ogg]

Not as an option. Just as an addition - just like I could go someplace and buy another set of tires and wheels. And you can get a donut spare I think, but I'm not certain.

I've seen a weird collapsible spare in a BMW X5. It stores deflated and comes with a compressor to fill it. It looked like it inflated to full size.

 

[scott43]

I've seen a weird collapsible spare in a BMW X5. It stores deflated and comes with a compressor to fill it. It looked like it inflated to full size.

Had that in my 69 Firebird..

 

[James]

And you can get a donut spare I think, but I'm not certain.

Yep.

https://modernspare.com/product/2019-2021-bmw-3-series-7th-gen-spare-tire-kit-options/

As to run flats, maybe some who have driven them will chime in. Some are fine with them, others consider it an abomination. Flats outside of slow leaks are relatively rare these days compared to 30 years ago, but RF are peace of mind. Tpms has saved many a person from not noticing a leak.

I suspect it’s like performance carving skis from Stockli coming with a 1.4 deg base bevel. Some don’t notice, others think it’s a waste of a ski.

 

[djetok]

Not as an option. Just as an addition - just like I could go someplace and buy another set of tires and wheels. And you can get a donut spare I think, but I'm not certain.

You can, you have to find one that will fit. If you added M brakes, you have a lot less choices. On mine , I found a spare that fit the rears, and if I had a flat on the front. I was just going to have to change 2 tires. The spare would only fit the rear brakes. you can find a lot of info on bimmerpost.

 

[dbostedo]

Yep.

https://modernspare.com/product/2019-2021-bmw-3-series-7th-gen-spare-tire-kit-options/

As to run flats, maybe some who have driven them will chime in. Some are fine with them, others consider it an abomination. Flats outside of slow leaks are relatively rare these days compared to 30 years ago, but RF are peace of mind. Tpms has saved many a person from not noticing a leak.

I suspect it’s like performance carving skis from Stöckli coming with a 1.4 deg base bevel. Some don’t notice, others think it’s a waste of a ski.

When I bought my current car, I moved from having a full sized spare to a donut. It bugged me at the time, but in 13 years I've had 3 or 4 slow leaks, but haven't once pulled out the donut. So now I'm kind of just taking the next step.

I suppose the bigger problem with run-flats is lack of repairability.

 

[GregK]

Run-flats are heavier and have a less forgiving ride due to their thicker sidewalls. Find it’s similar to going to a larger size wheel and matching tire with a lower sidewall.

The weight and road harshness is more obvious in lighter cars with smaller wheels(like a Mini) when you change to and from Run-Flats. Suvs running more more compliant suspensions with already heavy wheel/tire combos seem to have less effect with the switch.

I also have never had issues with flats so I’ve always taken out the spare/jacks on my old cars so they are lighter. Just use a “flat inflator” can in the car now which many manufacturers are now doing instead of spares(especially if they come with factory Run-Flats).

 

[Seldomski]

Bought a 2021 Audi S5 in December. I look forward to driving it every day. I did not consider BMW because the local dealer/service is awful (wife had an X5 through 2015) and we hated the run flats on it. The S5 has a fully inflated donut spare. We have another Audi - 2014 Q5 that has done well for us, but is only at 60k miles. So rolling the dice a bit with another audi. One of the service centers in town for audi has been very good to us.

When I was shopping, my priorities (prior car was 2007 Acura TSX):
-Excellent handling and all wheel drive
-More cargo space than the TSX - be able to fit skis without folding down rear seats completely
-Solid autonomous driving features (for highway). This is our primary weekend driving trips car.
-Still have a serviceable backseat for adults.
-Smallest car as possible. I don't like driving large vehicles.

I didn't like the direction Acura went in the last 10 years, so they were not an option. All the loaners I had during servicing felt worse than the 2007. Infotainment in the honda family generally feels like a mess to me.

I seriously considered Tesla, but the charging was going to be a pain. Also, I don't like the lack of physical buttons in the Teslas and lack of spare tire. I wanted something that was between a Model 3 and the Model S. The A5/S5 fits that (except it's gas).

The hatch fits almost as much as a Q5, unless you have a bunch of really tall stuff. Car works really well for the two of us + two dogs. Can't speak to golf clubs fitting since I don't golf. Skis fit through the little portal in the back seat nicely - they actually fit better than in the Q5. Autonomous driving (lane keeping and adaptive cruise) is great for long highway road trips. In town, I don't use the lane following as much, unless stuck in heavy highway traffic where it + adaptive cruise are a godsend.

I was about to buy the A5, but made the mistake of sitting in the S. The seat comfort, adaptive suspension, and virtual cockpit sold me on it. The V6 is definitely fun and sounds amazing, but the 4 cylinder A5 is no joke either. Both engines are very quick. The S5 in sport mode just wants to go faster and faster. The transmission in the A5 is smoother than the S5 and auto start/stop is barely noticeable in the A5. The only thing I don't like about the S5 is it is really hard to do a buttery smooth stop and the automatic engine shutdown creates noticeable vibration. The car can do a buttery stop if you let the cruise control do it. But I haven't figured out how to do it "manually." Otherwise, no regrets on the car as of yet. Only 7k miles so far.

There is not much in the way of cubbies or storage in this car. I don't need to store a bunch of stuff, so it doesn't bother me. But if you have kids and need to store snack, drinks, etc. - the lack of storage would probably be annoying.

 

[ScotsSkier]

You can, you have to find one that will fit. If you added M brakes, you have a lot less choices. On mine , I found a spare that fit the rears, and if I had a flat on the front. I was just going to have to change 2 tires. The spare would only fit the rear brakes. you can find a lot of info on bimmerpost.

When my wife ordered her 20 X5M 5.0i which has the big M brakes we added the spare to the options list. It was a pretty cheap addition as I recall maybe $120? . Worth it for peace of mind as even though you can drive on a runflat for a distance, the tire will be destroyed. I dont know about other BMWs but i suspect the spare will be on the options list for a lot of them

 

[Philpug]

My concern with going electric with the next car is not so much the range, most are 300-400 miles now, it is the charging time. Downtime is just too long.

 

[dbostedo]

My concern with going electric with the next car is not so much the range, most are 300-400 miles now, it is the charging time. Downtime is just too long.

That's effectively saying the same thing in some ways - they're very interrelated in my thinking. Charging time would be much less of an issue if the range were like 1000 miles. And range would be a lot less of an issue if you could fully charge in 5 minutes.

 

[bbbradley]

I do enough long drive....like a day trip skiing...where an EV would not work until all spots at the ski area have a charger. Plus, the slapped on tablet in the Tesla dash is an abomination. It was as if the day before release they realized the person in charge of the IP quit and noone backfilled the role, so they grabbed a tablet and glued it in place.

 

[James]

So now I'm kind of just taking the next step.

Yes, into a different world of tires. You’ll have to decide your tolerance for them. (Never read such bad reviews as on the Pirelli P7 all season run flats) At least they’re not the 19inch 40 profile.

 

[dbostedo]

Yes, into a different world of tires. You’ll have to decide your tolerance for them. (Never read such bad reviews as on the Pirelli P7 all season run flats) At least they’re not the 19inch 40 profile.

Yeah. Figured staying with the 18s made more sense.

I'll also have the fun of having AWD and having to have matching age tires to not throw off all the automated systems. Joy.

 

[James]

I'll also have the fun of having AWD and having to have matching age tires to not throw off all the automated systems.

Tire Rack used to offer a service where they sand down the tread on a tire to match an old one. I assume they still fo it, but requires waiting for it to get there.

 

[bbbradley]

Tire Rack used to offer a service where they sand down the tread on a tire to match an old one. I assume they still fo it, but requires waiting for it to get there.

They do: https://tires.tirerack.com/tires/Shaving

It was originally a race tire service, but with all the fancy pants AWD systems that freak out if there is a mismatched tire they've found a way to solve a problem that saves the customer money.