My luxurious BMW 750Li run-flat nightmare

A miserable thing happened last weekend when one of the run-flat tires on our 2011 BMW 750Li was gashed by a pothole during an excursion from Connecticut to New Hampshire: Replacing the tire turned out to be an experience well short of luxurious.

The incident occurred near Springfield, Massachusetts. Luckily, I could still limp to an exit and even make it to a Sears tire store. However, they had nothing remotely similar to the Pirelli P-Zero run-flat I rode in on.

With a phone call, I determined that the nearest BMW dealer didn't stock run-flat replacements or any other tires that would fit, but if I ordered one right that minute, they could maybe get one in stock by Monday. Does this mean that a new $97,000 automobile with tires so good that the trunk holds no spare is disabled if you need one? Yes, it does. And the dealer had no loaner car. Hey, it's Friday night. Best they could suggest was renting something from Enterprise. Gee, thanks. A $2,000 clunker would have similar roadside assistance. None.

And that's how my family and I got to impress our New Hampshire friends with a Ford Escape instead of the BMW they'd heard so much about.

On Saturday, I drove my rented Escape 130 miles from Concord, NH, back to Springfield, where a Town Fair tire dealer had in stock exactly one tire in the size (275/40R19) that the BMW 750 uses at the rear. It was a conventional tire, not a run-flat. Given that this was an out-of-town emergency, I felt it was acceptable to get me home. But the store sales staff disagreed. After endless wheedling and begging, they sold me the $285 tire, but steadfastly refused to mount it.

I finally persuaded another car-service center to mount the new tire. They were also very dubious, since the new tire had a lower speed rating, W, good for only 168 mph, rather than the 186-mph Y-rating of the other three original-equipment tires. With huge reluctance they mounted the new tire. I was, naturally, ultra-careful driving back to New Hampshire. At no time did I exceed 168 mph.

Of course, replacement tires should always match original-equipment specifications and specifically match the other tires on the car to ensure safe, predictable operation and long, even wear. Now back at our Auto Test Center, we'll get the 750Li shod with the proper rubber.

Again, our staff adventures have shown some of the downsides in the trend toward cars being sold without space-gobbling spare tires. Through these experiences, we've learned that it is important to carry a charged cell phone and a roadside emergency kit to help deal with problems on the road, for even run-flats can leave you stranded.

Read our BMW 750Li road test and Full Track Report.

Related:
Hyundai Elantra leaves me flat
Spare the donuts? Spare tires are becoming less popular
Goodyear developing self-inflating tires that may bring an end to manual tire pressure checks
Run-flat tire update: Our 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE AWD reaches 30,000 miles

—Gordon Hard