Replacing run flat tyres.

[rustyroger]

Newbie here, I've bought my wife a 2011 s drive E84.
It has run-flat tyres and no spare. This is anathema to an old git like me.
A full size spare and tyre would take up too much load space, but a space saver donut, jack and brace would be ok for us.
When the tyres wear out I intend to replace them with ordinary 225-50 zr 17s, but will they fit the wheels or do I need to replace all the wheels and tyres?

Roger.

[maxwmiller]

Hi Roger, congrats on the purchase. I put standard tires on my E84 when the run-flats needed replacement. The difference was night and day, standards are so much better.

I always felt run-flats were a dubious solution to tire issues and I liked the idea of the donut-jack-brace kits. Ultimately I never bought one, as even the mini-kits eat a significant portion of trunk space unless they're mounted outside the car. Instead, I got an air compressor and Fix-A-Flat, which 1) fit nicely in the trunk and 2) would repair a non-catastrophic puncture long enough to reach a tire shop. For more severe damage, I probably need a tow regardless.

225/50R17 wheels come standard on the US-spec E84. Assuming your UK-spec car has the same and you're sticking with the OEM tire spec, there's no reason to change wheels unless you want some fancy new rims.

Let me know if you find a good kit, I'd still be interested to buy one if it could be reasonably stored.

[rustyroger]

Thanks again Maxwmiller (is Max ok?)
I had a look at the trunk floor, with a bit of care I think I can lose the jack and wrench underneath the load floor. The donut would have to find room in the trunk (boot to us Brits ).
Ride quality matters more to us, more so than driving dynamics. After her previous Citroen with its softer suspension we found it much firmer, but not punishing, if regular tires help that's certainly the way we'll go!

I'll let you know what I come up with, seems like we're on the same page here.

Roger.