Holy cats, does the 135i show you a good time. It added some real spice to a vanilla weekend spent running vanilla errands and driving to vanilla places like Burbank to connect with friends.
Thanks to our compact Bimmer, that drive to Burbank was actually one of the high points of my weekend. Said drive was some 21.39 miles. Most of the journey was comprised of freeway travel, and since I left home early Saturday morning, the city's arteries were uncharacteristically unclogged. That, of course, meant that I got to really enjoy the 135i's 300-horsepower twin turbo. The little car soared like an uncaged bird, and I was happy to be along for the ride.
But the rough roads in my 'hood brought the 135i back to earth. Its run-flat tires absorbed minor surface irregularities, but deeper pavement pockmarks were received in a significantly less favorable light. There's one jumbo pothole in particular -- more like a lake bed, really -- that's impossible to avoid, since it's on the street that leads to my apartment building. It's bearable in cars with regular tires, but in the 135i... ouch. Every time I traveled over it, I got a jolt that surely shifted the location of an internal organ or two.
All in all, though, this is one fun ride. More, please.
Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor @ 9,881 miles
joefrompa says:
05:36 PM, 09/29/08
Dude, that's a drive? I drove 225 miles today from West Chester, PA to Jersey City, NJ and back. I got to experience what truly rough roads are (holy crappola Jersey City....I saw a Dodge pick-up with only 3 wheels on the ground simply by driving over a main throughfare at 20mph...I saw SUVs with their back-ends coming out from not being able to handle the bumps).....ridiculous high speeds (Jersey turnpike can be beautiful in it's openness)....and everything in between :)
You gents need to go on some longer drives with this thing....and less than 10,000 miles, that doesn't bode well for the 135 :(
Joe
eclogite says:
04:38 AM, 09/30/08
"Holy cats..."
HA! I like that expression. Thanks for the smile first thing in the morning.
sgude says:
06:18 AM, 09/30/08
Is the pothole too large to just drive around? I drive around potholes here in the DC metro area all the time. Even when I'm in traffic, I will change lanes to avoid known potholes. As you can imagine, I'm always testing my suspension.
blueguydotcom says:
07:32 AM, 09/30/08
Swap out those horrible RFTs. RFTs are not ready for primetime.
joefrompa says:
08:59 AM, 09/30/08
Yeah, I was hoping they would wear out the stock tires and do a comparison test...
Joe
drhorrible says:
09:29 AM, 09/30/08
Biggest blunder BMW ever made was going with RFT's, at the very least they should offer a spare tire and jack as an option.
Over the weekend I caught a nail in my Conti RFT's on my 335i, went to the tire shop, was told even though the nail was in a repairable place they could not repair due Continental orders that their RFT's are not to repaired, so $225 later I had a new tire. I just happened to luck out (?) this happened in a urban area where they had a tire available.
To spend $225 every time I get a flat is ludicrous. Even if you wanted to run non-RFT's there is no space to carry a spare and a jack.
RFT's are great for peace of mind (maybe) but for the ultimate drivers machine they are a poor player.
redwoodaggie says:
09:50 AM, 09/30/08
The RFT tires is one thing that makes me hesitate in my consideration of a NEW BMW for my purchase next year.
blueguydotcom says:
10:10 AM, 09/30/08
dr.horrible...I've been running non-RFTs on my BMW and Cooper. No big deal. My Amex Platinum has free roadside. If one lacks that, get AAA for $47 a year.
Plenty of performance cars lack spare tires. Egad, your car can do 0-60 in under 5.5 seconds and run the slalom at over 69 mph. That's performance car levels even if it's wrapped in the metal of a BMW body style.
desmolicious says:
02:01 PM, 09/30/08
I had a flat in one of the RFTs on my 330i (Bridgestones I think). The shop repaired it no problem. Actually took it to Stokes Tyre where Edmunds takes their cars.
joefrompa says:
07:29 AM, 10/ 1/08
If you think RFT tires are bad, you probably haven't owned a mechanical AWD drive....you can't replace just one tire if the difference in tire wear equals 1/4" or greater on one side (i.e. if you have 15,000 miles on a set of axle-tires, and one blows out, you need to replace both).
RFTs have come a long way. They are still too expensive, but for those who think they are ridiculous in price....look at any OEM tire. They are marked up ridiculously to help pay the tire companies from owners who "just replace it with the original tire".
I think BMW should install an automatic flat re-inflation system instead of RFTs :) and combine with an in-car roadside assistance emergency system.
That'd probably save weight, improve all aspects of performance, and be cool as hell :)
Joe
roadburner says:
08:53 AM, 10/ 1/08
Buy the M Mobility System and go with non-RFTs...