[Excalibrates]

So, got my Ateca over the weekened, very pleased with it indeed after a couple of hundred miles. We already have 4 other cars but I can see the Ateca being used a LOT.

My car came with Falken tyres, fairly inoffensive but not top drawer tyre. Tyre spec is 215/50 R18 which is a slightly unusual size with not many options available and all a bit pricey. The 7J rim can take up to a 225 width tyre and if you go to 225/50 or 225/45 there are a lot of better, cheaper tyres compared with 215/50. There are also some runflat options which I might consider as I only have the tyre repair kit.

Has anyone else got or considering runflats? I suppose a concern would be that they might make the already firm suspension a bit harsh.

 

[trogette]

Not considering runflats but coming from other cars, the suspension is nicely tolerant of our many potholes and seems reasonably chuckable into our many bends, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad?

 

[NeilW]

I've been running run flats on my current 1 series and the ride is not as bad as I expected, but BMW made the suspension slightly softer to compensate. My dad had a first generation 1 series on regular tyres on 16 inch wheels and felt the second generation car on 17 inch wheels and run flats had a better ride. Certainly they've come a long way over the last decade.
Run flats are noisier than many standard tyres, especially on roads that have had microsurfacing (tar and chippings) applied to them. They also seem to wear slightly faster than regular tyres, but that could be the car as much as anything else.
Overall I'm looking forward to going back to regular tyres when the Ateca arrives.
If you go for them and opt for a different size you may need to let your insurer know as you'll have moved away from the manufacturer specification on the size.