[agreenstone]

Dear Giulia Owners:

I am a BMW owner (2015 335ix) desperate to find better all season run flat tires than my OEM Continentals. One option is the Bridgestone Turanza EL450 RFT, which is apparently a recent year Giulia OEM option. Oddly, Bridgestone puts out very little information on the EL450. I even called them and the representative had almost no information on this tire, and there are very few online reviews. An earlier model, the EL400, received poor reviews, but when I saw the EL450 was OEM on the Giulia I was encouraged given Alfa's high standards.

Would be great if anyone who has the EL450 Turanza RFT's can weigh in. I am not expecting summer sport tire performance, but something that reasonably compliments a serious sport sedan.

Thanks!

 

[alfa908]

My guilia with 18" sport wheels has those tires.....they handle and ride well...this is subjective of course...I am currently driving a loaner with 19" wheels using the Pirelli P7 (i think, ill have to go out and check later) but the bridgestones feel stickier and ride much better (though the ride is likely affected by the larger 19 wheels)...If you want a tire that has more reviews, the bridgestone driveguard has decent ratings and is 50 dollars cheaper..
Edit: confirmed the loaner has the p7's...

 

[agreenstone]

That is encouraging to hear. Thanks very much, alfa908. I have noticed the Driveguards and wonder if Bridgestone is underemphasizing the EL450 RFT's so as not to compete with the Driveguards. The Driveguards do seem like good value and the tread warranty is tempting, though they are in the more general market so I'm wondering if reviewers have lower expectations on performance.

 

[larrysing]

I had the DriveGuards on both of my 335d cars, and they are pretty good. Not a huge fan of RF tires anyway, but of the ones I have owned, the BDG were the best.

 

[alfa908]

That is encouraging to hear. Thanks very much, alfa908. I have noticed the Driveguards and wonder if Bridgestone is underemphasizing the EL450 RFT's so as not to compete with the Driveguards. The Driveguards do seem like good value and the tread warranty is tempting, though they are in the more general market so I'm wondering if reviewers have lower expectations on performance.

Because the el450 is an oem tire they charge more for it...I doubt it performs significantly better...
Note I have not tested the el450 in rain or snow yet...as a point of reference the 2016 WRX is traded had Michelin AS3+ tires on there...While these are not quite as sticky I dont feel like im missing much...but it might be the car...its hard to compare when you are dealing with two different vehicles. FYI, costco has 70bux off a set of 4 bridgestones....

 

[AlfaCrisis]

Agreenstone, are you against the Pirelli P7 option? I have the P7 run flats and at first couldn't believe my Giulia was equipped with run flats. The run flats I driven before were flinty riding, so the difference is significant. I don't find a massive difference in ride between D-N-A modes, which suggests that the Pirelli's are contributing to the ride. While the ride in sport mode (D) is stiff, it still doesn't scream "I have run flats!".

For a bonus, the loaner I am in now has the EL450's, and the difference in ride is not noticeable (I didn't know till I looked that it wasn't on the Pirelli's). This also suggests that the EL450's and the P7's will perform basically the same (in ride quality and basic handling). I have NOT sampled the EL450's in the rain, and only mild rain on the P7's, so I can't judge wet performance. On the Tire Rack, the Alfa version of the P7 and the EL450 have very similar tread patterns, but the EL450 is about $60 a corner less.

 

[billeee]

I have a Ti with 18 inch EL450 RFT tires. Great ride and handling. None of the harsh feel I experienced with run-flats on another car. (some of this better feel may be due to the Giulia's suspension).

 

[JuliaQ4-Nut]

I've owned my base Giulia for 6 weeks/1300 miles. I am very happy so far with the Bridgestone Turanza EL450, 225/45R18, Run Flat Tires. I'm no pro driver but very picky about my handling and ride. I find the grip for cornering excellent and smoothness for precise but comfortable road feel also excellent. Perfect for my enthusiast's driving habits for a sports sedan.

Some technical spec on my tires:

"91" weight capacity ---1356 lbs
"W" speed rating --- 168mph
Traction --- A (very good)
Temperature --- A (best)
400 tread wear rating --- Excellent for Ultra High Performance All-Season tires
M&S rating --- These ultra low profile tires are designed to provide year-round traction (even in light snow)
through tread designs and compounds that remain more flexible in the cold weather to help
blend all-season traction with very good handling and high-speed capabilities.
Build date --- Dec 2017
Made in Poland --- Bridgestone Factory
PSI --- recommended on Giulia 32 front/35 rear

 

[agreenstone]

Just a quick note to all on this thread to express my appreciation for your great replies, which provided enough positive feedback on the EL450's (and on Bridgestone run flats generally) that I went ahead and ordered them. Some risk that the tires will be different on a different car, but it was encouraging to hear favorable comments from this discerning group. The tires will come later this week, so fingers crossed. In any case, thanks again for the time you took to provide your views.

 

[EliseAutoXr]

Good luck, once you get some miles on them, please let us know what you think.