Runflat tires on new cars, opinions?

[89911]

You have found a car you want, but its only option is runflat tires.

1. Just keep everything the same and live with it. It seems crazy, but some internet research shows an inordinate amount of runflat users have flat tires. Seems they cause more headaches with cost, service time, poor ride quality, and wear rates.

2. Immediately change the new tires to non runflat tires and be done. Buy an emergency kit if you get a flat. I have an AAA card and a cell phone anyway. You aren't suppose to go over a hundred or so miles with these anyway, so if you are on a trip, you may spend several days at a dealer ordering and replacing your tire. What advantage is that?

3.Look for a car that doesn't have runflats. I am convinced that runflats are only to the car makers advantage and does nothing for the consumers. BMW's have these as standard for all there cars except the M versions. Wonder why? I drive a 2008 550i with 19" non runflats with Michelin Pilot super sports on it and love the handling. I would hate to buy a new car and drive on compromised tires.

[recycled sixtie]

I tend to agree the way the "spare tire" has evolved.
Cars used to have a regular spare tire. Then it went to a mini replacement and now runflat. Not good and the latter are probably more $$$ too.

[KNS]

The manufacturers are desperate to lighten the cars (to help with fuel economy). I've heard of several stories of a motorist stranded in Upper Butt Crack, Arkansas and the nearest replacement run flat is three states away.

It's been said that BMW, Mercedes, etc didn't think about the vast distances Americans travel and the unavailability of run flats in the middle of nowhere. If I had them I would replace them and put a spare in the trunk.

[kaisen]

#2!!!!!, but keep the runflats for resale..... BMW won't "certify" a car that doesn't have them if they were original equipment. So trading one in with brand new Michelin non-runflats? They'll nick you for the cost of new runflats...

[Joe Bob]

An Aston Martin Vanquish in Desert Center w/o a spare. I now carry a reamer and a plug kit along with my mini compressor.

[azasadny]

Originally Posted by kaisen

#2!!!!!, but keep the runflats for resale..... BMW won't "certify" a car that doesn't have them if they were original equipment. So trading one in with brand new Michelin non-runflats? They'll nick you for the cost of new runflats...

Yep! This guy is smart, listen to him!

[Joe Bob]

To answer the question, I would store the RFs and get a new set of wheels and tires.

[kaisen]

Another option if you are going to ditch your runflats is to get your own spare.

Some people will throw it in the trunk only when they travel. If the same basic car comes in a trim level without runflats (ala BMW M) there is usually a space for a spare, and a temporary (thinner/lighter) spare wheel/tire can be sourced from that trim level. You should be able to find one used for a reasonable price. If it's going to be temporary-use, all you really need is a tire that is the same overall diameter and a rim that has the same lug configuration and will clear your caliper.

If your car doesn't run staggered sizes or unidirectional tread, you can simply buy a matching fifth wheel and tire.

Or carry just the tire. Lighter and you can pack loose items inside it when it's taking up room in the trunk. If you destroy a tire on a long trip, you'll still have to call a tow, but you won't wait around, or end up with a mismatch.

YMMV

[89911]

Thanks. Number 2 is what I am thinking. I am ordering a new 335i with the sport package and was dissapointed in the runflats as the only tire. I will just order some Michelin Pilots and have them put on and be done with it. 90% of my driving is within 10 miles of my home. BMW states that the cars are set up with the run flats in mind, but I tend to believe this is BS in that the non run flats are a superior tire all around. I guess there is no way you can convince the dealer to put them on.

[kaisen]

I've got a friend who took delivery of that exact same car a couple months ago. She replaced the runflats with Michelin Super Sports and is very happy with them!

[Jim Bremner]

100,000 miles on my '06 corvette. 65k on Goodyear Super F1 runflats They're tread rated at 220 traction AA. Pretty decent tires. On Streets of Willow with the Alfa Club I ate up all cars that had on "Street Tires". Pretty greasy on cold nights. I was in Las Vegas at 40 Degrees F. Got on the freeway that was grooved came up the on ramp and really wasn't pushing the car maybe 60% throttle to get up to freeway speed the car was all over the lane next to a semi. Joanna thought that the semi's trailer was all over the place. My butt is cleanched trying to pedal and steer the car into control. I've ran 35k so far on a set of Bridgestone RE11's and the car is smoother, quiter and handles much better. that and $500 cheaper to change tires.

[89911]

Glad she likes it. They are coming out with an M sport version within a month or two. It has a lot of badging and some upgrades. I test drove one last week and it has everything I need, (except the runflats.) The biggest attraction is they are making one special order color in the sport version that I really like, Estoril Blue. Goodbye black sedans for a while.

[don911]

I bought a 328xi a few months ago (used). The run flats that it came with sucked, harsh ride and noisy. I replaced with non run flats. You can buy a bmw spare kit for $300ish. I haven't purchased one yet but plan to.

[porsche4life]

Glad to see they are bringing back estoril blau.... Such a pretty color, and you don't see many blues like it out there...

[Tobra]

I would not drive a car with runflats, they really suck. Swap them out, if it is a lease keep them. If not, talk to a tire store before taking delivery and see what they will give you for them, you might get some better tires and money in your pocket.

I don't dig the baby spare that much either. When I lived in Texas, my Acura came with a baby spare, bought a full size one that was in the trunk if I was going more than 100 miles, which was fairly often

[fred cook]

But I prefer to have a real spare in the car. I have had enough flats on my 911 to never want to leave home without at least the inflateable spare. Back when I had a couple of Corvairs (coupe and convertible) I used one of the small "emergency spares" that are/were used in American cars. It was much thinner than a full size spare but was just about the same diameter as the 13" tires that I ran on the car. If I ever buy a car that comes without a spare tire/wheel, I will find a way to add one.

[rrental]

RFT's are absolutely horrible. The ride is very stiff without the "benefits" of a low profile tire. I drove the X5 home and immediately took them off and put them in storage.

The replacement 19" drove way nicer ran the 18" Run flats.

+1 on keeping the RFT for reselling the car later. Helped me out when selling the SUV.

[strath44]

i've been running runflats on my 3 series for about 18 months.

long story short horrible, too hard for potholes - crack alloys very easily due to hard side walls, tyre wear is fast.

when you get a puncture or slow unless you check your pressures regularly or have an alarm you can be running a pretty flat tyre and its not instantly obvious.

non dealer garages hate you because they are hellish to put on a rim without messing it up

word on the street is that bmw are going to phase them out but doubt thats true.

also people forget if you get a tear they wont run flat so as people are talikng about hear you still end up carrying a spare, total rubbish!

on the plus side, massive space gain in my boot!

[DanielDudley]

Some of the guys on Miata.net are saying that the Continental run flats were the best to run on.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

Some of the guys on Miata.net are saying that the Continental run flats were the best to run on.

What do hairdressers and clothing designers know about tires??