Lets Drive

iTrader: (3)

I honestly don't feel its a replacment for a spare. A destroyed sidewall is all one needs to realize the value of a spare, when you're stuck in a tight situation. The added weight, though low in the chassis, is worth it for any primarily street driven car, IMO. Its just one of those things that goes unappreciated until its needed.

DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

I would hate to get a blow out during a heavy down pour on the highway waiting for help or attempting to change a standard tire. With the runflat, at least I can drive the car to a service station with speeds up to 50 mph with confidence.. I love run flats..

CDNROCKIES

Hmmm....I'm not as anti-RFT as many of you seem to be. We had Michelin Dueler RFT's on our ML for the summer and they were nice riding, quiet tires. I did put non-RFT Blizzaks on for the winter and do find them to ride a little softer, but don't really notice any difference in road noise.

I was riding with my father last night with his new winters on his X6. His set up is Conti winter RFT's and I was shocked to feel how nice they were and how quiet they were. I was actually very impressed even though I'd never buy them.

It more comes down to price for me. Why pay twice as much for RFT's when there are equally as good non-RFT's?

SoCalSC4

In the wheel and tire industry, we call them "run craps."

Enough said!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

run flats suck.

IS-SV

I've voted with my pocketbook and avoided buying runflats or any cars with runflats.

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

Every aspect of car design involves compromise, personally I always remove my spare tire & tools for better performance. In 200,000 + miles of driving I have been marooned 1 time. What will you do if you get 2 flat tires at the same time??

AlexusAnja

I think the main issue with run flats is... you don't miss it, until you've used it. In theory, what can be better than RFT's? You get a flat, you can still drive 50 mph to the next exit to find a place to fix the tire (in theory, the shop probably won't have RFT in stock).

I just don't think that that many people get flat tires, and if they do, they either call AAA or they just change themselves. The percentage of people that have been hassled by flats does not offset the numbers that would be needed to have the number of pro-RFT's to be higher than 1%.

So, with a small percentage not having experienced the RFT, but only know how stiff they are because of the daily commute, they end up hating it. It becomes just something that causes more noise, more stiffness, and because it's never been used for it's 2nd purpose, it's seen as "ugh, stinky tires."

Fizzboy7

Let's say you get a nail in a run flat. Can it be patched like a regular tire or is it toast? One thing I've always appreciated with regular tires is if you catch the leak early enough, usually you can save the tire. Not sure about the run flats.

CDNROCKIES

RFT's are not repairable.

Fizzboy7

Well, it's settled then. There's no reason for these. Regular tires- get a nail, pull over, put spare on, take damaged tire to be plugged, put back on car, and off you go $20 later from America's Tire Company. Who's going to be driving on a flat tire for 50 miles anyway? That's what roadside assistance is for.
2009 + luxury car.... people aren't driving on flats!

Lets Drive

iTrader: (3)

Agreed on compromise, but for me in a primarily street driven car, practicality gets the upper hand in that compromise. The weight of the spare/tools sits low enough in the chassis that its hardly worth any notable performance difference on the street, or certainly one I can overlook. Depending on the car (in my case, the IS is my daily), it actually would increase the front weight bias, which isn't the most desired effect, while also losing base support for the trunk flooring (since the spare doubles its duty for this purpose).

2 flats would be unfortunate, but less likely than the single flat one spare could cover. In my experiences, blowouts/flats happen exactly when you don't need them, almost to spite you.

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

In my experience (4 different tire stores) tire ruining flats happen from not looking where you are going & lack of maintenance, mostly tire air pressure.

Jujharoo

I have 2 cars that have run-flats from factory, I absolutely hate them. The ride is harsh, loud, uncomfortable and not to mention, expensive to replace.

UDel

Can of Fix O Flat in the trunk. That is really the only solution and I believe a few models come standard with a can of Fix O Flat when they have no spare and don't use run flat OEM tires. I have used those Fix a Flat sprays and they did work and were able to get me back home and last long enough for me to order a new set of tires and get them installed. The inner rim area was pretty messy though.

The main reason people don't buy runflats is because they are way too expensive. Most buyers don't even read car magazine reviews of them and just go with what is in their budget and what is recommended. The average person is not going to pay $300-$500 for a tire no matter what it offers when they can get a decent tire for $85-$130. Enthusiasts know they generally don't handle well, are noisy, and other drawbacks like being unrepairable but enthusiasts don't amount to very big sales. I would never get them just based on mainly on price plus they don't handle very well, are noisy, and are unrepairable. They really don't have real advantages when you have AAA or a $8 can of Fix A Flat.