My brother just leased a BMW and it comes with No Spare tire, but has Run Flat Tires as standard equipment.


Dealer told him you can run with a flat for up to 150 miles (at a reduced speed of 50 mph).


I was not familiar with these tires, but it sounded like a viable replacement option on my Crossfire.


Was wondering if any xFire owners run with any of these, or any comments...


I found the following info on the Edmunds website:



[Pros:

• You can drive on a flat tire: The primary benefit of a run-flat tire is that it allows you to keep driving about 100 miles after all the air has gone. This means that a person doesn't have to get out of the car in the cold, or the rain, or onto a busy highway or on the street in a sketchy part of town. Drivers will usually have to reduce speed to about 50 mph to get the maximum range. The owner's manual will have exact figures for each tire/vehicle application.
• Better stability after a blowout: Because this tire can support the vehicle without air, a sudden deflation results in less weight transfer and tread destabilization. Steering and handling will remain near normal.
• Lower vehicle weight: With the spare and tire repair tools eliminated, vehicle weight should theoretically go down. But it's not as much as you might expect, since run-flat tires weigh more than regular tires, due to the added sidewall reinforcement.

Cons:

• No spare: Vehicles equipped with run-flat tires carry no spare, which means they don't have the jack or tools either. In fact, eliminating the spare and reallocating that space to some other purpose (styling, third-row seat, interior room, etc.) is a big reason why carmakers offer run-flats.
• Reduced tread wear: A recent study by J.D. Power found that people were replacing their run-flat tires an average of 6,000 miles sooner than owners using standard tires. Opinions differ on why this is, but one theory is that tiremakers put a soft tread compound on a run-flat tire to counter the hard ride. A side effect of the softer compound is a shorter tread life.
• Blowouts are still possible: If a driver fails to heed or notice the run-flat warning and drives beyond the zero-pressure range or above the speed limitation, the tire can begin to disintegrate, with the same destabilizing effects. Additionally, if the puncture occurred on the sidewall or if the tire hits a large object, the driver would have to call a tow truck. The J.D. Power study found that "customers with vehicles equipped with run-flat tires are nearly twice as likely as those with vehicles equipped with standard tires to have to replace a tire due to a flat or blowout."
• Hard to tell if it is low on air: A side effect of the stiffer construction is that the sidewalls do not bulge if the air pressure is low. This means that it is critical to have a tire-pressure monitoring system and check your tire pressure frequently.
• Harsher ride: The stiff sidewalls that make a run-flat work also result in a harder ride. If the vehicle came with run-flat tires from the factory, the automaker usually tunes the suspension to offset the harsher ride.
• Cost: Run-flat tires are more expensive to replace. A 205/55R16 run-flat tire at a local shop in Santa Monica, California, costs $239. The standard tire equivalent costs about $174, a $65 difference per tire. Also, many run-flat tires cannot be repaired and often need to be replaced in pairs.
• Less on-shelf availability: Because run-flats aren't a big-selling tire, drivers shouldn't expect to roll into just any tire store and buy one. It may be easier to do so in larger cities, but if you're a run-flat user on a road trip and get a flat near a small town, you'll probably have to make a detour to find a suitable tire dealer. Or worse, you may have to stay there overnight, waiting for the tire to be shipped.]

 

Not a bad idea - but not worth the money to me, even when my XF was a daily driver. In 37 years of driving, only TWICE have I had a failure that took the tire down to zero pressure quickly, and in those two cases (the tire was lacerated) I doubt the run flat would have helped much.

I have had only one nail-like puncture in an XF tire in 90,000 or so miles of driving, and I fixed that without even taking the tire off the car with a "tire worm" plug kit and the air compressor.

 

And given the miles on your car, you aren't driving it enough (I would not think, anyway) to place it at much risk.

Not a criticism, I'm not driving my "new" one much, either.

 

I have had two sets on the SRT and the one thing I can tell you is they are HEAVY!
Not performance tires no matter who tells you they are.

 

I got a deal on some run flats for my car. Well, it was a good $$$ deal but absolutely no traction. Made a big mistake with those stiff side walls. I can literally roast those Goodyears anytime I want to. OK, for regular driving, but not for drag racing of any kind.

 

Good info here. I was considering run flats for my next set. Seems like a lot of piece of mind for a car that has no spare, but cost and performance suffer.

 

I think you are trying to reduce your risk too far. I have only replaced a tire on the side of the road once in my 44 years of driving. I was in college and saw the bulge in the tire but I was too lazy to replace it at home. But, ultimately you are the only one that can decide the piece of mind you desire.

 

Get non-run flats and get a tire repair kit. Use the plugs and the air inflator in the trunk if you get a flat. Always inspect your tires before you get in the car. I had Conti run flats and they go flat pretty quick anyways if you get a screw or something in there. Now running Cooper RS3-As and have never had a flat. Had 2 flats with the contis, don't know if that means anything. Ran the contis for 5,000 or so miles, have been on the coopers for about the same without issues.

 

Posted reply to wrong thread

 

Not only are they heavy the sidewalls are much thicker and stiffer so they do not roll over the same as a normal summer tire. I hated the run flats I had on a car in the late 1990s but perhaps they have improved them since then.

 

in the past 40 years, i have had only 2 times when i noticed a tire was loosing air slowly and took to the shop-it was a nail that was removed and patched. and no flat tires.
makes me wonder how critical is to have spare tire. not for me. but its up to each 1 of course.

 

I have never had a flat on the road. (I hope I don’t regret stating that publicly)

 

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