[Closed] Run Flat Tyretrack World

I had a BMW a few years ago.

Best thing I ever did was to replace the run flats with standard tyres. The change in ride quality was unbelievable. Tyres were half the price as well.

Did you carry a sealant/pump kit, or use a space saver, or just trust to luck & carry a phone?

gobuchul +1
I carried a can of sealant although never needed it.

If you're a belt and braces kind of person, you might want to check with your insurer. If runflats were specced as original equipment you *may* need to record the change as a modification.

I never bothered speaking to the insurer, the car got written off with non-runflats and it didn't cause a problem, but YMMV.

Got to be standard tyres for the comfort and noise - plus runflats are expensive and can't be repaired (they can be but nobody will because they don't know what distance you drove on them flat). My JCW mini had runflats and the ride was harsh - I wouldn't have them again.

Did you carry a sealant/pump kit, or use a space saver, or just trust to luck & carry a phone?

Just trusted to luck TBH.

I've had run flats repaired twice so that's not an issue.
However, everything else that has been said is correct.
Also the point about suspension being set up etc for run flats - some models you can choose between normal and run flat tyres so that's a bit of a moot point.

Go standard all round, it'll feel like a different car.

I've got Bridgestone Driveguard runflats on my car, they're supposed to be more compliant than most RFs but tbh they're stil just as harsh as the Pirellis and Contis that were on before them (unless my suspension's biggered!). I'll be replacing them with conventional. I know the past has little bearing on the future in these matters but the only puncture I've had in the last 30 years was when I hit a bit of road debris which took out a sidewall, and RFs would have been bugger all use in that case anyway.

Thanks All!
Decision made. Standard tyres, spending the same as the run flats would of cost, but hopefully getting a better tyre.

I’ve had run flats repaired twice so that’s not an issue.

Depends on the manufacturer - Continental & Pirelli's are officially not repairable and Michelin only once however to complicate matters further places like Kwikfit or Formula 1 Autocentre refuse to repair any runflat.

Funnily enough it was Pirelli's I had repaired.
Officially they don't want you to repair them but they can be repaired.
I didn't take it to a formula 1 or Kwikfit. I don't use those sort of places for tyres. Local independent fitters who know what they're doing is the place to go.

They CAN be repaired. But SHOULD they be repaired? You pay your money and take your chances.

I went from RF to standard and back to RF on my wife’s previous 1 series. I thought I noticed a difference when moving away from RF’s but when I put RF’s back on in preparation for returning the car I noticed no difference or deterioration in. Pose or comfort. Same tyre brand and tyre model throughout so perception of difference is probably imaginary. Also got a puncture on my wife’s new car. She mentioned there was a strange light on the dash for the last week. I investigated turns out one tyre was punctured and flat. Was amazing because for a week we’d been driving normally on it and it drove fine. So I think on balance RF’s are worth it just in case you do have a puncture. The inflator and sealant kits are a waste of time and you will be stranded.

Most of what everyone has said about run flats is true, in terms of the ride quality. Or at least it used to be. Newer run flats are significantly better than they used to be even just a few years ago. The Goodyear Eagle F1 runflats are a very nice tyre now - swapped to those on my previous M140i and vs the Bridgestone things that came as standard it was night and day. They are still about 30% more than an equivalent standard tyre though. I suppose in general you can definitely still say that normal tyres drive better than a run flat, but there are definitely good driving run flats available now.

I've just removed 4 runflats from my Mini Clubman and put normal tyres on it. Totally different feeling car now. Just need to get a space saver to throw in the boot but even factoring that in, its a better ride and tyres a cheaper than what I replaced. Win Win.

Should they be repaired?
Well that depends on what you've done to them. If they've been run on to the extent that they have side wall deterioration as a result then probably not.

In my case, the first tyre I had the light come on about 4 miles from home. When I got home I checked tyre pressures and found the offending tyre with a screw bang in the middle of the tread.
I took it off and took it to my local fitter, who duly fixed it. The tyre was pretty new maybe only 2000 miles. It finally got replaced at 20000 and about 2mm of tread.

The second one I found by chance when swapping to winters. No loss of pressure so no warning light. It was coming off to be swapped for the winter. This time a nail, but again in the main part of the tread, not side wall. Off to tyre fitter who again repaired.

I read all the stories about not being able to repair etc and that you shouldn't repair etc etc, but it's simply not true. There are circumstances when a repair is perfectly legitimate despite what Pirelli etc say - they just want you to shell out for a new tyre and removes any liability from them.
I appreciate there are also circumstances when a repair is not reasonable or shouldn't be done.

I'm not trying to defend run flats as I've always swapped them when the tyres have worn out for standard tyres and I've always been happier with the standard tyres. I do agree though that run flat technology has improved (or perhaps suspension setups have been tuned to work better with run flats?) and the tyres are much better than when they first started being used. However, they are still not in my opinion as nice in use as conventional tyres, though YMMV.

The runflats on my present car are way better than the ones that were fitted to the last car which I had them on about 10 years ago - they’ve definitely improved. I like them.
But......I had a nail in one rear tyre a couple of weeks ago and it was very difficult to find someone to repair it, despite the fact that the pressure had never dropped below 29psi. After much panic, I found a company who would fix it, having checked the inside of the sidewall for any damage.
BMW state that if the tread depths across the axle differ by more than 2mm, both tyres should be changed. And because it’s got XDrive (4 wheel drive), if the tread depth of the tyres on the back are more than 2mm different to those on the front, then the fronts should be replaced as well.
So, as an alternative to a simple repair, I was almost faced with having to buy 4 new tyres.

In 4 years, I’ve had 3 punctures. It’s great being able to drive on to somewhere safe/home and then onto somewhere to get the tyre looked at.

No sitting at the side of the road waiting for recovery, or putting a spare on, on the hard shoulder ( I have done this too - not much fun.)

Out of those 3 punctures, one was repaired but I had driven too far on the other two.

Well worth it for my piece of mind and I don’t find the ride crashy at all.

Cable outer compressing?

I think RFTs have definitely improved over the years and I've just ordered 2 new ones for the front of my car. They were also roughly the same price as the standard equivalents and I don't have to worry about carrying sealant or a space saver spare.

I think RFTs have definitely improved over the years and I’ve just ordered 2 new ones for the front of my car. They were also roughly the same price as the standard equivalents and I don’t have to worry about carrying sealant or a space saver spare.

Maybe they have improved, but RFs are around 15-20% more expensive than the equivalent standard tyre in my size. That's if there is a direct equivalent - there's far less choice in RFs and if you want something like an all-season tyre there's hardly any.