Anyone out there who owns a car with run flat tires (standard on most BMW’s and some others) will eventually run into the question that I am now facing. Do you replace your factory RFT’s with good old regular tires, or should you stick with the factory choice of run flats. I have been scouring the internet for opinions and have managed to find some common themes out there.
The reason to keep the run flats:
• Safety – You don’t have to worry about a blowout at highway speeds turning your trip to work into a 30 car pileup.
• Convenience – No changing tires at the side of the road.
• Factory settings – The factory has tuned the vehicles specifically for run flats
The reason to go with regular tires:
• Cost – They are cheaper than RFT’s and can be repaired
• Performance – Run flats tend to lose grip more quickly than the old school variety.
• Longevity – You tend to get more life from a regular tire.
• Comfort – The ride is very unforgiving on an RFT
I have yet to make up my mind completely, but you never seem to hear any complaints from anyone who switched over to regular tires from the RFT’s. They just buy a couple of cans of tire repair foam, a compressor and off they go. Most of them seem to be of the petrolhead variety and know what they are talking about.
You also seem to find quite a few complaints about the RFT’s out there as well, and even some pending lawsuits. With that being said, I am sure the ‘silent majority’ is out there somewhere and very happily motoring along with their run flats.
For me, I have once had a blowout driving on a motorway, and it wasn’t a whole lot of fun, but I survived to tell the story. (It sounded like a helicopter was landing on my roof, and it took me a second to figure out what it was.) I have had countless tire repairs for nails and other issues. I also think the convenience issue is covered by having a good roadside assistance company. Let’s face it, no one really wants to change a tire on their own anyway. I am also not really sure I but the ‘factory setting’ argument, but I really don’t know anything about that sort of thing, so they may be something to it.
I would love to hear some comments from others who have found themselves in the same situation. I almost replaced the RFT’s with new run flats without even thinking, but now I find myself leading the other way.
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There’s one more option for any car that has room to store it – install non runflat tires and retrofit a space saver spare. A company in the US pieces kits together for BMWs with original BMW parts – wheel, tire, jack, tools. http://leatherz.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=01&Product_Code=SpaceSaverSpare&Category_Code=SafetyConvenience
A similar kit could be fashioned for a lot of vehicles. For example, C5 Corvettes came with runflats and no spare/jack, but there is a deep well in the trunk area that will likely hold a space saver. The trick is making sure it clears the brake calipers, and obtaining a suitable jack and lugwrench.
This could be useful even for those who keep runflats – no need to stop and wait for a new runflat tire to be sourced, simply install your spare and regain the ability to drive the car while you wait for the new tire to be shipped.
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